California’s newest strategy to stop police, city, and county officials from circumventing the will of the people in regards to Medical Marijuana is Proposition 19, that looks to legalize marijuana for ALL adults, not just marijuana patients, 21-years and older. Despite the popular vote, official verbal and written declarations from President Obama and US Attorney General Eric Holder to ease up on the marijuana movement abuse, cops are still busting (in 2008, California police made 78,500 weed-related arrests) and harassing legal medical marijuana patients, collectives and growers. City and county officials continue to use lame zoning restrictions and an array of underhanded legal tactics to completely ban dispensaries, not just limit them like they’ve done all over LA, San Jose and countless other regions, but completely outlaw them…effectively taking medicine away from those who need it and completely ignoring the will of the people!
According to a SurveyUSA pot field-poll sponsored by our local CBS affiliate, 50% of those polled in their oral interview, despite an enveloping fear and paralyzing embarrassment of voicing a contrary opinion to the War on Drugs so pervasive in our culture it’s destroyed honest discourse on this subject of national importance, say they’re completely down with prop 19 and legalizing marijuana for all adults 21 and up. So, much like divorce rates in our country…it’s looking as if the legalization of weed here in California this year is coming down to a coin toss. Okay, it’s not 50/50, rather 50% of those polled say they’re down, while 40% say they aren’t and around 11% haven’t made up their fucking minds yet because they’re still digesting all that bullshit Reefer Madness and many think since they’re still “weighing their options,” they’ll vote in opposition. Those are some deflating numbers when you look back at the hard work done between now and 1972 when California saw a similar initiative to legalize cannabis get shot down. Oh, and it was also named Proposition 19, by the way.
So who exactly is interested in ending a government-created black market and the criminal violence that goes along with it? All the Young Dudes! People ages 18-34 are completely down with legalizing the recreational use of weed because they recognize the legalization of medicinal use has failed. That group votes yes on WEED by a whopping margin of 70-22, while lame, crusty ol’ voters aged beyond 65 years, totally oppose letting just anyone “old enough to buy booze” buy weed; 50-37. No shocker, it ain’t those Baby Boomers, who all tried weed in their teens and 20’s, who are going to legalize weed anyhow, it’s the kids who are in their teens and 20’s right now who look to eliminate the capricious hand of law enforcement that ruins peoples’ lives by destroying their right to an education, employment, and a future when cops randomly catch someone (and by random we mean target and by someone we mean minorities) doing something a humongous percentage of people in their teens and 20’s have done and still do regularly.
Republicans, as you’d expect, would rather keep prisons full of marijuana users while fun-loving Democrats and all the cool people in high school who nowadays identify themselves as Independent voters, favor legal weed by stadium-sized margins.
SurveyUSA does not show a large disparity in support for Prop. 19 between whites and minorities because everyone, including white people, likes to smoke weed! Cool people like Bob Dylan and that dude who drove the GTO in Dazed and Confused and gets older while all the high school girls stay the same age, support weed unanimously, while uncool people like Adolph Hitler, Meg Whitman, Brendon in the Big Brother House, the California Narcotics Officers Association, California Police Chiefs Association, Klingons, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, people who can’t get laid, and the California District Attorneys Association and are all against legalization because they’re a bunch of pussies!
Even if the proposition is passed on November 2nd, the sale of marijuana will remain illegal under federal law via the Controlled Substances Act however, so don’t get your hopes up. And, the issue seems an obvious contender for a decision by the Supreme Court, so it’s not like we’ll all be buying those $1.50 Purple Kush joints any time soon.
Wha? $1.50 joints you say? Yeah, well according to a new study by the RAND corp., legalizing recreational marijuana would make herb a lot cheaper, an ounce of herb could drop in price by as much as 80 percent. They also predict an increase in pot consumption by up to 150 percent! You listening snack-food industry? Oh…and that lucrative tax revenue politicians keep promising, the State Board of Equalization has estimated that imposing a $50 per ounce levy could generate $1.4 billion a year in new tax revenue, is based on current weed prices, man…not post-legalization prices. And, keep in mind…California’s deficit is nearly…what like currently approaching $20 billion or something?
So at this point…we’re going to toss a coin, because who the hell really knows what’s going to happen to weed post November…and it’s not like the governing body here in CA listens to the popular vote anyhow…
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6 Responses to “Legalizing WEED in CA is now 50/50…sort of…”
FoosMaster
Regardless of what the current “Federal” Government’s policies are on Marijuana the States are the ones that are going to force the Feds to either Legalize or just Drop any Federal controls. Let’s keep up the fight. The most important thing next will be to have an overwhelming turnout of people voting for Legalization in any state that allows a vote on the issue.
I would caution people that just because most people support legalization that if there is only marginal support that it will hurt the movement in other parts of the country that are lagging behind. It will take an Overwhelming turnout to convince politicians that Legalization is the best thing for the entire country.
The problem is that too many people that are pro-legalization tend not to vote. If the pro-legalization public can be convinced to vote then I see a Large majority of votes to legalize it. Who actually takes the time to vote will be key.
You can be sure that the churches will have programs to get people to go vote against the “Devil Weed”. They will even give people rides to the polling places. Businesses that oppose legalization and law enforcement will also have strong programs to defeat legalization and they will be turning out in record numbers to fight any form of legalization because it will cost them large amounts of money. The corporations that stand to loose big if Cannabis is legalized will pay for Millions of dollars in commercials to convince gullible people that don’t know anything about Cannabis to go out and vote against the “Devil Weed” and they will continue to spread the government propaganda and flat out Lies that have been spread since the beginning of the failed Prohibition of Cannabis. Take every chance to talk to anyone that will listen about the issue and inform them of the “Truth about Cannabis Prohibition”. If you think that just because most people want legalization that you don’t need to vote then you may as well be voting against legalization.
We need an OVERWHELMING Majority to help the rest of the country. Too many politicians are only concerned with their personal agendas so we need them to see the kind of support there is for legalization to make them take a serious look at it in other parts of the country.
Let’s make this happen people. The opportunity is here and we will be lucky to get this one chance to right this terrible wrong. When you get the chance you Must VOTE!!!
beaver weaver
Your prose rocks Stoner-I always love catching up on your thoughts.
Thanks for taking the time.
Peace out-
Lindsaydianne
We just handed in a big petition, signed by More than we needed to have sign it, and our government basically told a bunch of businesses to file a lawsuit that they could hide behind and they said, “We can’t resolve your petty tax issues until we resolve the businesses.”
that is to say that the government listens when it’s in their interest, when the revenue lands snugly in their wallets
The idea of being able to grow in your own back yard isn’t appealing to them.
they can smell that this is coming, but they’re still trying to do it when they’re good and ready.
And in such a way that they’ll retain the upper hand.
Mark Godfrey
If Obama brought out the young vote, this plant will also.
dragonfly
STONER BEWARE: Prop 19 is NOT what you think it is. Go to http://www.votetaxcannabis2010.blogspot.com and read what the initiative really says. As a stoner and pot activist, i was stunned when I actually read the initiative. It makes it ILLEGAL to buy weed if you buy it from ur friends, ur current dealer_ at a party, or anywhere that’s not a licensed dispensary! It won’t do much to keep people out of prison, it actually creates more demographics of people to incarcerate, it makes more people criminals, and it turns cannabis into big business. I have a feeling we’ll we regret it if we vote prop 19 in. There will be no more small_time growers, and corporations will take over. In fact, the first commercial cultivation license in oakland just went to a corporation whose president (jeff wilcox, agra med) is on the steering committee for prop 19. This is serious. We all need to read it before we vote. Go to votetaxcannabis2010.blogspot.com
Elvin Guimares
I got assist with my own childsupport case at http://www.childsupporthell.com/community , these people have a good thing happening simply by wanting to support those who are not able to support them selves with this hosed up child support program that we have nowdays. I swear something should be done about this and if anyone is to make it happen, childsupporthell.com will