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Outspoken entrepreneur Richard Branson, is calling this election "A watershed moment for drug reform in the U.S." He calls drug reform a non-partisan issue that should be addressed by both parties especially now that a majority of public opinion supports some form of drug law reform. Branson has become a leading voice with a lot of business clout on the issue of Marijuana and drug reform.

if we can get U.S. political leaders to understand the opportunity and take action, we have a very real chance to turn the tide on the war on drugs and end needless suffering.

A large portion of the money spent on the war on drugs goes toward criminalization. I recently had the privilege of spending time with Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative. I was shocked when he pointed out that back in the 1970s there were only 300,000 people in prison in the U.S.! Forty years later, the number of people incarcerated -- 2.3 million -- is greater than the population of Houston, Texas. He attributes much of the increase to American drug policy, with minorities taking the hardest hit. Stevenson shared that 1 in 3 black men in the U.S. will be incarcerated between the ages of 18 and 30. (Michelle Alexander has written a book, The New Jim Crow, which illustrates how the war on drugs has in fact created this system of mass incarceration.)
A focus on criminalization also undercuts future economic development. A recent Pew study revealed that incarceration reduces former inmates' earnings by 40 percent -- further devastating their families and their communities.
This type of blanket incarceration dismisses root causes, disenfranchises millions and most likely results in repeat offenses rather than cleaning up the problem. We need new approaches that treat drug use as a health issue and not a criminal one.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/richar...b_1852870.html

[datruth]

branson is a smart guy. everything he touches turns to gold. that guy is everywhere.

[Stoner4Life]

an awesome voice in support of the cause.......

[Infinitesimal]

lets clean this shit mess up!

play by their rules................Branson needs to rally support from his wealthy friends and support / start a SuperPAC to address drug law reform and start with a Rescheduling of Cannabis to a schedule II controlled substance.

i just wonder what can be done with regards to Cannabis since the enforcement and legality are dictated by the treaties signed by most nations in order to receive US MONEY.

[Infinitesimal]

how different is schedule 2... opium is schedule 2 is that much less restricted?

[Treetroit City]

I was going to say, Coke is schedule 2, how's that working out for everyone?

[kmk420kali]

I am still trying to figure out how they have Marinol and Sativex...from a Schedule 1 drug!!??
Needs to be a Schedule 4...if not dropped completely from Scheduling!!

The Guidelines also provide guidance for selecting an appropriate schedule for psychotropic substances under the 1971 Convention, as follows:

Schedule I

Substances whose liability to abuse constitutes an especially serious risk to public health and which have very limited, if any, therapeutic usefulness.

Schedule II

Substances whose liability to abuse constitutes a substantial risk to public health and which have little to moderate therapeutic usefulness.

Schedule III

Substances whose liability to abuse constitutes a substantial risk to public health and which have moderate to great therapeutic usefulness.

Schedule IV

Substances whose liability to abuse constitutes a smaller but still significant risk to public health and which have a therapeutic usefulness from little to great.

https://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Js4896e/2.html

[vta]

Originally Posted by SuperSilverHaze

play by their rules................Branson needs to rally support from his wealthy friends and support / start a SuperPAC to address drug law reform and start with a Rescheduling of Cannabis to a schedule II controlled substance.

I know Branson is a powerful advocate for legalization....and I think it is great he was part of that recent report from former and current presidents favoring legalization. But hey..this guy has billions! I totally agree with you SSH. He could easily create a lobbying power.

But...if cannabis gets rescheduled to II...were still screwed. Even at III, IV or V nobody would be able to grow it.

Originally Posted by Controlled Substances Act

No controlled substance in schedule V which is a drug may be distributed or dispensed other than for a medical purpose.

It needs to be not scheduled, like nicotine, in order to truly free the plant.

So back to Branson....he should put his money where his mouth is and start a PR campaign. A drop from his bucket could create a political organization that gets initiatives going...lots of commercials etc.

[Grass Lands]

This plant will be part of the black market for many years to come...there ain't no way in hell the us gov will give up their cash cow...