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Legalize Pot
Posted by CN Staff on November 08, 2002 at 08:57:24 PT
Editorial
Source: Charleston Gazette 
In Tuesday's election, voters in Nevada, Arizona and Ohio all rejected initiatives that would have legalized marijuana, or drastically reduced penalties for possession of it. At the same time, San Francisco voters authorized the city government to begin growing medicinal pot to ease the pain and nausea of severely ill people.Despite such conflicting results, we think America is moving toward acceptance of marijuana. So far, nine states have approved medical pot to soothe the sick, and several urban regions are easing the iron fist of prosecution.
The tide of history is running against hard-nosed police action. Polls now indicate that 80 percent of Americans approve medical usage, and 72 percent think that possessing small quantities should be a mere misdemeanor, subject to a fine, not jail. Roughly half of Americans say they have tried pot at least once.The Bush administration and conservative politicians still support a military-style “war” on marijuana. After California voters approved medical pot, Attorney General John Ascroft vowed to revoke the licenses of doctors who prescribed it — and also sent heavily armed squads to raid pot farms that were legal under the new California law. Public reaction was scornful.“The government’s drug-reform policy is driven by a fundamentalist Christian sense of morality that sees any of these illegal substances used as evil,” Arizona billionaire John Sperling told Time magazine. Sperling — who is 81, and certainly not a “hippie” pot-lover — uses part of his fortune to support marijuana ballot initiatives.Tobacco kills about 400,000 Americans each year, and alcohol ruins thousands of lives, causing car crashes, home fires, job losses, divorces and other ills. But both of those substances are perfectly legal in America, while less-harmful pot isn’t. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., told Time:“Alcohol does more damage in many areas of society than drugs, particularly marijuana, but we treat marijuana as much worse, and that’s because it’s associated with the counterculture.”The magazine added that legalization advocates think “the right wing of the Republican Party connects drug use with sin and radicalism and the failure of the family.” So the war on drugs is partly a Puritanical morality battle.Even federal judges are rebuffing the Bush-Ashcroft forces. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that the Justice Department can’t punish physicians for prescribing pot for suffering patients. The San Jose Mercury News called it a victory against the White House’s “mean-spirited campaign.” We’ve said many times that the government should stop wasting billions of taxpayer dollars on its futile attempt to stamp out pot-puffing — an effort that is following the doomed trajectory of Prohibition’s attempt to erase alcohol. Why throw thousands of Americans in jail for using a substance that is less hurtful than legal substances?Step by step, America is moving toward this conclusion.Note: Tobacco, alcohol are worse.Source: Charleston Gazette (WV)Published: Friday, November 8, 2002Copyright: 2002 Charleston GazetteContact: letters wvgazette.comWebsite: http://www.wvgazette.com/ Related Articles & Web Site:What's New in Drug Policy Reformhttp://freedomtoexhale.com/whatsnew.htmIs Pot Good For You? http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14575.shtmlThe New Politics of Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14574.shtmlMedical Marijuana: A History http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14573.shtml 
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Comment #3 posted by John Tyler on November 08, 2002 at 19:20:36 PT
Great Article
Great article. Hopefully, more and more people will realize the inasnity of our countries war on cannabis.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 08, 2002 at 10:23:18 PT
Nuevo Mexican 
Thanks! Here we are starting all over again but that's ok. We won two states and lost two on marijuana issues so I'm feeling positive. I love Dana too. I have a very delicate stomach and get sick very easily so I'm glad he's keeping somethings in check. I hate to throw up! LOL!
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Comment #1 posted by Nuevo Mexican on November 08, 2002 at 09:41:15 PT
LTE's for this great editorial!
Good one FOM! Look for more great editorials like this, now that the ice has broken on the taboo of legalizing pot. Check out this
photo of a friend and I as Cheney and him as Powell at Rumsfelds!http://nm.indymedia.org/feature/display/392/index.phpThe new moon of Scorpio will be the death of prohibition, as Venus Retrograde means the results of this election will not provide fruit, but a bitter harvest. diminished by its' own self-condemnation and self-loathing. Silver linings are everywhere, based on prohibitions funeral march, as of Nov. 5th!! 
Mexico is better than ever, still rejecting Americas republican values, more than ever, as they see us as an example of what not to do! Smile, and people treat you like familia! Viva la Revolucion! Viva Zapata! Viva DANA! (nicest guy at C-News!) 
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