Legalize Marijuana-California Initiatives

[jescowhite]

bigherbtribe -- how'd your dispensary play out for you in Colorado? Did you ask yourself "what would edison do?"

Well keep dreaming guys, it won't happen anytime soon. Looks like the black market is coming back with a vengeance.

 

[BiG H3rB Tr3E]

bigherbtribe -- how'd your dispensary play out for you in Colorado? Did you ask yourself "what would edison do?"

Well keep dreaming guys, it won't happen anytime soon. Looks like the black market is coming back with a vengeance.

I did great in CO. But I saw the writing on the wall and sold my license when it was in HUGE demand...

 

[jescowhite]

I did great in CO. But I saw the writing on the wall and sold my license when it was in HUGE demand...

Good to hear of a successful green rush cash out story. You saw the writing, I see the writing. Maybe some people don't get 'it'.

 

[Gastro]

http://translate.google.com/transla...der-therapie-mit-medizinischem-marihuana.html

Does anyone no more about this? It is an article from a germany medical site, apothecaries mainly, stating that the Federal Government has stated that medical marijuana is really illegal and that dispensaries have 45 days to adjust their supply of medical marijuana, iow stop supplying completely.

The article is very vague on how and what, there are no American sources being made known, it is however posted on a serious website by a doctor no less.

 

[greenpharmd]

Any one who believes in states rights should be concerned with this. I believe that state law should take precedent over federal law. It just makes good since. We have had one war over states rights and we may see another in our life time. The US government cannot mind its own business. They sow discord, inefficiency, and sorrow wherever they intervene. The people of the state of California should have the final say about issues in their own state. Not unelected autocrats in Washington D.C. I would love it if a handful of like minded states decided to say so long to being apart of this sick nation and continue the dream that the founding fathers had. A dream of individual freedom and liberty. As long as something is not robbing another citizen of life, liberty, or property, it should not be considered a crime. Sorry for the rant.

 

[jescowhite]

it wouldn't seem that kamela really wants to pursue this as a states rights issue. If cooley would have won I'm sure he would have literally rolled out a red carpet for the feds to come and get them some stoners.

 

[smokefrogg]

Hey guys newsflash ... It ain't gonna happen. It was never going to happen. The system is corrupt, if you don't see that the game is rigged, sober up for a week for a little perspective.

the tide can be turned, the system will collapse as the tower of babel did

 

[nugghead]

"Regulate MJ Like Wine."

Well. You can hardly sneeze around my neck of the woods, without hitting a biodynamic, organically certified, sustainable winery with wine tasting room.

I can't help wondering if this goes through, whether we'll see little MJ tasting rooms spring up. 15 strains in jar with a tasting menu - maybe $10 gets you five hits, one from each strain. Harvest/trim parties, special discounts and events for "members," music and barbecues, edibles and paraphernalia sold at 100% markup. I know darn well that that wine tasting crowd gets high too.

The more I think about it the more sense it makes. Making good wine is a heck of a lot harder than growing good herb, especially if you don't have to go on the sneak about it. And stoners make much better clientele than drunks.

I sure wouldn't mind owning and operating a little plot of earth with an MJ tasting barn. Something to aspire to.

 

[onegreenday]

sounds like a cool 'barn' nugghead. hope you get it going.
It'll bring the Cali economy back big-time. Imagine the 'tourist'
trade to do some tasting for 'vacation'.

Steve Kubby has a good plan here and smart enough to pull it off.

2013 in Cali will be sweeeettttttttt.......

That's my 'prophecy'.

 

[armedoldhippy]

i'm all for total legalization for adults, but i could live with the model signed by the Arnold. leave it an "infraction" with a small fine, keep folks criminal records clean, no jail time, no lost jobs, put drug warriors into a more productive mode...like getting rid of meth labs. THERE is a dangerous drug.

 

[igrowone]

i'm all for total legalization for adults, but i could live with the model signed by the Arnold. leave it an "infraction" with a small fine, keep folks criminal records clean, no jail time, no lost jobs, put drug warriors into a more productive mode...like getting rid of meth labs. THERE is a dangerous drug.

i could live with that myself, but it's still a felony in cali for cultivation, with the exception for 215 patients
NY actually is better than California if you take 215 out of the equation
decriminalize cultivation and i'd be happy
not going to happen though, states will want money for that kind of deal

 

[onegreenday]

So you don't like the 'regulate like wine' initiative?

i'm all for total legalization for adults, but i could live with the model signed by the Arnold. leave it an "infraction" with a small fine, keep folks criminal records clean, no jail time, no lost jobs, put drug warriors into a more productive mode...like getting rid of meth labs. THERE is a dangerous drug.

 

[onegreenday]

http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/c...le-Marijuana-Bills-Why-Regulate-Better-Repeal


Battle of the Marijuana Bills: Why 'Regulate' is Better Than 'Repeal'
By jeremiah
Created 09/29/2011 - 14:36
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Author:
David Malmo-Levine, Cannabis Culture

There are two legalization of cannabis initiatives that look like they may get on the ballot this year – neither of which resemble or have anything to do with Prop 19. Those who brought you Prop 19 in 2010 have dropped out of the race [1].

The Regulate Marijuana Like Wine Act of 2012 (RMLW) and The Repeal Cannabis Prohibition Act of 2012 (RPC) both enjoy broad-based support, and both appear to be able to get the funding to be on the ballot in 2012.

Read the text of RMLW [2]

Read the text of RCP [3]

Here are 5 reasons why the RMLW Act is far superior to the RCP Act:

1) There are no colossal screw-ups in RMLW. There is a glaring omission in RCP that would leave everyone vulnerable to arrest.

RMLW would repeal Section 11999 of California's Health and Safety Code that defines marijuana as a controlled substance. RCP would not. By including the repeal of Section 11999, RMLW ensures that marijuana prohibition really will be repealed and not left standing due to an incomplete listing of the controlling statutes. Don't take my word for it, read this excerpt from the California Health and Safety Code and decide for yourself:

SECTION 11999. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(b) The Legislature has classified certain substances as controlled substances and has defined the lawful and unlawful use of controlled substances which are commonly referred to as, but not limited to, anabolic steroids, marijuana, and cocaine.
Advertisement [4]

As you can see, this statute, if left standing, could still be used to uphold marijuana prohibition. Thanks to the Chief Counsel of RMLW Bill McPike, all the controlling statutes - including 11999 - were properly included in the list of laws to be repealed by RMLW. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of RCP.

2) RMLW would repeal felony convictions for minors and replace felonies with fines instead. RCP would not.

RMLW states:

(5) For persons under 21 years of age it is an infraction punishable by a fine up to $2,500.00, for any one of the following:
(A) Possession of over one ounce of marijuana.
(B) Cultivation of marijuana.
(C) Gifting, sharing, distributing, sales, storage, transporting over one ounce of marijuana.
(D) Possession of one ounce or less of marijuana, in this class shall be an infraction with a $100 fine.

RCP applies to adults only. There are no reduced penalties of any kind for those under 21 years old in RCP. Jail is much more dangerous to those under 21 than cannabis ever could be. If you want young people to stop going to jail for cannabis offences then support and vote for RMLW.

3) Only RMLW would prohibit local jurisdictions from banning or taxing dispensaries or instituting discriminatory licensing practices. RCP would not.

From RMLW:

(7) No later than February 1, 2013, the state Alcohol Beverage Control Board shall adopt regulations and procedures, provide and accept forms for the implementation of commercial activity under this Act. Such regulations shall not prohibit marijuana farming, the operation of marijuana establishments or point of sale outlets, either expressly or through regulations that make their operation different than wine or beer regulations and fees, or unreasonably impracticable. … Localities may not adopt higher or extra fees, limits, site plans, zoning, regulations or procedures for commercial activity which are different than those which regulate grape farms, wineries, distribution and sales of wine and beer.

Part of the reluctance of the California public to fully support Prop 19 was a fear that the discriminatory licensing practices - practices that only allowed four med pot dispensaries in Oakland or 41 med pot dispensaries in Los Angeles - would have continued under Prop 19. With RMLW, the authors have ensured that everyone who wants to be a part of the economy will be able to get a job cultivating or retailing, just like the wine industry (there are approximately 11,000 places to buy alcohol in Los Angeles and 160 places to buy alcohol in Oakland [5], and no "caps" on the number of commercial growers of wine grapes).

Most medical cannabis dispensaries don't realize it yet, but the recent Tentative Opinion issued recently by the 4th District Court of Appeals in the case of City of Riverside vs. Inland Empire Patients Health and Wellness Center could spell the end of dispensaries located in unfriendly jurisdictions. That is because the court has tentatively concluded that under existing state laws, cities and counties can ban collectives under their zoning ordinances. Once this opinion becomes final, we could be looking at a mass extinction of medical cannabis dispensaries. Only RMLW can override this decision and keep dispensaries open.

4) Only RMLW would explicitly prohibit the monopolization of the cannabis industry with a prohibition on Genetically Modified cannabis. RCP would not.

RMLW states:

(10) Experimentation, development, research, testing, cultivation, sales, or possession of genetically-modified (GMO) marijuana, hemp, and its seeds, shall be banned throughout the state of California.

The Monsanto Corporation has used their genetically modified plants [6] to justify unfair monopolies and destroy the livelihood (and steal the strains of) farmers.

RMLW would stop that from happening with cannabis in California. RCP would not.

5) Only the model represented by RMLW enjoys over 62% support in California polls.

The Economist magazine, on February 5-8, 2011, conducted a poll [7] (PDF [8]) of a thousand Americans. One question asked:

30. Some people say marijuana should be treated like alcohol and tobacco. They say it should be regulated and taxed and made illegal for minors. Do you agree?

Strongly agree . . 34%
Agree . . 24%
Neither agree, nor disagree . . 19%
Disagree . .. 7%
Strongly disagree . . 16%

When The Economist was contacted and paid to break down the results by region, the "Western USA" region (which includes California) showed over 62% support for regulating marijuana like alcohol. It appears that replacing cannabis prohibition with a familiar regulatory structure enjoys significantly more support than any simple repeal initiative, as "legalization" without regulation has only been able to muster 55% support [9].

It is clear that, with the last effort for cannabis law reform failing by such a small margin - with 53.5% of California voters voting "No" and 46.5% voting "Yes" in 2010 – every little bit of support will count, and the 7% difference between support for "regulation like wine" over "simple legalization" may mean the difference between success and failure.

Finally, this author would like to add that the rumors about Steve Kubby [10] removing RMLW from the initiative process are false.

Mr. Kubby's statements regarding RMLW being "backup" to RCP should be taken in the spirit of his cooperative, work-with-everyone ethic rather than an admission of inferiority or a reluctance on his part to do everything within his power to put RMLW on the ballot. Mr. Kubby feels that RMLW is the superior of the two initiatives, and encourages everyone to read both initiatives and judge for themselves which one will result in the kind of legalization cannabis activists have been fighting to create for at least 46 years.

Read Steve Kubby's latest article [11] on The Regulate Marijuana Like Wine Act of 2012 for more information on polling in California.

Find out more at RegulateMarijuanaLikeWine.com [12]

i could live with that myself, but it's still a felony in cali for cultivation, with the exception for 215 patients
NY actually is better than California if you take 215 out of the equation
decriminalize cultivation and i'd be happy
not going to happen though, states will want money for that kind of deal

 

[onegreenday]

http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/c...Marijuana-Legalization-and-Regulation-Califor

Polls Show a World of Difference Between Marijuana 'Legalization' and 'Regulation' in California

Steve Kubby, Cannabis Culture

A recent article by Phil Smith of StoptheDrugWar.org reports, "Marijuana Legalization Trails in New California Poll" [1]. According to Smith, "The Public Policy Institute of California poll had 51% opposing pot legalization, with 46% in favor."

However, we should point out that there is a world of difference between "legalization" and "regulation".

Regulation enjoys much higher polling and the recent poll [2] by The Economist shows this, as well as the first petition to qualify for White House Review, and other initiatives at the state and federal level that specifically call for marijuana to be strictly regulated, just like alcohol, or wine.

Unlike other initiatives, we did our polling first and found that there is strong support, especially with conservatives and police to regulate marijuana like alcohol. So, bottom line, 46% support for legalization is probably realistic, just as 62% support for regulating cannabis like alcohol is also realistic.

This poll was conducted via the web, but statistical analysis was performed to qualify respondents, who were selected from YouGov’s PollingPoint panel using sample matching. A random sample (stratified by age, gender, race, education, and region) was selected from the 2005–2007 American Community Study. Voter registration, turnout, religion, news interest, minor party identification, and non-placement on an ideology scale, were imputed from the 2008 Current Population Survey Registration and Voting Supplement and the Pew Religion in American Life Survey. Matching respondents were selected from the PollingPoint panel, an opt-in Internet panel. Weighting The sample was weighted using propensity scores based on age, gender, race, education, news interest, voter registration, and non-placement on an ideology scale. The weights range from 0.3 to 6.8, with a mean of one and a standard deviation of 0.93.

Our polling company considers the data valid and so do we.

Furthermore, we expect even better results on election day, because the real question that will be in front of voters is this:

"Would you support an initiative to regulate marijuana like wine, if you knew that a former superior court judge and LAPD deputy police chief helped to write it and a conservative Republican congressman, assemblyman and college president have endorsed it?"

My guess is that if you polled this question, you would blow right off the charts.

In any case, everyone should take another look at our initiative and the unique marketing plan we have developed to win the hearts and minds of voters. Carefully consider the track record and experience of our team as well as the shock waves that the Rohrabacher endorsement [3] has caused. Not only are we getting frantic queries from other activists and journalists who seek confirmation that this really happened, but even Politico commented [4] nationally on the conservative Republican's endorsement.

Bottom line, this initiative offers a unique package that appeals to conservatives, while still securing historic wins for our side. The text is just a part of a winning formula that includes recruiting former drug warriors and conservatives who see the wine model as the best scenario for real and meaningful reform. And please don't ever forget, RMLW is the ONLY voter initiative that repeals ALL the marijuana laws on the books.

Polling Details on 62% Support for Regulating Marijuana like Wine

"Public opinion continues to evolve on the issue of drug policy, particularly in regards to marijuana. In fact, a recent Economist/YouGov nationwide poll found that 58 percent agreed with the following statement, “Some people say marijuana should be treated like alcohol and tobacco. They say it should be regulated and taxed and made illegal for minors.” In addition, 62 percent of western region respondents agreed with this statement-the highest of any region in the nation."
- John Fairbank
Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates

Here's the link [5] to the polling study by The Economist Magazine:

Here is the poll under question 30:

30. Some people say marijuana should be treated like alcohol and tobacco. They say it should be regulated and taxed and made illegal for minors. Do you agree?

Strongly agree . . 34%
Agree . . 24%
Neither agree, nor disagree . . 19%
Disagree . . 7%
Strongly disagree . . 16%

As you can see, Strongly Agree + Agree = 34% + 24% or 58% support. However, this was a nationwide poll of 1,000 respondents. When data just for the West was teased out of the results by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates, the polling climbs to 62%.

Read David Malmo-Levine's "Battle of the Marijuana Bills: Why 'Regulate' is Better Than 'Repeal'" [6] on Cannabis Culture.

Find out more at RegulateMarijuanaLikeWine.com [7].

 

[ACBract]

when are we going to file a class action suite against the dea for ruining the liveliehood and famlies of so many sick and or hard working americans?

 

[onegreenday]

There's a lawsuit against DEA to reschedule marijuana and remove it from schedule #1. If we win that will change things right quick..

when are we going to file a class action suite against the dea for ruining the liveliehood and famlies of so many sick and or hard working americans?

 

[Tarheal]

It's all about the money, power and politics. Unfortunately the wrong people are calling the shots. But they have more money than me so what can i do?

 

[onegreenday]

I don't follow your post. what are you talking about?

It's all about the money, power and politics. Unfortunately the wrong people are calling the shots. But they have more money than me so what can i do?

 

[Hydro-Soil]

However, we should point out that there is a world of difference between "legalization" and "regulation".

Regulation enjoys much higher polling and the recent poll [2] by The Economist shows this, as well as the first petition to qualify for White House Review, and other initiatives at the state and federal level that specifically call for marijuana to be strictly regulated, just like alcohol, or wine.

The problem is that cannabis should only be as regulated as any other vegetable is regulated. Free to grow, free to give away and do whatever you want with it... regulated to death when you want to do anything commercial with it.

The truth is that cannabis is THE most beneficial and medicinal plant on the earth.... restricting its use in any way is criminal in itself. Until this truth is widespread and people act accordingly.... the devastation and misery in society will continue.

Until the money potential is reduced to that of the common vegetable... people and patients will continue to get screwed by the money interests.

Stay Safe!

 

[onegreenday]

quote: Until the money potential is reduced to that of the common vegetable... people and patients will continue to get screwed by the money interests.

The 'regulate like wine' initiative will pretty much achieve what you desire as 'anybody' of age will be able to grow and that will blow the lid off prohibition.