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Fighting for Democracy on This summer fourth Weekend

july 4th

Once we celebrate out nations independence,  we are constant reminded that democracy only stays intact if people fight.  Many activists within this country are fighting for marijuana reform.  Also, you will find individuals in energy fighting frantically to help keep things as they are.  Hopefully you like the weekend and look for the updates below.  As always,  please be secure.

Arkansas Attorney General rejects marijuana legalisation ballot


Town of Berkeley Fights back against Federal effort to shut law abiding dispensary

Activists Pushing for Governor to sign medicinal marijuana bill made to bring relief to Illinois patients

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The Changing Politics of Marijuana

politics

The issue of civil rights and Federal overreach has been front and center lately.  Whistleblower,  Eric Snowden had exposed the details of Just how closely our government is watching us.  It appears every email, text, and phone call may be recorded.  It is no surprise, that George Orwell’s classic “!984” has enjoyed an almost 10,000% rise in sales.

The issue reminds us of just how much our civil liberties have eroded.  For marijuana activists,  the idea of restricting rights is always present.  What sick patients do to improve their quality of life need not be up to government officials.  The politics of marijuana had always been a dirty game,  complete with decades of lies and propaganda.

It may finally be time for activists to fight back with politics.  Members of the marijuana industry ate now lobbying Congress to overhaul the tax code for dispensaries.  With overly inflated tax rates,  dispensaries are having a hard time keeping their doors open.  Many dispensary owners are not looking for special treatment.  They would like to pay their fair share of taxes, and take standard deductions that help many small businesses keep their doors open.  One of the lobbyists,  Aaron Smith,  director of the National Cannabis Industry Association told Washington reporters “We are asking to be taxed. We are one of the only industries in this country coming to D.C. asking, ‘Tax us, but tax us fairly.”

In the near future it is likely that over half of our states in America will permit the use of medical marijuana.  The industry is clearly on the rise and could provide desperately needed economic growth.  As Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) said in a recent press conference, “Medical marijuana is now used by over a million people in the United States, and it’s critical for them… And while the states have expanded the legal economic opportunities, the federal drug, tax and banking laws continue to limit these emerging small businesses.”  Unfortunately, the federal government seems to only use forward thinking when it comes to surveillance.

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Marijuana Decriminalization Has Immediate Impact On California Youth Crime Rates

teen crime

The unnecessary arrests of our teens is one of the most troubling byproducts of American marijuana law.   Besides the high economic cost, the social implications can ruin lives.  Marijuana possession arrests can provide an early entrance into legal system for juveniles.  Incarceration of so many young people produces a

The need to alter America’s direction in the war on drugs has been apparent almost since the inception of Nixon’s plan.  This is perhaps why even as early as the 1970s states started to take the initiative and enact decriminalization laws.  Decades later, we are still awaiting federal action, but it only takes a brief glance at the 112th Congress (who has passed the least amount of bills in history) to lose optimism.  Hopefully the 113th Congress is less bitter, partisan, and ineffective.  It is not desirable for state lawmakers to enact legislation that is in direct opposition to state law, but a lack of movement on the federal government’s part has left states with few options.

Critics and misguided fans of the war on drugs are always skeptical of decriminalization and often argue that crime and deviant behavior would increase and run rampant.  Newly published research by the Center on Juvenile & Criminal Justice paints an entirely different picture.  The group found that California’s new (which took effect January 1, 2011) decriminalization laws have resulted in a drastic reduction of juvenile arrests. The 20% overall drop now brings juvenile crime rates to their lowest levels since California started keeping such records in 1954.  When analyzing the numbers further, it is interesting to note that underage violent crime dropped by 16%, homicide dropped by 26%, and drug related crimes plummeted by 50%.

Marijuana reform can address many pressing issues in the United States.  Although many critics are unable to understand the complexity of modern economics, financial actions are rarely isolated.  Locking away our youth has a devastating toll on lives, but also a hefty financial price tag.  Lately, the point has been made countless times but the debate regarding the so called “fiscal cliff” and the money required to rebuild the areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy, it is clear we no longer have money to waste on acting “tough” on drugs.

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Colorado Medical Marijuana Makes it To 60 Minutes

60 minutes

With two weeks to go until the presidential election it is no surprise that the race is dominating the news cycle.  Other topics have been anxiously awaiting their turn in the limelight but have taken a backseat as the media has left little room for other news.  Surprisingly, medical marijuana was able to make it to one of the rare free time slots on major prime time network news.

Last night 60 minutes described what is being called the “Colorado Green Rush”.  The coverage highlighted several key areas of the marijuana reform movement.  For one, the enormous tax dollars that can be collected score big points with even those who are not passionate about reforming marijuana laws.  Additionally, 60 minutes highlighted another key area that shows a cultural shift.  Medical marijuana dispensaries in Colorado outnumber McDonalds and Starbucks combined. This is why federal intervention is becoming more difficult as 60 minutes suggested.  The will of the people is becoming clear and Colorado residents are increasingly supporting marijuana reform.  Colorado has a high number of independent voters who are not keen on federal bullying.

While some of this may be familiar to patients, activists, and those in the industry, national prime time stories regarding medical marijuana help the issue to reach people who are not as familiar with the medical marijuana movement.  Social media and the internet may cover this topic daily, but the mainstream news is only finally realizing the social and economic impact of the “green rush”.   Additionally, while perhaps not perfect, the reporting does seem to shifting toward much fairer and open minded coverage.  There is less snickering and scare tactics in most mainstream news coverage of marijuana reform.  A second Obama term or a Romney presidency will almost certainly have to deal with medical marijuana, so even more major news coverage is to be expected after the November election.

Many of the political pundits have called the upcoming vote as a “pocketbook election” as the state of the economy is still the number one issue on voter’s minds.  If that is the case then it may only be a matter of time and awareness before the American people decide against marijuana incarcerations and leaving tax dollars on the table.  Inevitably we seem to be moving toward “pocketbook green laws”.

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Will Recent Federal Raids On Los Angeles Marijuana Dispensaries Be Swept Under the Political Rug?

raids

The first presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will be held next week on October 3rd.  This debate will focus on domestic policy so we are sure to hear about plans for cost savings and stimulating the economy.  Of course, for activists there is always that economic pink elephant in the room that politicians never want to acknowledge.

However, it remains highly unlikely that debate moderator Jim Lehrer of PBS will question the candidates as to exactly why the failed war on drugs is persisting.  Earlier this week, there were three raids on marijuana dispensaries located in the downtown area of Los Angeles.  Additionally, 68 other warning letters were issued.  The efforts build on what is almost a year long target on dispensaries by the federal government.  While the raids catch headlines, the collateral damage is rarely covered.  Besides compromising safe access to patients, many jobs have been either put in jeopardy or eliminated totally.

We have yet to hear a coherent plan as to how either candidate will put Americans back to work.  We do know that our government is perfectly constructed to destroy jobs, as thousands of jobs have been eliminated this year alone due to medical marijuana dispensary raids.  However, it may require a new approach to creating jobs in the new age economy.

If other state laws were being targeted by federal authorities, political advocates would come out of the woodwork.  With the vast majority of Americans supporting a physician’s right to prescribe medical marijuana one would think a discussion would even be advantageous to lawmakers.  This is where the state of politics are.  This is a serious issue with economic, safety, and healthcare concerns at stake and we cannot even rely on a full discussion, rather, we are resigned to hoping that a debate moderator asks a single question.

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Colorado Residents Appear Ready To Legalize Marijuana

regulate marijuana like alcohol

Many states have now joined the marijuana reform movement and it appears more on the way.  At one point, certainly 12 years ago, passing legislation to allow for the use of medical marijuana was a much more controversial move.  With only a handful of states previously legalizing medical cannabis, Colorado voters passed Amendment 20 and officially altered the state’s constitution.

This November, Colorado residents will have another controversial choice when they enter the voting centers.  Thanks to the efforts of many residents and groups such as Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, Colorado residents may take the next logical step in providing relief and adopting new progressive strategies for a struggling economy and new age safety measures.  If residents pass amendment 64, they will effective legalize, tax, and regulate the sale of marijuana even for recreational use.  While the usual detractors have and will continue to dust off the same decades old talking points memo, many want to see a different approach.  Amendment 64 even has the support of many parents who would rather see safety mechanisms in place to prevent their teens from purchasing marijuana as opposed to just hoping they do not seek out street vendors.

A similar bill was voted on in 2006 and narrowly failed.  However, in the previous six years Colorado has seen its demographics change considerably.  While this can be measured by Census figures, it only takes a copy of the 2008 electoral map, and current polling data to show Colorado has changed drastically in the political arena and now appears to be a lean Democrat or at the very least a toss-up state.  Other than Bill Clinton in 1996, no Democrat has won Colorado in a modern election besides Obama.  A new poll seems to highlight the shift and now shows that Colorado residents are leaning heavily toward enacting Amendment 64.  The poll was conducted by The Denver Post and shows that Colorado residents are in favor of the bill by a margin of 51-40% (with 8% undecided).

Even if passed it does not guarantee that Federal agents will not interfere.  However, now many more tax dollars and jobs will be at stake should the Feds decide to demonstrate their legal authority.  However, if that fear governed Colorado residents before, they would not have persevered through the last 12 years.  With more national support that ever, and certainly than in 2000, Colorado residents again seem poised to bring about major change.

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US Government Burns Through More Than One Billion Dollars in Recent Marijuana Crackdown

government burning marijuana

Over the past year, the federal government has intensified its anti-marijuana crusade.  Analysts are unsure of the exact reasons, especially as it seemed tolerance was in the air when President Obama was elected.  Starting last fall, federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries were carried out in several states including California, Montana, and Colorado.  However, burning through marijuana this way may just show how out of touch our elected officials with the wishes of the average American.

However, the DEA reported this week that they have destroyed well over 1 billion dollars worth of marijuana since launching an intense effort on July 1st.  The popular news site “The Raw Story” said that, according to the Justice Department “Federal, state and local law enforcement in the seven states have eradicated more than 578,000 marijuana plants from public lands. The DEA estimates the value of this marijuana to be well over $1 billion.”  Over 80% of the plants destroyed by the government were located in California.

Sending out huge teams to search, locate, and terminate the plants does not come without cost.  No one has confirmed just how much the recent effort is costing taxpayers.  There are understandable reasons as to why the government would go after the grows (other than just pursuing their outdated policies on marijuana).  The Department of Justice said they removed “Huge amounts of trash, miles of irrigation line, and many pounds of fertilizer and pesticides were removed from grow sites on public lands.”   All of this only further highlights the need for a regulated system.  Under a more defined system,

As the American public calls for both medical and recreational legalization of cannabis, how long can we expect federal agencies to keep these efforts up?  Though they frame their actions as a way of helping the public, no one wants to lose their job.  Recently, heads turned when Todd Akin showed just how disconnected he was with his comments on “legitimate rape” and women’s health.  Both major political parties stand to lose considerable power as the people will continue to bypass ineffective leaders with ballot initiatives to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana as a way to fix both our healthcare and economic system.  Instead of destroying 1 billion in cannabis (plus the cost of sending out agents) jobs, tax revenues, and preserving the natural beauty of America could be our focus instead.

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Government Response to Marijuana Questions is Comical

michele leonhardt

There has been a lot of serious developments lately in the world of marijuana reform.  We were treated to a laugh recently as the DEA head Michele Leonhardt was unable to answer if crack and heroin were worse than marijuana.  Colorado representative Jared Polis grilled Ms. Leonhardt and she was unable to formulate a coherent answer.  Check out the video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrHecD8JhfY

 

 

 

http://youtu.be/HrHecD8JhfY

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Chris Christie’s Mixed Message on Compassion

christieDuring a recent speech at the Brookings Institution Chris Christie made statements that called for an end to the war on drugs.  In fact he called it a failure and even referenced his pro-life views.  At one point during the speech he said “If you’re pro-life, as I am, you can’t be pro-life just in …continue reading

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Landmark Case: Will the United States Choose Religious Tolerance or Marijuana Intolerance?

courtroom

Religious tolerance is one of the founding principles of the United States.  As the election process has unfolded we have heard about perceived religious persecution of Christian America, especially from Rick Santorum.  Yesterday he suspended his campaign for president and vowed  “We’re going to continue to fight for the Americans who stood up and gave us that air under our wings that allowed us to accomplish things that no political expert would have expected.”

The continued “fight” will likely revolve around religion but will Santorum and the rest of the government support religious tolerance for other groups? The Oklevueha Native American Church utilizes marijuana as a part of their religious rituals.  As the title of this article suggests, will our country choose religious freedom or continue to wage war against individual liberties?  A new lawsuit, Oklevueha Native American Church of Hawaii Inc. V. Holder, may force the federal government to make that choice.  The suit may stimulate a national conversation on marijuana and stop the federal government from avoiding an honest discussion with the American people.

Earlier this week the Ninth Circuit Court of Federal Appeals ruled that Okleveuha Native American Church could sue the federal government over marijuana seizures.  The decision reverses the ruling from a lower court decision rendered by U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway.  The group is seeking protection through the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the case is the result of authorities seizing marijuana from Rex Mooney, member of the church.  The Okleveuha Church is affiliated with the larger Native American church and already has been granted legal use of peyote for religious rituals.

The Okleveuha Native American Church aims to promote education on “American Native indigenous ceremonies.”  With peyote already being having been granted legal status for religious uses, it would seem like typical petty pot politics to prevent marijuana from attaining the same legal status.  The case may prove to be historic on several levels.  For one, it could be an extremely pivotal moment for religious rights for the original Americans, and may also force the federal government into legalizing at least some form of marijuana use.

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