Marijuana movement moving ahead statewide and nationally

[DreamSmoker]

Source: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Marijuana legalization has been moving ahead recently with the introduction of a California state ballot initiative and national legislation to change its federal designation.

A 2012 ballot initiative to tax and regulate marijuana like wine has been sent to the state, its backers said on Friday.

"We have submitted the initiative to the Attorney General's Office in Sacramento," said Jim Gray, an author of the bill and retired Orange County Superior Court trial judge who ran for Senate as a Libertarian in 2004 and ran for Congress as a Republican in 1998. "The process is under way."

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Its about time...
This needs to move forward to move California to the leader of the Pack..
This would mean Huge new $$$revenues for California as well as Job and $$$ Opportunities..
Finally stopping the needless persecutions of Americans....

[msongs]

1. the alcohol and police welfare industries will not like this much nt

[LetTimmySmoke]

8. That was my thought too.

[MADem]

12. The boozemakers will not be happy, but the cops will be thrilled.

The booze industry will fear that they'll lose a cut of the market share.

The cops, though, will have more time for crimes against the community.

Small time marijuana busts take up an absurd amount of police time in arrests, bookings, arraignment paperwork and court testimony. Legalization will eliminate all of that nonsense. The most a cop will have to do is write a ticket, the equivalent of an "open container" summons, if local municipalities decide that they don't want people doing that stuff on the street.

[bloomington-lib]

2. What is this Evans guy talking about?

"David Evans, executive director of the Drug Free Schools Coalition in New Jersey, took issue with Swerdlow's assessment."

"This argument to tax and regulate sounds good but look at the data," Evans said Friday. "It costs money. How are you going to regulate it? Look at how well we're doing with (taxing and regulating) alcohol and tobacco ... not too good. It's a very false argument and I hope people in California don't fall for it."

They're not doing a good job regulating alcohol and tobacco? I wonder if his idea of regulating is prohibition.

[Warren Stupidity]

3. states that tax and regulate alcohol and tobacco (i.e. every state)

pull in tons of revenue every year from that effort. What is with the Drug Warriors and lying through their asses at every opportunity?

[nonperson]

6. "What is with the Drug Warriors and lying through their asses at every opportunity?"

Because that's all they got. Lies.

If the truth ruled people like David Evans would evaporate right in front of your eyes.

David Evans should tell his kids to go to bed then he should smoke a bone and relax. If him and people like him can't control their kids' behavior that is NOT my problem. The ADULTS are free to do what they please without David's lack of parenting skills interfering.

[Harry J Asslinger]

11. Indeed

Prohibition is untenable. Everything the prohibitionists say in its defense is a lie one way or another.

Chabot is especially full of shit, and I will always remember the look on his face and his quibbling when he was asked by a member of the audience (on a debate hosted by Stossel on FOX) whether or not prohibition was unconstitutional. Chabot, from the article: "We're better equipped than we have ever been. Not just in California but around the country. We're seeing signs of desperation. They're trying to twist every angle possible."

"We have become more proficient in purveying lies, both in California and nationwide. But despite our best fabrications and funding, the movement is growing on every level and overwhelming us."

[Proletariatprincess]

4. Sounds all right so far...

but will it prohibit cultivation for personal use? As much as I want the draconian laws against cannabis repealed, I would hate to see this natural herb become a corporate monopoly.
When Jerry Brown signs the Hemp cultivation bill, as I believe he will, this will indeed be a new age for California.

[Le Taz Hot]

9. To answer your question, no.

In fact, the bill provides for private farming of a 5' X 5' square plot. Basically, it's the same as making your own wine or beer. As long as you're not selling it and as long as you're not giving minors access to it, it's perfectly legal to do so in small quantities.

Btw, SB-676 (the hemp legalization bill) was kicked back to committee after some minor rewrites having to do with some of the counties. It just passed the Public Safety Committee (5-2) and now it goes to the Ag Committee where it passed 5-1 before the rewrite so there should be no problem this time. It would then go to the floor.

[poverlay]

5. When CA pulls itself out of it's depression by it's bootstraps with that little tax every other

State is suddenly going to see the light..

[tavalon]

7. Signed a petition tonight to get a reasonable marajuana law on the books in Washington state

Don't use it myself, but I'm pretty damn done with the drug war overall.

[dmosh42]

10. This is the only issue for the Att'y Gen'l Holder! What else can he do! n/t