cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Lobby Sets Sights On Washington
function share_this(num) {
tit=encodeURIComponent('Marijuana Lobby Sets Sights On Washington');
url=encodeURIComponent('http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/26/thread26196.shtml');
site = new Array(5);
site[0]='http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u='+url+'&title='+tit;
site[1]='http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit.php?url='+url+'&title='+tit;
site[2]='http://digg.com/submit?topic=political_opinion&media=video&url='+url+'&title='+tit;
site[3]='http://reddit.com/submit?url='+url+'&title='+tit;
site[4]='http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&noui&jump=close&url='+url+'&title='+tit;
window.open(site[num],'sharer','toolbar=0,status=0,width=620,height=500');
return false;
}
Marijuana Lobby Sets Sights On Washington
Posted by CN Staff on December 12, 2010 at 06:03:41 PT
By Rob Hotakainen
Source: Sacramento Bee
Washington, D.C. -- The cannabis industry has flexed its muscles in 15 states, including California, where it's legal to smoke marijuana for medical purposes. Now the industry is ready to go to work in Washington. A new trade group, called the National Cannabis Industry Association, aims to bring together sellers, growers and manufacturers and to promote pot on Capitol Hill. "Our intent is to be the go-to organization in Washington for this industry," said Aaron Smith, the group's executive director.
For the past five years, Smith worked as California director of the Marijuana Policy Project. "Coming out of California and expanding into this national field is pretty exciting," he said. "It's pretty clear that the medical marijuana industry is becoming recognized more and more by the mainstream as a fully legitimate part of the economy." California voters last month rejected a ballot initiative to legalize marijuana for all adults, but Smith said it's just a matter of time before the drug is fully legalized. "It didn't happen in 2010, but it's likely to happen in 2012," he said." But Smith will have a hard time finding many pro-marijuana advocates in Congress. On Wednesday, the House voted 400-4 for a resolution sponsored by Republican Rep. Wally Herger of Chico that calls on authorities to get tougher with those cultivating marijuana on federal lands. In a speech on the House floor, Herger said the presence of Mexican marijuana cartel operations in national forests in Northern California "poses a serious threat to our public safety and use of our public lands." And Democratic Rep. Steve Kagen of Wisconsin called medical marijuana "a misnomer." Smith said the marijuana association officially formed this month. Its 23-member board includes leaders in the cannabis industry, representing dispensaries, operators, publications, insurance providers and others. The association's first target will be a federal law that prohibits marijuana use even if states have legalized it. It has caused confusion amid overlapping jurisdictions, with state authorities enforcing state laws and federal officials enforcing federal laws. But the Obama administration has been easing up. Last year, Attorney General Eric Holder ordered federal prosecutors to back away from cases against medical marijuana patients and to focus on higher-level traffickers or money launderers. "I'd like to see that codified by Congress, to become the law of the land, not just an executive order," Smith said. "This industry's biggest challenges are the obstacles presented by federal law." With Republicans poised to take control of the House, Smith said: "I can't say that I'm super-optimistic, but … all we're really asking for is to allow the states to essentially make up their own minds on marijuana policy." Smith said the issue of medical marijuana has bipartisan appeal, pointing out that GOP candidates won a clean sweep in Arizona last month, but voters still approved the use of medical marijuana. "This is not a left issue," he said. "This is a mainstream issue, and Republicans should embrace it." Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)Author: Rob HotakainenPublished: December 12, 2010Copyright: 2010 The Sacramento BeeContact: opinion sacbee.comWebsite: http://www.sacbee.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/l058PXSsCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help
Comment #30 posted by FoM on December 15, 2010 at 05:50:52 PT
John Tyler
Stay warm. It was around 10 this morning. I think this will be another long and hard winter.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #29 posted by John Tyler on December 14, 2010 at 20:16:28 PT
it's 18 here
and that is plenty cold for me. The heat pump is pumping away but I have to take the dog out. Canada can keep their cold air. Give me a warm front from from the south.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #28 posted by FoM on December 14, 2010 at 19:33:53 PT
John Tyler
Thank you and thank you Museman. Boy is it cold outside. I hope everyone is staying warm. It was 7 a little while ago. The woodstove is cranking and the house is warm. All is well. Happy Holidays!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #27 posted by John Tyler on December 14, 2010 at 18:29:16 PT
where friends hang out
SandyB don’t be offended. Relax. JiMorrison was just drawing a parallel using a branch of the entertainment as an example. He wasn’t advocating anything, as far as I could tell. I had to read all of way back to the beginning to see what all of the hub bub was about, thinking I had missed something. I’m just guessing, but I don’t think any of us are very religious in the traditional sense of the word, but I do think that we tend to gravitate toward the spiritual side to different degrees. I would like you to stick around. I like new voices and new points of view. To me, this is a site where friends can hang out, thanks to FOM.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #26 posted by museman on December 14, 2010 at 09:08:40 PT
SandyB
Since you are 'new' allow me to state that there are many spiritual people who post here, who believe in the fundamental truths, ethics, and practices that are the basis of 'religion.' However, there is a distinct separation between the 'spiritual' and the 'religious.'The root of the word 'religion' is 'religios' which means 'to constrain or hold back.'All religion is a holding pattern, a spiritual stasis that pretty much prevents any movement in a truly spiritual direction.The fact that few 'religious' -particularly cristianity- practice the true tenets of the Spirituality that spawned their religion (except maybe Buddhism -but thats not the religion/s that push their way in the world) is ironic in that those tenets are the very things that most normal headed people want, like "Peace, Love, and Understanding" but they fight for peace, equate love with fear and obedience, and understanding is repetition of words in a book, over and over and over again.What used to be called the 'moral right' -coined I believe during Reagans reign- has now it seems moved into even more fanatical extremism, like the 'tea party.'Don't be fooled or make the mistake of some who cannot separate meaning from words with common connotatation. I myself, who belongs to no religion, often quote from known sources of scripture, like the Bible, to illustrate or back up a point, but am in no way 'preaching' or promoting a religion or belief.It was here on this site a few years ago that the understanding of the use of Kaneh Bosm as a key ingredient in the annointing oil used by the ancient Hebrew priests was brought into the light of day. Some could not accept discussions of this nature because they mislabeled, and misunderstood the nature of a spiritual person vs a religious one.To me, cannabis has been a sacrament for many years, and only recently become a medicine I use for pain. The fact that I call it a sacrament, for example, should not cause knee-jerk reaction amongst intelligent people, but some people have a hatred for things they don't understand. And that hatred is fueled by the Status Quo through the propaganda of the false morality and false law of the church. Many people see the stasis of christianity for example, and want something else, more real and spiritually active. Unfortunately the powers that be use the church as major 'moral' support for their conquest, war, commerce, pestilence and death. The slow destruction of our constitution and the police state we now find ourselves in can be seen and understood if one is cognizant enough of history, and how the religions have played their part in it.I am a Rainbow Warrior. I have more alignment and compatibility with Native American beliefs than any, and I believe that some form of tribalism is the natural, best way to live on the earth. And this after more than half a century of testing all the 'spirits' -as YSHWH advised. I am also a disciple of Yashua ben Josephs teachings, but can find no part of him in the church that was named after a Roman bastardization if his name.But I try to recognize my brothers and sisters by the essence of their spirit, not by the words they choose to express it, though I too grow weary of old things that need to be put to rest. This subject is not one all here want to discuss, but it is integral to the goals we all share, on both the positive and negative sides of the issue.The fact that our national religion backs the fascists in their play against liberty, that freedom loving people want to toss away as far as we can throw, should not toss out the many who believe truly, and practice their belief without trying to force it down any ones throat.Remember cannabis use blossomed in the decades of the 60s and 70s -primarily for spiritual reasons. The flower children embraced it as their 'sacrament' even if they didn't all call it that. And the fact that the purity of that movement was corrupted early on by everything the Status Quo could throw at it doesn't change the intent. Some few actually kept their integrity in that, and they have emerged in this time as bulwarks in our struggle for liberty, justice, and sanity.Most of the people who post here are not your run-of-the-mill forum posters. We have high standards.Read what people say carefully before reacting. Oh how I wish this had been done with some of what I have written over the years, by some who saw certain words and didn't bother to read the rest.A couple songs about what I'm saying,...http://www.terryhubbard.com/Songlist/deadreligions.htmlLEGALIZE FREEDOM
The Way of the Rainbow Warrior
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #25 posted by sandybeach on December 14, 2010 at 07:02:17 PT
sorry -will not happen again
I have never been banned from any site,and yea i am new here .It dose seem important to me however to try and get religious people to see that cannabis is not totally removed from their religious history to spite how much they may resist.pardon me if this offends any one on the site.
I am not perfect by any means.Nor am i an authority on any of this nor religion.And yea those who oppose cannabis try to group it in with other things they oppose.which i guess I was trying to avoid.I was wrong to discourage this topic on this site ,or any other topic others wish to discuss.I am aware this is not my site and i had no right to question someone else's choice of topics.It will not happen again.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #24 posted by sandybeach on December 14, 2010 at 06:12:46 PT
sorry i ruffled feathers
I haven't told any one off. I just stated my opinion.I do have fears about being tagged as a site, where people go to talk about porn. but its only because i know authorities use porn as an excuse to bust people when its usually not even involved.I am not overly religious but i was able to associate based on religious examples of how cannabis was used to heal religious icons like Jesus.Another chatter suggested they had been to all the churches in their neighborhood with no success of getting them to listen.As with Christie,there may be people there who are invested in products or companies who would not want it legalized.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #23 posted by DrDunkleosteus on December 13, 2010 at 16:31:36 PT:
museman
You're exactly right. Paraquat anyone?
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #22 posted by FoM on December 13, 2010 at 10:12:39 PT
museman
All fixed!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #21 posted by museman on December 13, 2010 at 09:40:40 PT
damn dyslexic fingers!
The people should WAKE up and smell the corruption.It is worth repeating....
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #20 posted by museman on December 13, 2010 at 09:37:33 PT
duplicity
"...the presence of Mexican marijuana cartel operations in national forests in Northern California "poses a serious threat to our public safety and use of our public lands."Take a walk into the forests here on the west coast, and look at the damage caused by meth-hyped loggers; stumps, stumps, and more stumps. And take a trip up the Alkan highway and see the results of their 'land stewardship.'Can you drink the water? Not for decades, thanks to all the chemicals from herbicides and pesticides, along with fuel residuals, antibiotics, etc., etc.Lets not even talk about the death of our ocean due to the greed of the oil barons.The list is long and can be directly associated with the policies, false ethics, and duplicity of the US Government -since about 1784 (give or take).The facts are that everything they do is about securing power and control through the belief in the real religion of money.Money is the solution they apply to everything, when it (real solution)was never about money, but attitudes and beliefs.The real "serious threat our public safety and use of our public lands" comes from the very people who spout the words; they are hypocrites, liars and thieves.The people really need to wake up and smell the corruption.LEGALIZE FREEDOM
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #19 posted by museman on December 13, 2010 at 09:05:02 PT
Cannabis Porn
The rare footage of cannabis mating in the wilds of Oregon.(thought someone might get/need it ;-)
pot porn
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #18 posted by herbdoc215 on December 13, 2010 at 08:47:26 PT
Hope, great point I hadn't thought of?
They act like they are allowing it now, while they are doing everything they can to stop it while never seeing that market forces are at work that are bigger pictures than just pulling plants and busting shipped in illegal alien bogeyman growers that keep auto replacing themselves from Mexico. Hell this supposed threat is the only way the cops can get all the millions it takes to keep those helicopters in the air, and millions more for overtime and toys yet they never seem to be busting the people just alluding to the fact they thought they were Mexicans...what are they going to do next nuke them, these people are the ones that coined the idea of destroying a village to save it remember??? ALL this could be avoided if they would only legalize it and concentrate upon the criminal cartels whom deserve to be busted into the stone age!!! I hope you all are having a happy holidays! peace, steve
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #17 posted by FoM on December 13, 2010 at 08:30:35 PT
herbdoc215
I agree with you about how offensive self righteousness is.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #16 posted by FoM on December 13, 2010 at 08:28:19 PT
sandybeach
You are new here unless you have been here before and got banned. Don't tell people off.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #15 posted by herbdoc215 on December 13, 2010 at 08:09:42 PT
You know what REALLY offends me..selfrightiousness
Personally I ain't into porn and never have been but I also think all the brew-ha-ha about it is typical hysteria and knee-jerk reactions just like we always get for cannabis...I thought dudes insight was spot on myself. I also think if we can't get past all the selfish bs that reared it's head in 2010 on prop 19 we can kiss this whole idea goodbye because all the pigs are having to do is throw the golden apple and watch us rip each others throats out for it...just like happened in Cali. Personally I can't wait until this bs is over so the pretenders and posers running MOST of the dispensaries I have been to have to go find real jobs and quit being predators upon the sickest in society, charging those prices for medicine is criminal and by giving them the monopolies they have now they will fight any changes not in their interest tooth and nail! Peace, Steve
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #14 posted by JoeCitizen on December 13, 2010 at 08:00:32 PT
sandybeach - ???
Sandybeach, what are you talking about? JiMorrison made one, count it - ONE, reference to the porn industry as an analogy. He said nothing explicit at all. The link he posted was about cannabis, not porn.If you are so sensitive that the very words "porn", "porn industry", or "sexploded" are offensive to you, then you should probably stay off the internet entirely, or else limit yourself solely to religious sites.Personally, I find religion a lot more offensive than porn. And religion is virtually ALL you talk about. But that's your right, as long as you stay within FoM's rules. And it's JiMorrison's right to mention porn and use it in metaphors, as long as he also stays within bounds set by FoM.It's her place, after all.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #13 posted by sandybeach on December 13, 2010 at 07:07:28 PT
FINDS PORN OFFENSIVE
I find porn offensive and I do not think it should be discussed on this site.and certainly no links to it should be posted on this site either.Go talk about your dirty movies some where else.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #12 posted by sandybeach on December 13, 2010 at 07:04:12 PT
Good luck in the dc area
I think its great to see this group working in the dc area I hope they are able to make a difference on the federal level.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #11 posted by sandybeach on December 13, 2010 at 07:01:03 PT
lets get back to cannabis
This site is intended for cannabis discussions.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #10 posted by Hope on December 12, 2010 at 18:15:24 PT
"Get tougher". "Crack down".
"On Wednesday, the House voted 400-4 for a resolution sponsored by Republican Rep. Wally Herger of Chico that calls on authorities to get tougher with those cultivating marijuana on federal lands.""On Wednesday, the U.S. House approved 400-4 a resolution that calls on authorities to crack down on people cultivating marijuana on federal lands."What does that mean? Are they saying authorities can go after them with flame throwers as well as helicopters and guns? Shoot on sight?
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #9 posted by FoM on December 12, 2010 at 13:41:50 PT
Related Article From Raw Story
Move Over, Big Pharma and Big Oil, Big Marijuana is HereURL: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/big-pharma-big-oil-big-marijuana/
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #8 posted by FoM on December 12, 2010 at 12:29:11 PT
UPI: Pot Industry Forms National Lobby
December 12, 2010Washington, D.C. -- The marijuana industry is forming a national trade group, undeterred by the failure of a legalization vote in California, organizers say.The National Cannabis Industry Association will unite sellers, growers and manufacturers to lobby Congress, executive director Aaron Smith told the McClatchy Washington Bureau."Our intent is to be the go-to organization in Washington for this industry," said Smith, who has been California director of the Marijuana Policy Project.The association's first goal is to repeal a federal law that bans marijuana use even if states have legalized it. This has spawned confusion with overlapping jurisdictions, Smith said."Coming out of California and expanding into this national field is pretty exciting," he said. "It's pretty clear that the medical marijuana industry is becoming recognized more and more by the mainstream as a fully legitimate part of the economy."Despite the legalization defeat in California, he said, "It didn't happen in 2010, but it's likely to happen in 2012."On Wednesday, the U.S. House approved 400-4 a resolution that calls on authorities to crack down on people cultivating marijuana on federal lands.Copyright: 2010 United Press International, Inc.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #7 posted by FoM on December 12, 2010 at 09:56:28 PT
Paul McCartney SNL - A Day In The Life
Paul McCartney SNL - A Day In The Life & Give Peace A Chance URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e00nq64v8Do
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #6 posted by FoM on December 12, 2010 at 09:46:47 PT
Off Topic: Sir Paul McCartney on SNL
We just finished watching last nights SNL. The songs Paul sang were so good. We are watching his performances again.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #5 posted by FoM on December 12, 2010 at 09:43:13 PT
John Tyler
I agree with you.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #4 posted by John Tyler on December 12, 2010 at 08:10:49 PT
NCIA
I am glad to see National Cannabis Industry Association coming to D.C. I hope they will be well funded, because as we all know politicians of all persuasions love money and will listen to money when it talks. Ideas… startup a really good website, host D.C. gatherings staffed with attractive, and knowledgeable people (at least attractive), be charming and persuasive with the legislators, be on the same page with your talking points, and bring the money and spend it wisely. Work with the other cannabis advocacy groups.The next thing… in politics everything is about perception and semantics. The Organization’s name is good. I would add that they never ever refer to cannabis as marijuana, and also never ever refer to cannabis as a drug in their public statements. Call it an herb, or the plant, or anything else that can’t be misconstrued as negative. It plays right into the prohibitionist hands. Good luck.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #3 posted by FoM on December 12, 2010 at 07:20:38 PT
One More Thought
I wasn't upset when Prop 19 failed because I always thought it should have happened in 2012 not in 2010 when people vote for President. That's when more young people will vote. I am bummed out because people voted for Republicans since they got us in this financial mess and for some reason they didn't care. I guess people who vote for Republicans are more interested in keeping Democrats out of power and I will never understand why since Republicans never do anything for the people of our country only big business.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #2 posted by FoM on December 12, 2010 at 07:15:55 PT
JiMorrison
I never followed the porn industry because it wasn't something I thought was important or interesting but I never said ban it. That's all I want for Cannabis. If you don't like it go about your own life but don't keep trying to stop it's progress.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #1 posted by JiMorrison on December 12, 2010 at 06:50:55 PT:
Phase II
YES ! Just saw this story here as well:
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/12/12/105099/marijuana-legalization-push-gets.htmlDesperately needed Positive Vibes for those of us still languishing w/a post-P19 depression. I wish I were as optimistic as 2012, but let's remind ourselves of how porn Transformed.
In the 1970s, a fledgling porn industry arrived on the scene but most of the press was negative, courtesy of Nixon. Ditto in the 1980s , courtesy of Reagan & Ed Meese. By the early 90s however, the industry crossed the 100M$$ level, fed. raids on porn ceased, & Clinton/Monica sexploded ! Today, porn is a Billion-Dollar-Baby, & largely mainstream.
This painful evolution took 20yrs, but I see much the same w/medpot, & ultimately legal pot going mainstream. As usual, the feds are a generation out of step w/the will of the people.
[ Post Comment ]
Post Comment