Marijuana Legalization/Decriminalization Efforts

**Kurokikaze** · 2012-02-28 00:19

Figured we should have a thread on this... This is another issue, like gay-marriage, that will become legal in our lifetime. Just gotta make sure the potheads aren't all too stoned to partake in democracy. lol

http://blog.norml.org/2012/02/27/bre...r-2012-ballot/

Residents of Colorado will have the opportunity to vote in favor of ending marijuana prohibition this November. Today, the “Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act” was approved for the ballot by Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler. With this confirmation, Colorado now joins Washington as one of two states where measures specific to legalizing cannabis will appear on the electoral ballot.

Backers of the initiative had previously turned in over 160,000 signatures. However, the Secretary of State’s office on February 3 responded that petitioners still needed an additional 2,500 valid signatures from registered voters to place the initiative on the ballot. On February 17th, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol submitted an additional 14,000 signatures, well in excess of what was required to meet that threshold. Today’s approval from the state cements their placement on this fall’s ballot.

The Colorado initiative seeks to allow for the limited possession and cultivation of cannabis by adults age 21 and over. The measure would further amend state law to establish regulations governing the commercial production and distribution of marijuana by licensed retailers.

The measure is supported by a broad coalition of reform organizations, including NORML, the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, SAFER, Sensible Colorado, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), the Drug Policy Alliance, and the Marijuana Policy Project.

“This is a very exciting prospect for marijuana law reform advocates,” states Erik Altieri, NORML’s Communications Coordinator, “Coloradans have already set the example for how to properly implement a state medical marijuana program and now they have the opportunity to lead the country yet again by being the first to end cannabis prohibition in their state. With their state pride and frontier mentality, the Centennial State stands a great chance of being the first state to declare an end to the war on cannabis consumers.”

Since its inception, the 2012 Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has been comprised of a broad-based coalition of state and national organizations that includes NORML. The NORML Board of Directors is expected to publicly endorse the initiative shortly.

More information on the initiative can be found at the campaign’s webpage here and on their Facebook here.

**hey** · 2012-02-28 00:35

Let us hope this passes. It's about time we started getting rid of all these bullshit laws

**BaneTheBrawler** · 2012-02-28 00:38

Provided there's not some legalese loophole that makes this absolutely terrible, I'm for this, especially if it's taxed heavily. Turns a money pit into an income, with no realistic change to society itself.

**Mazmaz** · 2012-02-28 00:43

I know this is a US thread, but I just wanted to share this story that CBC posted recently. The guy in the video (he's a former attorney general) does a pretty good job explaining why marijuana prohibition doesn't work, promotes organized crime, and how 10% of B.C. smoking pot are technically breaking the law and the cops just look the other way.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...-legalize.html

**Sepukku** · 2012-02-28 00:49

I would estimate the pot smoking portion of society is 20%.... 33%-40% of 40 and under. Bullshit law is bullshit, alcohol has far worse consequences.

To be honest though, how does Colorado and Washington get away with this? Doesn't the federal government determine what is and what is not a legal drug?

**hey** · 2012-02-28 00:50

Originally Posted by Sepukku

Doesn't the federal government determine what is and what is not a legal drug?

Yes, but local police don't have to enforce federal laws.

**miokomioko** · 2012-02-28 00:56

Which still equates to potentially getting in trouble with the FBI regardless of what state you're in.

I can't believe California actually failed at this last time. We all thought it was in the bag. (possible pun unintended)

**hey** · 2012-02-28 01:01

Originally Posted by miokomioko

Which still equates to potentially getting in trouble with the FBI regardless of what state you're in.

If they choose to interfere, yes. The same thing is true of medical marijuana, in all states.

Immediately, this means that opening up a pot farm, and selling it in wallmart would be very risky. Meaning there is a good chance that even if it passes, people will still be acquiring it from the same sources they do now, which negates a lot of the benefits of legalizing it. However, long term, it encourages other states to do the same, and hopefully, federal laws will be fixed eventually as well.

**Hitoshura** · 2012-02-28 01:05

My friend got pulled over without a drivers license.. in his mom's car with over an ounce in separate sacks to (obviously) sell. Cop let him drive off untouched, took the stash though, most likely for a personal session? Who knows, but I fucking love California. Cept the part where weed wasn't legalized, but someday.

**Kurokikaze** · 2012-02-28 01:14

Pot has turned into such a joke this past decade and I think it has a lot to do with how drugs are portrayed in movies/television. Pot went from:

"You smoke marijuana?! They should lock you up!"
to
Doctor: "Have you used or continue to use drugs?"
Patient: "...Marijuana..."
Doctor: "Real drugs you fool. lol"

**Hitoshura** · 2012-02-28 01:25

All I know is if that shit goes down in some shitty state with laws like Texas, you can go to jail for years.

**thetruepandagod** · 2012-02-28 02:37

Majority of stoners i know actually got off of their asses and voted against the legalization of pot in CA. I hate them so fucking much.

**miokomioko** · 2012-02-28 02:40

I love that George Zimmer contributed over 70 grand to support CA's prop 19.

http://www.bestweekever.tv/bwe/image...ND-HIS-POT.png

**kuronosan** · 2012-02-28 02:42

Not sure what the big deal is about MJ anymore. We glorify cigarette and alcohol sales but bitch about the sale of weed. I'm not a smoker nor do I ever plan to be but the flawed logic alone boggles my mind.

**Hitoshura** · 2012-02-28 02:47

Originally Posted by thetruepandagod

Majority of stoners i know actually got off of their asses and voted against the legalization of pot in CA. I hate them so fucking much.

A lot of people make a living growing/selling it, I wouldn't say that it would put an end to that but would definitely have an impact. Personally, it doesn't matter much to me legal to everyone or not, I will still smoke it. <3 having a card, hate paying to renew it though lol.

**hey** · 2012-02-28 02:55

Originally Posted by kuronosan

Not sure what the big deal is about MJ anymore. We glorify cigarette and alcohol sales but bitch about the sale of weed. I'm not a smoker nor do I ever plan to be but the flawed logic alone boggles my mind.

People are retarded, and don't understand that every law has side effects.

For example a lot of times in domestic violence cases, the police arrive, see what's going on, and then leave without doing anything. This sucks right? So what should we do about it? Oh, i know, lets require the police to make an arrest any time they get a domestic violence report. Sounds good right? Wrong. These laws cause a huge increase in spousal murder rates. Turns out, not every victim wants their abuser in jail, so instead of calling the police, they just deal with the abuse, or they do, and then the person just gets angry and hurts them more once they come back home.

Even if marijuana was some terrible, dangerous drug that we desperately needed people to stop using, prohibition would still be hugely harmful. Even if you think the government should be able to dictate what people are allowed to do to themselves, all drugs should still be legalized, because their prohibition causes far more harm than the drugs themselves do.

**Ragnus** · 2012-02-28 07:40

Hell, look at Portugal.

http://www.time.com/time/health/arti...893946,00.html

tl:dr version: Portugal decriminalized all drugs in 2000 against the complaints of conservatives along with setting up programs like needle exchange. The result is overall drug use by teens is down, more people are checking into rehab because of the safety net and no fear of arrest or persecution, and new cases of HIV are down because people aren't sharing used needles as much.

**Cairthenn** · 2012-02-28 07:47

The war on drugs is far too profitable on both a social and economic level for this to slip through as easy a logic should suggest.

**Ragnus** · 2012-02-28 07:52

It's also sad that, even with all of the proof, Portugal really can't be brought up in a political context because the Republican piranhas will eat anyone alive over the fact that the country's economy is tanking "because of programs like that".

**Wulfgang** · 2012-02-28 09:22

Originally Posted by Cairthenn

The war on drugs is far too profitable on both a social and economic level for this to slip through as easy a logic should suggest.

Only really profitable for the underground dealers / suppliers; think legalization would be immensely beneficial from a US macroeconomic perspective. Taxes from legal sales + reduction in DEA / local police force / prison costs associated with marijuana prohibition enforcement would likely outweigh the cost associated with new public welfare / rehab programs / etc.

I'm more of a libertarian and think everything should be legalized, but the current situation with herb is just absurd. Feel like gang violence would vastly dissipate if drugs were legal.