Correct on the first, wrong on the second. Stockpiling issues doesn't work in U.S. politics: it's how you get primaried.
The truth: there are enough Democrats in competitive districts where legalized marijuana would lose them the next general. It's a majority of the minority problem. Not anything strategic.
I reject the notion that there are a significant amount of "single-issue" democrat voters. You'll notice "They are trying to overturn roe-vs-wade" didn't exactly result in a significant turn out. Democrat voters are apathetic because we hate our own party. Nearly none of us are committed to the democratic party, we just don't like the republican's idea of the future.
Also, if you go back say, 10 years, you'll see that most HN threads have very little politics in them, so yes, that has been the norm before.