Push to legalize marijuana gains ground in California - New Yor...

[alice is my lover]

The truth of the matter is that current prohibition puts billions of $$ into the black market and causes crime as people are forced to afford the "herb". While I do not agree with "hard drugs" we will never eradicate marijuana due to the ease of growing it.

alice has been saying the same thing for years.

benjamin wrote:

Ever notice that people who are against pot really never can tell you why? All they ever say is well something bad happened to me, or else they use rhetoric from the 50's and 60's. I don't understand why these people also think that legalizing weed would really change anything for the worse. People who want to smoke it already do people who don't- don't, it is that simple. We just want to change the fact that we are looked at as criminals. If your against legalization because your afraid that kids will use, they already are. Chance are one or more of your neighbors have grass in their homes. A few of them may be growing it and possibly some selling it. Nothing will get worse in fact things would be better. At least with legal weed we could place age restrictions on purchase and consumption. Ask some school kids if it is easier to get weed or alcohol. Alcohol is harder for underage kids to get because the stores selling it ask for I.D. With legal weed we could place restrictions on how much can be grown at any given time. Right now there is no stopping someone from moving in the house right next door to you and growing a thousands plants indoors. With legal weed people could plant the stuff in their backyard and reduce the risk of house fires.

[KAzman]

alice wrote:

I do not smoke or drinkl. I am episcopalian! No drugs, no drink, no cursing, no sin. Good North Dakota girl!

With all the one line useless posts, I would have thought you were on some kind of recreational drug.

[Vileorc]

Ugh wrote:

Here we go again...and I'm sure I'll be one of the unpopular people b/c of my view. Pot can kill just like alcohol does, b/c under the influence of pot people CAN have motor vehicle accidents just like those who drink and drive do. Pot also SMELLS nasty; the clothes, the car, the apartment, etc.
We don't need to add yet another mind-altering drug to the problems we already have on the roadways with drunk drivers.
I'll admit I go back and forth on this issue alot, but I still don't like the idea of my neighborhood smelling like a lit up pot farm. And I certainly don't want to get high off secondary smoke from someone else's MJ habit; at least I can't get drunk smelling someone else's alcoholic drink standing nearby.
If I am allowed a vote, I will most likely vote against.

No one has EVER died as a result of a crash from someone high on pot. No one has ever died as a result from smoking pot. If you don't like it, fine, but don't use imaginary excuses to explain your position.

[Skip_uya]

benjamin wrote:

Ever notice that people who are against pot really never can tell you why? All they ever say is well something bad happened to me, or else they use rhetoric from the 50's and 60's. I don't understand why these people also think that legalizing weed would really change anything for the worse. People who want to smoke it already do people who don't- don't, it is that simple. We just want to change the fact that we are looked at as criminals. If your against legalization because your afraid that kids will use, they already are. Chance are one or more of your neighbors have grass in their homes. A few of them may be growing it and possibly some selling it. Nothing will get worse in fact things would be better. At least with legal weed we could place age restrictions on purchase and consumption. Ask some school kids if it is easier to get weed or alcohol. Alcohol is harder for underage kids to get because the stores selling it ask for I.D. With legal weed we could place restrictions on how much can be grown at any given time. Right now there is no stopping someone from moving in the house right next door to you and growing a thousands plants indoors. With legal weed people could plant the stuff in their backyard and reduce the risk of house fires.

I agree. Most are against it because of their religion or beliefs. They want to force others to abide by their faith. The real dumb thing is this benign "drug" has been used for 1,000's of years! I saw a program on PBS where they unearthed a prehistoric mummy dating back over 20,000 years and buried next to him was his pot.

People! By making it illegal means putting pot smokers in JAIL! Which in turn takes up prison space for violent offenders.

Please get off your "high horse" and support legalization!

[alice is my lover]

Most Exhaustive Set of Marijuana Arrest Data Ever Shows No Relation Between Arrests and Use Rates
Salem-News.com
Penalty Structure Boosts Illicit Market; Florida Has Toughest Penalties, Arrest Rate Highest in D.C, Black Arrest Rate 3 Times That of Whites.
Salem-News.com
Courtesy: floridacriminalattorneys
(WASHINGTON D.C.)- The most exhaustive collection of data ever on U.S. marijuana arrests, penalties and related information, released today, finds no relationship between marijuana arrest and use rates, while penalty structures act as a price support mechanism that boosts the illegal market. Assembled by Jon Gettman, Adjunct Assistant Professor in Criminal Justice at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, the new report finds:
Marijuana arrests have nearly doubled since 1991, while levels of marijuana use remained fundamentally unchanged.
Penalties that escalate for increased amounts of marijuana encourage consumers to make multiple small purchases, acting as a price support for the illicit market.
Florida has the nation’s harshest marijuana penalties, while the District of Columbia has the highest arrest rate for marijuana offenses.
Although the rate of marijuana use is only about 25 percent higher for African-Americans than for whites, blacks are three times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession as whites.
“These figures paint a devastating portrait of a failed policy that burns through tax dollars while doing nothing but harm,” said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C.“Most Americans agree that marijuana prohibition doesn’t work, even if most politicians aren’t yet ready to publicly agree with their constituents.”
Gettman’s summary report,“Marijuana Arrests in the United States (2007),” is available at drugscience.org/Archive/bcr7/bcr7_index.html . The full Marijuana Policy Almanac, including state rankings and individual reports for all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, is at http://www.drugscience.org/States/US/US_home.... .
Source: the Marijuana Policy Project, the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States.

[Execute Sellers]

Skip_uya wrote:

<quoted text>
So we should put these "evil" pot smokers in jail?

Pot should be legal to smoke and grow, but if you sell it or give it to someone able bodied, you should be shot on site, and then hung.
If you sell to a minor, your family should have to shoot and hang you, and pay for the bullets and rope.
If you are in legitimate need of it medically, you should be allowed to smoke crack, shoot smack, or drink a gallon of LSD, too.

[Execute Sellers]

Skip_uya wrote:

<quoted text>
I agree. Most are against it because of their religion or beliefs. They want to force others to abide by their faith. The real dumb thing is this benign "drug" has been used for 1,000's of years! I saw a program on PBS where they unearthed a prehistoric mummy dating back over 20,000 years and buried next to him was his pot.
People! By making it illegal means putting pot smokers in JAIL! Which in turn takes up prison space for violent offenders.
Please get off your "high horse" and support legalization!

Marijuana is not something that society should accept as "okay". Kids ultimately get that message, and become life long stoners unless they wake up on their own.
It's okay to have a society of candle makers, bee farmers, organic mushroom growers, painters, and new age musicians.
Just don't expect safe aviation, automobiles, trains or surgery.
Also, don't expect time schedules to matter, because it's all cool, man..........
What were we talkin' about?

[Execute Sellers]

Skip_uya wrote:

<quoted text>
I agree. Most are against it because of their religion or beliefs. They want to force others to abide by their faith. The real dumb thing is this benign "drug" has been used for 1,000's of years! I saw a program on PBS where they unearthed a prehistoric mummy dating back over 20,000 years and buried next to him was his pot.
People! By making it illegal means putting pot smokers in JAIL! Which in turn takes up prison space for violent offenders.
Please get off your "high horse" and support legalization!

BTW my horse was plenty high, so we went for a ride and ended up in the drive-thru of a McD's ordering 50 salads and 200 hot apple pies.

[Lewholt]

Skip_uya wrote:

It's about time!
Pot does not need to be "demonized".
People die from cigarettes
People die from alcohol
People die from taking aspirin
People die from eating peanut butter
NO ONE EVER DIED FROM SMOKING POT!!!!!!!!!!

Actually they have, from lung problems. Smoking pot is very bad for your lungs. I still think it should be legal, though.

[Tanya Boone]

We are looking to you, CALIFORNIA, to lead us all into a new era of CIVILITY when it comes to all drugs, including marijuana, cigarettes, alcohol, and prescription drugs.

LEGALIZE to CIVILIZE!

[Tanya Boone]

Florida, which has the nation's harshest marijuana penalties and Disney World, may be moving into an era of civility. Check out what Florida's grassroots leadership are doing at http://www.pufmm.org .

SIGN THE PETITION!

[Bob Marley]

Execute Sellers wrote:

If you are in legitimate need of it medically, you should be allowed to smoke crack, shoot smack, or drink a gallon of LSD, too.

Because cannabis is just like crack, and LSD...

[Legal]

The state should legalize marijuana growing for medicinal purposes and sell grow permits which charge individuals for the number of plants that they are allowed to grow. We should be able to sell this marijuana around the worlds as Hawaii grown pakalolo. This should generate a lot of money for a state that is in desperate need like Hawaii.

[westside steve]

Lame excuse wrote:

<quoted text>
God also placed snakes with fangs on the Earth, place poison Oak plants as well, but you don't see people jumping in line to get bit by the poisonous snake or waltz through poison Oak and rub it like body lotion either. God also gave us lakes, oceans, and streams, but you don't see people trying to breathe the water, either. God also gave us sharks in the oceans, too, but you don't see masses of people rushing to swim openly with a pool of sharks on a daily basis, do you? Also, God enabled us to take a poop dump, too, but you don't see all people eating it as food for part of their daily food intake. So much for the example argument of using all the things your "God gave us" naturally just for the sake of him doing so; some things are NOT meant to be used and SHOOULD BE avoided by the masses even though these things exist on planet Earth.

Sorry Lame, I just don't get your point. MJ has long been a natural medicine. Snakes and poison oak are not illegal, why should a safe and effective plant like hemp be so? I beleive in basic American values: it was considered unconstitutional for most of our countries history to prohibit people from altering their conscienceness. Our founding fathers grew it, but some racist paranoia in the 30's caused a hysterical knee-jerk legal reaction we are paying for today. Regulated and state sanctioned trade eliminates the criminal element and frees up law enforcement to concentrate on violent crimes. Basic American values of our founding fathers and capitalism is what its all about!

[Skip_uya]

benjamin wrote:

Ever notice that people who are against pot really never can tell you why? All they ever say is well something bad happened to me, or else they use rhetoric from the 50's and 60's. I don't understand why these people also think that legalizing weed would really change anything for the worse. People who want to smoke it already do people who don't- don't, it is that simple. We just want to change the fact that we are looked at as criminals. If your against legalization because your afraid that kids will use, they already are. Chance are one or more of your neighbors have grass in their homes. A few of them may be growing it and possibly some selling it. Nothing will get worse in fact things would be better. At least with legal weed we could place age restrictions on purchase and consumption. Ask some school kids if it is easier to get weed or alcohol. Alcohol is harder for underage kids to get because the stores selling it ask for I.D. With legal weed we could place restrictions on how much can be grown at any given time. Right now there is no stopping someone from moving in the house right next door to you and growing a thousands plants indoors. With legal weed people could plant the stuff in their backyard and reduce the risk of house fires.

I agree! The "gate way" theory is flawed. Alcohol is the "first" DRUG exposure kids have.

By keeping it illegal makes a large population of pot smokes CRIMINALS and takes away jail space from the more violent criminals.

It also keeps this HUGE trade in the "black market" where organized crime profits and flourishes.

[YesOnTaxAndRegul ate2010]

Please help get this on the ballot in 2010 by signing the petition if you get a chance.
Pot has no lethal dose so you can honestly say it is safer than water. Nixon's study in 1970 said to legalize it but he ignored it.
The AMA just came out in support of medical marijuana today saying it does have medical uses.
I make a balm I put on my knees and elbows.
My cookies are great for pain.

I have a Ca State Card for MJ

[YesOnTaxAndRegul ate2010]

http://www.taxcannabis.org Company Overview:Email: [e-mail]

Phone:[phone]Mission:It’s Time to Reform California’s Cannabis Laws!

California’s laws criminalizing cannabis (marijuana) have failed and need to be reformed.

Despite having some of the strictest cannabis (marijuana) laws in the world, the United States has the largest number of cannabis consumers. According to surveys, around 1/3 of Americans have used cannabis.

Cannabis is much safer than alcohol and cigarettes, both of which are legal, and taxed to support vital services.

In California, there is an estimated $15 billion in cannabis transactions every year, but since cannabis remains illegal, our state, desperately in need of funds, sees none of the revenue.

It’s time for a new approach.

The Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 will:

• Regulate cannabis like alcohol: Allow adults 21 and older to posses up to one ounce of cannabis

• Give local governments the ability to tax and regulate the sale of cannabis

• Generate billions of dollars in revenue to fund what matters most: jobs, healthcare, schools and libraries, parks, roads, transportation, and more

Get Involved Today!

With help from supporters like you, we can pass an historic ballot measure in California in 2010. This is going to be an epic battle for cannabis reform in, and we are going to need every supporter involved.

www.taxcannabis.org

www.twitter.com/taxcannabis

[YesOnTaxAndRegul ate2010]

The American Medical Assn. on Tuesday urged the federal government to reconsider its classification of marijuana as a dangerous drug with no accepted medical use, a significant shift that puts the prestigious group behind calls for more research.

The nation's largest physicians organization, with about 250,000 member doctors, the AMA has maintained since 1997 that marijuana should remain a Schedule I controlled substance, the most restrictive category, which also includes heroin and LSD.

In changing its policy, the group said its goal was to clear the way to conduct clinical research, develop cannabis-based medicines and devise alternative ways to deliver the drug.

"Despite more than 30 years of clinical research, only a small number of randomized, controlled trials have been conducted on smoked cannabis," said Dr. Edward Langston, an AMA board member, noting that the limited number of studies was "insufficient to satisfy the current standards for a prescription drug product."

The decision by the organization's delegates at a meeting in Houston marks another step in the evolving view of marijuana, which an AMA report notes was once linked by the federal government to homicidal mania. Since California voters approved the use of medical marijuana in 1996, marijuana has moved steadily into the cultural mainstream spurred by the growing awareness that it can have beneficial effects for some chronically ill people.

This year, the Obama administration sped up that drift when it ordered federal narcotics agents not to arrest medical marijuana users and providers who follow state laws. Polls show broadening support for marijuana legalization.

Thirteen states allow the use of medical marijuana, and about a dozen more have considered it this year.

[Skip_uya]

YesOnTaxAndRegulate2010 wrote:

Please help get this on the ballot in 2010 by signing the petition if you get a chance.
Pot has no lethal dose so you can honestly say it is safer than water. Nixon's study in 1970 said to legalize it but he ignored it.
The AMA just came out in support of medical marijuana today saying it does have medical uses.
I make a balm I put on my knees and elbows.
My cookies are great for pain.
I have a Ca State Card for MJ

Yeah!!!!!!!!!

I did not hear the AMA gave their support. They have been always against any kind of smoking.

This is BIG NEWS!!!!!!!

[Parks and Rec]

Lame excuse wrote:

<quoted text>
God also placed snakes with fangs on the Earth, place poison Oak plants as well, but you don't see people jumping in line to get bit by the poisonous snake or waltz through poison Oak and rub it like body lotion either. God also gave us lakes, oceans, and streams, but you don't see people trying to breathe the water, either. God also gave us sharks in the oceans, too, but you don't see masses of people rushing to swim openly with a pool of sharks on a daily basis, do you? Also, God enabled us to take a poop dump, too, but you don't see all people eating it as food for part of their daily food intake. So much for the example argument of using all the things your "God gave us" naturally just for the sake of him doing so; some things are NOT meant to be used and SHOOULD BE avoided by the masses even though these things exist on planet Earth.

Funny, that none of these things can land you in jail.