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Should Marijuana Be Regulated Like Alcohol?
Posted by CN Staff on November 26, 2013 at 05:28:55 PT
By Nicole Debevec, United Press International
Source: United Press International
USA -- A domino effect driven by more available information is expanding acceptance of and support for reform of U.S. marijuana policy -- whether for medical or adult recreational use."What's driving this growth in support is an increase in information about issue," said Mason Tvert, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project in Denver. "More information is available now than ever before; it's talked about more than ever before and more support grows for ending the prohibition."
"People are recognizing that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and its prohibition has been just as big a failure as alcohol's prohibition," he said.Colorado and Washington state voters decided to allow recreational use of marijuana by adults. In fact, the first-ever marijuana retail license was issued in Central City, Thursday. The recipient of the local license, Annie's, which currently operates as a medical marijuana center, still must receive its state license. There's polling to back up greater acceptance of marijuana. A Gallup poll in October found Americans who believe marijuana should remain illegal were in the minority, a first for the Princeton, N.J., polling agency.A clear majority of the country -- 58 percent -- answered in the affirmative when asked, "Do you think the use of marijuana should be made legal, not?" The percentage who said marijuana use should be legal represented a 10 percentage-point increase since last year, Gallup said. A Pew Research Center survey of polling data indicated an aggregate 52 percent of American adults say the use of marijuana should be made legal, while 45 percent say it should not.The Internet has provided a lot of information about marijuana that was difficult to access decades earlier, Tvert said.The watershed, though, was when California approved marijuana for medical use in 1996."As a result, lots of people were hearing more about medical marijuana and laws were passed in more states," Tvert said.Also, he said, Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. said in August the Justice Department would not challenge the statutes in Colorado and Washington state legalizing marijuana for recreational use or the laws permitting medical marijuana in 20 other states plus the District of Columbia."For the first time in history, states have the right to regulate marijuana cultivation and sales as long as they're addressing federal interests," Tvert said.At least three bills have been introduced in the U.S. House this year that would regulate, not prohibit, marijuana in some fashion.Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., sponsored the "Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2013," which would prevent the federal government from prosecuting state residents whose possession of marijuana is in accord with state law. The bill would legalize marijuana at the federal level to the extent it is legal at the state level.Besides being a signatory on Rohrabacher's bill, Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., introduced the "End Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2013," which would remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, placing its regulation under a revamped Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana, Firearms and Explosives. Reps. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., also a co-sponsor of the Rohrabacher initiative, introduced the "Marijuana Tax Equity Act," which would establish a federal excise tax for marijuana sales, similar to the so-called sin tax on alcohol. "We need to see laws change at the federal level, but states traditionally have been able to decide how to handle these types of issues, just like with alcohol," Tvert said, noting that there were hundreds of marijuana production and distribution entities regulated in states where its use is permitted.In Colorado, voters recently passed hefty taxes on recreational marijuana to pay for regulating marijuana shops and school construction.Cities in Maine and Michigan in recent elections voted to legalize adult possession of marijuana, NBC News reported. But there's a caveat: It is still illegal under federal and state laws.In Portland, Maine, for example, an adult can have some marijuana, but it's illegal for marijuana to be sold or smoked publicly.Voters in Lansing, Mich., too, OK'd a ballot measure on marijuana possession by adults. Lansing was one of three cities in Michigan -- a medical marijuana state -- that approved such a measure."This was a symbolic change," Lansing Police Capt. Daryl Green told NBC News, because it's still illegal under state and federal laws. But a more favorable or accepting view toward marijuana is viewed as dangerous in some corners."The issue is we are on the brink of creating the big tobacco of our time which would be called big marijuana," said Kevin Sabet, director of the Drug Policy Institute and assistant professor at the University Florida College of Medicine.On his website, Sabet, who worked in three presidential administrations on drug policy issues, said existing drug policy leaves something to be desired -- but it should be fixed, not ditched. He also notes that what seems like a good idea now may have unintended bad results later.Also, smoked marijuana isn't a medicine, Sabet argues, but marijuana in a pill or other form that isolates its components can be. "Today we have two medications based on these components," he said, "and in the future we might have more."Advocates on both sides of the issue are watching Colorado and Washington, saying the stakes are high, Pew's Stateline reported."Reformers look at these two states as literally laboratories," said Allen St. Pierre, executive director of NORML, a group that backs marijuana legalization. If all things go well, he said, this is "largely the beginning of the end of cannabis prohibition."Countering St. Pierre's argument is David Evans of the Drug Free America Foundation, which opposes legalization."I don't accept that marijuana legalization is inevitable," Evans told Stateline. "The states that have legalized it are going to serve as an example of what not to do."Looking ahead, the Marijuana Policy Project will focus on several states considering either medical marijuana initiatives or adult recreational proposals, Tvert said."There's more movement than ever before as states are re-examining their marijuana laws," he said.Source: United Press International (Wire)Author: Nicole Debevec, United Press International Published: November 24, 2013Copyright 2013 United Press InternationalContact: healthbiz upi.comWebsite: http://www.upi.com/ URL: http://drugsense.org/url/0cQpnJs3CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #24 posted by Hope on December 08, 2013 at 15:47:12 PT
Universer
I guess he must be in jail.
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Comment #23 posted by Hope on December 07, 2013 at 12:19:30 PT
FoM
Me, too.
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Comment #22 posted by FoM on December 07, 2013 at 06:31:25 PT
Hope
I hope he drops in and tells us how it went yesterday too.
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Comment #21 posted by Hope on December 06, 2013 at 21:52:56 PT
Sure would
like to hear from Universer.
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Comment #20 posted by Hope on December 02, 2013 at 17:31:18 PT
Universer
I'm so sorry the government authorities are giving you such grief... and expense. I'm praying they won't put you in jail. I'm agreeing with FoM that a wise and merciful judge will throw out the charge entirely. And just for good measure, perhaps the judge could reprimand the young prosecutor for his fiscal irresponsibility and tedious stickler attitude in bringing a two gram personal possession case before the court.I'm sorry this stuff is still happening to people. You're right. Please no end zone dances. It's just the twenty yard line. But dang... it is exciting, isn't it? It took forever to get to that twenty yard line. And it's wonderful! Surreal sometimes. It's not happening like I expected, but I really didn't know much what to expect. Perhaps, some lives surely have already been saved. They don't seem to be killing people or advertising their bloodthirstiness quite to the extent that they used to. The government agents of prohibition, and other prohibitionists, are still bloodthirsty and still killing some people and ruining lives. They're still bullying and pillaging. But it's slightly better. Surely it is, or they are just keeping it out of the news and not so proud of it as they used to be. Obviously, there are still people that think people should be terrorized, punished and mistreated when it comes to cannabis use or sale.You'll be in my prayers and I'll be thinking of you Friday afternoon. You have and will have my good vibes, kind thoughts, and fierce prayers. I loved your thoughts on thankfulness, The GCW, Afterburner, and FoM. And thanks, The GCW, for sharing the old teachings. They are still as powerful and true as the day they were first written. Very encouraging and very insightful. Thank you.I'd like to agree with you and add my "Amen" to your prayers for Universer, FoM.
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Comment #19 posted by museman on December 01, 2013 at 16:54:37 PT
GCW #15
Absolutely, and Amen!LEGALIZE FREEDOM
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Comment #18 posted by mexweed on December 01, 2013 at 13:17:08 PT:
Good luck to Universer
I want to join everyone wishing you well. Yry to get action on the case delayed, as FoM said, till the new Governor is in. Put quality time into your letters to both the present and future Governors, asking them to recognize, if you sincerely can, not only a medicinal or recreational use, but also inspirational and occupational-- two grams (80 tokes) of cannabis helps you do good works for the forest of life on the planet and for human society.Seeing the place name Leesburg, I was reminded that I have seen that identified as headquarters of Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr., one of the most vindictive and remorseless enemies of cannabis users in recent times-- beware of his influence locally; research his role in the late 1980 conditions that may have contributed to the election of Ron Reagan and the death of John Lennon.Good point by GCW about mixing cannabis and alcohol, it dumms you down so you miss something otherwise positive from the cannabis; in my experience it especially harmed judgment and driving safety. I think the booze marketers are resigned to onrushing cannabis legality, and now want to stage a big advertising push-- whole busses and traincars, every poster-- to save their profits by promoting the idea of tossing down a 12 or 24 ounce can of beer, a cup of wine, "spirits" etc. right when you are having your toke of cannabis. The answer is to promote downdosage: teach victims to override the fear that if you save part of the beer for tomorrow it will be "flat" or otherwise worthless, and how to substitute a "sip" for a "cup"-- analogous to replacing a joint with a single toke. Then the corporate-army booze empire based on slave addicts will wither away, replaced by Granny down the street growing the grain, the grapes and the cannabis.
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on December 01, 2013 at 07:26:42 PT
Universer
I am glad you will have support from NORML. I really am hoping everything goes well for you.
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Comment #16 posted by Universer on November 30, 2013 at 20:09:19 PT
Thank You All. :-)
Thank you, thank you, thank you all.Happily, I know I will have the in-person support of at least a few of my NoVA NORML (the Northern Virginia chapter of Virginia NORML) colleagues and compatriots in the (court)house when I go before the firing squad - for an amount that, in many (non-Bible Belt) states would warrant at most a ticket. It's shameful.Nonetheless and notwithstanding, incontrovertibly I am drawing no small amount of emotional support from everyone's kindnesses - a trait easy to find in persons of mindsets like ours.Let's keep at it, refraining from end-zone dances as we have barely crossed the 20-yard line. Let's keep at it, to ensure that the radical injustice of personal choice robs no one of their freedom ever, ever again.They will teach me a lesson, alright: That I must needs be even more activistic, contribute my brand of talents even more forcefully to the cause of correction. Lesson learned.Might doesn't make right. Right makes might. We the people need to keep up informing us, the other people, so that they - the enforcers, the prohibs, the power-mad ignoramuses - will ultimately be the ones learning the lesson.
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Comment #15 posted by The GCW on November 28, 2013 at 09:02:49 PT
Thanksgiving & thankfulness.
One of the things I think of when I think of Thanksgiving and the phrase, thanksgiving is 1 Timothy 4: 1-5.Apostasy4 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will [a]fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, 3 men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; 5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer. (NASB) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20timothy%204:1-5&version=NASB-Through Bible study, I know the word gratitude at the end of verse 4 is the word thanksgiving in the King James Version.The only Biblical restriction for using cannabis is to use it with thankfulness.Along with the endless list of things We are thankful for, We are thankful for cannabis. Good is to say a prayer and thank Our Father for cannabis when using the superplant.Incidentally, that section, 1 Tim 4 is one of the more revealing Biblical verses pertaining to cannabis prohibition, for it seems to predict cannabis prohibition, persecution and extermination before it occurs, it indicates who will do that dirty work and more etc. Even the subtitle, Apostasy, is revealing. The word "foods" here, is used in the NASB and it's the same word used on the 1st page, to describe all the seed bearing plants which God indicates He created and says are good. In other versions such as the King James Version, it uses a different word and that different word is always the same word used on the very 1st page. In the KJV, the word is "meats."Cannabis prohibition is the devil law. Doctrine of demons.It is especially disturbing when people who proclaim Christianity support and enable cannabis prohibition, for they, knowing or not, harbor doctrine of demons. And that's exactly what the devil (or evil) wants. To separate people from receiving the "spirit of truth."If the devil was going to attempt a blanket separation of the most people at one time, from receiving the "spirit of truth," where would the devil start? Not the middle of the New Testament, not the middle of the Old or page 100 etc. The devil will try to separate the most people starting on the VERY 1ST PAGE.The devil can attempt to ensnare the rest of the people later but that initial blanket separation on the very 1st page causes so many people to stumble that by time they get to page 3 where the lessons of do not kill and murder, start, they are already stumbling.It's no accident that We are told all the seed bearing plants are good on literally the very 1st page. God knew it would be an issue used by evil to separate people from Him and wanted to clear that up right away.Is cannabis prohibition the original living sin?Is cannabis prohibition the root of all evil?Ask the "spirit of truth" which The Christ Jesus said (in red letters) will teach Us all things. (learn about the "spirit of truth" in John 14-16 and 1 John)Don't ask Me or take My word for it. Go directly to The Source and ask Him Yourself. For He taught Me and He will teach You too.The Green Collar Worker
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on November 28, 2013 at 08:01:38 PT
afterburner
I love Thanksgiving. It's a time to think of the Blessings we have received over the year and a time to remember those that are no longer with us. We have made great progress the last couple of years and that also makes me very thankful.
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Comment #13 posted by afterburner on November 28, 2013 at 06:39:57 PT
FoM #12
Even yesterday, I found myself thanking the Lord out-loud 3 times for little blessings as I went through my work day. Thanksgiving is such a powerful spiritual emotion.The cannabis community has lots to be thankful for this year, and with the help of the Creator we will continue to receive many and deeper blessings.
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on November 28, 2013 at 06:04:04 PT
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wishing everyone a wonderful day.
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Comment #11 posted by The GCW on November 27, 2013 at 16:21:31 PT
Universer and FoM,
I recalled seeing this the other day, when I read Universer's post.US VA: Study: Justice System Near Crisis http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n549/a04.html?1126-0-Exactly what kind of people work to cage humans for using what God indicates He created and says is good on the very 1st page of the Bible?
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on November 27, 2013 at 15:27:46 PT
Universer
I will pray that they throw it out. That is so wrong. Virginia now has a Democrat as Governor maybe things will change. I wish you could have this postponed until he is sworn into office.
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Comment #9 posted by Universer on November 27, 2013 at 08:08:10 PT:
Off-Topic (A Personal Plea): Send Your Best Vibes
Dear friends of logical capacity and large compassion similar to my own: I hereby ask for your strength and support in whatever way you can offer it.I am being threatened with multiple days in jail for having a very small amount of cannabis. Because this is not my first or second "offense," the eager young prosecutor told my attorney that I'm giving "a big f-u to the marijuana law," and that "that doesn't sit well with him."(No truth to rumors this prosecutor received his law degree in Putin's Russia.)So, ostensibly to teach me a lesson - presumably the lesson that my life is not my own - this 'gentle'man seeks to incarcerate me for the heinous crime of possessing some two grams of pot while within the borders of Virginia, America's cradle of democracy - a charge incurred, ironically, on the eve of our nation's celebration of our revolutionary independence from tyranny.(Clearly, I shudda been an alcoholic. Then my chosen vice would be chuckled at by cops and popularized in television commercials.)Therefore, please, ladies and gentlemen of liberty and goodness, I respectfully request the kind courtesy of sending me your best karmic thoughts and most positive vibes. On Friday afternoon, Dec. 6, I will be in a Leesburg courtroom, scant miles from where we recently cleaned up a highway proudly adopted by Virginia NORML despite the fact that Virginia is anything but.In seriousness, we really do have much to be thankful for. I have all of you. Thank you.
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Comment #8 posted by The GCW on November 27, 2013 at 07:18:50 PT
I see Your Mob Museum and raise a DEA museum
Vegas celebrates Repeal Day on Thanksgiving evehttp://www.usatoday.com/story/experience/las-vegas/vegas-buzz/2013/11/27/repeal-day-drinks-in-las-vegas/3765877/"...Here are our picks on where to celebrate our constitutional right to have a drink.The Mob MuseumIf there's any spot in Las Vegas where the Repeal Day celebration gets serious, it's The Mob Museum Downtown. It all kicks off at 5:30 p.m. with a celebratory toast by former Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman, who is no stranger to the mob (he used to be their lawyer) nor a stiff drink (he used to be a spokesman for Bombay Sapphire)."Cont.-0-Maybe one day, We'll have a DEA Museum.
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Comment #7 posted by The GCW on November 27, 2013 at 06:07:10 PT
Good article at Alternet too, with some comments
Will Legal Pot Hurt the Booze Business? What Do You Think?http://www.alternet.org/drugs/will-legal-pot-hurt-booze-business-what-do-you-think-0-One of the interesting parts of that article is about how some beer breweries are helping the cannabis legalization movement. That makes sense because they didn't like alcohol prohibition and should stand up for other people who are also being treated unfairly....As far as the question of using alcohol with booze, it may be different for different people but I have found that booze overwhelms the cannabis buzz and usually would not mix them because the cannabis buzz is better and would not want to diminish that better buzz. So when boozing, I would tend to use less cannabis, also in part due to it's expense. *I would go without booze but would never want to be without cannabis; cannabis wins that one.Often, people can not afford both and I suspect they'll choose one over the other. I see booze losing some profits but I don't see them going out of business.
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Comment #6 posted by afterburner on November 26, 2013 at 21:06:41 PT
Missing Link
http--drugfreeamericafoundation.blogspot.ca-2005-03-straight-inc-now-called-drug-free_31.html
http://drugfreeamericafoundation.blogspot.ca/2005/03/straight-inc-now-called-drug-free_31.html
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Comment #5 posted by afterburner on November 26, 2013 at 20:56:28 PT
Apologists for Child Abuse Therapy Are Not Worthy
"Countering St. Pierre's argument is David Evans of the Drug Free America Foundation, which opposes legalization."David Evans also should not be heeded.Drug Free America Foundation,
formerly known as Straight, Inc.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From 1976-1985 it was known as Straight, Inc. and had a reputation for abusing kids as a drug rehabilitation program. In 1985 it changed its name to Straight Foundation, Inc. in order to protect its money and its principals from civil suits. In 1995 it was changed again to Drug Free America Foundation. DFAF is a national and international drug policy think tank and provider of services for drug free work places.
http--drugfreeamericafoundation.blogspot.ca-2005-03-straight-inc-now-called-drug-free_31.htmlGOP Mogul Behind Drug Rehab 'Torture' Centers.
Posted by CN Staff on September 19, 2012 at 18:43:48 PT.
By Lee Fang.
Source: The Nation
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/27/thread27099.shtml As someone suggested here or at DrugWarRant, people associated with 'torture' or child abuse in the name of therapy or treatment need to be continually exposed.
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on November 26, 2013 at 19:24:59 PT
Nicole Debevec
Good job! This article is very well done.
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Comment #3 posted by Hope on November 26, 2013 at 19:08:04 PT
What not to do?
Buy a smelling machine so as to site and ticket people. More "Toys" for the "Boys"? Yes. Another "Tool". Another "Tool" for Law Enforcement, that looks like another hammer, to go after our fellow human with. Yippee.And I'll tell you something I noticed about this article. It began and ended with our man, Mr. Tvert.That's good. That's very good. He does such a good job. Mason Tvert is brilliant.
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Comment #2 posted by The GCW on November 26, 2013 at 07:33:04 PT
Cannabis prohibition is the bad example.
"I don't accept that marijuana legalization is inevitable," Evans told Stateline. "The states that have legalized it are going to serve as an example of what not to do."-0-More likely, states will figure out how to regulate the God-given plant, in part, by making mistakes and correcting them.Forcing the black market to regulate cannabis has proven to be an example of what not to do!!!!It's one of America's worst policy failures in history and I don't think prohibitionists can continue telling lies, half-truths and propaganda to perpetuate the devil law.Cannabis prohibition is an EXTREME example of what not to do and an EXTREME example of what must be stopped like a runaway freight train.Cannabis prohibitionists are the problem, not the God-given plant itself.
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Comment #1 posted by HempWorld on November 26, 2013 at 07:23:22 PT
So Much To Say...
Go Mason... (my dear friend) "marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and its prohibition has been just as big a failure as alcohol's prohibition,"Yes, even though Marijuana/cannabis is much, much less harmful than either alcohol or tobacco (or should we say it is beneficial?), its prohibition was/is much more detrimental: It started in 1913 and continues to this day, it is aimed at race purification and affects minorities disproportionately, and it punishes users not just producers, etc. etc.Why are they still quoting Kevin Sabet? This guy has lost all credibility, he is a political hack, who gets paid to say what he does. Because otherwise it does not make any sense and it is not factual correct. Kevin, go home find another career, this one is over!Yes, the internet etc. has finally won over the official drug propaganda that has been spread over the globe and continues to this day, by the US gov't. And have you noticed that when Obama was candidate president, he wanted legalization and now he is against! And why?
Legalize It!
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