cannabisnews.com: Does Minnesota Need a Marijuana Sales Tax?





Does Minnesota Need a Marijuana Sales Tax?
Posted by CN Staff on September 09, 2005 at 06:08:05 PT
By Ronald Fraser 
Source: Minnesota Daily
Minnesota -- State lawmakers recently beat back a huge budget deficit with a new 75 cent per pack cigarette tax hike worth about $202 million a year. Thinking ahead, here is how a new study can help state officials balance the budget next time around. Minnesotans spend about $91 million each year to enforce state and local marijuana laws, money, Jon B. Gettman, a senior fellow at George Mason University’s School of Public Policy, finds is mostly wasted.
Gettman’s study, titled, “Crimes of Indescretion: Marijuana Arrests in the United States,” was prepared for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. “Marijuana arrests,” says Gettman, “are instruments of a supply-reduction policy.” But, he adds, “The doubling of marijuana arrests in the 1990s has produced the opposite of the intended effect in every major indicator. An increase in arrests should produce a reduction in use and the availability of marijuana. However, during the 1990s both use and availability increased.” Marijuana possession arrests in the U.S. totaled 260,000 in 1990. By 2003, that figure topped 662,000. But even failed public policies can cost a bundle. Who pays? Minnesotans are, in effect, paying for Washington’s marijuana prohibition policies. “The use of criminal law to control the availability and use of marijuana,” says Gettman, “is a federal policy that is dependent on local law enforcement for its implementation.” And state and local costs quickly add up. Boston University economics professor Jeffrey A. Miron estimates that nationally, state and local officials spend about $5 billion per year enforcing marijuana laws. Minnesota’s share of this multi-billion dollar hand-out to Uncle Sam looks like this: $37 million for police services; $48 million for judicial services; and $6 million for correctional services. What are the individual costs? The thousands of people arrested on marijuana possession charges in Minnesota each year — especially teenagers — pay extra. “Marijuana arrests,” Gettman stresses, “make criminals out of otherwise law-abiding citizens. Indeed the primary consequence of marijuana arrests is the introduction of hundreds of thousands of young people into the criminal justice system.” Once a teenager has a criminal record, a number of other penalties often follow. In Minnesota, for example, employers can ask job applicants about arrests, even arrests not leading to a conviction, and a criminal record may bar a person from public learning. Taking a close look at marijuana arrest patterns, Gettman notes that young people are disproportionately targeted. “The brunt of marijuana law enforcement,” he says, “falls on both adolescents and the younger adults — on teenagers.” Nationally, almost 17 percent of all people arrested for possession of marijuana were between 15 and 17 years old. Another 26 percent were 18-20 years old. And what do Minnesotans get for these financial and personal costs? In 2002 there were 5,884 marijuana passion arrests in Minnesota but the number of users keeps going up. While 5.3 percent of Minnesota’s population was estimated to be monthly users in 1999, in 2002 the estimate stood at 6.3 percent. Nationally, monthly users went from 4.9 percent in 1999 to 6.2 percent in 2002. The basic problem, says Gettman, is that the “overall supply of marijuana in the U.S. is far too diversified to be controlled by law enforcement.” If current marijuana policies are both costly and ineffective, what is the next best strategy? Because marijuana is so widely used, Gettman recommends treating marijuana like a pharmaceutical product subject to Food and Drug Administration testing and regulatory requirements. By shifting to a policy that treats and taxes marijuana like tobacco and alcohol, Minnesotans could gain the following benefits: a decrease in illegal activity surrounding drug sales; government control of marijuana quality; better control of underage access to marijuana; and the removal of the profit motive that attracts sellers, including a substantial number of teenage sellers who, most frequently, supply other teenagers. On top of that, Miron estimates a marijuana sales tax would replace the $91 million a year Minnesota taxpayers are now spending to enforce unenforceable laws, with a new revenue pipeline bringing in $14 million a year. And that $105 million would go a long way toward fending off future budget deficits. Note: Minnesotans are, in effect, paying for Washington’s marijuana prohibition policies. Ronald Fraser writes for the DKT Liberty Project. Source: Minnesota Daily (MN Edu)Author: Ronald Fraser Published: September 9, 2005Copyright: 2005 Minnesota DailyContact: letters mndaily.comWebsite: http://www.mndaily.comRelated Articles & Web Site:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/ Why Feds Should Take Over U.S. Marijuana Sales http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21001.shtmlTime for a Marijuana Sales Taxhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20977.shtml
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Comment #30 posted by mayan on September 11, 2005 at 13:45:30 PT
Great
Now Sudafed and Nyquil will be made worth their weight in gold and pushed on the black market! 
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Comment #29 posted by runderwo on September 11, 2005 at 10:33:05 PT
lol
 "This bill will put thousands of meth labs out of business across the country," Feinstein said.Wishful thinker. More like they'll just break into the pharmacies now. The cost of doing business goes up, but that gets passed onto the consumer anyway.
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Comment #28 posted by AgaetisByrjun on September 10, 2005 at 19:07:23 PT
NyQuil now a restricted substance
Yay drug war!http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050910/ap_on_he_me/meth_cold_medicine_4 Senate OKs Restrictions on Cold MedicinesBy SAM HANANEL, Associated Press WriterFri Sep 9, 8:39 PM ETSales of over-the-counter cold remedies used to make methamphetamine would be restricted under a measure approved by the Senate on Friday.The bill would require stores to sell Sudafed, Nyquil and other medicines only from behind the pharmacy counter.Those medicines contain the ingredient pseudoephedrine, which can be extracted to manufacture the highly addictive drug that has wreaked havoc in communities across the country."It will very substantially reduce the number of local labs that are out there because it throttles the ability of the cooks to get the pseudoephedrine that they need to make the methamphetamine," said Sen. Jim Talent (news, bio, voting record), R-Mo., who co-sponsored the bill with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif.Consumers would have to show a photo ID, sign a log, and be limited to 7.5 grams — or about 250 30-milligram pills — in a 30-day period. Computer tracking would prevent customers from exceeding the limit at other stores, according to the bipartisan bill.The Senate voted by unanimous consent to add the anti-meth measure to the massive Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill, which is expected to pass the Senate next week.The same appropriations bill has already passed the House but without the anti-meth measure attached. Talent said he is hopeful the anti-meth measure will be included in the final version of the legislation that emerges from a conference committee.Retailers initially were reluctant to sign onto the bill, but as states across the country began passing their own laws restricting cold medicines, stores rallied to support a national approach. Many stores, including Target and Walgreen Co., have already voluntarily agreed to sell the products behind the pharmacy counter."This bill will put thousands of meth labs out of business across the country," Feinstein said.The White House has not taken a public position on the Senate bill, a sore point with some lawmakers who have criticized Bush administration statements that marijuana still poses a larger drug problem.Asked whether the administration has changed its stance, Talent said: "I'm not holding my breath waiting for anything. We're going ahead with what we think we need to do on our end of Pennsylvania Avenue."
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Comment #27 posted by mayan on September 10, 2005 at 16:05:01 PT
Cronyism
It seems that the recently terminated FEMA Chief was even recommended to succeed Tom Ridge as Homeland Security secretary because of the claim that he helped deliver Florida to President Bush by efficiently responding to the Florida hurricanes. His experience with horse shows would certainly qualify him for that position! Unbelievable... EXCLUSIVE!!! FEMA Chief Brown Paid Millions in False Claims to Help Bush Win Fla. Votes in '04: 
http://jasonleopold.blogspot.com/2005/09/exclusive-fema-chief-brown-paid.htmlTHE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...French Author Thierry Meyssan to Iranian TV: 9/11 Was Carried Out by the U.S. Government:
http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP98105Top Politicians, Economists, Other Leaders State 9/11 Possibly an Inside Job:
http://www.wanttoknow.info/050908insidejob9119/11 testimony of 'Inconvenient Patriot' implicates Dennis Hastert, other top officials in al Qaeda-related bribery scandal:
http://911citizenswatch.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=659&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0The 9/11 Pentagon Engine Story:
http://rense.com/general67/911eng.htmThe 9/11 WTC Collapses: Questions the Media Won't Address:
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/9-11_wtc_media.html
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Comment #26 posted by FoM on September 10, 2005 at 13:58:26 PT
AOLBites
Thank you. So it means the wages can be lower but the profit for the big companies can be whatever. I get angry and then I get quiet.
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Comment #25 posted by ekim on September 10, 2005 at 13:23:49 PT
new movie in Canada film fest this week
http://lastonespeaks.blogspot.com/CTVNews in Canada who have a nice interview with Tommy Chong. 
http://lastonespeaks.blogspot.com/
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Comment #24 posted by PainWithNoInsurance on September 10, 2005 at 12:46:23 PT
I just don't see a savings here as bush says
If America is being overcharged from contractors then where is the savings, not to mention a free and fair market?Halliburton alone has earned more than $9 billion In Iraq. Pentagon audits released by Democrats in June showed $1.03 billion in "questioned" costs and $422 million in "unsupported" costs for Halliburton's work in Iraq.
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Comment #23 posted by westnyc on September 10, 2005 at 12:40:51 PT
yes aol
I know! I saw this on Lou Dobbs (God bless him) last night. I keep wondering what is happening; and, why are the American people not waking-up to who these politicians are. Pat Robertson using charity money to fund private personal planes to visit his - "get this"....DIAMOND MINES!
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Comment #22 posted by AOLBites on September 10, 2005 at 12:27:26 PT
its all about the cronies
and while bush obviously wants to pass big big bucks to his friends ... he couldn't give a  #$% about the guys on the ground .. who actually Do the work---A Shameful ProclamationPublished: September 10, 2005On Thursday, President Bush issued a proclamation suspending the law that requires employers to pay the locally prevailing wage to construction workers on federally financed projects. The suspension applies to parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.By any standard of human decency, condemning many already poor and now bereft people to subpar wages - thus perpetuating their poverty - is unacceptable. It is also bad for the economy. Without the law, called the Davis-Bacon Act, contractors will be able to pay less, but they'll also get less, as lower wages invariably mean lower productivity. The ostensible rationale for suspending the law is to reduce taxpayers' costs. Does Mr. Bush really believe it is the will of the American people to deny the prevailing wage to construction workers in New Orleans, Biloxi and other hard-hit areas? Besides, the proclamation doesn't require contractors to pass on the savings they will get by cutting wages from current low levels. Around New Orleans, the prevailing hourly wage for a truck driver working on a levee is $9.04; for an electrician, it's $14.30.-=snip=-http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/10/opinion/10sat2.html
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Comment #21 posted by AOLBites on September 10, 2005 at 12:18:35 PT
No-bid contracts
Snip from NYT story about the rush to rebuild:  From global engineering and construction firms like the Fluor Corporation and Halliburton to local trash removal and road-building concerns, the private sector is poised to reap a windfall of business in the largest domestic rebuilding effort ever undertaken.  Normal federal contracting rules are largely suspended in the rush to help people displaced by the storm and reopen New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Hundreds of millions of dollars in no-bid contracts have already been let and billions more are to flow to the private sector in the weeks and months to come. Congress has already appropriated more than $62 billion for an effort that is projected to cost well over $100 billion.  Some experts warn that the crisis atmosphere and the open federal purse are a bonanza for lobbyists and private companies and are likely to lead to the contract abuses, cronyism and waste that numerous investigations have uncovered in post-war Iraq.More: http://tinyurl.com/dl7n6 [google news search]
ny times article user: cannabisnews Password: password
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on September 10, 2005 at 11:53:48 PT
PainWithNoInsurance 
I agree with you. If there isn't competition then it could cost more then it should and it is going to be billions of dollars as it is already.
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Comment #19 posted by PainWithNoInsurance on September 10, 2005 at 11:45:12 PT
FoM 
I don't know, but there sure are questions about Bush people getting government contracts in Iraq and overcharges from Haliburton.
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on September 10, 2005 at 11:37:16 PT
PainWithNoInsurance
Don't companies need to bid on jobs like this? I sure hope there is competition.
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Comment #17 posted by PainWithNoInsurance on September 10, 2005 at 11:28:02 PT
Firms with Bush ties snag Katrina deals
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Companies with ties to the Bush White House and the former head of FEMA are clinching some of the administration's first disaster relief and reconstruction contracts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.At least two major corporate clients of lobbyist Joe Allbaugh, President George W. Bush's former campaign manager and a former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, have already been tapped to start recovery work along the battered Gulf Coast.One is Shaw Group Inc. (SGR) and the other is Halliburton Co. (HAL) subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root. Vice President Dick Cheney is a former head of Halliburton.Bechtel National Inc., a unit of San Francisco-based Bechtel Corp., has also been selected by FEMA to provide short-term housing for people displaced by the hurricane. Bush named Bechtel's CEO to his Export Council and put the former CEO of Bechtel Energy in charge of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Experts say it has been common practice in both Republican and Democratic administrations for policy makers to take lobbying jobs once they leave office, and many of the same companies seeking contracts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina have already received billions of dollars for work in Iraq.Halliburton alone has earned more than $9 billion. Pentagon audits released by Democrats in June showed $1.03 billion in "questioned" costs and $422 million in "unsupported" costs for Halliburton's work in Iraq.But the web of Bush administration connections is attracting renewed attention from watchdog groups in the post-Katrina reconstruction rush. Congress has already appropriated more than $60 billion in emergency funding as a down payment on recovery efforts projected to cost well over $100 billion."The government has got to stop stacking senior positions with people who are repeatedly cashing in on the public trust in order to further private commercial interests," said Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight. TWO BUSH APPOINTEES AT HALLIBURTONAllbaugh formally registered as a lobbyist for Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root in February.In lobbying disclosure forms filed with the Senate, Allbaugh said his goal was to "educate the congressional and executive branch on defense, disaster relief and homeland security issues affecting Kellogg Brown and Root."Melissa Norcross, a Halliburton spokeswoman, said Allbaugh has not, since he was hired, "consulted on any specific contracts that the company is considering pursuing, nor has he been tasked by the company with any lobbying responsibilities."Allbaugh is also a friend of Michael Brown, director of FEMA who was removed as head of Katrina disaster relief and sent back to Washington amid allegations he had padded his resume.A few months after Allbaugh was hired by Halliburton, the company retained another high-level Bush appointee, Kirk Van Tine.Van Tine registered as a lobbyist for Halliburton six months after resigning as deputy transportation secretary, a position he held from December 2003 to December 2004.On Friday, Kellogg Brown & Root received $29.8 million in Pentagon contracts to begin rebuilding Navy bases in Louisiana and Mississippi. Norcross said the work was covered under a contract that the company negotiated before Allbaugh was hired.Halliburton continues to be a source of income for Cheney, who served as its chief executive officer from 1995 until 2000 when he joined the Republican ticket for the White House. According to tax filings released in April, Cheney's income included $194,852 in deferred pay from the company, which has also won billion-dollar government contracts in Iraq.Cheney's office said the amount of deferred compensation is fixed and is not affected by Halliburton's current economic performance or earnings.Allbaugh's other major client, Baton Rouge-based Shaw Group, has updated its Web site to say: "Hurricane Recovery Projects -- Apply Here!"Shaw said on Thursday it has received a $100 million emergency FEMA contract for housing management and construction. Shaw also clinched a $100 million order on Friday from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.Shaw Group spokesman Chris Sammons said Allbaugh was providing the company with "general consulting on business matters," and would not say whether he played a direct role in any of the Katrina deals. "We don't comment on specific consulting activities," he said.
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Comment #16 posted by ekim on September 10, 2005 at 11:07:55 PT
Leap calling for taxing and regulating 
Sep 12 05 Pearl Harbor Kiwanis 06:30 PM Jack Cole Moanalua Lp Hawaii USA 
 Board Member and founding member of LEAP, Jack Cole, visits with members of the Pearl Harbor Kiwanis for discussion of issues related to America's failed war on drugs. Mr. Cole's discussion will focus on harm reduction and prevention efforts rather than absolute prohibition. Sep 12 05 Rochester Institute of Technology Criminal Justice Department 07:00 PM Howard Wooldridge Rochester New York USA 
 The Rochester Institute of Technology Criminal Justice Department presents "A Cop That Says Legalize Drugs. Come Ask Him Why." Board Member Howard Wooldridge is the cop that will explain how America's war on drugs is racially biased, a drain on the resources of local police departments and a total failure. Students will definitely have received a lesson about the real world when Howard is finished. Location: Building 12, Room 3215 Sep 12 05 WBZT 1230 AM Radio, The Joe Falco Show 05:00 PM Jerry Cameron Palm Beach Florida USA 
 Speaker Jerry Cameron is a guest on The Joe Falco Show, WBZT 1230 AM Radio, Palm Beach, Florida. Jerry will bring his experience as a chief of police into the real world discussion of the failures of drug prohibition. Sep 13 05 Greater Henderson Rotary Club 06:30 PM Jay Fleming Henderson Nevada USA 
 Speaker Jay Fleming is welcomed by members of the Greater Henderson Rotary Club to discuss issues related to the failure of drug prohibition. Sure to come up is the marijuana ballot initiative and the federal government's illegal interference in the election process. Other issues to be discussed may include mandatory minimum sentencing, methamphetamine production and the relationship of drug prohibition to crime. Sep 13 05 Hawaii Kai Rotary 05:30 PM Jack Cole Honolulu Hawaii USA 
 As he continues his tour of the great state of Hawaii, Executive Director Jack Cole meets for dinner and discussion of America's failed war on drugs with members of the Hawaii Kai Rotary Club. Mr. Cole, a former police officer and currently one of the nation's most respected authorities on drug prohibition related issues, will be offering viable solutions to the failure of America's war on drugs and informing club members on how they can hasten the end to the war on drugs. 
http://www.leap.cc/events
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Comment #15 posted by ekim on September 10, 2005 at 10:40:46 PT
for knowhemp ------ this is a fine store 
Our new name is Clothing Matters, and the website is www.clothingmatters.net 
though www.hempgoodsetc. still works.
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Comment #14 posted by John Tyler on September 10, 2005 at 08:05:28 PT
Dankhank
I think this situation is way more common than not. 
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on September 10, 2005 at 07:31:06 PT
Just a Note
I hope everyone has a nice weekend. I haven't found any news to post so far but will keep looking. Have a great day everyone. I'm looking forward to the concert tonight for the victims of Katrina. 
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Comment #12 posted by global_warming on September 10, 2005 at 06:31:48 PT
re:comment 10
That link led me to this fine article,.."WORKING FOR A DRUG-FREE FUTURESuppose, for a moment, that the reproductive success of our DNA had been best served by coding for ecstatically happy vehicles rather than malaise-haunted emotional slum-dwellers. If this had been the case, then none of the pharmacological interventions discussed in The Good Drug Guide would be necessary..."http://www.biopsychiatry.com/index.htmlhttp://www.bltc.com/
http://www.biopsychiatry.com/index.html
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on September 09, 2005 at 19:46:17 PT
Dankhank
That was interesting to learn. It doesn't surprise me though. I never had a Placidyl but I remember it was a popular drug.
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Comment #10 posted by Dankhank on September 09, 2005 at 19:22:53 PT
OT? Rehnquist
anybody seen this ... ?http://www.slate.com/id/2125906/
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Comment #9 posted by knowhemp on September 09, 2005 at 17:53:43 PT
hemp clothes
jim, i've bought some nice organic cotton and hemp clothes at patagonia in pasadena but i believe they only have other stores in san fran and japan??? - 
some good sites:http://www.rawganique.com/index.htm
http://store.hempest.com/catalog/
http://www.grassrootsnaturalgoods.com/clothing/but i have to say...these clothes have a way to go yet.what intersts me is hemp bedding...as expensive as it is, it's pesticide free and deters mites. i think dupont and friends pretty much have a death grip on the bedding sector, with their petro pillows and such; which would melt to your head if you were caught sleeping during a fire!!as far as a search engine for hemp retailers, try the hia website. they may have something there. take care - peace
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Comment #8 posted by global_warming on September 09, 2005 at 16:15:25 PT
re:comment 5
How did you make out with your problem with those Highland Park Crappers?I have wondered, since you posted your phone number, did you get any calls?Thank You Richard, its good to know that you are still thier.gw
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Comment #7 posted by b4daylight on September 09, 2005 at 16:13:07 PT
note
In Minnesota they have decrimmilized so you get a ticket.So I wonder what they mean by arrested?Second it would be nice to know how much they generate from those tickets. could be a better article. 
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Comment #6 posted by Jim Lunsford on September 09, 2005 at 15:27:08 PT
Web Site
 Thanks KnowHemp, it's always reassuring to have someone agree with you! I guess all is still vanity. But seriously, I figure it is already up, but I've never found a website that could tell you where you can buy hemp products in the street stores. Sort of a google/atlas fo stores that sell hemp products in your area. Make sense? If it's not out there, and anyoen can do it, don't worry about me as competition! lol I find email challenging enough. Rev Jim Lunsford First Cannabist ChurchCompassion: It's just a choice
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Comment #5 posted by Richard Zuckerman on September 09, 2005 at 14:50:51 PT:
$1.1 MILLION TAX MONEY FROM OREGON MED POT PATIENT
This month's issue of LAW ENFORCEMENT NEWS (published by John Jay College of Criminal Justice) has an entry indicating that The State of Oregon recovered $1.1 million in tax money from medical Marijuana patients, that $900,000 of same money will be used for other projects. It would be much more respectable for Cannabis to be legalized and taxed, instead of the present scheme of United States Central Intelligence Agency drug money laundering in the amount of $600 billion per year, with impunity, tax free, www.copvcia.com!!!!!!This month's issue of WEED WORLD magazine has a four page column entitled either WEED POLITICS or POT POLITICS, which I photocopied and mailed to Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr., the only member of the United States House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Health, representing New Jersey, and New Jersey State Senator Bob Smith, Chairman, State Senate Environmental Committee. I have written to these two legislators on numerous occasions asking them to legalize Hemp as an alternative source of fuel for our automobiles, ALWAYS cite www.hempcar.org!This coming Monday, President Bush is expected to be at the United Nations, in New York City. Let us not forget that the United Nations International Narcotics Treaties are a primary reason why Marijuana is not legal! It is because people vote for the Corporate financed snake head consisting of Republicans and Democrats. The old tax and spend routine. Why haven't Americans realized that this tax and spend routine is completely unsatisfactory??!! A dwindling middle class. More poor. Only the wealthy benefit. This morning, I saw an automobile with the bumper sticker which reads: DON'T BLAME ME. I VOTED FOR KERRY. Let me remind you people that John Kerry was in favor of all out war against Iraq, loves the United Nations, is outspoken against our Right to keep and bear a firearm. If you walk into the United Nations building entrance, located in New York City, at 45th Street and 1st Avenue, there is a Statue of a large handgun with the end twisted into a knot. The causes of violence do not include firearms. The causes of violence are government induced poverty and social injustice! Cops are going door to door demanding New Orleans residents turn in their firearms. New Orleans had crime PRIOR to the flood. Firearms are the ONLY means law abiding New Orleans residents can defend themselves from perps. www.jpfo.org. What kind of font is this Web site using?Richard Paul Zuckerman, Box 159, Metuchen, N.J., 08840-0159, richardzuckerman2002 yahoo.com. 
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Comment #4 posted by knowhemp on September 09, 2005 at 13:45:07 PT
power of the purse
jim is absolutely right and that's why i've stopped buying oil clothes like nylon, rayon, polyester, and petro infested non organic cotton. (although i rarely buy myself new clothes). but to seriously offset the market, hemp and organic fiber clothing MUST compete soley based on the design of the clothing...i'm 29 and of the hip hop, techno generation and can honestly say that only a small handfull of these types of clothing actually have a chance among non-hippie consumers especially considering the cost of importation.i have also gone on to hemp copy paper. it's awesome and i feel less guilty when i accidentally run off 32 page websites when i only ment to get the first page. :si've also given up driving and have been walking to work for almost a year:)the power of the purse is more effective probably than voting itself these days.peace out
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Comment #3 posted by runruff on September 09, 2005 at 08:04:27 PT:
Always the kid card!
Here is what I've seen in my thirty years of living in the marijuana underground. The many kids I've known from babies to adults who grew up with parents who grew marijuana for personal use or for a living were not negativly affected by it. And I've known scores of kids. 
Some kids payed no mind to the herb. Were not even courious. Many tried it. Some used it reularly. A small amount of kids smoked it almost everyday. Alarmed? Don't be.
I can't think of any kids who went on to harder drugs 
except my on stepson who I raised thinking he was my own.
His mother fed him sweets and ridalin as a child. I believe this is whay set him up to be an addict. This is what happened to most of the other kids who were on ridalin as kids. The other children who were not on behaviour drugs,
they became valladictorions at the local high school. They went on to attend major colleges around the country on schollarships. I can think of three kids who now have careers with the U.S.Forest Service. My long time friend a former Rainbow Family member has a daughter who was in Japan teaching English to Japanese school children. She now has Phd. in languages and is teaching english in Norway.
One of her brothers works for the Forest Service.
So you can see that my first hand my expierences are nothing
like the scare tactics the prohibitionist like to use 
when they play the "kid card". One of the many lies and
tactics they use that drive me crazy. I tell myself "I must be patient, time will reveal all". But it takes so long.
meanwhile so much waste, so much damage.Namaste
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Comment #2 posted by Jim Lunsford on September 09, 2005 at 08:02:07 PT
So How Long
before each of us decide to stop supporting the oil/pharmaceutcal/cotton/timber industries? Each dollar we spend on the items which are being made NOW with hemp, but we spend on the oil industry's products, is a vote for prohibition. Or, are we like the german guards at aushwitz? Just doing our jobs? We support this "tragedy" as we all like to call it. And yes, we do tend to drive SUVs. So, when will they become bio-diesel, and when will we quit supporting this economic structure? But, I'm sure we all have a good reason why we can't. Especialy the victim mindset people. they always require evil to keep them from their potential. Heroes require evil to reach their potential. Which one are you? That being the you of whoever reads this.Rev Jim Lunsford First Cannabist ChurchCompassion: It's just a choice
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Comment #1 posted by afterburner on September 09, 2005 at 07:13:43 PT
Cannabis Prohibition - Protecting the Children?
Taking a close look at marijuana arrest patterns, Gettman notes that young people are disproportionately targeted. “The brunt of marijuana law enforcement,” he says, “falls on both adolescents and the younger adults — on teenagers.” Nationally, almost 17 percent of all people arrested for possession of marijuana were between 15 and 17 years old. Another 26 percent were 18-20 years old. In the unregulated black market, the children are targeted by black marketeers and then by law enforcement officers. Protect our children: regulate and tax with age limits!
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