California voters will soon be going to the polls to make a statement on the personal use of cannabis.  If you live in California, please make sure to vote.
If you know someone who lives in California, please give them a call or send them an email encouraging them to support this important piece of legislation.

Here is a portion of a fairly gentle post I submitted elsewhere to people who have been arguing against Proposition 19.
If you frequent other websites and see people fighting against this legalization, consider posting the following in response:

Quote:

---

Prohibition does not work. There is no denying that a demand for marijuana exists, and that it cannot be eliminated simply because we make the marijuana illegal. People will find a way to procure their substance of choice, so wouldn't it be better to take the marijuana industry out of the hands of the black market? In doing so, we will undoubtedly see flat to decreased use amongst adolescents, as the substance will not be as popular amongst illicit drug dealers since the exorbitant profit margin will collapse, and kids will have a hard time buying from vendors that ask for proof of age.

Furthermore, law enforcement can quit wasting their time feeding the prison industrial complex by pursuing non-violent crimes related to marijuana, and can instead focus on the crimes that are actually hurting people. This should help reverse the disgusting fact that our country has the highest percentage of incarcerated citizens out of any country on this entire planet, which will save our state and local government much needed money; all while preserving a harmless personal freedom.

Not withstanding the fact that marijuana is substantially less toxic than alcohol (and non-addicting), it is up to adults to make responsible decisions as to how much they will use, just as they do with any other intoxicating substance. Attempting to police morality and personal choice is simply wrong. We need to take a more realistic stance on drug use in this country. People will do it regardless of its legal status. Control the substance, thereby making it as safe as possible for the consumer, while generating additional tax revenue that would otherwise be lost to criminal enterprise, and help curb the incredible waste in the criminal justice system that arises out of these absolutely futile prohibitionary laws.

---

Quote:

---

Hi ____,

My name is ____ and I'm calling because I see that you are registered to vote as an
absentee and I just want to make sure that you and everyone else in your household
will in fact vote by tomorrow.

I apologize if you've already received calls about this, but I'm really just trying
to get people to support Proposition 19, the legalize, tax and regulate marijuana
initiative.  Prop 19 is designed to treat marijuana pretty much the same as alcohol,
which will allow the police and our criminal justice system to focus on violent
crimes instead of the non-violent crimes.

This will in turn reduce the prison population which is already WAY over capacity,
and should even generate some solid tax revenue for the state and local governments.

Prop 19 is really aimed at protecting consumers while reducing the profits obtained
by illegal drug dealers.

I mean, there IS a demand for marijuana in this country, and for 70 years marijuana
prohibition has done NOTHING to reduce that demand.

But I'll tell you, tons of money has been wasted all while taking away freedom from
the people who get caught using or growing this substance; a substance that
incidentally, is less toxic than alcohol AND non-addicting.

Just to clear up some misconceptions, this will not make it legal to drive under the
influence.  If a pot user is pulled over while driving and fails a field sobriety
test, they will have their car impounded and they will have to face the consequences
through the court system.

What Prop 19 will do is preserve personal freedom for responsible adults while
cleaning up some of the waste in our criminal justice system.

So I thank you for hearing me out and if you haven't voted already, please make sure
that you do, and please support prop 19!

Take care and have a nice day.

---

The race is very tight, but there is definitely a real chance of this passing.
It would be a significant step toward getting federal prohibition repealed!

www.thenewleaf.org www.yeson19.com

---

// Original post submitted August 30, 2010:

Friends of cannabis!

The People of the State of California will present Proposition 19 on this November's election ballot and I would urge everyone to make sure that you are registered to vote (and if you are not, you can fill out/print/mail this registration form) in order to participate in this November's election.

The deal:

• Proposition 19 - The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010
  Allows people 21 years old or older to possess, cultivate, or transport marijuana for personal use. Permits local governments to regulate and tax commercial production and sale of marijuana to people 21 years old or older. Prohibits people from possessing marijuana on school grounds, using it in public, smoking it while minors are present, or providing it to anyone under 21 years old. Maintains current prohibitions against driving while impaired.
  
  Summary of estimated fiscal impact:
  Savings of up to several tens of millions of dollars annually to state and local governments on the costs of incarcerating and supervising certain marijuana offenders. Unknown but potentially major tax, fee, and benefit assessment revenues to state and local government related to the production and sale of marijuana products.

M'lady and I attended the "Know Your Rights" expo in Anaheim this past weekend, and it was disappointing to see the low turnout and predominantly sales-oriented roster of attendees.  However, we did get to listen to some informative speakers, both for and against the proposition (including Judge Jim Gray, whom you may remember from some of my older spam!).

I would greatly prefer this proposition to be as simple as "removing all existing laws pertaining to marijuana."  But in reality, this type of legislation has little chance of passing unless the public can be assured that it will help to prevent children from having ready access to the substance, while simultaneously ensuring the integrity of the product available to adults.  Sadly, I don't believe that the issue of non-violent citizens being sent to jail and their families as a result being extremely strained carries enough weight by itself... even though this issue is at the heart of law enforcement expenses that have helped to send our state's budget into dire straits, in addition to making our country one which houses 5% of the total world population but 25% of the world's prisoners!

I wish we didn't have to offer the concession of instituting a sin tax upon marijuana (akin to alcohol and tobacco), which seems likely to happen given the way that Prop 19 has been worded.  Nevertheless, I am happy to support legislation that works toward reducing the atrocities that have been committed against so many non-violent citizens on account of our perversely harmful and antiquated prohibition drug laws.

There is a demand for cannabis in this country.  Criminalizing the substance has done nothing to stop it, yet has been responsible for wasting unbelievable billions of dollars while ruining the lives of millions of normal people like you and me.  In two words, it's fucked!

Let's do something about it.  Please help encourage sensible drug policy.




On October 6th, I sent out this email to all of my friends and family, and would encourage you to do the same:

Quote:

---

Friends & Family!

I just wanted to take a moment to encourage everyone to speak with their own friends and families about this important issue.

Voting against Proposition 19 would maintain a status quo that directly hurts tens of thousands of people in California every year who face legal consequences on account of the prohibitionary laws governing their personal use of marijuana.  It is an absolute travesty that our financially strapped state has been forced to continue this strain on our entire criminal justice system, just to hunt down and prosecute non-violent marijuana offenders.  Our state legislature recognized this fact when Governor Schwarzenegger signed SB 1449 into law last week, effectively reducing the penalty for public use of pot from a misdemeanor (requiring a court appearance and criminal record) to an infraction (which is the same class as a parking ticket - no court appearance, no court costs, and no criminal record).

Beyond that, people who fear these laws against cannabis will often turn to less safe legal alternatives such as the synthetic JWH compounds found in K2 and Spice over the counter herbal blends, which have been reported to produce adverse health affects and have a very short history of use.  Untainted marijuana on the other hand is extremely low in toxicity and holds a long history of safe use.

Please remember to vote yes on Proposition 19, and forward this email to family and friends who may have a misunderstanding of the real issues here.  The latest polls are showing passable support for proposition 19, but the only poll that matters is the one on November 2nd!

Some interesting and related commentary:

• Legalization will improve public safety
  
• If People Oppose Prop 19, Are They Prohibitionists?
  
• Out-Foxed on Fox News (video): Part 1 and Part 2
  
• Other related videos...

I hope everyone is enjoying the rain!



Thanks for reading,
~Mike

---

Conservative Television Commentators Share Their Thoughts...

 

Retired New Jersey State Trooper Shares His Thoughts...

Retired California Conservative Judge Shares His Thoughts...

More From the Judge Jim Gray...