HUGE MileStone may be set in Cali!!!!

[LowRider]

if this gets put on the ballot and pass's this could mean lots, especialy if other states follow suite. We will have to wait and see.

MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION ON THE BALLOT?
by Chris Meagher, (Source:Santa Barbara Independent)
writeNewsItems();[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]15 Feb 2008
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]California
[/FONT]-------
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Jack Herer Leads Santa Barbara Group's Attempt to Get Marijuana Legalization on the November Ballot

A group has formed in Santa Barbara to put an initiative on the November ballot that would legalize cannabis for industrial and nutritional products, medicinal preparations, and for recreational and euphoric use. The group announced the California Cannabis Hemp and Health Initiative Campaign on Friday at a press conference on the steps of Santa Barbara City Hall. The initiative would also include clearing all criminal records for people involved in non-violent cannabis, hemp and marijuana offenses.

The group, headed by Jack Herer - called by Dr. David Bearman the man responsible for the rejuvenation of the U.S. hemp industry - argues that not only does cannabis serve as a medicine to many sick, but that cannabis is the only way to reverse the greenhouse effect and can be used as paper, fiber, and food as well. The U.S. government, they say, is hiding these facts.

"I can know about cotton, flack and nylon," said Herer at the press conference, "but there's not a word of hemp in the schools." Herer, who ran for president of the United States twice as a member of the Grassroots party, said that for 5,000 to 6,000 years 60 to 80 percent of the world's production of fuel and clothing was made from hemp. The group is hoping that the dialogue will begin to introduce the idea that a hemp cultivation program can eliminate greenhouse gasses while replenishing the atmosphere and replacing fossil fuels with hemp bio-fuels.

The press conference unknowingly coincided with an announcement on Friday by the American College of Physicians that endorsed cannabis as medicine. The college, which is the second largest physician group in the United States and includes 124,000 members, also advised the government to stop hindering research on the drug and to repeal its prohibition.

For the Santa Barbara-based efforts to get the legalization initiative on the California ballot, valid signatures from roughly 434,000 people are needed. The group is also looking to bring the discussion to Congress this summer via the Government Oversight Domestic Policy Subcommittee, which is chaired by former presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-OH, a supporter of marijuana decriminalization.

Hemp cultivation is illegal in the United States, but because of California's Proposition 215, state law allows marijuana use for medicinal purposes. However, federal law supersedes state law, which has caused problems for many dispensaries in California. No dispensaries have been busted by federal agents in Santa Barbara, but many owners received threatening letters from the federal government, and some closed their shops. Still, the number of shops in Santa Barbara and Goleta hovers around one dozen.

"We have a failed drug policy," said Bearman on Friday. "We need to change the policy for the sake of the economy, for the sake of health, for the sake of people, and for the sake of peace." Bearman, who is a candidate for the open 3rd District Board of Supervisor seat in Santa Barbara County, said it is "obscene" that laws prevent people from getting medication that can help them, and that the present day drug laws "eviscerate the Constitution."

A discussion and debate on the ballot initiative will take place on Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at the Santa Barbara Public Library's Faulkner Gallery. [/FONT]

 

[trillions of atoms]

Great!

 

[4Faded20]

This sounds great. I can't wait for things to progress, keep us updated!

 

[LowRider]

This sounds great. I can't wait for things to progress, keep us updated!

i got this off the NORML website, hopefully i can find more info on the websites the next few weeks and stuff or if someone is from Cali can keep us posted also.

 

[Ganja_Greg]

anyone know anyone thats setting up a signing session for the petition? so that we can atleast get this on the ballet... cause if we can get it on the ballet 400,000+ votes shouldnt be to hard seeing we have like 2-3 million ppl in cali if not more.

 

[HVHY]

First of all i must say that i am from California and in several counties around where i live there are marijuana dispensaries, in my county all of them were shut down because of threats to bring federal charges against them. California has since the 1960's been a big experiment in various different kinds of Drugs, LSD, GHB, LSA, THC, psilocybin... and many many other drugs that have found their way to the club scene.

Pot for medical purposes is legal in california. there is one big problem though, while pot maybe legal in california it is not in the USA for one stupid reason or another, and while it shouldn't be this way as it was not originally designed to be so the Federal Supersedes State law(and we are still called a democracy? more like a dictatorship) even if it is completely legalized in California it will still be illegal in the united states and that almost certainly wont change for another 20 years, i have been wrong before and i hope to high hell that i am but i just dont see it happening this november. Rather it would take more then half of the states being like minded enough for one microsecond to get this bill through on a national level

 

[md.apothecary]

keeping in mind medical marijuana was at a time legal in cali, up until the DEA upheld FEDERAL law and arrested those in connection with many of the legal MJ med houses and companies. There is still a FEDERAL law that will automatically prevent this from occuring regardless. They won't change the federal laws.

 

[snuggles]

It will never be legal IMO, but I do fight the good fight. We need money and lots of it, organization which we lack, and some real influential well spoken people (politicians) to represent. Big oil, alcohol, synthetic companies, the underground...all want it to stay illegal. How can we match money with oil, du pont's, coor, bud etc.

Like I said I am a paying member of norml and I do some other things, both legal and illegal to help the cause. It's gonna be an uphill battle, and the best we can hope for is decriminialization....which is better IMO cause if it is legal we aren't going to be able to grow that I know...the gov't will control it all...meaning they will make crap weed...LOL.


Not to mention that around half of all federal inmates are in for drugs. If they legalized it there would be law enforcement cutbacks everywhere...nobody wants that to happen...LOL it's all bull and bueracracy

 

[gangalama]

Jack Herers a Goodman, Doin Good Things!! I hope things will change.

 

[headband]

if i see it on the ballot in s.b, you betcha it will be a domino effect, everyone has their club card, young to old iis sick.

 

[md.apothecary]

:doh:

ladies and gents, you are going about it all wrong!

You can NOT fight for it to be legal with no strings attached. It must be "Regulated". The biggest concern is that it's going to be sold to minors, etc. Alcohol is legal because it's regulated, as are cigarettes.

Sale to minors is a punishable offense. Legalize MJ, but regulate the sale! Allow taxes to the government, and there is your billions of dollars in taxes that the government wants.

it's illegal because it's natural, and by natural means it can be homegrown. If it's homegrown, then there are no taxes to be collected, etc.

Think about it, making your own brew and wine at home is still "regulated". You can't make so much per year, anything above that they think you would distribute it and therefore must have licenses and such.

 

[HVHY]

Medical marijuana is still legal in california. Californians voted it to be considered a medicinal plant in 2004 it has never been rewritten into non-existence.

unfortunately regulation leads to the bastardization of the product. if it is completely regulated like alcohol then they will put a limit on say how much THC can be in the plant and then they will tell you how much Indica can be in the plant or that only certain type of Cannabis can be cultivated and then we arrive at the same problem people protesting the regulation.

rather what thc needs to have done is for it to be reclassified in the mind of the government from a narcotic to what it really is an herb, and as such would have no limits on it. should it be available to the public yes, should it be available to everyone: No. people interested in smoking Cannabis should have to submit a common sense test and if they pass they get a card that says what they can buy or a limit on how much. If they fail the test they should not be allowed to purchase it. of course i feel the same way about alcohol and believe that this should be the only regulation on both. it is my thought that if someone wants to drink pure 200 proof alcohol that they have the right to suffer from the consequences of drinking 100% pure grain alcohol. its like if you tell a child to not touch something that is hot and they do it anyways they learn not to do it again. humans learn better through self experience then they do through someone telling them not to do something.

 

[snuggles]

:doh:

ladies and gents, you are going about it all wrong!

You can NOT fight for it to be legal with no strings attached. It must be "Regulated". The biggest concern is that it's going to be sold to minors, etc. Alcohol is legal because it's regulated, as are cigarettes.

Sale to minors is a punishable offense. Legalize MJ, but regulate the sale! Allow taxes to the government, and there is your billions of dollars in taxes that the government wants.

it's illegal because it's natural, and by natural means it can be homegrown. If it's homegrown, then there are no taxes to be collected, etc.

Think about it, making your own brew and wine at home is still "regulated". You can't make so much per year, anything above that they think you would distribute it and therefore must have licenses and such.

Exactly, but it's not something that can be patented either...and the gov't is going to ruin it, hire scientists to grow it insted of stoner types...LOL.

 

[md.apothecary]

Medical marijuana is still legal in california. Californians voted it to be considered a medicinal plant in 2004 it has never been rewritten into non-existence.

unfortunately regulation leads to the bastardization of the product. if it is completely regulated like alcohol then they will put a limit on say how much THC can be in the plant and then they will tell you how much Indica can be in the plant or that only certain type of Cannabis can be cultivated and then we arrive at the same problem people protesting the regulation.

rather what thc needs to have done is for it to be reclassified in the mind of the government from a narcotic to what it really is an herb, and as such would have no limits on it. should it be available to the public yes, should it be available to everyone: No. people interested in smoking Cannabis should have to submit a common sense test and if they pass they get a card that says what they can buy or a limit on how much. If they fail the test they should not be allowed to purchase it. of course i feel the same way about alcohol and believe that this should be the only regulation on both. it is my thought that if someone wants to drink pure 200 proof alcohol that they have the right to suffer from the consequences of drinking 100% pure grain alcohol. its like if you tell a child to not touch something that is hot and they do it anyways they learn not to do it again. humans learn better through self experience then they do through someone telling them not to do something.

Well marijuana is NOT a narcotic. But regulation IS the first step you must acheive before having it oepn wide. It's either regulate it with "less THC" as you said, or spend your time in jail because you wanted more THC outside of regulation.

I would say MOST of the people in the world would rather it be regulated and somewhat legal regardless of the amount of THC in it. You just smoke more, this is not going to stop people from growing others, but instead of fighting them head on, you have to go at it from an angle man.

Once the government finds out how profitable it would be for them to collect taxes on it, you know it would be closer than all hell as being as legal as it can get.


Regulate it or have it so that if you're busted with it, you simply pay a fine and be on your way without jail time. That way they get their money.

 

[HVHY]

In Cali thats kinda how it is man. if your caught with pot its a ridiculous fine. where do you live apothecary? cause basically in my mind here is what needs to happen the individual states need to decide what to do about marijuana on their own without the federal telling them what to do that way everyone can have it their way based on their mindset. I am a Californian and most people in my part of Cali share my mindset on this one thing. one day my friends we will all be free.

 

[md.apothecary]

in a southern republican state lol...

 

[LowRider]

in a southern republican state lol...

me to and i'm in the bible belt, this ***** ***