Pot Clubs Get to Twerk

Miley Cyrus told Rolling Stone magazine that “weed is the best drug on earth,” and that she once smoked a joint with peyote in it and saw a wolf howling at the moon. So when the pop star known for humping foam fingers and blazing on stage stopped by San Jose’s SAP Center on Tuesday as part of her tour, supporters of a local marijuana initiative knew they needed to canvass the area like a leotarded wrecking ball.

Advocates of the San Jose Medical Marijuana Regulation for San Jose Act of 2014—drafted in response to the city’s “failure to come up with workable regulations for San Jose cannabis clubs”—want to gather 30,000 signatures by 4/20 to place it on the November ballot. Targeting “Smilers” aged 18 and above seemed like a good place to start.

The initiative came in response to the city’s efforts to clamp down on pot clubs. Despite collecting more than $5 million annually in taxes from medical marijuana transactions, city officials continue to say collectives are illegal and most should be shut down. A proposed ordinance expected to come forward in March would effectively shutter most of the 80-or-so pot clubs that operate within city limits.

Cannabis club advocates hope to have better luck with voters, and Miley fans, as polling shows greater acceptance of medical marijuana and outright legalization since Prop 19’s defeat in 2010.

“Don’t worry,” Dave Hodges, one of the initiative’s authors, said ahead of the concert, “we will be collecting signatures for the 2014 statewide legalization at the show as well.”

If the effort comes off as a little crass—for Pete’s sake, tweens are present!—it’s probably worth noting that earlier this month Girl Scouts and their parents had no problem targeting local collectives to sell cookies.

Jennifer Wadsworth is the former news editor for San Jose Inside and Metro Silicon Valley. Follow her on Twitter at @jennwadsworth.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *