Marijuana law reformers, myself included, have spilled volumes of ink commenting on the numerous reasons and vested interests responsible for the continued prohibition of cannabis. But while these lengthy writings may be worthwhile intellectual exercises, I fear that they overlook the obvious.
That’s why, right now, I’d like to give you seven specific reasons why the use of cannabis by adults — including seriously ill patients — remains a crime in America. Ready? Here they are:
Governor Donald Carcieri (R-Rhode Island)
Governor James Douglas (R-Vermont)
Governor Linda Lingle (R-Hawaii)
Governor John Lynch (D-New Hampshire)
Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-Minnesota)
Governor Jodi Rell (R-Connecticut)
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-California)
Each of these Governors have single-handedly opted to kill marijuana law reform legislation in their states — either by the stroke of a pen (Carcieri, Lingle, Rell, Schwarzenegger) or by applying enough legislative pressure to abruptly halt ‘pro-pot’ proposals from ever reaching their desk. (In fairness to Gov. Douglas, he has allowed both medical marijuana and hemp law reform bills to become law without his signature.) Governors Carcieri and Schwarzenegger are multiple offenders — having combined to veto half a dozen marijuana-law reform bills in recent years.
Want to know why pot remains illegal in America? You can start by asking your Governor.
This is absolutely ridiculous. I’m writing a letter to Schwarzenegger right now.
I saw a video of a reporter asking him if smoking marijuana was a bad thing.. he said no
“We knew how to have a good time”
I thought he was pro-cannabis
Charlie Crist gov of florida just signed a bill making it felony to rent to someone who grows or sells weed effectively making imposable for anyone who has been convicted of a weed offense to rent a home.
I should note his website calls him “The People’s Governor” also He admits to smoking pot.
The truth is smoking pot could be promoted as a path to success after all in 16 years 4 consecutive election no candidate who hasn’t smoked pot has won the presidency, in fact seeing as both democratic & republican candidates for president this year as well as the republican vp candidate all have smoked pot in 2012 we will be able to say in 20 years 5 elections no one has been elected president with out first smoking pot.
Bill Clinton 2 Terms
George W Bush 2 Terms
John McCain National Hero 26 Years in Congress
Barack Obama seemingly unstoppable shooting star of the democratic party
Sara Palin seemingly unstoppable shooting star of the republican party
What do they all in common? Well yes they smoked pot, but what the biggest thing they all have in common is they never got caught. They would not have gotten to be heros or shooting stars if they had screwed up and run a stop sign with some weed in their pocket.
here is another reason. go and google (Zeitgeist the movie). then you will be awoke to the truth. it is what it is. ron paul for prez, have to do a write in.
heh-heh — he certainly does seem to be enjoying it — perhaps he should veto himself!
so everywhere in the u.s.a, that i smoke, while not a patient i am a criminal.. are we free?
I love you guys, but…
Your governor list is dominated by “R” (i.e. Conservatives).
You all know that politicians do not act on principle when their constituents oppose principle.
Many Conservatives still wrongly believe that marijuana use is proven to be harmful, and therefore our public servants have a duty to do whatever they can to prevent such use.
There are basically two facets to righteousness.
One is to be right. We are.
The second is to have the right presentation.
This second facet is where the drug law reform movement has failed IMHO.
To be effective, the presentation must be tailored to the intended audience.
Conservative support is necessary to have the majority public support needed to end drug prohibition, but the presentation of the reform movement has done little to nothing to reach out to Conservatives.
I’m going to guess that it’s because the dominant members of the reform movement have a “D” in the voter registration list.
Want to end drug prohibition? Start recruiting well-articulate Conservatives to present our righteousness to that crucial audience.
I just sent an e-mail to Lynch!
I am so ashamed of my governor that I want to go to my Medical Marijuanna Dr.’s office and rip the naked picture of Arnold Swartzenager off the wall!!! What ever happened to compassion for the sick and dying!
I think that the people who have no mercy such as our governor are going to have quite a surprise when they stand before the God of Mercy and Justice and give an account of why they continued to allow the sick and dying to continue to suffer, and even have them thrown into jail. I do not think they want to see the inside of God’s jail. Remember Arnold, at Neuromburg the Guards at the consentration camp said that they were just following orders!!! Guess what , that excuse brought a noose around their neck and they were hung!!!!
Arnold, you are not worthy to be my governor!!!!!!!
If politicians had any sense, they would legalize weed immediately. Why? Because there’s almost no limit to what I’d let them do if they’d just let me have a smoke when I wanted it.
I’m upset that they are screwing us on this bailout plan. It’s only fair that they should give us legal weed in exchange.
I don’t like the war, I don’t like taxes, I don’t like drug prohibition, and I don’t like being a slave. All I’ve ever wanted to do in my life is fall in love, write, and get high. Who are they to make it so difficult?
Here’s the deal…let me get high, and you elite f’tards can do as you wish otherwise, with no complaints from me. Fair enough?
Even though the Govenator has vetoed these laws, California seems to be the most liberal state about it (I live in Texas, one of the worset state when it comes to pot laws and punishment). If he really way anti pot, then wouldnt he do everything in his power to revoke cali’s decriminalization laws?
Excellent blog post Paul and ‘Really Arnold’ is correct re Schwarzenegger and his hypocrisy re cannabis!
In the early 1990s Schwarzenegger told a glossy movie magazine that he used to use cannabis to ‘get in touch with his feelings…especially when watching movies.’
Further, the video clip ‘Really Arnold’ is referring to is a TMZ clip, where Schwarzenegger (walking with a wrongly dismissive Sly Stallone) acknowledges that he used to smoke ganja with NORML Advisory Board member Tommy Chong and that they really knew how to have fun together.
Watch the video clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPHTrnvNRgY
Because of former CA Governor Pete ‘Veto’ Wilson and Schwarzenegger, the free will of citizens and legislators in America’s largest and most important state are being stymied by the executive branch. In the case of Schwarzenegger, a big baby boomer hypocrite!
Because in NH, Democrats suck.
ph0ed1n,
On the one hand you are correct; marijuana law reform needs more political support from so-called Conservatives and/or Republicans. We also need greater political support from so-called Liberals and/or Democrats. Fact is, the political support for the criminal prohibition of cannabis is a bipartisan (Check out NORML’s criticisms of Democrat Joe Biden, for instance); marijuana law reform has yet to gain a strong foothold in either of the “big 2” political parties.
However, your implication is I’ve singled out six of the seven Governor’s singled out above because they Republicans. Hardly, they are are singled out because of their actions, not their party affiliations. It just so happens that among state Governors that have vetoed marijuana law reform legislation in recent years (Carcieri, Lingle, Rell, Schwarzenegger) — all have been Republicans. Of course, had there been a slew of Democrat Governors acting in a similar manner, their names would have been listed too.
On politics: I don’t remember where it was, but some one made a very good point on the presidential elections: If Barack Obama had been caught with cannabis, he wouldn’t be Senator Barack Obama, he’d be Barry the Janitor.
I was disappointed when Jodi Rell vetoed it. She is Republican and most salute to that. She is on the fence still on deciding is she is going to re-run. The Former house speaker will be running as well on the notion she wont run. 05′ !
Paul,
I didn’t intend to imply that NORML did anything wrong in selecting the members on the reasons list.
Neither major party, by their actions, understands the “unalienable” part of our Right to Liberty (they don’t even get the word right, thinking it’s inalienable).
That said, it appears to me that politically-left constituents are more likely to embrace ending drug prohibition than those on the political right. I confess that I can’t verify this appearance, and welcome any enlightenment that one may share.
Perhaps a lot of people who lean politically right (living in “red” states) may be avoiding our points, because they automatically dismiss us as Liberal wackos threatening their beliefs.
I respect all of the fine work conducted in the reform movement regardless of anyone’s political leanings, and I believe that we have this powerful communications tool called the Internet that is helping a lot.
However, there seems to be a communications block, something preventing the public majority from being properly informed on this issue.
If we could just figure out how to remove that block and resonate with the public majority (which requires a clean, professional, bipartisan presentation IMHO), elected officials would have no ability to continue this destructive drug prohibition.
My comments are an effort to try to get the reform movement to identify this “resonance frequency”.
Most Americans don’t see themselves as negatively, personally affected by drug prohibition, because most Americans don’t use illicit drugs. We must convince them otherwise. How?
If the govt would just legalize marijuana we wouldn’t be talking about this whole 700 million dollar bail out crap!
I just got my reply from Cong. Fergusson. He will not support any type of marijuana reform here in the Garbage State. He also had the standard response. Marijuana is the gateway drug to ALL other drugs. This is why we will Never have any type of reform. Our wonderful elected officials looking out for our well being, because we are too stupid to know what is right for us.
Legalizeing pot in arizona will help save millions of dollars from putting people in jail or making them take TASC worry about the bad drugs like METH AND COKE
if you choose to smoke weed instead of tobacoo that should be your up to you. Alcohal cause more damage to the human body
I keep hearing about all the pot the feds capture from mexaco cartels just legalize it and cut out this cat and mouse crap of smuggling pot just grow it here in Arizona and sell it like buying tomatoes at a farmers market. the cost will be cheaper and there would be more happy people in phoenix
thats my 2 cents worth
Paul B
To legalize marijuana it starts and stops with the people. You have to break the taboo and the stigma. Stigma should be a word that those using marijuana for medical reasons, like me, should be well familiar with. You need to talk to the people who say marijuana is bad and those who use it are lazy. These people don’t know any better and when I speak to them like an adult and explain to them why I smoke it, and the circumstances of my life, they usually buckle up and get quiet.
It’s the same exact thing as the way people look at cultural diversity. If you grow up in a small town full of white people, which by the way I am white, then you probably don’t know any better if you are a racist against minorities. It isn’t until you go to college that you begin to meet a lot of people and realize that they aren’t really that different from you.
This ties into the paradigm of society. That is the problem. It is the same problem that elected these 6 people, and the same problem that got Bush to become President of the United States of America.
It’s not enough to just do it in placed like California and New York. We have to do it everywhere. We have to sink our tenticles into every town, big and small, and spread a grassroots campaign across america. It can be done and it starts with You and Me. We are in the age of social networking. Our numbers are literally limitless and the potential to grow is there if we simply take advantage.
As you say, we are right… we have the moral high ground. We have logic. All they need to do is listen.
Remember; “Sometimes 10 people speak louder than 10,000” — Napoleon.
WELL SWARZENPUPPY! he really cant say he didnt inhale!
that looks like a big inhale to me.
i remeber about a month ago i facilitated this question to a norml.org board advisor and they didnt give me much of a response but i am glad they used my insight into just ask the question why! unfortunately when i emailed the rep from my are in houston she replied with N/A response and had no answer…
i have been a “stoner” all of my life. I believe that weed should be legal. If the government would sell it in liquer stores, to those of us who are of legal age, and tax the hell out of it, we would not have a federal defict anymore and the prices would go down for us the cosumers.
I agree with carolyn. If we tax cannabis like we tax ethanol and establish some regulatory standards then the government would have a whole lot of money to pour into things alot more inportant than the war on drugs, such as education or funding research on renewable energy.
Recently a man with end stages of liver disease was hoping for a liver, he passed all criteria too have a liver transplant…his doctor told him smoking pot would be ok,,,,, when a liver was found, the man was denied a liver because……..he had pot in his system. He died. Now, this could be YOU or ME folks…a human life gone, because he smoked POT too relieve pain. What is this world coming too? and where is it going? I’m totally disgusted.
Anita (detroit michigan)
Medical marijuana user dies for lack of liver transplant
A musician who was denied a liver transplant because he used marijuana with medical approval under Washington state law to ease the symptoms of advanced hepatitis C died Thursday.
The death of Timothy Garon, 56, at Bailey-Boushay House, an intensive care nursing center was confirmed to The Associated Press by his lawyer, Douglas Hiatt, and Alisha Mark, a spokeswoman for Virginia Mason Medical Center, which operates Bailey-Boushay.
Dr. Brad Roter, the physician who authorized Garon to smoke pot to alleviate for nausea and abdominal pain and to stimulate his appetite, said he did not know it would be such a hurdle if Garon were to need a transplant.
The case has highlighted a new ethical consideration for those allocating organs for transplant, especially in the dozen states that have medical marijuana laws: When dying patients need a transplant, should it be held against them if they’ve used pot with a doctor’s blessing?
Garon died a week after his doctor told him a University of Washington Medical Center committee had again denied him a spot on the liver transplant list.
“He said I’m going to die with such conviction,” Garon told an AP reporter at the time. “I’m not angry, I’m not mad, I’m just confused.”
Garon believes he contracted hepatitis C by sharing needles with “speed freaks” as a teenager. In recent years, he said, pot has been the only drug he’s used. In December, he was arrested for growing marijuana.
He had been in the hospice for two months and previously was rejected for a transplant at Harborview Medical Center.
Harborview said he would be considered if he avoided pot for six months and the university hospital offered to reconsider if he enrolled in a 60-day drug treatment program, but doctors said his liver disease was too advanced for him to last that long. The university hospital committee agreed to reconsider anyway, then denied him again.
Copyright © 2008
you can send all the e-mail you want nobody gives a fuck. I sent 5 e-mails to Lynch and not 1 response!
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/273003/arnold_smoking_weed/
arnald smoking pot back in day video
TO NORML.HOPE THIS IS A POWERFULL TOOL TO THE GOVT. YOU CAN USE FOR THE CAUSE. GOD BLESS. I agree with what you guys are saying. If you put into perspective, the govt. ignorance view, vs. the common global knowledge of things, you can see why things are the way they are. compare to alchohol prohibition and its ultimate defeat. no offense to consumers of alchohol as i am one myself. but used to smoke pot but cant now due to unconstitutional drug testing (wich weed should in NO WAY even be on) that my income depends on given my careers.
REASON BEHIND WEED WHERE IT IS? BECAUSE GOVT. HAS PUT THEMSELVES IN THE WRONG WITH THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FOUNDING FATHERS AND WE THE PEOPLE OF THE U.S. THEY MADE A MISTAKE. THEY CANNOTT ADMIT TO MISTAKES. IT WILL HURT THE SOLID RESOLVE OF THE GOVT. FURTHER DAMAGE TO NIXON. DRUG SCHEDULE SYSTEM. F.D.A. F.C.C AND MANY OTHER OUTRAGES TO JAILED CITIZENS THAT HAVE BEEN HELD FOR YEARS OF THIER LIVES FOR DEALING WITH A GOD GIVEN EARTH GROWN PLANT FOR WICH BY LAW OF GOD, GOVT. SHOULD HAVE NO DOMICILE OVER. AS IT WAS HIS CREATION. UNALTERED FOR USE.
WEED FACTS:
1. none ever died from it.
2. safer than alchohol.
3. if treated and taxed/regulated as tobacco and alchohol: would be an additional multi billion dollar economic stimulus for american economy. wich would also reduce crime to astounding percentages due do effects as seen in other countries like amsterdam, would take value factor/bite out of its market for gangs and illegal drug profitiers/distributors thus reducing violence from effects. reduce feeding jailed offenders and free up penal system for incarserating real criminals of violence, thus saving additional billions in taxpayer money.
4. has mental and physcical health benifits.
5. all natural. not man made. made by God. nature.
*THE GOVT. PROBLEM.*
1. they were asked by citizens in the early 20th century to please do something about crime coming from minorities crossing borders from mexico and others here that were african american. etc. due to profiling and racism at the time the high crime rates where pinned on minorities as high class whites could not accept that they had a role to play also. (no buyist: im white myself. just stating the facts.) the Govt. being charged with coming up to a solution to the problem, for lack of any other plausible solution at the time due to limited research investment capabilities and funds they had to deal with the headache. they simply pinned the problems on drugs, included all substances used for recreational value. and put a war out on such. with laws and adds to criminalize weed and other recreational substances in a way to show commercials that show people smoking weed then killing thier mother with a frying pan. once put into effect, to deviate from such, would show lack of judgement in govt. before this. there were no laws against it. taxation was tried, but very poorly done. even l.s.d. and excstacy in those days were used before medicinaly by many physicians to help with marital and other problems in moderation with no problem. the abuse is what put down child like laws that since bobby and jill over here overdone it so now, we have zero tollerance. govt. solution. problem solved.
the govt. cannot easily admit to wrong doing. alchohol was brought out of prohibition twice and reamains that way thanks to overwhelming bootlegging, and moonshiners, speakeasys. govt. had no choice but to throw the towel in on alchohol as they were defeated. couldnt get rid of it, no matter what. the same will have to happen for pot. everywhere they turn thier head. weed is in thier face. towel will go back in as deafeat to solving the problem and no wrongdoing on thier part to try and combat it as a govt.
2. pot is on shcedule I. with heroin, and crack. must reduce schedule.
3. F.D.A. and others are in bed with big pharmecudicals like phizer and others that pay them off to keep natural OUT and manmade IN for profit.
4. D.E.A. and law enforcement is just doing what its told and would like to be relieved from this trouble of policing weed so it can concentrate on real crime.
5. drug testing of T.H.C. for jobs is unconstitutional because it cannot test for current on the job use. people may smoke pot on the weekend and then be far from its mild mondain effects days later when returning to work criminilizing the employee to job and life loss or pre employment opportunities wich they are more than able and qualified to carry out and use pot only recreationally at home during off time as just is the case with responsible alchohol drinkers with high responsibility jobs.
*SOLUTION*
1.resolution and release of charge to govt. to police marijuana.
a. we the people of the united states of america find that the natural plant cannibis put here on earth by our lord God, and maintained to be seen fit to grow by our mother earth in her system as substinence for our bodies is in no way related to the crime of our country and nor inlcuded in our governments charge to police. we release our government from any responsibility dealing with such matters that we as the people know, with our modern knowlege now, cannibis has no bearing on the criminal intnent of our people. and we hold no responsibility for government actions taken as such prior due to the fact of innacurate assement of the plant, at the time, due to the limited technology available at the time. thank you for your efforts. please reform and ammend these mistakes so that we may move foward and prosper. please make public acceptance and confirmation of such to confirm. thank you.
your citizens of the United States of America.
lets make into petition. and make history for the free people once more.
Well for all who say we’d make millions taxing Mariquana. The Government already does. 18 wheelers full of drugs cruise through our borders everyday. Do you think thats by accident or no one knows..please! Why make it public money when they can line their pockets.
Since, it wont make more money as a legal drug and It will kill off several major drug companies it would be a “conflict of Interest”.
If they went off facts and did what was right we’d be free to toke up as we see fit but until someone can propose more money.
We lose
Lingle just decided to balance Hawaii’s buget by dropping all adults off medicaid! She is all right with robbing the poorest, sickest in her state! But she would never think of legalizing & taxing marijuana, which would solve the buget problem. Tourists would have to book months in advance> And unlike gambling tourists these stoners would be no trouble at all.
She wants to be President! Watch her & do not forget how ruthless & unkind she is.
pain pain pain no arm no leg neurological pain smoke some marijuana ok – no pharmaceutical drugs for me dazed from that is what i get
they all are afraid of all the money they will lose on pharmaceutical crap man made garbage. GOD gave us this wonderful weed to make into food ointment or smoke. When is our fight for this gracious plant gonna end, we are not free…….
pain pain pain no arm no leg neurological pain smoke some marijuana ok – no pharmaceutical drugs for me dazed from that is what i get
they all are afraid of all the money they will lose on pharmaceutical crap man made garbage. GOD gave us this wonderful weed to make into food ointment or smoke. When is our fight for this gracious plant gonna end, we are not free…….
Just legalize it.
Just legalize it. I have been smoking for years. I still smoke multiple times a day. I work two jobs. Went PSEO my last year of highschool. Maxed myself out on credits. I was the second person int he history of the school to take that many credits. I completed a year of college before I graduated highschool. And allbecause I had 1.7 grams in my car my licence got revoked. How FUCKED up is that. Legalize it and be done. It will save the government so much money and time and they can focus on REAL problems.
I`m waiting for N.C. medical community to FESS UP and admit that marijuana IS USEFULL to treat so many debilitating problems,like migraine headaches,cronic muscle pain.And so much more.It`s a shame that I have to take a 28.80 pill rather than smoke a 3.00 joint.I think it`s time for the N.O.R.M.L. lobbist need to visit RALEIGH.Maybe even turn a few heads in congress to our NEED not just our want.If I could grow a couple of plants.I myself could SAVE our government over 175.00 just for one pill I take. NUFF SAID !!!!!!!
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