tagged w/ marijuana legalization
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CASH-STRAPPED STATES CONSIDER MARIJUANA REVENUE
WASHINGTON -- Mary Lou Dickerson had seen enough. After wrenching cuts to Washington state's drug and alcohol-treatment programs, Dickerson, a Democratic representative, introduced a bill to sell marijuana in state liquor stores -- and tax it.
Dickerson is an unlikely crusader for marijuana legalization. A 63-year-old grandmother who doesn't use it, she says money was the only reason for proposing her controversial bill this year.
"According to the state's own estimates, it would bring in an additional $300 million per biennium," she says. "I dedicated [in the bill] a great deal of the proceeds from the tax on marijuana to treatment."
The proposal died in committee, but Dickerson, who heads the House Human Services Committee, expected to reintroduce it. Other advocates in almost two dozen states have been making similar efforts to loosen marijuana laws.
This has been a bumper year for marijuana legislation, according to state policy observers. Crushing state budget deficits gave advocates in California, Washington, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York and elsewhere an opening to pitch marijuana as a new source of tax revenue.
At the same time, the Obama administration gave users and distributors some breathing room by signaling in October that it would scale back on prosecuting them as long as they comply with state law.
Eighteen states discussed medical marijuana through legislation or citizen initiatives this year. Most visibly, California election officials announced March 24 that this year's ballot would include a question to allow local governments to legalize and tax marijuana, casting a spotlight on the state that first legalized medical marijuana in 1996.
more at link:
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/lifestyles/health_med_fit/article/I-POTT0406_20100506-203405/342659/CASH-STRAPPED STATES CONSIDER MARIJUANA REVENUE
WASHINGTON -- Mary Lou Dickerson... more
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By:John Russo
When it comes to marijuana policy, California has been stuck in a fairy tale for decades.
This particular fairy tale is like "The Emperor's New Clothes."
Everybody can see that marijuana prohibition has done nothing to prevent its use, and that arresting tens of thousands Californians every year for misdemeanor possession diverts police resources from violent felonies.
And nobody is blind to the fact that marijuana has funded and empowered the sociopathic drug cartels responsible for untold suffering and violence on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
It's time for Californians to acknowledge the truth about the war on marijuana. Not only is it ineffective -- it directly compromises public safety in our state.
In November, California can become the first state to recognize this reality by passing the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010.
This smart initiative would legalize personal cultivation and possession of small amounts of marijuana for adults over the age of 21. Individual cities and counties could strictly regulate distribution and sales as they see fit. It would increase the penalty for providing marijuana to minors. Sales by unlicensed dealers -- those now funding the cartels and wreaking havoc in our cities -- would still be illegal.
California banned cannabis almost a century ago based on sensational and unscientific notions about the plant.
Modern prohibition, based on some of the same anachronistic ideas, has failed to control widespread availability and use. Like the 18th Amendment's prohibition against alcohol, it is routinely overlooked by millions of otherwise law-abiding citizens.
Others have made commonsense arguments about the economic benefits of taxing this major industry. Cannabis is by far the largest cash crop in the state, with an estimated value of about $14 billion. Estimated tax revenue from sales alone would be $1.4 billion -- money that could go to police, public schools and other critical services now being gutted by California's budget crisis.
As the City Attorney of Oakland -- a city where dozens of people are killed in drug-related murders every year -- my primary concern is the war on marijuana's collateral damage to public safety.
Black market marijuana is a main source of fuel powering the vast criminal enterprises that threaten peace on our streets and weaken national security on our borders. According to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Mexican drug cartels get more than 60 percent of their revenue from selling marijuana in the United States.
Money is the oxygen of these organizations. For decades, our approach to fighting violent drug gangs has been like trying to put out a house fire with a watering can. Why not try shutting off the fire's oxygen supply?
The cost of enforcing prohibition is hard to estimate. We spend hundreds of millions of dollars and countless law enforcement hours arresting people for low-level marijuana crimes, further overburdening courts and prisons. Jail beds needed for marijuana offenders could be "used for other criminals who are now being released early because of a lack of jail space," the state Legislative Analyst's Office wrote.
More than 61,000 Californians were arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession in 2008. That same year, about 60,000 violent crimes went unsolved statewide. The reality is that resources tied up fighting marijuana would be better spent solving and preventing violent felonies and other major crimes.
Regulating and controlling marijuana is really a law-and-order measure. It takes marijuana off street corners and out of the hands of children. It cuts off a huge source of revenue to the violent gangsters who now control the market. And it gives law enforcement more capacity to focus on what really matters to Californians -- making our communities safer.
It's time we call marijuana prohibition what it is -- an outdated and costly approach that has failed to benefit our society. In November, we will finally have the chance to take a rational course with the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act.
John Russo is the City Attorney of Oakland.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/opinionshop/detail?entry_id=62294By:John Russo
When it comes to marijuana policy, California has been stuck in a... more
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April 20th, or 4/20 for short, is a day on which people gather to celebrate and consume cannabis. It allegedly derives from a group of students at San Rafael High School in the 1970s, who adopted 4:20 p.m. as an unofficial time to smoke up. And it spread from there to the point where 420 is synonymous with smoking pot. True or not, It’s part of pop culture these days, and Tuesday is the day to make your voice heard on the matter.
We at Gunaxin take no official stance on the legal matter, but we support individual choice. And if that choice is to smoking ganja, so be it. As we like to do at Gunaxin, we will celebrate the holiday…..but with women. Below are some of the 420 girls who have a very pro-pot stance, via 420 Magazine. No word on if any of them are named Mary Jane. Make of them as you will:
http://girls.gunaxin.com/happy-marijuana-day/18113April 20th, or 4/20 for short, is a day on which people gather to celebrate and... more
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100420/ap_on_re_us/us_ap_poll_legalizing_marijuana;_ylt=Alp.mNNHDQoH6OVFZEX5iBqs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFoaGE5ZDY4BHBvcwMyOARzZWMDYWNjb3JkaW9uX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNhcC1jbmJjcG9sbG0-
Most Americans still oppose legalizing marijuana but larger majorities believe pot has medical benefits and the government should allow its use for that purpose, according to an Associated Press-CNBC poll released Tuesday.
Respondents were skeptical that crime would spike if marijuana is decriminalized or that it would lead more people to harder drugs like heroin or cocaine. There also was a nearly even split on whether government spends too much or the right amount enforcing marijuana laws. Almost no one thinks too little is spent.
Marijuana use — medically and recreationally — is getting more attention in the political arena. California voters will decide in November whether to legalize the drug, and South Dakota will vote this fall on whether to allow medical uses. California and 13 other states already permit such use.
The balloting comes against the backdrop of the Obama administration saying it won't target marijuana dispensaries if they comply with state laws, a departure from the policy of the Bush administration, which sought to more stringently enforce the federal ban on marijuana use for any purpose.
In the poll, only 33 percent favor legalization while 55 percent oppose it. People under 30 were the only age group favoring legalization (54 percent) and opposition increased with age, topping out at 73 percent of those 65 and older. Opposition also was prevalent among women, Republicans and those in rural and suburban areas.
Some opponents worried legalization would lead to reefer madness.
"I think it would be chaos if it was legalized," said Shirley Williams, a 75-year-old retired English teacher from Quincy, Ill. "People would get in trouble and use marijuana as an excuse."
Those like Jeff Boggs, 25, of Visalia, Calif., who support legalization said the dangers associated with the drug have been overstated.
"People are scared about things they don't know about," said Boggs, who is married and works for an auto damage appraisal company.
Americans are more accepting of medical marijuana. Sixty percent support the idea and 74 percent believe the drug has a real medical benefit for some people. Two-thirds of Democrats favor medical marijuana as do a slim majority of Republicans, 53 percent.
Peoples' views on legalizing marijuana or on allowing its use for medicinal purposes were largely uniform across different regions of the country, despite the fact that legal medical marijuana use is concentrated in the West.
Bill Hankins, 77, of Mason, Mich., opposes legalizing marijuana but strongly favors using the drug medicinally. Michigan is among the states that allow medical pot.
"It has been shown through tests to alleviate pain in certain medical conditions," said Hankins, who said he experimented with pot when he was younger. If Hankins fell gravely ill and "my doctor said I should have it to control the pain, I would use it," he said.
California was the first state to approve medical marijuana, in 1996, and has been the hub of the so-called "Green Rush" to legalize marijuana. But a patchwork of local laws in the state has created confusion about the law and lax oversight led to an explosion of medical marijuana dispensaries in some places.
In Los Angeles, the number of dispensaries exploded from four to upward of 1,000 in the past five years. Police believe some were nothing but fronts for drug dealers to sell marijuana to people who have no medical need, and the city recently adopted an ordinance to reduce that number to 70 in coming months.
Among those surveyed, 45 percent said the cost of enforcing existing laws is too high and 48 percent said it's about right. Democrats, men and young people were most apt to say the cost is exorbitant.
With state and local governments desperate for cash, some legalization proponents are pushing marijuana as a potential revenue stream. But only 14 percent of those surveyed who oppose legalization would change their mind if states were to tax the drug.
John Lovell, a spokesman with the California Narcotics Officers' Association, said he wasn't surprised by the poll results because people already are aware of widespread abuse of legal prescription drugs and alcohol.
"Given that reality, we don't need to add another mind-altering substance that compromises people's five senses," Lovell said.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100420/ap_on_re_us/us_ap_poll_legalizing_marijuana;_ylt=Al... more
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Cheech and Chong haven't gone to pot
At least not in the retirement sense. The comedians are on a mission with their "Get It Legal" tour.
Photo: Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, aka Cheech and Chong, are releasing a film documenting their comedy tour of 2009. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
By Michael Ordoña, Special to the Los Angeles Times
April 19, 2010
In a puff of smoke, they were gone for 25 years. But on Tuesday (4/20 to fans of pot culture), Cheech and Chong, those aging icons of stoner comedy, will be everywhere — in theaters, video on demand, DVD, even on iTunes, PlayStations and Xboxes.
Did that just blow your mind?
"They're always looking for new methods of how to look for an audience," says Cheech Marin, 65, of the Weinstein Co.'s multiplatform release of the duo's new concert film, "Cheech and Chong's Hey Watch This." Though the film will play theatrically just the one day, it's the home entertainment segment that is the key attraction. "In a dwindling market for DVDs, we're doing very well, the initial reports say. Big orders," Marin says.
Sounding equally businesslike is Tommy Chong, 71: "And we couldn't be with a better company, Weinstein. They have a history."
"And they pay in advance," Marin adds.
So, there it is. The deans of doobies have done their bit, making nice about the movie taken from their 150-plus-date "Light Up America" tour of 2009. For the rest of the conversation — in a Weinstein Co. conference room surrounded by still-viable pizzas, doughnuts, chips and all manner of other munchies — it's perfectly clear that when you've been around as long as they have (their first album was released in 1971) and been as successful as they have been (their spokesperson says the recent reunion tour grossed "in the mid-seven figures"), you can say whatever you want. Especially if, as Chong declares, they're going to quit the road after their 2010 tour.
"We'll retire to our country estate," Marin says with a smile.
"We'll keep working but I'm at the age now where, ‘Oh, this is my last one…,' " says the remarkably fit-looking Chong.
"This is our 17th annual retirement tour," Marin jokes.
Chong turns serious, which he does more frequently than his round-faced partner: "I really want to get off the road. I want to be able to spend a whole weekend in my house without having to pack."
Marin sneezes. But rather than excusing himself, he explains, "That's my bull detector."
The longtime partners can't be blamed for wanting to immerse themselves in their fans' adoration for the last year and a half on tour. The two parted ways in the '80s because, as Marin puts it, they "ran out of stuff" after years of touring, recording and making movies, and besides, each generation has its comedians. As evidenced in the film, however, devoted fans of a wide age range seem to lose their minds at the sight of them reunited.
"There's a rock 'n' roll element to what we do," Marin says. "We're not cerebral — although we can be — we're loud and boisterous and visceral and physical. Sometimes comics will open for us and say, ‘How do you get 'em to scream like that?' ‘You play those three chords loud!' We should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."
And they're more than happy to give the people what they want, performing largely improvised variants of the sketches generations have grown up with in smoky basements — Blind Melon Chitlin and Alice Bowie, anyone?
"It was the birth of a stoner class," Marin says of their cultural impact. "It was a whole pot generation and we embody that sense of humor. It's an international language."
Chong describes their humor as "juvenile" but adds, "If you can speak Cheech and Chong, skateboarders will accept you, guys in prison, rappers will accept you, white guys — the Gothic kind, anti-social — a lot of cops are big fans because we're in their world."
Marin says, "They used to send us to prisons all the time — San Quentin, Folsom, Soledad, Chino, San Luis Obispo — they used to send us in when they had an uprising, a racial war going on, to calm the natives. Those are tough places. But everyone can come together over Cheech and Chong."
Chong became a member of that kind of captive audience after a 2003 bust for his connection with the manufacture of drug paraphernalia; he served nine months at Taft Correctional Institution.
"What I came across is why pot definitely should be legal," says the defiantly non-corrected Chong. "There are so many growers in there; there are growers doing 30 years because they had a shotgun in their room — on a farm, where you need guns. The laws are so one-sided."
Therefore, the comics are men on a mission on their current "Get It Legal" tour. Despite the Obama administration's repeated rejection of legalization, the highly hopeful Chong is not discouraged.
"I understand Obama, I love the man. He's so brilliant, it makes my eyes water. Like he did with healthcare, he's playing the Republicans like a sheepherder with a cattle prod," he says, laughing. "On one hand he's saying, ‘Marijuana will never be legal.' But on the other hand, he's telling his attorney general, ‘Stop arresting people [who use it] for medical purposes.' That's all it takes."
"If we can't get it legalized with a brother in the White House," says Marin, as they both laugh, "… come on, please."
"And look how close we are," says Chong, eyes glinting.
"My prediction is within three years," Marin says.
"Arnold might. That might be his last act in office," says Chong, saying he has spoken with California's outgoing chief executive on the topic. Gov. Schwarzenegger has, after all, reportedly acknowledged using marijuana in his pre-political days and said last May that its legalization and taxation deserved debate. "At the time he smoked pot, he was the healthiest man in America. That was the only thing he'd put in his body — he wasn't doing chicken skin; he'd take that off. He wouldn't touch a drop of liquor, he wouldn't touch any sugar, but he'd smoke a joint."
"So there! And he got to be governor!" Marin chimes in, adding that by that standard, Cheech and Chong should be "super-governors!"
"I want to be drug czar," Chong says. "I tell you one thing, I've got the research in."Cheech and Chong haven't gone to pot
At least not in the retirement sense. The... more
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by:Bill Piper
April 20th (4/20) has long been associated with marijuana, both marijuana use and marijuana activism. Thousands of Americans will gather on that day at rallies in Boston, Boulder, New York, Santa Cruz, Seattle and other cities. For people who prefer to relax with a joint instead of a beer or martini it's a time to celebrate. For those who don't use marijuana it's a time to stand up in support of their friends, family, and fellow citizens who face arrest for nothing more than what they put into their body. For the Drug Policy Alliance and the drug policy reform movement 4/20 represents something even bigger.
The movement to end marijuana prohibition is very broad, composed of people who love marijuana, people who hate marijuana, and people who don't have strong feelings about marijuana use one way or the other. We all agree on one thing though - marijuana prohibition is doing more harm than good. It's wasting taxpayer dollars and police resources, filling our jails and prisons with hundreds of thousands of nonviolent people, and increasing crime and violence in the same way alcohol Prohibition did. Police made more than 750,000 arrests for marijuana possession in 2008 alone. Those arrested were separated from their loved ones, branded criminals, denied jobs, and in many cases prohibited from accessing student loans, public housing and other public assistance.
Fortunately, the tide is quickly turning against the war on marijuana. Legislators in California, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Virginia are considering legislation to decriminalize or legalize marijuana. The Economist magazine noted that "marijuana could follow the path that alcohol took in the 1930s" out of prohibition into a regulated market. Celebrities are speaking out. The musician and activist Sting, for instance, recently urged people to oppose the entire war on drugs. In November Californians will vote on whether to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol; the measure is ahead in the polls. Local California papers like the Orange County Register and the Long Beach Press-Telegram have editorialized in favor of the initiative, seven months before the vote. Nationally, support for making marijuana legal is about 44 percent, with support increasing about two percent a year. A recent Gallup poll predicts a majority of Americans will favor marijuana legalization within just four years if current trends hold.
The war on marijuana won't end, however, if everyone who supports reform stays silent. Maybe you smoke marijuana and are tired of being considered a criminal. Maybe you work in law enforcement and are tired of ruining people's lives by arresting them. Maybe you're a teacher or public health advocate tired of politicians cutting money for education and health to pay for the construction of new jails and prisons Maybe you're a civil rights activist appalled by racial disparities in marijuana law enforcement. Or maybe you just don't want your tax dollars wasted on ineffective policies.
Regardless of your motivation, April 20th (4/20) is a good opportunity for you to make a pledge to end marijuana prohibition. The Drug Policy Alliance is asking people to use 4/20 as the time to commit to doing something in 2010 to end the war on people who use marijuana. There are many ways to help end marijuana prohibition. Donate to a drug policy reform organization. Tell your elected representatives to end marijuana prohibition. Talk to your friends and family about why people who use marijuana shouldn't be arrested. Twitter this oped. Change your Facebook status to announce your support for ending the war on marijuana. Stand up today with other Americans and get the word out there. This war will end; how soon depends, in part, on you.
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/146412/don%27t_just_smoke_a_joint_on_4_20_--_take_action_against_marijuana_prohibitionby:Bill Piper
April 20th (4/20) has long been associated with marijuana, both... more
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By John H. Richardson
Opponents of the proposed law to legalize and tax marijuana need better arguments, because just saying they're concerned that kids will start driving high is sending the debate up in smoke...
*not enough room for story, check the link to Esquire for full story*By John H. Richardson
Opponents of the proposed law to legalize and tax marijuana... more
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The Current community received some pretty awful news this weekend, Jack Herer (notable advocate for the legalization of marijuana, author of 'The Emperor Wears No Clothes,' curator of the H.E.M.P. group on Current.com, and all around great guy) was reported to be in critical condition after suffering a heart attack shortly following an appearance on-stage at "Hempstalk" in Portland.
Updates have been scarce, filtering out via Facebook and Twitter. Hopefully community members of Jack's H.E.M.P. group will keep the rest of the community updated.
Join Jack Herer's H.E.M.P. group on Current.comThe Current community received some pretty awful news this weekend, Jack Herer... more
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Far from being a war between hippies and police, the fight to legalize marijuana in California centers on whether decriminalizing and taxing cannabis can help fill the state's fiscal hole.
Using the drug for medical purposes has been legal for 14 years in the western state. But a new initiative that will appear on the ballot in November elections is seeking to legalize recreational marijuana use.
The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 would let cities and counties adopt ordinances authorizing the cultivation, transportation and sale of marijuana, and tax its sale just like it taxes alcohol and cigarettes.
Supporters are hoping the potential tax windfall will help garner support for the measure at a time when California is suffering from a crippling budget crisis.
The debate is heating up, with supporters and opponents investing millions of dollars in their cause amid rising concerns the campaign could have a nationwide impact on relaxing drug laws.
"Due to the economic downturn voters realize we cannot afford to waste money locking up people for something that is safer than alcohol," said Salwa Ibrahim, executive assistant at Oakland's Oaksterdam University, which holds classes to train students to grow pot and run marijuana businesses.
Oaksterdam founder Richard Lee, a well-known marijuana activist who founded the school in 2007, paid 1.3 million dollars to sponsor the campaign to place marijuana legalization on the ballot in November, when Californians will also choose a new governor to replace Arnold Schwarzenegger.
That made the school the initiative's main sponsor. Ibrahim noted that most of the funds came from student tuition and from other activists who support controlling and taxing cannabis.
"We are getting more supporters every day," Ibrahim told AFP, pointing to polls that show 56 percent of California voters back the initiative. "The demographic that supports this initiative ranges from all ages, races and cultures. There is no typical supporter."
According to Ibrahim, voters also saw a link between Mexico's bloody drug war, which has killed more than 15,000 people in the past three years, and cannabis prohibition.
Activists estimate that California could earn 1.5 billion dollars in excise taxes, and save another billion dollars currently spent on law enforcement and prisons by legalizing cannabis. They also point to earnings for marijuana-linked businesses.
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws in California estimated the total economic impact of such a move at $13 billion or more. On top of revenues from marijuana as a recreational substance, "Industrial hemp could also become a major business, comparable to the $3.4 billion cotton industry in California," the group notes.
Legalization proponents say marijuana possession arrests have risen dramatically in California over the past two decades.
Critics insist the measure will raise virtually no tax money.
"I am confident that we will defeat it in November," John Lovell of the California Peace Officers' Association, said of the initiative, claiming there is "shrinking" support for marijuana legalization. Polls, however, would suggest differently with an Angus Reid sampling published in December showing a first-ever majority of Americans think marijuana should be legalized. That trend is up from other recent polls, all of which indicate a sea-change in public opinion in favor of legalization.
According to Lovell, a lobbyist representing several law enforcement groups opposing the initiative, "drug use among children will rise, highway fatalities will increase, crime will generally rise and the state will lose billions in federal dollars" if the measure passes.
While the measure does not levy a state-wide tax, it does allow counties and communities to set their own rules for how the sale and consumption of cannabis is regulated. Another popular proposal would have created a per-ounce excise tax of $50 across the state, which could have created $1.4 billion in new revenue, according to the California State Board of Equalization.
Lovell's claim that children will use the drug at an increasing rate is seemingly contradicted by a University of California study published in 2003, where researchers sought to compare marijuana policies in the Netherlands to the United States. The study found that decriminalization did not drive up rates of usage in the general population.
Legalization advocates, meanwhile, point to the fact that subjecting the drug to public regulation would make it more difficult for young people to obtain being that drug dealers do not ask for age verification.
Both sides are confident they will succeed in November, but Lovell acknowledged that legalization supporters have more funds for now.
"We will raise enough money to defeat the measure. The proponents will raise more money, but we will win," he vowed.
Zachary Risner of the Cannabis Club Network said regulating and taxing cannabis "makes much more sense" than spending millions each year on marijuana arrests and prosecution.
"The financial benefits and job creation benefits alone should be enough to impact each voter at the ballot box this November," he said.
Under the measure, people aged 21 and older could own up to one ounce (28 grams) of pot for personal use. Possessing an ounce or less of marijuana has been a misdemeanor with fines of 100 dollars since 1975, when a law was passed that reduced tougher penalties.
It would also allow adults to grow up to 25 square feet (two square meters) of cannabis per residence or parcel.
President Obama has said that he in no way supports legalization of marijuana and does not believe it is a viable option to grow states' economies. Though his drug czar swept into Washington declaring an end to the "drug war" and promising a new focus on treatment over prison, the Office on National Drug Control Policy's 2011 funding highlights show an increasing tide of enforcement and punishment dollars when compared to funds dedicated to rehabilitative measures.
California will be the second state to hold a popular vote on legalization. Colorado was the first in 2006, although the measure was defeated by a popular vote of 60-40 percent against legalization.Far from being a war between hippies and police, the fight to legalize marijuana in... more
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California | November Initiative Could Lead to Lost Income in Humboldt County
REDWAY, Calif. -- The smell of pot hung heavy in the air as men with dreadlocks and gray beards contemplated a nightmarish possibility in this legendary region of outlaw marijuana growers: legal weed.
If California legalizes marijuana, they say, it will drive down the price of their crop and damage not just their livelihoods but the entire economy along the state's rugged northern coast.
"The legalization of marijuana will be the single most devastating economic event in the long boom-and-bust history of Northern California," said Anna Hamilton, 62, a Humboldt County radio host and musician who said her involvement with marijuana has mostly been limited to smoking it for the past 40 years.
Local residents are so worried that pot farmers came together with officials in Humboldt County for a standing-room-only meeting Tuesday night where civic leaders, activists and growers brainstormed ideas for dealing with the threat. Among the ideas: turning the vast pot gardens of Humboldt County into a destination for marijuana aficionados, with tours and tastings -- a sort of Napa Valley of pot.
Many were also enthusiastic about promoting the Humboldt brand of pot. Some discussed forming a cooperative that would enforce high standards for marijuana and stamp the county's finest weed with an official Humboldt seal of approval.
Pot growers are nervous because a measure that could make California the first state to legalize marijuana for recreational use will appear on the ballot in November. State officials certified Wednesday that the initiative got enough signatures.
The law, if approved, could have a profound effect on Humboldt County, which has long had a reputation for growing some of the world's best weed.
In recent years, law enforcement agents have seized millions of pot plants worth billions of dollars in Humboldt and neighboring counties. And that is believed to be only a fraction of the crop.
"We've lived with the name association for 30 or 40 years and considered it an embarrassment," said Mark Lovelace, a Humboldt County supervisor. But if legalization does happen, he said, the Humboldt County name becomes the region's single most important asset.
"It's laughable at this point to try to be hush-hush about it," he said.
Humboldt County's reputation as a marijuana mecca began in the 1970s. As pot users began to notice a decline in the quality of Mexican weed, refugees from San Francisco's Summer of Love who moved to the forested mountains along California's conveniently remote North Coast began figuring out better ways to grow their own. The Humboldt name soon became a selling point for marijuana sold on street corners across the country.
These days, the small towns in this region about five hours north of San Francisco are dotted with head shops and garden supply stores.
California is one of 14 states that allow people to grow and use marijuana for medical purposes, but recreational use remains illegal. ( And will remain illegal under federal law, regardless of how California votes. )
For decades, the outlaws, rebels and aging hippies of Humboldt County have been hoping for legalization. But now that it appears at hand, many clandestine growers fear it will flood the market with cheap, corporate-grown weed and destroy their way of life.
About 20 pot growers gathered on a patio outside the meeting Tuesday to discuss the dilemma posed by legalized pot. Many wore baseball caps and jeans, just like farmers anywhere else in America. No one addressed anyone else by name, a local custom driven by fear of arrest, but that didn't stop some in the group from lighting up their crop.
Many complained that legalization would put them in the same bind as other small farmers struggling to compete against large-scale agribusinesses.
A dreadlocked younger grower who said he had already been to prison for marijuana objected that no one could replicate the quality of the region's weed. When he was a kid, he said, "Humboldt nuggets -- that was like the holy grail."
"Anyone can grow marijuana," he said. "But not everyone can grow the super-heavies, the holy bud."
Under the ballot measure, Californians could possess up to one ounce of marijuana for personal use. They could cultivate gardens up to 25 square feet, which is puny by Humboldt County standards. City and county governments would have the power to tax pot sales.
Some growers Tuesday fantasized about mobs of tourists in limos streaming to the county. Others were not thrilled with the idea of paying taxes on their crop.
Many agreed with the sentiment on a sticker plastered on a pizza joint's cash register: "Save Humboldt County -- keep pot illegal."
[sidebar]
BALLOT MEASURE
Use: California is one of 14 states that allows people to grow and use marijuana for medical purposes, but recreational use remains illegal. ( And will remain illegal under federal law, regardless of how California votes. )
Measure: Under the ballot measure, Californians could possess up to one ounce of marijuana for personal use. They could cultivate gardens up to 25 square feet. City and county governments would have the power to tax pot sales.
In Oregon: In 1973, Oregon became the first state in the nation to decriminalize marijuana, making the sentence for possession of less than an ounce akin to receiving a traffic ticket.
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n219/a02.html?1221California | November Initiative Could Lead to Lost Income in Humboldt County... more
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New York's medical marijuana bill has already passed the State House and now has favorably cleared a key Senate Committee as part of the state budget.
Millions in license fees are at stake, but proponents say that's not the reason it should be approved.
This is coming only months after New Jersey passed a similar law. Patients suffering from neurological and muscular diseases report tremendous relief from smoking pot and as a muscular dystrophy patient, Rich Morosky told lawmakers it's a godsend.
Morosky was in Albany Tuesday describing life before marijuana. "I would literally have to straighten my arms out, untangle my fingers," he said. "Once I got up to therapeutic dosage in my bloodstream, it's not like I'm getting all wacky and having a good time. I'm medicated, and this medicine works."
With medical marijuana already legal in 14 states, opposition to the bill is weakening, but it still makes a lot of people nervous. "We've seen it in California. It doesn't work in California. We believe, I believe personally that it's a gateway drug and it will open up for more usage of marijuana amongst kids, and lead to further drug use across our state," said Sen Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn).
The New York law would limit prescriptions to seriously ill patients and there be no home grown weed. Licensed growers and distributors would generate $15 million annually for the state, according to the bill's sponsors who said the time has come.
"The New York Law would be the most restrictive of any medical marijuana law in the country," said Assemblyman Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan).
Advocate Jim Miller said New York could learn from New Jersey's legislative experience. "How dare we ask sick and dying people to come and beg their legislators for relief they know could be had" he said.
The law, as written, would put the State Health Department in charge of the New York medical marijuana program. Opponents point out the Health Department has a hard enough time preventing Medicaid fraud without taking on a controlled substance.
- Article from CBS News.
http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/content/2010/03/24/NY-Lawmakers-Mull-Medical-Marijuana-LegislationNew York's medical marijuana bill has already passed the State House and now has... more
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MPP's Aaron Smith appears on CNBC debating prohibitionist spokeswoman Calvina Fay about the merits of TaxCannabis 2010, the initiative to tax and regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Cjkyg45j64MPP's Aaron Smith appears on CNBC debating prohibitionist spokeswoman Calvina Fay... more
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MPP's Sarah Lovering appears on KTTV Fox in LA to discuss the reasons to tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol. Today a ballot initiative, TaxCannabis 2010, was approved that will give California voters the chance to allow adult possession and cultivation of marijuana for recreational purposes. 03/24/2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97ajGkHgqOoMPP's Sarah Lovering appears on KTTV Fox in LA to discuss the reasons to tax and... more
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"But not enough votes to override veto" - A bill to decriminalize possession of a quarter-ounce or less of marijuana won convincing support yesterday in the House with a 214-137 vote.
But the tally is about 17 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto promised by Gov. John Lynch.
Rep. Frank Sapareto, R-Derry, who voted for the legislation, said the state's marijuana possession law is harsh enough. The penalty is a $2,000 fine and a year in jail.
Furthermore, Sapareto said a conviction can close doors for young people, putting federal loans for college or military enlistment at risk.
"It's ridiculous," he said.
The decriminalization bill now heads to the Senate.
Sen. Mike Downing, R-Salem, a former state trooper and police officer, has yet to support a marijuana decriminalization bill.
"I haven't voted for it yet," Downing said. He doesn't see that trend changing.
Downing said his law enforcement background tells him marijuana use leads to harder drugs.
And, regardless of whether the state decriminalizes marijuana possession, it's still a federal crime, he said.
If the New Hampshire bill becomes law, possession of a quarter-ounce or less would be a violation, carrying a penalty of $200. Marijuana possession is now a Class A misdemeanor.
Matt Simon, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy, was pleasantly surprised with yesterday's House vote. The decriminalization effort is making headway, and many legislators support the proposal.
Two years ago, the House voted 193-141 to support decriminalization after the bill was rejected by the Justice Committee, 13-5.
This year, the bill received approval from the Justice Committee, 16-2, before the 214-137 vote by the entire House.
Simon doesn't expect the bill to become law this year but is not ruling out the possibility.
"We know the governor is against it, but we expect a fair hearing in the Senate," Simon said. "After three years in a row, we expect to be taken seriously in the Senate."
The governor released a statement yesterday reaffirming his opposition to decriminalization, saying he shares "the law enforcement community's concerns about proliferation of this drug."
"We should not make the jobs of parents - or law enforcement - harder by sending a false message that some marijuana use is acceptable," Lynch said.
The governor said he will veto a marijuana decriminalization bill if it reaches his desk.
Simon rejects the governor's argument.
"If he thinks people in New Hampshire should be imprisoned up to a year in jail for possessing small amounts of marijuana, we'd love to hear his explanation," Simon said.
Last year, New Hampshire's attempt to legalize marijuana for medicinal use fell just two votes shy in the Senate of overturning Lynch's veto. The House successfully overcame the veto.
Massachusetts decriminalized marijuana in November 2008.
Possession of an ounce or less is a civil infraction punishable by a fine of $100.
http://www.eagletribune.com/punewsnh/local_story_070034917.html
http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/files/images/JudgeMarijuana.jpg"But not enough votes to override veto" - A bill to decriminalize possession... more
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Under the guise of concern for employees’ safety and health, employers demand the right to conduct drug and alcohol testing. Most use it as just another hammer to hold over workers’ heads.
Employers often try to divide the membership on this issue, since the overwhelming majority don’t drink or use drugs on the job. We can turn this around by pointing out, “Why subject the majority to testing if only a few people may have problems?” We then can unite the members around fighting for a no-testing policy. If it looks like we can’t win that, then we make the fight for the best, least harassing policy.
http://labornotes.org/2010/02/just-say-no-drug-tests-then-bargainUnder the guise of concern for employees’ safety and health, employers demand... more
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NORML - With New Jersey recently becoming the 14th medical marijuana state, activists in marijuana law reform have been celebrating. After all, over 82 million Americans now live in states where medical use of marijuana is legal – that’s 27% of the US population! Last election, Massachusetts became the 13th decriminalization state, which means over 107 million Americans live in a state where possession of small personal amounts of marijuana no longer merit an arrest – that’s 35% of the US population.
However, after watching fourteen years of marijuana activism focused solely on those who use cannabis for medicine, I must warn activists that medical marijuana is not getting any better and the time for re-legalization of cannabis for all adults – even the healthy ones – is now.
Medical marijuana was a great 20th century strategy to get the sick and dying off the battlefield in the war on drugs. It was the perfect vehicle to enlighten the public, who for so long have been indoctrinated into the reefer madness that classifies cannabis like LSD and heroin. But in the 21st century the idea that marijuana is only a medicine is beginning to take hold and governments and voters are crafting ever-more-restrictive medical marijuana laws. For the vast majority of cannabis consumers this threatens to move us from the category of “illegal drug users” to “possessors of medicine without a prescription” – a step up, perhaps, but still left facing criminal prosecution.
CONTINUED>>> http://blog.norml.org/2010/03/03/medical-marijuanas-not-getting-any-better-the-time-for-re-legalization-is-now/
CHART>>> http://stash.norml.org/wp-content/uploads/medipot-states-20101.jpgNORML - With New Jersey recently becoming the 14th medical marijuana state, activists... more
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Over the past couple of years, the medical marijuana industry in Los Angeles has exploded. Estimates vary, but there may be as many as 800 dispensaries currently open for business in the city of angels. An ordinance recently passed by the LA city council, however, is about to change all that. The new ordinance will force hundreds of dispensaries to close and all but a few to relocate. The goal was to bring clarity to the medical marijuana industry, but the only thing that\'s clear is that the transition process will be difficult. Especially now that the DEA has begun raiding dispensaries again, despite the promises made by the Obama administration. While federal, state and local governments struggle to make sense of medical marijuana laws, an increasing number of Californians support a completely different approach: marijuana legalization. Nothing more than a pipe dream? Maybe. But consider this: 56 percent of Californians currently support pot legalization, the same proportion of Californians who voted for the Compassionate Use Act, which legalized medical marijuana, back in 1996. Produced by Paul Feine. Shot and edited by Alex Manning. Graphics by Hawk Jensen. Hosted by Nick Gillespie.Over the past couple of years, the medical marijuana industry in Los Angeles has... more
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