Nearly eight months ago I posted the following essay to NORML’s blog, entitled: “Want To Know Why Pot Is Still Illegal? Ask Your Governor.”
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.
Why am I reposting this now? Simple, because the more things change the more they stay the same.
On Friday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed legislation that would have allowed terminally ill patients the legal right to possess and use (but not grow) medicinal cannabis. That’s right, I said ‘terminal.’ Apparently Gov. Pawlenty — who cynically remarked “While I am sympathetic to those dealing with end-of-life illnesses and accompanying pain, I stand with law enforcement in opposition to this legislation” — would prefer to have patients at death’s door rely on the medical judgment of a prison warden rather than that of their physician.
But Gov. Pawlenty is hardly the only state governor up to the same old tricks.
In New Hampshire, lawmakers are trying to work out a last-minute compromise with Gov. John Lynch, who has threatened to veto any measure that allows for seriously ill patients to grow or use medical cannabis in their homes. And in Connecticut, Gov. Jodi Rell’s veto threat of legislation that sought to prevent minor marijuana offenders from being saddled with lifetime criminal records certainly did proponents no favors.
In Hawaii and Rhode Island, legislation pertaining to the medical use of cannabis is now on both state’s governors’ desks. If past is precedent, can vetoes be far behind?
And what about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who earlier this month announced, “[I]t’s time for a debate” regarding taxing and regulating the sale of cannabis for adults. We expect to learn more about the Governor’s position in mere minutes, as he will be elaborating on his stance in today’s Digg.com chat — which you can access here.
Want to know why pot remains illegal in America? You can start by asking your governor — again.
When are we going to have the debate???
Come on NORML. I want to see a debate scheduled tomorrow. How much money do I need to donate??
This should be no surprize that these governors are against this. The political climate needs to change more then it already has. When politicians start to feel pressure from the voters this will change. It would be nice to see a political figure lose a election for being against marijuana reform. Then things will really start to change.
Why wasn’t the issue raised in the Live Digg Dialogg with Schwarzenegger? Did I miss it?
I guess that
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)
are more towards supporting the cartel doing more harm to our nation than any thing . Talk about hypocrits and yet they are suppose to be for the people yet are letting our constitutional rights in under the 1st amendment regarding descrimination yet they allow much dangerous substances like tobaco and alcohol which is known to cause more death and violence than marijuana. What happened to “Land of the free” and “We the people of the usa”? I mean don’t we get a say on our rights to preserve freedom with out fear of persicution? Oh that is right it is not “we the people” it is “We the ignorant Govt that is against and at war with the people.” I know when election time comes around what I will do and that is simply not vote to put the same people in office when they run and I would urge every one else to do the same after all we did not put them in to office to not be listened to while they get a fat pay check from the tax payers money yet do nothing good for the people but sit on their buts and complain about viloence , crime and our economy when they have a logical option that would help our nation save Billions up on Billions of taxpayers money. Personally if their is some one from MPP , NORML or an orginazation that is for the people I would cast my vote for them as so would thousands of other Americans. This being said let us take back our country and give it back to the people instead of giving it to the poloticians who only care for fame , fortune and make bad decisions for us (the people of the USA).
I guess that
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)
are more towards supporting the cartel doing more harm to our nation than any thing . Talk about hypocrits and yet they are suppose to be for the people yet are letting our constitutional rights in under the 1st amendment regarding descrimination yet they allow much dangerous substances like tobaco and alcohol which is known to cause more death and violence than marijuana. What happened to “Land of the free” and “We the people of the usa”? I mean don’t we get a say on our rights to preserve freedom with out fear of persicution? Oh that is right it is not “we the people” it is “We the ignorant Govt that is against and at war with the people.” I know when election time comes around what I will do and that is simply not vote to put the same people in office when they run and I would urge every one else to do the same after all we did not put them in to office to not be listened to while they get a fat pay check from the tax payers money yet do nothing good for the people but sit on their buts and complain about viloence , crime and our economy when they have a logical option that would help our nation save Billions up on Billions of taxpayers money. Personally if their is some one from MPP , NORML or an orginazation that is for the people I would cast my vote for them as so would thousands of other Americans. This being said let us take back our country and give it back to the people instead of giving it to the poloticians who only care for fame , fortune and make bad decisions for us (the people of the USA).
The main reasons why marijuana is illegal are:
From a prohibition-based perspective, marijuana is illegal in the United States primarily for these reasons.
1. It is perceived as addictive.
Under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug on the basis that is has “a high potential for abuse.” What does this mean?
It means that the perception is that people get on marijuana, they get hooked and become “potheads,” and it begins to dominate their lives. This unquestionably happens in some cases. But it also happens in the case of alcohol–and alcohol is perfectly legal.
In order to fight this argument for prohibition, legalization advocates need to make the argument that marijuana is not as addictive as government sources claim.
FACT:Marijuana is not physically adictive. Alcohol and tobaco are more adictive and deadlier than marijuana will ever be.Heince this is a BS excuse to keep marijuana illegal.
2. It has “no accepted medical use.”
Marijuana seems to yield considerable medical benefits for many Americans with ailments ranging from glaucoma to cancer, but these benefits have not been accepted well enough, on a national level. Medical use of marijuana remains a serious national controversy.
In order to fight the argument that marijuana has no medical use, legalization advocates need to highlight the effects it has had on the lives of people who have used the drug for medical reasons.
FACT:Marijuana does have medical properties and can be debated with facts on NORMLs web site. Heince this is another BS excuse to keep marijuana illegal.
3. It has been historically linked with narcotics, such as heroin.
The first piece of federal legislation to formally regulate marijuana was the Narcotics Act of 1914, which regulated heroin, cocaine, and marijuana. The only trouble is that cocaine and marijuana are not technically narcotics; the word “narcotic,” when used in English, has historically referred to opium derivatives such as heroin and morphine.
But the association stuck, and there is a vast gulf in the American consciousness between “normal” recreational drugs, such as alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine, and “abnormal” recreational drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Marijuana is generally associated with the latter category, which is why it can be convincingly portrayed as a “gateway drug.”
FACT: Marijuana is no more a gateway drug as milk is to alcohol and tobaco . Heince is another BS excuse to keep marijuana illegal.
4. It is associated with unfashionable lifestyles.
Marijuana is often thought of as a drug for hippies and losers. Since it’s hard to feel enthusiastic about the prospects of enabling people to become hippies and losers, imposing criminal sanctions for marijuana possession functions as a form of communal “tough love.”
FACT: This is against our 1st amendment in the constitution and is a BS excuse to keep marijuana illegal.
5. It was once associated with oppressed ethnic groups.
The intense anti-marijuana movement of the 1930s dovetailed nicely with the intense anti-Chicano movement of the 1930s. Marijuana was associated with Mexican Americans, and a ban on marijuana was seen as a way of discouraging Mexican-American subcultures from developing.
Today, thanks in large part to the very public popularity of marijuana among whites during the 1960s and 1970s, marijuana is no longer seen as what one might call an ethnic drug–but the groundwork for the anti-marijuana movement was laid down at a time when marijuana was seen as an encroachment on the U.S. majority-white culture.
FACT: This is against our 1st amendment in the constitution and is a BS excuse to keep marijuana illegal.
6. Inertia is a powerful force in public policy.
If something has been banned for only a short period of time, then the ban is seen as unstable. If something has been banned for a long time, however, then the ban–no matter how ill-conceived it might be–tends to go unenforced long before it is actually taken off the books.
Take the ban on sodomy, for example. It hasn’t really been enforced in any serious way since the 18th century, but most states technically banned same-sex sexual intercourse until the Supreme Court ruled such bans unconstitutional in Lawrence v. Texas (2003).
People tend to be comfortable with the status quo–and the status quo, for nearly a century, has been a literal or de facto federal ban on marijuana.
FACT: IF this is so then why was alcohol illegal and is now legal yet alcohol kills more people than marijuana can ever do yet marijuana is safer yet is kept illegal. Heince this is also a BS reason for marijuana to be kept illegal.
A much better argument for marijuana legalization, from my vantage point, would go more like this: “It makes some people happy, and it doesn’t seem to be any more dangerous than alcohol. Do we really want to go around putting people in prison and destroying their lives over this?”
You know at least he didn’t backpeddle on his “debate” comment, but obviously now we need to get support more than ever from the voters (The PEOPLE….imagine that…) in California to keep this from becoming a backburner issue…
If this passes, the rest of the nation will see how well it works and will push their state legislation to follow suit…
C’mon!!! Yes we can(nabis)!!
It is Unconstitutional, cruel and inhumane to deprive people of treatment that works for them. It is also in direct violation of God-given rights acknowledged in the Constitution of the United States. When guards in Nazi death camps were finally brought to justice, they claimed they were “just following orders,” and “it was the law.” I expect no better from prohibitionists when they are finally brought to justice for their horrific crimes against humanity during a “war” of choice they started more than seven decades ago. When truth and justice finally prevail, I also expect many lengthy prison sentences for those responsible, as well as full “war” reparations for the millions killed, robbed, assaulted, arrested, humiliated, incarcerated, kept from needed medicine, fined and deprived of their full rights as American patriots, among many other injustices, all in direct violation of God’s will and the Constation. God may forgive prohibitionists, but I doubt history will. Their days of trying to run other people’s lives is finally coming to an end. God bless America and all true freedom loving American patriots.
The whole thing was kind of a waste, considering what question won.
I sent a very critical e-mail to my douchbag governer of Minnesota, stated he is as corrupt as the law enforcement he supports! By the posts on local newspaper websites he has lost many votes for his decision.
The Reason Why Cops Dont wanna Legalize
iS because they dont want Citizens having Freedom
Fuckin Communists…Go Move To North Korea
America Stands FoR Freedom
Freedom Of Choice…Freedom Of Drug…Freedom Of Life
Leave Us Alone…Aint Life HarD Enuff Already???
Tryna FinDs jobs
FREEDOM iS NORML~
thas not youR opinion
thas A FACT………….
Learn iT
Live iT
Smoke iT
I believe decriminalization in our country will be driven by the states. If voters start pressuring their state legislatures and everyone examines why marijuana was made illegal in 1937, change would surely follow.
What is the federal government going to do when half of the United States have medical marijuana laws? They would need to respond. We are in the information age; President Obama has made a vow to lead by science, we need to hold him to that promise when it comes to marijuana.
Our history has made it impossible to properly investigate marijuana’s potential benefits. As more states continue to contradict the federal marijuana laws, pressure grows on the federal government. Look at how much this issue has exploded since the Michael Phelps incident, it could potentially be a factor in our next Presidential election.
News Alert: Illinois Senate just passed medical marijuana 30-28. Whaoooo!!!! 🙂 Now its off to the house and governor Quinn’s signature. Support patients and liberty by contacting your IL house rep and call the governor at 312-814-2121 or 217-782-0244 and lets become the 14th state.
its simple…republicans are the party of prohibition. their remaining base is now almost soley southern baptists. they are dying as a party and rightfully so as they have become nothing more than exremists. within 1 or 2 election cycles they will be in the history books and logic and reason will prevail. can’t happen soon enough.
I too sent a very critical to our power hungry veto pen governer, the funny thing is, I also sent a letter, prepaired by myself regarging HF-292 before it came to his desk. Well I got a canned email back stating that my letter would forward to proper channel, never got any other reply, I wonder where my letter was actually forwarded to? Knowing this prick it was probobly sent to his buddies in law enforcement. My letters to public officials are a little more cordial than the way I talk about them on here. Anyone want to venture a guess as to Tim Pawlenty’s chances of getting my vote in his next election? I bet you’re right.
OK, Listen to this. Are you a truly free Sovereign National American. Let’s see, Do you carry a drivers license, have a birth certificate, ssa #. then you are NOT FREE!!! Reclaim your sovereignty and then we can make a REAL CHANGE, in the way this country IS ran. To just be commercial property of this Admiralty government is beyond my understanding. The TRUTH be KNOWN of all men and this will no longer be just conspiracy theory, but the truth hitting you in the head, then you say huh what happened.DO over i wasn’t looking. PEACE
The best thing other than get more coverage on our issue is to have all of us contact our represenitive and ask them to support us through means of presenting to congress a bill to help uphold our 1st amendment by the taxation and legalization of marijuana. The prohibitionist may stop one or even two bills how ever if there are 50 bills for it they can not ignore or stop it it is all about numbers , voices and actions “for the only way good people will fail is to do nothing at all.” We are good people and in such we must fight and fight hard to uphold our constitutional right.
I was actually getting excited with the talk from all of those states. In a flash, they just disregarded. We can throw all the facts and statistics at these guys, but it looks like it’s not helping. There has to be a different approach…this is not working.
P.S. Maybe a month ago I informed my mother on the new stances legislators are taking on cannabis. She simple chuckled and said, “They have been trying to legalize since I was a kid. Unfortunately it’s never going to happen.” I insisted that things were looking up and she insisted that it ment nothing. It looks like she was right.
The government is still living in the 20th century
Ya know whats really funny the people in this country are too afraid to give the government a BIG FUCK YOU.
I mean we do have that freedom of speech thing right? I was almost certain we did. But I guess they pretty much shut that shit down after they started realizing that the people had a mind of their own. Aren’t we supposed to govern ourselves? Anyone? Isnt that what we wanted? Our forefathers gave us these rights and today the gov’t has taken the foundations that held this country together and all but shattered them.
People if we band together, we can stop this. We can have our freedom back. We just have to take it. Its there dangling in our faces. So lets take it back. lets do this the american way.
Ladies and gentlemen, this opression will cease soon. We have to make it.
WE WILL ONE DAY SMOKE IN PEACE
FOREVER, AND EVER AMEN
this is the wolf man, howling away till next time
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Pawlenty I hear wants to make a run in 2012. Vote no on this dime-a-dozen Republican tool.
He is against the insidious Real ID Act, but this veto costs him any respect I had for him.
Legalize it!! http://www.reason.com/blog/show/133750.html Illinois bill just passed 🙂
Take that Obama 😛
This smacks of conservative politicians protecting their own interests. As soon as these politicians believe that supporting MJ reform will get them reelected, they will jump right on board. Not only that, they’ll claim that they’ve ALWAYS sopported reform. Hypocrites and liars every one!
IF PROGRESS CAN”T BE MADE NOW, IT NEVER WILL. OBAMA WILL ONLY RESPOND TO NEGATIVE ATTACKS ON HIM PERSONALLY. HE WANTS TO BE LOVED.HE THINKS WE LOVE HIM,THEREFORE, HE DOES NOT HAVE TO GIVE US ANY RED MEAT.
MAKE OBAMA FEEL THAT MMJ MOVEMENT DOESN’T THINK HE’S COOL AND HE WILL THROW US A BONE OR TWO. THAT IS OUR ONLY HOPE. WE NEED TO THROW A TANTRUM AND HE WILL GIVE IN.
THE LAWS WERE MADE BY SCUMBAGS. WHY SHOULD WE BE HAPPY WITH ANYTHING RIGHT NOW. WE ALLOW THEM TO IMPRISON AND PERSECUTE PEOPLE THAT GROW PLANTS. IT WOULD BE FUNNY IF IT WASN’T REAL. WE NEED TO PUT THE PRESSURE ON NOW.
Very good article and much needed !
Any idea’s that will work………..spread the word !
At this time there are 5 current/common severe permenant health afflictions, solely caused from moderate drinking of stiff liquor. All carried in silence from shame/embarressment. None with any forewarnings nor cures. Our youth have answered a USA Survey just this last April, showing that 7.3 Million of them admit to drinking alcohol daily. Imagine if you will, what the truth must be !
That doesn’t even begin to tackle drunk drivers, fights, abuse, blah blah blah.
Now………..why is Marijuana Illegal ???
Hhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm !?!
Lick your stamps people. Send them every printed ad you can find showing the side effects of common prescription drugs on the market today, suck as bloody stool, black outs, sleep driving, comma and quite often death. None of which is associated with marijuana, and for gods sake use a spell checker or at least proofread it when your not stoned. Burn long and prosper, SCOOTER
You left out Governor Corzine in NJ, he said he would sign a bill to legalize medicinal cannabis use for chronically ill patients, but he didn’t outright support it. However, since the NJ Senate passed the act in February he and every other politician who supported the bill-including the vice-chair of the committee to which the bill had been referred-haven’t mentioned it because Corzine is up for election.
I noticed you also mentioned medicinal users who have been arrested for cannabis possession. I think NORML lobbyists should push for stipulations in medicinal cannabis laws that would give pardons to people who were arrested for cannabis possession at a time when existing health records show that they could have been eligible for a medicinal cannabis prescription.
Please read entire post!
Go to this site first – http://www.whitehouse.gov/open
Which will lead you to this site – http://opengov.ideascale.com/
With this being what we need to vote on! – http://opengov.ideascale.com/akira/dtd/2762-4049
Also, this is the article where I found it..
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/104037
The Governator pretty much said no. And that the debate was pointless because there is no data …
So he’s all set to kill it regardless of voter support.
His tune could change if that number got a little higher and something actually was getting close to his desk of course. Some point here the “test” of introducing 390 might actually go somewhere.
I’ll be surprised if 390 makes it to the light of day while you have this sort of potential opposition at the top of the food chain. :S
If we repeal the 17th amendment,we could change this and many stupid laws. The problem is…congress wont ok the repeal because it gives them power to do as they wish. It would take 2/3s vote from states to get it done. While we are at it repeal the 16th amendment too, stop them from raping our wallets.
Its a war people, us against them. We have to rclaim the power they took so long ago. We need to reclaim not only our freedom,but our country,from these corrupt politicians.
This is basically what Schwarzenegger said in his interview about legalizing marijuana-
-he likes the law that is in place
-he is not in favor of legalizing but acknowledges that others feel differently and is interested in looking at debates about it. he wants to look how other countries have been affected by legalization but feels that that information is not available to him
-he doesnt think that most people agree with it and for that reason will not legalize it just to make a quick buck. he thinks that many people that are pushing for it are really just looking at the money benefits
Arnold’s home country of Austria has already legalized the growing and selling of marijuana! How can he say there is no information?? Just call up mom or dad or uncle frank!
I just hope that i live to see the day when marijuana is finally leagalized. I can’t imgaine what a relief it would be it would… no wait it will be a day to remember. So please would someone stand up and fix this BS and give me something i can belive in.
I’m sure the alcohol, tobacco, and plastic companies have NOTHING to do with marijuana being illegal. We need to show these politicians that THEY too can make their own little profit from legalization.
Isn’t this crazy? It’s an up hill battle all the way and we’re earning more and more MJ support everyday. Now we’re being told that there is no war on drugs or it should be ended. Don’t you see how every aspect of marijuana is being avoided. Avoidance is their weapon. It’s time to scream at State Reps. till their ears bleed.
I sucks because then you have states with Ok Governors, even like mine that supoport hemp and would support a medical law, I believe, but these states cant get the legislators to compose any bills or the state has no means for the average citizen to bring forth legislation at all.
From my understanding and research, here in Kentucky, we can overturn legislation by petition and vote but we can not enact anything? I think thats right.
So it just blows that we have to live in states that a single man or a majority party can turn up their nose at a group, basicly disciminating against them, keeping them in a situation of suffering due to illness and due to the criminal tag they have placed on Citizens!
Hell I cant even get my Senator to read a book to learn that Hemp isnt a Drug! Mitch McConnell, yes lovly Mitch, he believes the hemp Bill in Congress “will only increase criminal activity” and for our state to have a hemp industry “would cause issues for the police and DEA” Same answers when asked about about Medical Marijuana support. All BS but what would you expect from Mitch.
These guys have no plan on ever letting go, they know what it means to all the people they owe, they cant even consider it, even in the face of dying and sick people.
They have sold their soul at some point to; Big Petro Chem and Oil, Big Alcohol and Tobacco, Big Pharm and Grain, Big Textile and Woodo or the FBI, CIA, DEA, ATF, local and state Police, Private Prison and Enforcment Emploment services, Testing and Treatment centers, it goes on and on and on.
We elect these people that owe something to these industrys and they all know dam well what Marijuana is and its basicly harmless. They know dam well the problems that prohibtion brings about and the suffering that goes on. They also see the profit that all these places get because of Prohibition and they are tied into that profit.
Yes soon one of these A-holes will lose because of their support of prohibition and when that happens watch the flood gates open and all these legislators will be forced to speek truthfuly about Marijuana and thats what we really need, just the truth so we can at least have the debate!
As long as we allow our lawmakers to accept millions in what I call bribes ever year we will have tyranny. The corporations that contribute (what they call it) the millions pass laws that benefit them and their greed. We are sacrificed as part of the deal. And they will continue to enslave us and destroy our lives unless we band together and put a stop to it.
So many Americans do not even realize how our system works today. It is all about money and power our leaders and lawmakers lie and spread propaganda to cover the truth. They are bought and paid for by the major corporate conglomerations. Lets put a stop to the bribery or selling of our rights toady please help…
VOTE TO STOP OUR REPRESENTATIVES FROM SELLING OUR RIGHTS!!
http://www.change.org/actions/view/step_one_end_special_interest_in_washington
Thanks CFJ
i wonder, how many of these governers drink alcohol to excess or, use pain meds frequently. how many of them like to kick back after a frustrating day of governing? how can we help people like them see that herb is easier on our bodies then alcohol or pain killers. if they would just give herb a chance. for thirty two years ive used marijuana. i had to quit because of hair testing in feb,this year. i didnt have any “withdrawl” as i waited for. but, after three months, im a miserable ole boy. i have some a.d.d. issues that just multiplied in the last month or so.as i knew it would. ive tried to say, ok, ill knock a few beers back after the long day. thats not worth a shit folks.alcohol buzz is so heavy and so unmotivating. dammit! no i dont NEED to get a buzz. i can handle life like it is. but marijuana is so reasonable to use. onlt takes a little, my function is only enhanced.my mind slowes down just a little and my thoughts can collect, finally.
we must find a way for this to end governers….i wont subject myself to alcohol, its wrong.that shit should be illegal,not herb. the people against marijuana just dont have the balls to see both sides to make a factual based decision for the people around them. we got to donate more money to our friends at norml so, we can get some siutable info on the friggen tube to everybody. i know ill be donating.
just remember we do have the right to vote these people out,, so when they come up for relection we need to all get together and vote theses guys out… simple we must all stand strong and when they see enough of us vote speak be heard they will listen then… weed is cheaper than tobacoo.. so how can they say what there doing is working.. they can’t…it’s just common sense… which our government don’t have much of….it is a shame..by the people for the people.. what happened too that?????
When and where is this supposed debate happening in California? What’s the hold up?
It’s interesting that Schwarzenegger said he doesn’t think marijuana ought to be legalized and that he thinks the laws “work very well” when we’ve all seen pictures and/or video of him smoking pot. The laws didn’t stop him, did they? What makes him think they are stopping so many others from smoking pot?
ALL RIGHT MY FELLOW REBELS. So their tryin to silence us an sweep us under the rug. SO WAT. they said it themselves, its a war on drugs. That means a war on us. Chek it ppl we already kno this country enjoyes a level of corruption unmatched compared to other ‘free countrys. And we are the freedom fighters with TRUTH and RIGHT on our side. We will win if we keep fighting. Just cuz we dont use guns or bombs dont mean the stakes are any less for us. other soldiers die on the battlefield and our soldiers die everytime their ncarcerated and chained. For those of you losin heart, reform your ranks and yor resolve. Fight harder yell louder. And remember just ask the old French Aristocracy wat happens wen a bunch of peasents becomes the whipping boy of an oppresive govrnment. ps keep howlin wolf!
Come on just take a good hard look at what the gov (local, state and fed) have been doing to our rights. Every day they’re eroding them and we’re just sitting on our butts doing nothing about it.
NYC has banned trans-fats, and is now trying to cut back on sodium.
I’m not a cig smoker and don’t really like it but I’m against taxing the hell out of people who do smoke. Why are we punishing people (who are mostly working class poor) with higher taxes on something that is next to impossible to quit?
NYS is in talks about taxing all kinds of crap that I consider taking away freedoms. Like soda. They want to tax soda because it’s bad for you, but not tax diet soda. What that doesn’t cause cancer, or how studies say causes weight gain too. Why not tax whole milk too and make people drink skim? Or tax red meat and not chicken because it’s bad for you? It’s f-ing insane how these people want to tax us for everything!
I’m so tired of what’s happening on all levels of government! Our rights are eroding, our freedoms taken from us, we’re being taxed up the butt, etc…. But what do we get out it? No help for health care, sub-par education, millions of jobless, billions in debt, gov buy-outs that are secretly taking control of companies. It’s insanity and it HAS to stop!
And as for the health aspects?
my list of side effects from the drugs I currently am prescribed:
lymphoma
lupus
MS
cancer
severe infections
severe dizziness and light-headedness
weight gain (I know one who gained 15lbs in 1 week)
hair loss
nausea vomiting and just feeling crappy
headaches
debilitating fatique
death by any or all of the above or just from the drug
And this is only a tenth of the list! Some are more severe and some less. Some I’ve experienced a lot.
All this is supposed to help the progression of my disease. Well guess what after all that I’m getting worse. I’m slowly (well maybe quickly, I’m not sure) killing myself with these drugs. All in the name of big pharma and the people who won’t allow me to smoke pot to help ease the symptoms.
Nah they’d rather see me suffer and not be able to help myself because then they won’t be making $4000 a month off me from my drugs. yup you read that right! It costs $4000 a month for my Rxs, that’s not counting the drs visits or testing they do. And I’m only 32 years old!
Time to legalize Marijuana. Article and video
http://www.ci.hudson.wi.us/council.htm
ya know…the civil war was over state rights…not so much slavery..just state rights…just FYI for those who think states have to do legalization instead of federal..
Idea lets have some one from NORML run for president and vote him/her in to represent us.
I’m a first time voter i’m 51 years old I love Obama to death but if he doesn’t want to legalize marijuana I will not vote for hinm in his next election. I will vote for who will legalize marijuana. Not just medical but for home cultivation.
A Broken Record TAX,REGULATE= MONEY UNLESS OF COURSE THIS GOV. WANTS TO BUILD MORE PRISONS AND I DONT THINK WE HAV THE MONEY FOR THT EITHER. LMAO
Today is the last day to VOTE:
Let’s Vote this up to #1:
http://opengov.ideascale.com/akira/dtd/3191-4049
“U.S. Customs agents got a surprise on April 9, when they checked a trailer of an 18-wheel truck crossing into El Paso, Texas, from Mexico and found more than 9,000 pounds of marijuana hidden among auto parts bound for U.S. factories.”
Reason why I posted this is this simply points the fact I and many other Americans know about if marijuana was legalized and taxed that these types of problems with the cartel would no longer be a problem being the legalization and taxation would strike a saver blow to the cartel taking away their over 60% annual profit from keeping marijuana illegal which if legalized and taxed would be like cutting off the legs of a chicken to the cartel. But hey what do we know after all will the govt listen to us? May be now they will and if not here is an idea lets have some one from NORML run for president and vote him/her in to represent us.
I hope Governor Tim Pawlenty dies a horrible painful death. What an uncompassionate asshole. I’d like to give him a nice good kick right in his face, and then jump up and down on his neck. He doesn’t deserve to be a governor.
Whats with people in positions of political power having no balls? And fuck Obama; what a lying asshole. Change? Yeah right. Fuck you Mr. President, you stupid fucking lying square.
Oh yeah, why the hell are there people over the age of seventy still in the government getting fat paychecks while millions of people in America can barely hold onto what they have. Fuck that. America is dead.
does anyone know how the medical marijuana bill in new york is doing?
There’s one glaring oversight on this list — Bev Perdue (D-NC).
http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1415655.html
Yet our tobacco revenue continues to decline, and she’s taxing the hell out of what’s left of it. A few months into office and she’s already managed to pass a hefty sin tax and statewide indoor smoking ban.
She’s like a sadistic church lady bent on turning the entire state into her personal Sunday school classroom.
at least it makes it to the Gov’s office in those states…
It didn’t have to do with cattle rustlin’ or keeping minorities down so it doesn’t require any attention here in good ole Texas!
The Texas ‘legislative’ process is seriously fubared unless you have assloads of money and connections.
Mike, History will never forgive the Prohibitionists! But they have shielded themselves, like the Kennedy killers, and are out of harms way. All they have done will follow them into the next life, and if they happen to find their way to heaven, there is going to be a fight! I always said that I would pay 1000 dollars to get into a ring with the likes of a charles ing, a grandmother and grandfather and baby killer. Slavers like him deserve the best results that Uncle Sam taught me in the Military and what my Chinese neighbor taught me before I joined the Military! Alas I am a Christian Warrior and Will not do violence to any unless I am Attacked!
These Prohibitionists will probably want to put a Microchip in our right hands and foreheads one day too!!! If I am unlucky enough to be alive when that happens, all bets are off and I will have to be forgiven for taking the Samson way out!! But the cowards that have waged this war against us for seven decades will not escape history!!!!!
Long live liberty!!!!
This is a Civil War, weather people want to believe it or not, this is a war on our own citizens, just a way to control a populace. You know its funny, I believe in God because everything that exists is extremely intricate and it all works together, and is beyond amazing so it would make sense that their is a creator, but what I don’t understand is that religions, especially Christian religion seems to have one thing in common, the need to control people. When I was younger, I remember reading the bible, and listening to people explain Christianity, and all I wanted to do was try and track back to where this bible came from and how it came about. What I learned was there was great opportunity for the old world leaders to “translate” or interpret the bible in a matter that helped keep CONTROL of the populace. I believe in God because this planet/world is way too amazing and intricate to be created by a big bang or anything else that is out there, but at the same time I have little faith in people today as this world is over run by greedy people that couldn’t care less about their neighbors, so I see people in high positions in religion being the same, being just human and using things to their advantage just like politicians. It seems almost everyone is trying to force their beliefs on other people these days weather through religion, laws, or anything else. Even the major school districts use kids as an excuse to get raises, and more job security and federal/state funding even when we have enough to do the job right in the first place, like the DEA being against the end of prohibition even though its a better option for the country because they need the funding to stay in business, or the politicians that happily take contributions from the big corporations as campaign contributions when knowing fully that they will have to appease these corporations even if it means doing something that is not in the best interest of the people of the United States, because all that matters to them is getting elected, not the well being of the people. This country is seriously screwed up, and its greedy people that make it the way it is. America is no longer the land of the free, its the land of the greedy.
the politicians wont legalize any drug unless it has crude/harsh chemicals that make you addicted therefor making you pay more to get them,which i think is fu@ked up, because the self medicated sick people choose to smoke/grow their own pot because they cant afford or don’t want to put harmful chemicals in their systems,and that makes them/us all criminals .but in all fuc# the government ,we the people are to strong to be told we cant do this or that im sick of it.its time we take a stand as one nation,im tired of hiding my pot arnt you? dont they get it we are not going to stop ,millions have died at the hands of pharmaceutical company’s ,tobacco company’s,and of course alcohol company’s but they are all LEGAL….WTF???????? IS IT ME OR IS THE U.S.A A LITTLE CONFUSED OR MISLED ON WHY WE CAME HERE FROM ENGLAND IN THE FIRST PLACE OH YEAH IT WAS BECAUSE WE COULDNT CHOOSE FOR OURSELVES WHO WE WORSHIPED…and a little fun fact ;Christopher Columbus brought cannabis on his voyage to the Americas and everyone was required to grow it for the good of the colony;.what i am trying to say is the government dosnt care for its people or else they would legalize pot and stop the sales of all the poisons we all are now addicted to.the legalization of marijuana would wipe out our country’s debt in less than a year, improve the damages we have done to the ozone,virtually fixing our global warming problem and creating a new field of jobs that would be readily available nation wide.but no drugs are bad? YES i agree DRUGS are bad but in that note drugs are made plants are grown ..fuck the war on drugs its not working!
Ok Ok i can see we have some plenty pissed off ppl. lets see i read that america is dead and corruption is blah blah blah. Chek it ppl its plain as day our country has succumbed to utter corruption and dilapidation. Our country is ran by non elected puppet master billionaires. i talked to a drunk guy ata bar a day ago and he said he was hi level ceo for a huge pharm company. and he told me his company alone had senators congressmen judges tons of cops and even entire precints and others on their personal payroll. And tho he smoked pot he said it was fantasy to ever hav it legalized cuz it wasnt as profitable as the synthetic stuff they legally and forcfully cram down our throats. But he said the main reason for it is that most ppl today wen confronted with liberty denying ideals dont fight, they just complain and obey. He thn pulled out a roll of like 10 grand payd for his drinks and mine and rolld out to his beamer. He coulda been lyin but you had to be there. He was for real. So the solution? Lets stand up and march and protest and do watever it takes. or look to the book ‘1984’ for a glimpse into our future. Im from Nowhere Kansas and im standing up gettin ready to raise NON violent protest. Youll hear more from the General my brave fellow freedom fighters.
Schwartzennegger said he doesn’t think there is any information available from how countries are doing that have legalized marijuana.
So Schwartzennegger hasn’t heard of the Netherlands? What about Belgium, it’s not legal to sell there but you can possess and use and all people need to do to buy is go visit the Netherlands and buy it?
We could also compare and contrast Nepal before and after it banned marijuana(because our government bribed it) in the 1970s.
We need to user our voters as a weapon…pass it or be voted out of office. We have enough votes to push a campaign. Governors are easier to remove than the senate or house members.
I thought Arnold wanted to legalize for tax money.
How about a conference where the governors of the 13 MMJ states talk about how it has actually worked out for them?
Jonathon,
this is because Christianity is a tool to control a population, as well with all other religions. Since the ancient Egyptians, religion has been a tool of power to persuade and control a populace. Most every religion stemmed from the ancient Pagans astrology
Yes, I have been pointing this out over and over again. Every time the mj policy-reform issue is voted on in my state, the population votes over-whelmingly in favor of reforms, and every time the issue reaches the state-congress, it passes by a narrow margin, but then, the governor “vetoes” it with one stroke of a pen.
So long as state Governors can kill drug-policy reforms with their power of veto, nothing will change. they are vampires and they are vultures, and they are NOT humanitarians working for the good of society.
They keep knocking down our efforts because the federal government does not want pot legalized. Why? The simple answer is because it does not benefit them, and the people go along with it. No one has realized that it is not about whether or not the government benefits from it; it is about whats in it for the PEOPLE. This government has gone rogue and has been so at least since the JFK assassination, but the clockwork was put into action long before then even. Wake up people. There are other issues we have to address before pot can be one of them.
marijuana is illegal because your not suposed to use it.(it is a drug of abuse)
#68 duh Says:
May 31st, 2009 at 4:44 pm
marijuana is illegal because your not suposed to use it.(it is a drug of abuse)
RE:
If this is true THEN…
alcohol,
tobacco,
and
caffeine
ought to be illegal as well.
– Cannabis has a 5000 year safety-record.
It was only recently made illegal in the 1930’s
for reasons of GREED and RACISM!!!
I’m wondering when the elected politicians are gonna start listening to what the people that put them there would like instead of listening to the people that pad their pockets because I don’t donate to them they don’t hear me that sounds like organized crime to me
“While I am sympathetic to those dealing with end-of-life illnesses and accompanying pain, I stand with law enforcement in opposition to this legislation”
Someone should tell this guy that it doesn’t matter what law enforcement thinks about the law, its their job to enforce it. His job is to support what the PEOPLE have decided.
There used to be separation of powers.
wow duh you are one dumb bastard number 68 u suk!
To the President, Congress, Senate, Governors, and all other elected officials and law enforcement agencies of the United States of America:
We are the people of the United States. It is by the labor of our hands and the sweat of our brows that this great nation continues to live and thrive. From the captains of industry to the civil servants – we are male and female – we are every color, race, creed and religion. We are even agnostic and atheist. As Americans that is our constitutional right. We pay the taxes that fund every program and agency that keeps our country alive. We raise our families, build our communities, and are the very lifeblood of the civilization that we call the Western Culture. And millions of us use Marijuana.
Some use it for medicine, some for recreation, and some for both. But what you have turned a blind eye to is that the role of government is to protect us from our enemies, not from ourselves! If an adult chooses to drink, or smoke, or toke – it is none of your business. In comparison to the use of alcohol and tobacco, an individual that uses Marijuana violates no ones civil rights – harms no one – and brings no burden to bear upon society. The burden upon American citizens is the prohibition of Marijuana itself. We have declared for over 70 years that the war on drugs is a war on the people of this nation.
And yet our government – elected by we the people to act as our representatives, to ensure our rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, have consistently turned a deaf ear to us for over 70 years. You have been purchased by the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Pharmaceutical lobbyists.
You have consistently ignored the scientific and medical facts concerning the immense benefits of quite possible the greatest plant that exists on our planet. You have systematically put forth lies, propaganda, and misinformation concerning Marijuana to the American public for the dual purpose of continuing your endless supply of wealth received from the masters who own you – and to exert control over the very people you are supposed to be serving.
Our founding fathers believed that people should not fear their government – that instead government should fear the people. For when a government begins to ignore the will and rights and voice of its citizens, then Liberty and Freedom become nothing more than hollow words. And the greatest document written since the Magna Carta, our very own Declaration of Independence, tells us that, “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them (the people) under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.”
All Liberty begins with an act of defiance. Our defiance towards all who insist on treating us as criminals has begun. It will not cease. We will not and are not going away. Our new revolution will and has begun in every hamlet, town, and city in this nation. You can silence us and ignore us and mock us no more. We are not the dregs of society, as you seem to think. We are educated, informed, and we VOTE. Your records will be viewed closely. We will take note and remember those of you in office who continues to subjugate the American citizen and seek to further your campaign of moral control – and we will vote you out of office.
No despot or tyrant can stand before the cannons of true liberty and freedom. Not when aimed by the hand of truth.
Lance A. White – citizen and patriot.
I would like just for five minutes have these so called people in front of ME. I can’t believe we have such cold hearted Governors that are stopping people like me from getting relief from pain and spasms. What is wrong with these people, are they that ignorant. I hope for there sake they never get sick but than again maybe if they were they would have a different opinion!
#71 Mark Says:
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:11 pm
“While I am sympathetic to those dealing with end-of-life illnesses and accompanying pain, I stand with law enforcement in opposition to this legislation”
Someone should tell this guy that it doesn’t matter what law enforcement thinks about the law, its their job to enforce it. His job is to support what the PEOPLE have decided.
There used to be separation of powers.
RE:
Mark,
– Not all law enforcement thinks this way…
Gov. Pawlenty needs to listen to what
LEAP
has to say!
the united states is a fucked up retarded place and i hate them.
we need people to wake up and take back the govt by ANY MEANS
With a Democrat President and Democrat Congress, amazingly, prohibition gets blamed on a few Republican Governors.
Wake up and smell the hypocrisy.
How many of those Governors will get re-elected? I dare say NONE of them (well, maybe 1 since he’s a Dem).
We the people must vote for change. Work to that end, people. That is what our democracy is all about.
I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!It is time for our voices to be heard and that my friend is with the power of the vote! Now is the time that we must organize and become a force and let politicians know we are not taking it anymore. It is time now to start compling names of those who oppose Comprehensive Marijuana Reform and remove these jokers out of office. And folks it can be done but we cannot wait until 2010 or 2012 to start the time for action is now! This board alone can start generating ideas and action plans. We have one already on our list the gov of Minnosota who wants to be President and I say for all my brothers and sisters who rely on Marijuana just to get through the day because of terminal illness or mental sickness Hell to the Naw! Lets do this people!
Im gonna go out on a limb here… When you put everything on the table you’ll see that marijuana can and does slow down death and violence. I would go so far as to say that marijuana can probably slow if not eventually cure terminal illness. With more funding and research, pot could probably prove to be a very safe and natural answer to allot of societies problems. The government doesn’t want to see any of this happen for one good reason- Population control. And ofcorse, money. Think real hard about it.. It just might make sense. With weed readily available at your local liquor store, more people would be buying pot then booze… Which means less alcohol inspired violence. Suddenly the cops don’t look like heroes anymore because they aren’t arresting people at a rapid rate. In my town all there is for cops to do is bust stoners.. Behind the scenes gangs thrive. Cops are oblivious. Our government believes violent criminals and all criminals alike are better off dead. They can only arrest so many people but they all secretly hope the “bad guys” will kill eachother off. More people getting high wouldn’t allow the violence to get to out of hand. The logical thing is to end the violence that prohibition causes ofcorse but I have news for you- Your government likes violence, and they make a hell of a profit off of it. Its quite sick. Take the dying cancer patient, just keeping that poor soul alive for another 365 days is quite an expense to your cold government. The government doesn’t like keeping the sick alive, its too expensive. Legalizing pot for the sick and dying would only slow down the progression of their death costing the feds more $$$. Now im gonna get really ballsy- I think if it were 110% up to our government and not our people.. The feds would line the sick and dying up, and kill them. Its simply survival of the fittest. Nothing more. As far as bringing in billions of dollars in revenue, its a defeated arguement. The government already has plenty of $$$. The economic failure is an illusion! We’re at a time when dis-trust in the government has never been higher. What better way to win back the people’s trust then to cleverly devise a controlled ruin of the economy? Then when things appear they couldn’t get any worse- In comes the US government to save the day!! Creating the next era of lies. DIG FOR THE TRUTH, WHAT YOU FIND WILL ASTOUND YOU. THIS GOES DEEPER THEN PROHIBITION. No campaign is gonna change their mind. There must be revolution! The people have already spoken. And we are being ignored. At this point we are no longer a democracy. If our founding fathers were still alive I believe they would rally the troops. There is no peaceful solution when fighting evil. If you want a compassionate USA, Then come men, lets take this country back!!!
What we should do is make a website petition where anyone wanting legislation sign it and then mass mail that petition to every politician in their state including the president and indicate that no more votes will be placed for anyone who opposes legalization, and its time to start a new party that will listen to the real voice of the people.Makes me wonder what a new true political party could achieve with all of our help. I honestly believe we are the Majority, But no one has bothered to count us as we are too busy hiding from the current authories.
Not like I need anymore ideas for posts (still have too many drafts that are not yet completed), but this is nonetheless and awesome post and a great resource for any blogger.I wish I would have thought of this idea??.Great job.Phil