By Tim Roske, APNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y., earlier this month. Cuomo is proposing the decriminalization of the possession of small amounts of marijuana in public view.
By Tim Roske, APNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y., earlier this month. Cuomo is proposing the decriminalization of the possession of small amounts of marijuana in public view.
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In both New York and Chicago, while whites, blacks and Latinos possess and use marijuana at roughly equal rates, the people arrested for possession of pot are overwhelmingly black and Latino. The proposed changes would make an enormous difference in communities of color and in the lives of thousands of others. They would no longer face life-altering, dream-killing criminal charges for conduct that more than 40% of Americans have engaged in at one point in their lives.But the larger significance of Cuomo's and Emmanuel's stance lies in what it says about the direction of the Democratic Party, national politics and mainstream acceptance of marijuana reform.Andrew Cuomo is widely regarded as one of the most politically astute Democratic politicians of his generation. He very likely has his eye on a presidential run in 2016. Everything he does can be (and is, by those who pay close attention to these things) viewed in that light. When Cuomo staked out a position last year in favor of same-sex marriage, and went to the mat to make it happen in New York, it was seen as clear evidence that the national political tide had shifted on that key issue, at least for Democrats. No Democrat will ever again be able to secure the party's nomination for president while opposing marriage equality.Rahm Emmanuel is also known as a savvy politician, who as head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2006 led the Democrats to a 31-seat pickup that gave them back control of the House. He is nothing if not mindful of how the political winds are blowing. In fact, as President Obama's chief of staff, he was criticized by many on the left as being too conservative and cautious in his approach on a range of issues facing the administration.So Cuomo's and Emmanuel's positions on marijuana decriminalization have a weather vane-like quality: they demonstrate that the national tide has turned on marijuana reform. If they have decided there is no political downside to decriminalizing marijuana, the debate has shifted significantly, and likely permanently.To see the press that followed Cuomo's announcement, you'd think that the issue had never been controversial in New York (trust me, it was). The New York Daily News, not known as liberal on criminal justice issues, immediately editorialized in support of the reform and urged Senate Republicans to "get with the program."Around the country, similar change is afoot. In a recent, hotly contested Democratic primary for Oregon attorney general, the state's medical marijuana law was a defining campaign issue. The candidate who supported the program and argued that marijuana enforcement should be a low law enforcement priority in general won big over a more traditional law-and-order candidate endorsed by prosecutors and sheriffs. In Texas last month, a first-time congressional candidate who endorsed marijuana legalization defeated an eight-term incumbent in El Paso's 16th congressional district.Republicans remain more conservative on marijuana reform — at least in public (privately, many will say they think marijuana should be completely legal). But Americans in general have shifted on this issue: For the first time, support for marijuana legalization topped 50% nationwide last year, according to Gallup, and a recent Mason-Dixon poll found that 67% of Republicans believe that the federal government should get out of the way and let states enforce their own medical marijuana laws, rather than prosecute people complying with state law. And in another telling example of "weed-is-the-new-gay," young people, likely including Republicans as well as Democrats, overwhelmingly support complete marijuana legalization. As marijuana reform becomes a mainstream position, Republican candidates and elected officials will find it is less and less of a political third rail. Gov. Cuomo and Mayor Emmanuel are showing them the future.Jill Harris is managing director of strategic initiatives for Drug Policy Action, the political arm of the Drug Policy Alliance.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.