cannabisnews.com: Why We Must Legalize Marijuana
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Why We Must Legalize Marijuana
Posted by CN Staff on May 23, 2019 at 10:48:39 PT
By Robert Reich
Source: Common Dreams
Washington, D.C. -- The federal prohibition on marijuana has been a disaster. For decades, millions of Americans have been locked up and billions of dollars have been wasted. It’s also deepened racial and economic inequality. We must end this nonsensical prohibition.The facts are staggering. In 2017, more Americans were arrested for marijuana possession than for murder, rape, aggravated assault and robbery combined. That’s one marijuana arrest every minute.
The costs associated with enforcing this ban – including arrests, court costs, and incarceration – reach nearly $14 billion a year. Prohibition also hurts the economy in terms of lost wages. And Americans with criminal records have a harder time finding a job and getting the education they need.On the other hand, legalizing, taxing, and regulating is good for the economy and creates jobs. By simply levying a tax on marijuana like we do cigarettes and alcohol, state and local governments could raise more than $6 billion a year. This doesn’t even include additional revenue from taxes on the marijuana industry. States like Colorado and Washington that tax and regulate marijuana have already generated millions of dollars for health care, education and other public investments.But this is more than an economic issue. It’s also a matter of racial justice and equality. The federal prohibition on marijuana dates back to anti-Mexican sentimentin the 1930s. In large part, it was nothing more than another way to criminalize communities of color. Today, black and brown Americans are still much more likely to be arrested for marijuana than white Americans, despite using marijuana at similar rates.Given the racist legacy of these laws, it’s particularly important that the economic gains of legalization extend to communities that have been most harmed by the war on drugs.Support for marijuana legalization has surged in recent years, with two-thirds of Americans now in favor of it. Even a majority of Republicans are in support, and more states are taking action to reform their laws and move toward legalization.Yet Donald Trump and his administration are trying to turn back the clock. They’ve even formed a task force to weaken public support for legalization and help spread misinformation about so-called“marijuana threats.”Just as with the prohibition on alcohol in the 1920s, the federal prohibition of marijuana has been unnecessarily cruel – wasting billions of dollars, unjustly harming millions of lives, and furthering racist policies. It’s time to legalize marijuana.Note: The federal prohibition of marijuana has been unnecessarily cruel—wasting billions of dollars, unjustly harming millions of lives, and furthering racist policies.Robert Reich, is the Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a senior fellow at the Blum Center for Developing Economies. He served as secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, for which Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective cabinet secretaries of the the twentieth century. He has written fifteen books, including the best-sellers Aftershock, The Work of Nations, Beyond Outrage and, Saving Capitalism. He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine, chairman of Common Cause, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the award-winning documentary, "Inequality For All." Reich's newest book is "The Common Good." He's co-creator of the Netflix original documentary "Saving Capitalism," which is streaming now. Source: Common Dreams (ME)Author: Robert ReichPublished: May 23, 2019Copyright: 2019 Common DreamsContact: editor commondreams.org Website: http://www.commondreams.org/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/SZ4NYANmCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #6 posted by afterburner on June 21, 2019 at 01:12:33 PT
Speakers Are Available Online from Ideacity 2019
Last day of Ideacity 2019. Free online registration for the Conference is available, or just watch on YouTube if you live in a Prohibitionist Area.Ideacity 20TH.Moses Znaimer's Conference 20th Anniversary.June 19, 20, 21, 2019.
KOERNER HALL,
TORONTO.IDEACITY 2019: 20 OLD. 20 NEW. 20 YEARS AHEAD.
https://ideacity.ca/One of many speakers from the conference available online for those interested in future trends with emphasis on the role of human interaction with these technologies and cultural activities:John Fowler, Founder, The Supreme Cannabis CompanyJohn Fowler – Cannabis 2.0: How Can it Lead to Global Prosperity?
2019Conference link
https://ideacity.ca/video/john-fowler-cannabis-2-0-how-can-it-lead-to-global-prosperity/YouTube link
https://youtu.be/O93HybQVu1IAlthough this speaker has been involved with Cannabis for only 15 years, much fewer than many of us, he has a heart for forgiveness and positive benefits.
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Comment #5 posted by afterburner on June 20, 2019 at 06:30:53 PT
U.S. Legalization Status
Home >
Culture >
Culture Features.
June 17, 2019 2:30PM ET.United States of Weed.Curious about the status of cannabis? Here’s a map of where marijuana legalization stands across the country — and a deeper look into some places with disparate approaches to pot.By Elisabeth Garber-Paul.
https://tinyurl.com/y6fak6mq
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Comment #4 posted by afterburner on June 12, 2019 at 00:38:08 PT
Legal like Tomatoes, No. Legal like Plutonium
Cannabis.
June 8, 2019 2:14 pm
Updated: June 9, 2019 10:45 pm.
Toronto using concrete blocks to prevent unlicensed marijuana dispensaries from reopening
By Ryan Rocca, Web Writer, Global News
https://globalnews.ca/news/5369230/cement-blocks-illegal-marijuana-dispensaries/
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Comment #3 posted by afterburner on June 10, 2019 at 16:01:24 PT
Create Drug Czar, Rave Bill H2O Bans Threaten Life
Outdated Drug Warrior stance, not mentioned in the following article, is another thing for which Joe Biden owes America an apology tour.JUN 10, 2019. OPINION.
Truth Dig.
Joe Biden Owes America an Apology Tour.Former Vice President Joe Biden. (Penn State / Flickr)Dear Mr. Biden:Norman Solomon,Columnist.Joe Biden Owes America an Apology Tourhttps://www.truthdig.com/articles/joe-bidens-political-glory-days-are-finally-over/
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Comment #2 posted by John Tyler on May 27, 2019 at 08:29:25 PT
Community Cannabis industry
There are several pieces of Federal legislation all written up waiting to go forward. One pieces of legislation specifically addresses the horrendous impact of the Drug War on urban minority communities and tries to remedy that by setting up some type of economic development programs and expunging various convictions that would otherwise prohibit community residents participation. It would be great if wealthy celebrities would invest in something like this (in a lot of communities), a Community Cannabis industry project. People from the community could be hired and trained and educated in how to operate an ethical business for the benefit of the whole community. Make it a part of the community. Make it nice. Make it a destination attraction for food, beverages, entertainment, and relaxation. Make it uplifting for the whole community. Congress passed legislation for farmers in the country to grow hemp. They should do something for urban communities too.
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Comment #1 posted by John Tyler on May 24, 2019 at 08:14:37 PT
in the news
I saw in the newspaper the other day that in last years’ farm bill hemp was re-legalized. Conservative politicians wanted to give the farmers something to replace tobacco with, you know so they could keep their votes. So this spring the farmers are planting hemp, thousands of acres of hemp. This is all well and good, except that hemp looks like THC cannabis. The local cops are in a tizzy. Should they raid the farm and arrest everyone and let the courts decide or not. If they make a mistake and step on too many toes it will backfire on them. Clearly they need some guidance that they are not getting. Another issue I did not realize was the even in hemp of the same seeds in the same fields the THC level can vary significantly from a legal level of .3% or less to an illegal level over .3% from plant to plant. Only a lab test can determine this. What a stinking legal mess. The only logical solution would be to re-legalize it all and not worry about it. It will be alright.
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