Who will benefit from Prop 19?
Let’s be straightforward. Our marijuana laws have been disastrous. Rather than accepting things as they are, we can manage cannabis. Reminiscent of the prohibition of alcohol in the past, outlawing marijuana hasn’t worked. It’s created a criminal market run by sadistic drug cartels, exhausted police resources, and depleted our state and local budgets. Proposition 19 is a more sincere policy, and a common sense solution to these problems. Proposition 19 will control marijuana like alcohol, making it available only to adults, enforce strong driving, and workplace safety laws, put police priorities where they belong, and generate billions in needed revenue.
We can give the police the money and man power they need to prevent violent crime, or we can accept the status quo, and keep wasting resources sending tens of thousands of non-violent marijuana consumers—a disproportionate number who are minorities—to jail.
We can control marijuana to weaken the drug cartels, or we can accept the status quo, and continue to fund violent gangs with illegal marijuana sales in California.
We can tax marijuana to generate billions for vital services, or we can accept the status quo, and turn our backs on this needed revenue.
Since 2009, there has been a billed in the works of being passed to legalize marijuana in California. Since then, there have been many polls as to what the people feel about the legalization of this drug and the race seems to be very close. There is a great possibility that by November, California may be the first state to legally sell and tax Marijuana. While this may change many things in the state of California, one thing that is sure to change is healthcare.
Advantages
There are some advantages when it comes to healthcare. This means another way to solve regular issues such as nausea, poor appetite and pain. With this drug however, doctors do not have to worry about an overdose of this medication and can also reduce health care costs. While President Obama is working on making healthcare available for everyone, making the costs cheaper will definitely help.
Another advantage on healthcare if the legalization of marijuana proceeds is the relaxing element of the drug. One of the leading causes of health issues is stress. Stress throughout our lives cause strain on our bodies and prevent its natural process of healing itself. Because of stress, we get sick or injured and are required to use unnatural medicines. With the legalization of marijuana, one can come home after a long day, and blow some steam with legal marijuana. Preventing sickness is the best type of healthcare, and marijuana has the ability to do that.
Disadvantages
While there have been several studies that say that marijuana has many medicinal purposes, there are some negative aspects associated with it being legalized. While taxing marijuana is good for the state of California, the going fee for it is about $50 per ounce. That is way more expensive than the usual prescription of Tylenol 3. While the distribution of this could mean the lowering of healthcare, struggling patients may not be able to afford it.
Another disadvantage to the legalization of marijuana is the impact it has on the body. While it does wonders for relaxation, it has been proven to weaken the immune system from fighting disease. People who use marijuana also have a higher chance developing bacterial infections. There are disadvantages to using marijuana although it is not linked to cancer like the cigarette or alcohol, but those two drugs are not being used for medicinal purposes.
If marijuana is legalized in California, it will only be a matter of time before it is legal in the rest of the 50 states. This could mean a good thing for our nation's economy, but may be a disadvantage for US citizens. Only time will tell what will really happen if it is legalized.
References
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2011/07/13/california_marijuana_legalization_initiative_competing_polls
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2009/02/legalize_it_ammiano_to_introdu.php
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20011329-10391704.html
http://legalizationofmarijuana.com/marijuana-for-and-against.html
http://alcoholism.about.com/od/pot/a/effects.-Lya.htm
Vicente Fox showing support of “legalizing production, sales and distribution''
It’s been a long hard road, and an issue fought mainly by fringe groups. But it looks like the legalization of drugs (not just Marijuana) for production, sale and the distribution is quickly affecting the mainstream political debate in most Latin America countries. Last week's bombshell announcement by former Mexican President Vicente Fox showing support of “legalizing production, sales and distribution'' of drugs made gigantic headlines around the world. Mr. Fox, whom as the president of Mexico was a close U.S. ally, and who is a member of the same center-right political party as President Felipe Calderón, nearly capsized the boat at home by in a roundabout way criticizing the very foundation of Calderon's concentrated military offensive against Mexico's drug cartels, which has cost 28,000 lives since 2006.
Meanwhile, the US is still trying to figure out how to regulate medical marijuana, and their related medical cannabis collectives. How far behind the world curve is the US when it comes to how we view medical marijuana, cannabis and drug use in general.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a press release on December 31, 2008, that the Mexican government has extradited 10 major drug defendants from Mexico to the United States.
Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey announces the extraditions and called the action of the Mexican government courageous. Each of the ten defendants has been accused of major drug offenses or other serious federal felonies. Mukasey said that this “shows the unrelenting commitment of Mexican President Calderon to break the power of the Mexican drug cartels.” Mukasey went on to say that the extraditions show that the cartels cannot operate with impunity. Mexico and the United States will work together to defeat the drug cartels.
These ten extraditions bring the total of extraditions from Mexico to the United States to 95 for 2008. The 2007 total was 83. The 2008 total of 2008 is the highest annual total of extraditions from Mexico to the United States to date.
Extradited Defendants and Charges
1. Ruben Saucedo Rivera is a Mexican citizen and an alleged member of the Osiel Cardenas Guillen Gulf Cartel drug trafficking organization. He is allegedly the leader of a drug distribution cell that imported at least 250 kilograms of cocaine and 1,500 pounds of marijuana from Mexico to the U.S. from 1998 to 2002. Southern District of Texas.
2. Juan Carlos De La Cruz Reyna is a Mexican citizen and alleged member of the Osiel Cardenas Guillen gulf Cartel. He was charged the two counts of threaten to assault and murder federal agents. Southern District of Texas.
3. Jose Manuel Barrientos is a Mexican citizen who is allegedly the leader of a distribution cell in the Atlanta area. He was charged with possession and intent to distribute cocaine. Northern District of Georgia.
4. Armando Martinez Duarte is a Mexican citizen charged with racketeering, drug trafficking and money laundering crimes. Southern District of California.
5. Jesus Chuy” Labra Aviles is a Mexican citizens charged with substantive racketeering based on drug and money laundering crimes. Southern District of California.
6. Efrain Perez Arciniega is a Mexican citizen charged with substantive racketeering based on drug and money laundering crimes. Southern District of California.
7. Jorge Aureliano Felix is a Mexican citizen as charged with substantive racketeering based on drug and money laundering crimes. He is a former Mexican state judicial police officer, allegedly acting as a top lieutenant for the Arellano Felix Organization. Southern District of California.
8. Fidel Chan Amador is a Mexican citizen charged with marijuana distribution and importation conspiracies. Allegedly a large scale marijuana broker, he is believed to be responsible for importation about 11,500 pounds of marijuana seized in the U.S. between 1996 and 1999 and about eight tones of marijuana that was bound for the U.S. but seized by Mexican authorities. Southern District of California.
9. Juan Diego Espinosa is a Columbian citizen and allegedly a member of the Sinaloa cartel. He was charged with conspiracy to import cocaine in the U.S. Beltran and others had a allegedly arranged a shipment or cocaine from Columbia to the U.S. The ship was 9,291 kilograms of cocaine as seized by U.S. Agents near Mexico. Southern District of Florida.
10. Luis Octavio Arellano Enciso is a Mexican citizen charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana. Central District of California.
Immigration Bribery Case One of FBI Top Stories of 2008
Cocaine Haul: Bude Beach Cornish Coast of England
Machine Gun Kelly and the G-Men
Al Capone, a Notorious Prohibition Era Gangster
FBI and John Dillinger - Public Enemies
Marijuana…Legal In Ca.?
California electorate is divided over an initiative on the November ballot that would legalize marijuana for recreational use.The Public Policy Institute of Ca. poll out Wed (05/19/2010) found t 49 percent of likely voters would support legalization of cannabis, while 48 percent oppose it. The poll has a margin of inaccuracy of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The state of California already allows medicinal use of cannabis, but would become the first state to legalize recreational use if voters approve the initiative.The poll found that Democrats and independents are far more likely to support the initiative than Republicans. Not overly surprising. Support also is higher in the Bay Area, while L.A. and the Central Valley remain divided.The survey found that men are more likely to favor legalization than women.
One of the biggest cash crops in the United States is marijuana. Several states have legalized it for sale for medical use. If you compare where “pot” is now to where alcohol was back in the days of prohibition, there are some similarities. Even though recreational use is illegal in most parts of the country, its use, like alcohol back in the twenties, is still very widespread.
The only difference is that marijuana has some use medically while you'd be hard pressed to find a medical use for booze. Back in the twenties, the use of marijuana was primarily confined to Black jazz musicians in the south. Since it wasn't used by many whites, propaganda films like “Reefer Madness” were put out by the government to discourage Caucasians from using it.
The films carried all kinds of dire warnings. Just one little puff on a marijuana cigarette would lead to madness and like the character in the film, murder. Of course, this has been proven not so by scientific research.
But the real reason for it being outlawed was because of DuPont Chemical Company. It was a business decision. Hemp fibers in many ways did a better job for making clothing than cotton and DuPont was right on the verge of developing synthetic fibers like nylon and rayon. They didn't want the additional competition from hemp.
The argument for legalizing marijuana has been around for a long time. Why waste all of those billions of dollars that are going underground when you can legalize it and tax it. It could potentially go a long way towards solving the national deficit.
What is the downside to using marijuana? The only thing that the government has been able to find so far is that excessive use might cause you to become apathetic. At least it doesn't cause an inability to drive an automobile alike alcohol does.
According to CNN, in states where medical marijuana is legal, many families are becoming growers and processors. There are even some mother and son teams.
With more and more states legalizing at least medical marijuana, I think that it won't belong before the prohibition ends. I don't use marijuana anymore. A lot of my friends do. When you get older the thrill of a long afternoon nap outweighs getting that buzz.
It might be a good idea though to legalize the pot and put more restrictions on alcohol, or prohibit its use all together. Then we can go after cigarettes and solve the national health crisis.
How many lives could be saved if people no longer smoked cigarettes and drove drunk? Not to mention the tremendous savings on health cost. At least the tobacco companies don't have the enormous sway with the politicians that it used to have.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/03/09/spellman.marijuana.family.cnn?hpt=C2
Filed under Uncategorized | Tags: california electorate, central valley, democrats, inaccuracy, independents, initiative, legalization of cannabis, marijuana, medicinal use of cannabis, percentage points, poll, public policy institute, republicans, state of california, survey found that | Comment (0)Will Ca. Pass First Marijuana Legalizations Bill
California electorate is divided over an initiative on the November ballot that would legalize marijuana for recreational use.The Public Policy Institute of Ca. poll out Wed (05/19/2010) found t 49 percent of likely voters would support legalization of cannabis, while 48 percent oppose it. The poll has a margin of inaccuracy of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The state of California already allows medicinal use of cannabis, but would become the first state to legalize recreational use if voters approve the initiative.The poll found that Democrats and independents are far more likely to support the initiative than Republicans. Not overly surprising. Support also is higher in the Bay Area, while L.A. and the Central Valley remain divided.The survey found that men are more likely to favor legalization than women.
In California, medicinal marijuana has been legal since 1996. Since then there has been an ever growing surge in supporters to legalize and tax marijuana, much the way alcohol and tobacco are. The Tax and Regulate Marijuana 2010 Campaign has just achieved its first major victory in that fight. With over 700,000 signatures, they have gathered nearly double the amount necessary for inclusion on November's ballot.
January 13th 2010, the Sac Bee reported, “Assemblyman Tom Ammiano emerged Tuesday from a victorious committee vote to legalize marijuana proclaiming history was in the making.
It didn't matter that his bill was dead on non-arrival. A separate Assembly health committee won't take up the bill this week, meaning it will miss a legislative deadline for reaching the Assembly floor.
But the political theater Ammiano stirred in winning a 4-3 vote in the Public Safety Committee for pot's legalization raises the curtain on a near-certain November ballot fight and heated skirmishes in the Legislature over the future of marijuana use in California.” For the full story go to http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/2457715.html
In the 1920's and 1930's, America clearly learned that prohibition only increased criminal activity, violence and the frivolous spending on a battle that could not be won. Many people feel that our country continues to implement laws that only drive the crime rate up as well as add to our national deficit. The use of marijuana does not affect a person's mental state so as to become violent. The financial and criminal gains cause a person to become violent. Wars over territory bring about violence, murder and theft as well as a host of other crimes. The criminals are the only ones who gain from keeping marijuana illegal. There is an annual $14 billion illegal market. Imagine what would happen if that criminal economy was brought to an end and given to society as legal profits.
Those opposed to legalizing marijuana would have you believe that marijuana is harmful to your health in a way that far exceeds the affects of recreational alcohol and tobacco. Tobacco is single handedly responsible for the deaths of 500,000 Americans each year. 100,000 people die each year from alcohol related causes. To date, no deaths have ever been attributed to marijuana use.
According to the US Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics reported in December of 2008, there are over 600,000 people incarcerated for drug offenses in state and federal prisons. As also reported by the Department of Justice in 2008, the average annual cost of incarceration per inmate is $25,895. That is an annual cost of $15,537,000,000.
The Board of Equalization estimates that legalizing marijuana could generate about $1.4 billion in tax revenue annually.Public support for legalization of marijuana is at an all time high. Nation wide polls range from 44 to 52 percent. In California 56 percent of the population supports legalization of marijuana. It is an exciting and historical time for California as the battle for legalization is nearing an end, with victory lingering around the corner.
Sources:
Sacramento Bee http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/2457715.html
U.S. Department of Justice http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/about/index.html
Cannabis As a Business
With the possibility of legalization of Cannabis in the state of Ca. is on the November ballot, right now you can find medical marijuana collective ads all over the internet, as well as in print. Just grab an OC Weekly or SF Weekly, for that matter in Sacramento grab a Sacramento News & Reviews, you'll see multiple ads for medicinal marijuana stores. Advertisements include free deliveries, free lighters and “free gram” promotions. Sacramento has so many MMJ shops, and doctor’s offices the areas medicinal marijuana business is as competitive as L.A.’s west Hollywood.
Tired of the violence and crime that seem to fill the news airwaves night after night? Here are some not-so-normal stories that provide a glimpse into some of the other stories that don't make your nightly news broadcast.
From Reuters:
Fugitive Seeking Love Online Gets Nabbed. A fugitive wanted for a double homicide in Arkansas was arrested recently in Wisconsin after he added his name, picture and address on an online dating site. Calvin Bennett was charged with two counts of murder when taken into custody. It seems people who visited the dating site also saw Bennett's picture on “America's Most Wanted.” Bennett's online profile said he liked to cuddle. Too bad he couldn't list intelligence as a trait.
Play It Again and Again and Again, Sam. An Indian carpenter who over a million dollars in diamonds from a jeweler was arrested in a dance bar after he lavishly spent money from selling the diamonds to get the band to play one song over and over and over. Divesh Borse spend hundreds of dollars on the song over the course of two days, arousing the suspicions of a police informant. When Borse was arrested, he was carrying diamonds worth nearly $100,000. I guess all that money just made it too difficult to keep a low profile.
Free Viagra Spices Up Small Town Life. The mayor of a small Brazilian town has begun to dispense free Viagra to residents. According to the mayor, the elderly population of the town is now much happier after having their sex lives spiced up by the town's government. The program, called “Happy Penis” by local officials, has also resulted in an increase in extra-marital affairs as older men seek out partners other than their wives. To fix that problem, the city has now decided to begin giving the sex pills to the wives instead of the men.
Buddhist Monk Cuts Off Penis and Renounces Refix. A Thai Buddhist monk cut off his penis with a machete because he had an erection during meditation. According to the monk, he has renounced all earthly cares and does not want the penis reattached. He did, however, allow medical personnel to clean up and dress the wound.
Dutch Group Scraps Attempt to Smoke Biggest Joint. A plan to roll and smoke the world's largest joint was cancelled in Amsterdam after the group figured out that they might be breaking the law. The group had planned to roll a 1.5 meter long, 500-gram marijuana cigarette with no tobacco. However, the group's understanding of Dutch law was misplaced. Dutch authorities allow five grams of marijuana per person for private use, but the individual allowances cannot be combined into one joint.
Beverage Firm Offers Pea-Flavored Soda. Seattle specialty beverage maker Jones Soda Company is now offering a new soda flavor: Green Pea. The Jones Company plans to include the new flavor as part of its holiday pack of bottled drinks that includes Turkey and Gravy, Dinner Roll, Sweet Potato, and Antacid flavors. Previous flavors offered by the company include Fish Taco, Salmon, Broccoli Casserole, Corn on the Cob and Brussel Sprout.
And from the Associated Press:
California Couple Calls for Orgasm for Peace. Two peace activists have planned a massive anti-war demonstration that calls for everyone in the world to have an orgasm this December 22nd. According to the activists, orgasms produce feelings of peace similar to being in a meditative state. The goal of Global Orgasm for Peace is to get people to channel their sexual energy into something more positive (see www.globalorgasm.org).
