{"id":5361,"date":"2016-01-12T23:16:13","date_gmt":"2016-01-12T23:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/?p=46184"},"modified":"2016-01-12T23:16:13","modified_gmt":"2016-01-12T23:16:13","slug":"anti-marijuana-adelson-pressures-newspaper-to-reconsider-legalization-stance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/anti-marijuana-adelson-pressures-newspaper-to-reconsider-legalization-stance\/","title":{"rendered":"Anti-Marijuana Adelson Pressures Newspaper to Reconsider Legalization Stance"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/anti-marijuana-adelson-pressures-newspaper-to-reconsider-legalization-stance\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><p>Just as marijuana law reform\u00a0advocates <a href=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/blog\/news\/2016\/01\/will-sheldon-adelson-use-nevada-paper-to-sink-legal-marijuana\/\">feared<\/a>, new Las Vegas Review-Journal owner Sheldon Adelson is exerting pressure on the paper&#8217;s editorial board to reverse\u00a0its long-held pro-legalization stance.<\/p>\n<p>According to journalists present at a Monday meeting with publisher Jason Taylor and interim editor Glenn Cook, Adelson and his wife Miriam are asking editorial board members to visit a drug treatment center and reconsider\u00a0the publication&#8217;s support for ending prohibition ahead of a November vote on legalizing marijuana in Nevada.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" width=\"550\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">But Adelson family has asked editorial page writers to come to family-supported drug treatment ctr to get info, reconsider pro-pot stance.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jennifer Robison (@_JRobison) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_JRobison\/status\/686663833063043072\">January 11, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js?a8203f\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" width=\"550\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Per Glenn: The Adelson family has invited the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/reviewjournal\">@reviewjournal<\/a> editorial board to visit a drug addiction treatment center and talk w\/ patients<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Howard Stutz (@howardstutz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/howardstutz\/status\/686673998747283456\">January 11, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js?a8203f\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" width=\"550\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Per Glenn: The idea is to see if that will change the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/reviewjournal\">@reviewjournal<\/a> position in favor legalized medical and recreation marijuana<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Howard Stutz (@howardstutz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/howardstutz\/status\/686674350737494016\">January 11, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js?a8203f\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Cook and fellow editorial writers Patrick Everson and\u00a0Steve Sebelius are reportedly set to visit a drug treatment facility at Adleson&#8217;s suggestion sometime next week.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" width=\"550\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Glenn_CookNV\">@Glenn_CookNV<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PatrickCEverson\">@PatrickCEverson<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SteveSebelius\">@SteveSebelius<\/a> will visit the center &quot;with an open mind&quot; sometime next week <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jN2iVzOCtC\">https:\/\/t.co\/jN2iVzOCtC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Neal Morton (@nealtmorton) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nealtmorton\/status\/686664702118645760\">January 11, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js?a8203f\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Chances are, anyone the opinion writers\u00a0encounter at the treatment center who is there for marijuana will have been referred by the criminal justice system instead of having checked themselves in for a self-identified problem. Federal data released last month <a href=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/blog\/news\/2015\/12\/most-in-treatment-for-marijuana-were-referred-by-criminal-justice-system-federal-data-shows\/\">showed<\/a> that nearly 52 percent of people in drug treatment primarily for marijuana were referred by the criminal justice system.\u00a0At a time when America is experiencing an epidemic of opioid overdoses, drug policy reform advocates have questioned whether it makes sense for the criminal justice system to mandate that cannabis users take up so much space in drug treatment programs.<\/p>\n<p>Marijuana is apparently a singular issue the Adelsons want to exert influence over at the paper. Publisher Taylor says the family won&#8217;t be involved in decisions over the editorial board&#8217;s endorsements of political candidates and won&#8217;t help to write editorials in general.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" width=\"550\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Will Adelson family have say in endorsements? Publisher Jason Taylor said no. It will be up to the paper.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jennifer Robison (@_JRobison) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_JRobison\/status\/686663429352849408\">January 11, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js?a8203f\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" width=\"550\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Nor will the family help write editorials.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jennifer Robison (@_JRobison) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_JRobison\/status\/686663529395437568\">January 11, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js?a8203f\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" width=\"550\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">AND the Adelson&#39;s said they don&#39;t want control of the editorial pages but they do want the Ed. board to reconsider its stance on marijuana<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Wesley Juhl (@WesJuhl) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WesJuhl\/status\/686670728247128064\">January 11, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js?a8203f\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Adelson, the world&#8217;s 18th richest person, according to Forbes, is a casino magnate and was the top donor in opposition to a medical marijuana initiative that was narrowly defeated by Florida voters in 2014.<\/p>\n<p>The Review-Journal, which Adelson purchased last month, has <a href=\"http:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/blog\/news\/2016\/01\/will-sheldon-adelson-use-nevada-paper-to-sink-legal-marijuana\/\">published editorials<\/a> supporting marijuana legalization since at least 2002.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"line-height: 1.5\">Asked by Marijuana.com whether they anticipated the editorial board would reverse its stance in the face of pressure from the Adelsons, Review-Journal staff members offered no solid predictions.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" width=\"550\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">No way to know. We&#39;ll just have to wait and see <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/e95ryw9q8u\">https:\/\/t.co\/e95ryw9q8u<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; stephanie grimes (@stephgrimes) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stephgrimes\/status\/686960058647744513\">January 12, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js?a8203f\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" width=\"550\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tomangell\">@tomangell<\/a> They&#39;ve asked editorial writers\/columnists to visit their rehab center and reconsider the paper&#39;s position afterward. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jennifer Robison (@_JRobison) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_JRobison\/status\/686956944813199360\">January 12, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js?a8203f\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" width=\"550\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tomangell\">@tomangell<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stephgrimes\">@stephgrimes<\/a> I have no idea. I don&#39;t serve on or have contact with the board. But the situation is worth watching.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jennifer Robison (@_JRobison) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_JRobison\/status\/686966230968696832\">January 12, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js?a8203f\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>So it remains to be seen what shift, if any, the paper&#8217;s position on marijuana will undergo as November&#8217;s\u00a0statewide vote on legalization approaches.<\/p>\n<p>But because undecided voters often look to endorsements from opinion leaders such as newspaper editorial boards when making up their minds on ballot questions, a reversal under Adelson\u2019s influence, or even just a silencing of a favorable editorials that otherwise would have been published in the coming months, could make the difference between legalization and continued prohibition in Nevada if polls are close on Election Day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just as marijuana law reform\u00a0advocates feared, new Las Vegas Review-Journal owner Sheldon Adelson is exerting pressure on the paper&#8217;s editorial board to reverse\u00a0its long-held pro-legalization stance. According to journalists present at a Monday meeting with publisher Jason Taylor and interim editor Glenn Cook, Adelson and his wife Miriam are asking editorial board members to visit [&#8230;] <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2417,9,2418,1,3],"tags":[2419,2420],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5361"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5361\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}