Despite this amazing era of increased cannabis awareness and acceptability in America, there are still strong pockets of political resistance. One of the most important states that needs to exit the era of Reefer Madness post haste is the political bellwether Florida. Of America’s political behemoths–CA, IL, OH, TX, PA and NY–Florida is the state that has least embraced cannabis law reforms, defers way too much to law enforcement’s self-interests and it’s political leadership–Democrat and Republican–are lockstep prohibitionists.
To reform cannabis laws in America means reforming the laws in a politically important and diverse state like Florida.
However, when concerned citizens in Florida, like South Florida NORML’s Karen Goldstein, contact her elected officials like Governor Crist seeking parity with about one-third of the United States’ citizens who currently reside in states that have either decriminalized cannabis, or have ‘medicalized’ it, they instead receive disingenuous Reefer Madness-soaked replies from unelected, self-interested prohibition apologists.
To wit…
April 16, 2010
Dear Mrs. Goldstein:
Governor Crist received your email and forwarded it to me for a response. I am the Director of the Florida Office of Drug Control. First, thank you for expressing your opinion to our Governor.
It is important to understand that our federal and state drug control policies have one overarching goal: to reduce and, if possible, eliminate the use of illicit drugs like marijuana. Establishing a taxed and regulated legal market for adult marijuana users would not advance the goal of our drug policies. First, legal access to marijuana would likely result in steep usage rate increases. Our experience with alcohol and tobacco has taught us that commercial interests weaken sensible regulatory efforts.
A legal marijuana industry would employ promotion, advertising, and lobbying to increase demand while maintaining prices well below their current black market levels. Stimulating demand while lowering prices would undoubtedly lead to both increases in the number of Americans that use marijuana as well as the intensity with which they use it.
I am very concerned about the health and wellbeing of Florida citizens. The deaths caused each year by alcohol and tobacco represent a major cost to society that is in no way offset by the tax revenue generated by the sales of these substances. Furthermore, I do not believe that the adverse consequences of marijuana use (respiratory diseases, traffic fatalities, poor school performance, dependence, etc.) could ever offset the potential tax revenue it might generate.
Any policy change that results in an increase in marijuana use, particularly among youth, is unacceptable. Cannabis use has acute effects on attention and memory, something that constitutes a particular problem for adolescents still in school and perhaps contemplating a collegiate future. Furthermore, marijuana use impairs judgment and motor skills, posing a serious risk of automobile accidents. It is also estimated that about 10% of marijuana users eventually become dependent on it. By enforcing policies that suppress the use of addictive drugs like marijuana, we are affirming our ultimate respect for freedom and liberty by ensuring that fewer Americans get trapped into a life of addiction.
Finally, please be aware that federal and Florida laws prohibit “medical marijuana” because an expert review of the evidence conducted by the Institute of Medicine concluded that “Smoked marijuana…is a crude THC delivery system that also delivers harmful substances…[and] cannot be expected to provide a precisely defined drug effect. For those reasons there is little future in smoked marijuana as a medically approved medication.” Safer and scientifically proven drugs exist for all of the medical conditions that marijuana is erroneously thought to treat.
Again, thank you for your correspondence to Governor Crist.
Sincerely,
Bruce D. Grant
Director
Florida Office of Drug Control
Here’s what happens when you let people marginalize marijuana consumers:
http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/05/05/cops-shoot-childs-dog-7-times-after-finding-marijuana-in-family-home/
Summary: SWAT team breaks into home, fires seven rounds at family’s pit bull and corgi (?!) as a seven-year-old looks on.
They found a “small amount” of marijuana, enough for a misdemeanor charge. The parents were then charged with child endangerment.
So smoking pot = “child endangerment.” Storming a home with guns, then firing bullets into the family pets as a child looks on = necessary police procedures to ensure everyone’s safety.
Warning: May encourage schadenfraude in those with habitual prohibitionist tendencies, or low reasoning skills.
hey JBM
are you man enough to take the acid test?
get yourself a phatty from one of your many closet toker acquaintances …..
find yourself a relaxing comfortable place ……
let r rip get a g rip eat a cookie.
I love how every point in that cookie cutter letter posted above has been dis proven time and again throughout history. Why don’t they just wake up and realize that THE CRIMINALS WANT MARIJUANA TO STAY ILLEGAL!!!!!!!
The longer it stays illegal the longer our TAX MONEY and LIVES are in danger of being taken in the name of ‘the war on drugs’ — which has also been proven to fail time and again throughout history.
The amount of disinformation spread by our government is astonishing. Not just about drugs, but about EVERYTHING!
“They want nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands, able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole.” – Carroll Quigley
If they cannot control the ‘drug trade’ then they have no other option than to create a counter culture surrounding the issue and try to make the general public view the people who use drugs as criminals, crazies, etc.
It makes me sick.
exactly the same formatted response i got from a different person.their all told to respond the same way….im bout ready to get the hell out of “sunny florida” anyway but ill not give up the fight for personal rights…
Unbelievable.
wow just think in florida if you had a few plants going for your own medical needs. could get like up to 5 years or even more hard time .Around the same amount of jail time or more or less ,that a strong arm hard criminal could get for a violent crime of say rape , armed robbery,Somethings wrong with that. These unconstitutional made up weed laws ,made up by some corrupted elitist of the past and handed down to the present corrupted elitist , when the usa was founded by hemp in the early days.Illegal draconian marijuana laws.
I sent Crist the following email:
I recently came across the following e-mail:
April 16, 2010
Dear Mrs. Goldstein:
Governor Crist received your email and forwarded it to me for a response. I am the Director of the Florida Office of Drug Control. First, thank you for expressing your opinion to our Governor.
It is important to understand that our federal and state drug control policies have one overarching goal: to reduce and, if possible, eliminate the use of illicit drugs like marijuana. Establishing a taxed and regulated legal market for adult marijuana users would not advance the goal of our drug policies. First, legal access to marijuana would likely result in steep usage rate increases. Our experience with alcohol and tobacco has taught us that commercial interests weaken sensible regulatory efforts.
A legal marijuana industry would employ promotion, advertising, and lobbying to increase demand while maintaining prices well below their current black market levels. Stimulating demand while lowering prices would undoubtedly lead to both increases in the number of Americans that use marijuana as well as the intensity with which they use it.
I am very concerned about the health and wellbeing of Florida citizens. The deaths caused each year by alcohol and tobacco represent a major cost to society that is in no way offset by the tax revenue generated by the sales of these substances. Furthermore, I do not believe that the adverse consequences of marijuana use (respiratory diseases, traffic fatalities, poor school performance, dependence, etc.) could ever offset the potential tax revenue it might generate.
Any policy change that results in an increase in marijuana use, particularly among youth, is unacceptable. Cannabis use has acute effects on attention and memory, something that constitutes a particular problem for adolescents still in school and perhaps contemplating a collegiate future. Furthermore, marijuana use impairs judgment and motor skills, posing a serious risk of automobile accidents. It is also estimated that about 10% of marijuana users eventually become dependent on it. By enforcing policies that suppress the use of addictive drugs like marijuana, we are affirming our ultimate respect for freedom and liberty by ensuring that fewer Americans get trapped into a life of addiction.
Finally, please be aware that federal and Florida laws prohibit “medical marijuana” because an expert review of the evidence conducted by the Institute of Medicine concluded that “Smoked marijuana…is a crude THC delivery system that also delivers harmful substances…[and] cannot be expected to provide a precisely defined drug effect. For those reasons there is little future in smoked marijuana as a medically approved medication.” Safer and scientifically proven drugs exist for all of the medical conditions that marijuana is erroneously thought to treat.
Again, thank you for your correspondence to Governor Crist.
Sincerely,
Bruce D. Grant
Director
Florida Office of Drug Control
I have some things to say about it. To keep things simple I will break it down into “bite-sized” chunks for you.
The first part:
“Governor Crist received your email and forwarded it to me for a response. I am the Director of the Florida Office of Drug Control. First, thank you for expressing your opinion to our Governor.”
I can imagine that you are a busy man, being the governor of the state, I imagine that the difficulties of your job often keep you awake all hours of the night, I can also deduce that you have quite a bit of paperwork to deal with, however I don’t think if the letter was addressed to you, that it was ACTUALLY addressed for Bruce D. Grant. I believe that if the people of the state spent their time typing you a letter, they would at least anticipate hearing from you or one of the secretaries that work under you, not for you to push the responsibility to someone else (even if you believe they are more qualified to answer the question). A better idea would be to suggest the person contact someone with more expertise on the subject, not just “scrape the veggies into the dogs bowl”.
This next part sounds good:
“It is important to understand that our federal and state drug control policies have one overarching goal: to reduce and, if possible, eliminate the use of illicit drugs like marijuana.”
It’s a good goal, but lets be realistic here, if we as a country can’t eliminate a man who is last known to be living in Pakistan, up in the mountains, hooked up to a kidney dialysis machine, how do you plan to eliminate something that has as much backing by both popular culture and underground culture as marijuana (blockbuster movies like “Harold and Kumar go to White Castle” and it’s derivatives, television shows such as My Name is Earl, Weeds, Family Guy, etc.)? Wouldn’t these same resources have been better used streamed into the monitoring of sex offenders (whose numbers are up to 52,639 as of December 2009[http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/documents/sex-offender-map.pdf page 2]) and the prevention of crimes that affect children? Maybe if we had a “war on sexual abuse” such recent incidents as the Sommer Thompson rape and murder could have been solved sooner, if not prevented all together. Then again it may be just as “successful” as the “war on drugs”.
“Establishing a taxed and regulated legal market for adult marijuana users would not advance the goal of our drug policies.”
Actually, it would advance the goal of your drug policies.
Main Entry: il·lic·it
Pronunciation: \(?)i(l)-?li-s?t\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin illicitus, from in- + licitus lawful — more at licit
Date: 1506
: not permitted : unlawful
If marijuana were to be legalized and regulated for adult use it would no longer be considered illicit and therefore would advance your goals CONSIDERABLY. In 2006 of all the drug arrests, 44% of them were for marijuana [http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/index.html]. So to legalize marijuana would be to eliminate illicit drug use by at least 44%, which , might I remind you, is a MAJOR decrease unprecedented by the current “war on drugs” as-is.
“First, legal access to marijuana would likely result in steep usage rate increases.”
Site your sources, because the sources I find are all the same(in regards to previous legalization efforts carried out in the Netherlands, home to Amsterdam):
“The figures for cannabis use among the general population reveal the same pictures. The Netherlands does not differ greatly from other European countries. In contrast, a comparison with the US shows a striking difference in this area: 32.9% of Americans aged 12 and above have experience with cannabis and 5.1% have used in the past month. These figures are twice as high as those in the Netherlands.”
Source: Netherlands Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, Drug Policy in the Netherlands: Progress Report September 1997-September 1999, (The Hague: Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, November 1999), pp. 7-8.
“Our experience with alcohol and tobacco has taught us that commercial interests weaken sensible regulatory efforts.”
Commercial interests also affect who has enough money for the “better” campaign as such institutions as Bank of America, Citi bank, and others have shown us time and time again. Are you suggesting we get rid of all the commercial interests for every cause? If so you would completely throw out our economy as we know it, seeing how we are a consumer society there will ALWAYS be commercial interest for something. The biggest commercial interests would be from movies and other media held in high regards by the populous and as I see it, there is already millions of dollars legally being invested in marijuana by the above mentioned movies and television shows earlier in the letter, so your regulatory efforts are already being weakened by what us, as the consumers, have said we want. It isn’t just a trend, Cheech and Chong movies from the 60’s-70’s up to the marijuana hits of today, these messages aren’t going anywhere and are in fact growing more and more every year. To pretend that it isn’t a hot topic on the lips of Americans is to outright close your eyes to what the people want, just as president Obama did after the most popular questions on his change.gov website regarding marijuana were shrugged off and laughed at.
“A legal marijuana industry would employ promotion, advertising, and lobbying to increase demand while maintaining prices well below their current black market levels. Stimulating demand while lowering prices would undoubtedly lead to both increases in the number of Americans that use marijuana as well as the intensity with which they use it.”
All I see here is the potential for jobs, which considering the unemployment rates for Florida (12% [http://www.bls.gov/bls/unemployment.htm]) wouldn’t be a bad thing, now would it? As for an increase in marijuana use if it were made legal let me refer you to this chart:
Comparing Important Drug and Violence Indicators
Social Indicator Comparison Year USA Netherlands
Lifetime prevalence of marijuana use (ages 12+) 2001 36.9% 1 17.0% 2
Past month prevalence of marijuana use (ages 12+) 2001 5.4% 1 3.0% 2
Lifetime prevalence of heroin use (ages 12+) 2001 1.4% 1 0.4% 2
Incarceration Rate per 100,000 population 2002 701 3 100 4
Per capita spending on criminal justice system (in Euros) 1998 €379 5 €223 5
Homicide rate per 100,000 population Average 1999-2001 5.56 6 1.51 6
Source: 1: US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse: Volume I. Summary of National Findings (Washington, DC: HHS, August 2002), p. 109, Table H.1.
2: Trimbos Institute, “Report to the EMCDDA by the Reitox National Focal Point, The Netherlands Drug Situation 2002” (Lisboa, Portugal: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Nov. 2002), p. 28, Table 2.1.
3: Walmsley, Roy, “World Prison Population List (fifth edition) (London, England: Research, Development and Statistics Directorate of the Home Office), Dec. 2003, p. 3, Table 2.
4: Walmsley, Roy, “World Prison Population List (fifth edition) (London, England: Research, Development and Statistics Directorate of the Home Office), Dec. 2003, p. 5, Table 4.
5: van Dijk, Frans & Jaap de Waard, “Legal infrastructure of the Netherlands in international perspective: Crime control” (Netherlands: Ministry of Justice, June 2000), p. 9, Table S.13.
6: Barclay, Gordon, Cynthia Tavares, Sally Kenny, Arsalaan Siddique & Emma Wilby, “International comparisons of criminal justice statistics 2001,” Issue 12/03 (London, England: Home Office Research, Development & Statistics Directorate, October 2003), p. 10, Table 1.1.
If you do have any sources baking your statement I would love to see them.
“I am very concerned about the health and wellbeing of Florida citizens. The deaths caused each year by alcohol and tobacco represent a major cost to society that is in no way offset by the tax revenue generated by the sales of these substances.”
Need I remind you that there are 0 deaths attributed to marijuana use, therefore rendering this statement unnecessary rhetoric.
“Furthermore, I do not believe that the adverse consequences of marijuana use (respiratory diseases, traffic fatalities, poor school performance, dependence, etc.) could ever offset the potential tax revenue it might generate.”
There are so many things wrong with this statement I can’t fathom where to start so I will address them in the order presented.
1. Respiratory diseases are only viable if the user smokes the cannabis. As of right now there are a multitude of ways to consume marijuana, smoking being the oldest of them. They have machines that heat the marijuana to just under combustion yet are hot enough to “vaporize” the active cannibanoids thus creating a “mist” that is purely the “active ingredients” and not any of the harmful by-products of combustion. I have heard the experience is very similar to a nebulizer. There is also the ingestion of marijuana via mouth in food products.
2. Traffic fatalities will always be a present and important issue, while marijuana does impair reaction time and motor abilities it is nowhere near as impairing as alcohol and if desired (as is currently done) can be considered a DUI by an officer of the law and ticketed and handled as such.
3. Poor school performance would be out of the question. If it is regulated for adult use there would be much LESS marijuana in schools than there is now. In fact, many students smoke marijuana BECAUSE it is easier to get than alcohol (a legal substance for adult use).
4. Dependence is a funny issue. Think for a second about your day without caffeine. No coffee, no cola, no tea, nothing, not a single drop of it. If you are like 80-90%(estimated usage percentages) of Americans it’d be a pretty hard thing to imagine. If you don’t think so, try it for a month. Can’t handle a month? Try a week. People can become dependant on anything. The need to go a certain route to work, the necessity of going to church, the unprecedented desire to have sexual intercourse. Anyone could argue dependence issues with any of these things.
“Any policy change that results in an increase in marijuana use, particularly among youth, is unacceptable. Cannabis use has acute effects on attention and memory, something that constitutes a particular problem for adolescents still in school and perhaps contemplating a collegiate future.”
Before we get on the “our children are our future” and “no child left behind” take a look at your education as-is. Being a student in Florida through the vast majority of my education I can tell you a thing or two. I myself, being asked by Duke University to take the SAT test in seventh grade, find your concern for education to be appalling. This is one of the singularly WORST states to try to pursue an education in. Go up to Minnesota or other states and they are learning our curriculum as much as two years BEFORE students here. I remember instances where kids were placed in classes they had already taken for the sake of having all of their credits because the schools didn’t offer anything higher. Besides, if marijuana were on the same grounds legally as alcohol, where would this vast flux of marijuana to students come from, Parents? I myself would rather the students get it from a source such as their parents every once in a while then someone off the street also selling black market pharmaceuticals, crack, meth, speed, lsd, opium, etc. .
“Furthermore, marijuana use impairs judgment and motor skills, posing a serious risk of automobile accidents.”
They are going to drive under the influence of marijuana, legal or not, if they really want to. Bust them for DUI’s and get some more money into the justice department.
“It is also estimated that about 10% of marijuana users eventually become dependent on it. By enforcing policies that suppress the use of addictive drugs like marijuana, we are affirming our ultimate respect for freedom and liberty by ensuring that fewer Americans get trapped into a life of addiction.”
33% to 50% of people who experiment with nicotine become regular users, of those 70%-90% become addicted (dependant). [http://www.aadac.com/87_451.asp] If I was betting money, I’d throw it all on tobacco. Let’s face it, if I would stand to profit, the payout would be less for tobacco but the odds of winning are stellar.
The last part is a paradox and should be read as: “By suppressing the freedoms of responsible adults to enjoy marijuana as an alternative to tobacco or alcohol we are affirming the status quo to ensure we don’t look like we have been imprisoning people, breaking up families, and ruining their lives with felony charges thus stripping them of all of their freedoms such as the freedom to vote for little to no reason”.
“Finally, please be aware that federal and Florida laws prohibit “medical marijuana” because an expert review of the evidence conducted by the Institute of Medicine concluded that “Smoked marijuana…is a crude THC delivery system that also delivers harmful substances…[and] cannot be expected to provide a precisely defined drug effect. For those reasons there is little future in smoked marijuana as a medically approved medication.” Safer and scientifically proven drugs exist for all of the medical conditions that marijuana is erroneously thought to treat.”
First off, remember earlier when I said that marijuana doesn’t have to be smoked to be ingested? That fact STILL hasn’t changed.
Also a quote that has been so butchered can say anything you want. For instance, I will now quote Bruce D. Grant “It is important to understand that… A legal marijuana industry would employ… [hundreds] of Americans… as well as [increase]… the health and wellbeing of Florida citizens.”
Finally, I find the fact that in the ENTIRE letter there wasn’t a single source (not even the person being quoted in the last paragraph) to be extremely alarming. I am assuming that to be in any political position one must have some type of a secondary education out of the way and if you were to write anything in college (or even high school for that matter) it is required to have sources and/or a bibliography.
I’m looking forward to YOUR response on these matters, and I am also looking forward to some source material on your rebuttals.
wow this lady is dumb. she does not know anything about marijuana, and it is obvious.
yeah there are other legal madications out there that can treat the same things as marijuana, but they’re all more dangerous than pot. They all have shitty side affects and i am sure one can overdose on them all… you can’t overdose on pot. OR die from it for that matter; soo she can stop worrying about the increase of deaths from pot too… and hey maybe it would reduce the amount of people dying from alcohol poisioning because they will switch to smoking pot instead when it becomes legal.. =)…..
think about it.
If you cannot keep drugs out of jails, how can they keep them out of our homes?
it’s time to end the ”war on drugs” in it’s present form-legalize-tax control pot! take the profit out of the hands of criminals. end the power base of the drug cartels NOW!
This guy is clearly an idiot. its easier for a child to get their hands on marijuana due to the fact that it is not regulated. Not to say that the government should regulate it but they sure as hell could use the tax revenue from taxing people who grow,sell and buy it. Its time for people who do not have this country’s best interested at heart to be removed from office and people who do to be elected into office. No longer can the american people stand by and watch our fellow citizens lives ruined by these selfish and thoughtless morons such as bruce grant. It’s also evident that bruce has not done any research on the matter of marijuana. He states that marijuana has harmful effects and drugs manufactured by lab rats are the answer for our medical problems. I wonder how much xanax this idiot takes daily. Its time for all Americans that have a brain and can think logically on the matter to DEMAND reform from out elected officials. They do not fear us and its about time the people of this great country remind them who is really in charge. Vote, not only at the ballot boxes but with your wallets and your minds. Stop supporting the things these people try to pass along on all of us. Find out what companies these idiots support and boycott them. Most importantly elect these morons out of office. We need to stand strong on the issues that most greatly affect our everyday lives. Cutting jobs, pay and benefits of hardworking people is an abomination and legalizing cannabis would create not only tax revenues for the state but it will reduce the billions of dollars spent of enforcing cannabis prohibition. And you are worried about use going up well that would only be a good thing if you look at it from a tax revenue standpoint. The elections are coming in november and we need people to push these issues into the open forums and debates that will take place up until election day. Make sure we vote competent, mentally sound and good hearted people into office. And they damn well better be cannabis reform supporters!!!!!
he doesn’t want to have to look for a new job…
my god, what twisted *logic*…
I was a kid of the 60’s & 70’s, did marijuana & other drugs for a bit & just stopped, didn’t really care for pot (then) but my point is I had choice & I made that choice (but maybe in my later days I may choose to go back). I don’t use it today but I agree with most up top, it should be legal, period, not just for medicinal use. When I’m “older” & in some kind of arthric pain (or worse)insomnia and so on, I can tell you this, beer isn’t gonna help & all those pharmacutical drugs they have out there now, well the side effects are horendice & in more ways then one can kill you and anyone else should you be in a car accident. Just listen to those drug adds & their side effects, there leathal & you know most politicians have stock in drug companies. I say just legalize it, Florida is a prime growing area & the job market would explode. Booze causes people to get violent, never experienced it & never saw it on marijuana though. Question: Where do I go to vote in november, I’m sure it’s not going to be broadcast in this backwards state of Floria.
Thanks for letting me speak my piece/(pipe).
I love how no prohibitionist ever admits that marijuana has never killed a single person in history, compared to thousands of deaths caused by alcohol alone. Hell you have a better chance overdosing on water than overdosing on marijuana.
And what exactly is so bad about marijuana addiction? Tobacco addiction gives you cancer and other health problems. Alcohol addiction destroys your liver and causes you to go home and beat your wife. Marijuana addiction? I’m not going to deny it, I get my respiratory problems from time to time. But it sure beats acting like a drunk fool everyday. And marijuana chills you out. You’re not going to start a fight when you’re high simply because weed makes you too lazy to get out of your seat.
If they’re going to keep marijuana illegal, then they should at least stop being hypocrites and make alcohol, tobacco, and all those pharma drugs that have insane side effects illegal. I mean come on. You take a pharma medication for herpes and you right back to the doctor a month later for heart problems. This system is unbalanced.
Oh and saying marijuana interferes with education? This man must have never went to college because there are a lot of weed smokers in college who go on to live successful lives. Look at Obama.
Btw I hope this guy knows that because of the CSA, I can get an ounce of marijuana a lot easier than a can of beer.
why do we never see ”progressive”candidates come out in favor of legal, taxable ,pot? norml + teaparty = natural allies for legal herb! BOTH beleive the govt. needs to stay out of peoples lives to the greatest extent possible! WE all need to unite people! LIBERTARIANS,TEAPARTY ACTIVISTS,NORML ACTIVIST-we are all sick of the SOCIALIST ”GOVT. SHOULD WIPE YOUR BUTT AND BLOW YOUR NOSE” DIMS AND THE ” IF YOU DONT HAVE AT LEAST 10 MILL IN THE BANK THEN YOU DON’T COUNT” REPUBLICANS TELLING US THAT ”WE KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU”! Everybody who want’s a change should get off their collective asses and vote,vote, vote! MAKE the existing power structure of good ol boys and good ol girls fear not only for the govt. position they hold, but fear for the very existense of the PARTY whose good they revere above the good of the american people! SHAKE the tree! rip out the roots and rock their WORLD!
Here’s your sign
Florida isn’t gonna change until all the bible thumping, holy rollers in office die or we send all these old ppl back to the states they came from, we need a law that makes it illegal for you to move to FL after your 65th birthday! Lets get some young blood in office FL!!!
there are a lot of chritians,elderly ect that agree pot should be legal! you would be amazed at the things i’ve overheard at my motherinlaw’s bridge club! reach out to each other to form a unified cohesive force,by dividing the people along race or age or culture lines we allow the govt. to control us! WE THE PEOPLE are in control! YOU just have to realize it!
How many episodes of Intervention have we seen with marijuana addictions? Now how many have we seen with people with insane additions to the very legal and lucrative doctor prescribed pain killers. I am a T-12 paraplegic after an on the job accident 3 years ago. I deal with pain daily and the doctors are happy to pass me a bottle of Lortabs. But if I decide to grow a plant that can provide pain relief without the side effects and horribly additive qualities of opiates I will be considered a “criminal”. I hope we catch up one day, it is just common sense.
Lifelong Floridian. Both political parties here pride themselves on being anti-cannabis. To the point that they brag about having created the harshest cannabis laws in the USA. But, this is typical mistaken thinking. The harsher the penalties the higher the profits for cannabis traffickers. The more they make cannabis the ‘forbidden fruit’, the greater the demand. Cannabis is readily available to anyone who wants it here in just a very short time. Florida’s prohibitionists hate to admit that criminalization means only drug dealers sell cannabis, which means the readily sell pot to minors. Remember, criminals don’t card for age. Plud, we have the highest elderly population & they could greatly benefit from treating their infirmities with cannabis. But, they’ve been brainwashed into believing cannabis is the devils weed. Wrong, cannabis was created by God & for man’s use. It’s going to take a lot to deprogram the voters of this state.
Maybe sucessful legalization programs in other states would go a long way toward changing minds. Once people see massive drops in crime and a large influx of tax dollars accompanied by job creation in the private sector I think minds might be changed remarkably fast!
I’m a resident of Escambia County, Florida and this is what I just sent my governor. I just hope it even gets read by them.
“Mr. Crist,
I am sincerely disappointed in you, and the backwards government going on in Florida. I recently was informed about what you allowed your polive to do to Rachel Hoffman of Tallahassee. This woman was arrested for “possession of marijuana” and then forced to wear a wire and buy nasty, illicit drugs that she herself would never use, such as cocaine and heroine. She was MURDERED, Mr. Crist, murdered for such an ignorant reason.
Are you aware that half of your residents are strung out on cocaine, meth, amphetamines, and opiates? Meanwhile, you’re still worried about marijuana users??! Do you realize how rediculous that is?!
In the letter that you employed Mr. Grant to send to south Floridian Karen Goldstein, there are numerous false statements given that I would like to address and correct. I will of course BACK UP my work with where I got my information, something your Mr. Grant didn’t do. I’ll make sure to put EVERYTHING he said, so as not to be taken out of context.
Bruce Grant:
“It is important to understand that our federal and state drug control policies have one overarching goal: to reduce and, if possible, eliminate the use of illicit drugs like marijuana. Establishing a taxed and regulated legal market for adult marijuana users would not advance the goal of our drug policies. First, legal access to marijuana would likely result in steep usage rate increases. Our experience with alcohol and tobacco has taught us that commercial interests weaken sensible regulatory efforts. ”
First off, when the Netherlands decriminalized marijuana, usage actually DROPPED. Alcohol and tobacco are NOT on the same scale as marijuana, they are in fact FAR more dangerous. They are both severely addictive and end up with the highest reason for deaths out of anything in the world when combined. Name one single death that you can blame on marijuana, OTHER than because of the useless violence police officers have enforced on the citizens of the United States. I promise you, EVERY death related to marijuana was caused by a misuse of power. This is why no one trusts law officials anymore.
Mr. Grant:
“I am very concerned about the health and wellbeing of Florida citizens. The deaths caused each year by alcohol and tobacco represent a major cost to society that is in no way offset by the tax revenue generated by the sales of these substances. Furthermore, I do not believe that the adverse consequences of marijuana use (respiratory diseases, traffic fatalities, poor school performance, dependence, etc.) could ever offset the potential tax revenue it might generate.”
Fact: In 1972, after reviewing the scientific evidence, the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse concluded that while marijuana was not entirely safe, its dangers had been grossly overstated. Since then, researchers have conducted thousands of studies of humans, animals, and cell cultures. None reveal any findings dramatically different from those described by the National Commission in 1972. In 1995, based on thirty years of scientific research editors of the British medical journal Lancet concluded that “the smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health.”
United States. National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse. Marihuana: A signal of misunderstanding. Shafer Commission Report. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1972.
“Deglamorising Cannabis.” Editorial. The Lancet 356:11(1995): 1241.
Mr. Grant:
“Any policy change that results in an increase in marijuana use, particularly among youth, is unacceptable. Cannabis use has acute effects on attention and memory, something that constitutes a particular problem for adolescents still in school and perhaps contemplating a collegiate future.”
Fact: For twenty-five years, researchers have searched for a marijuana-induced amotivational syndrome and have failed to find it. People who are intoxicated constantly, regardless of the drug, are unlikely to be productive members of society. There is nothing about marijuana specifically that causes people to lose their drive and ambition. In laboratory studies, subjects given high doses of marijuana for several days or even several weeks exhibit no decrease in work motivation or productivity. Among working adults, marijuana users tend to earn higher wages than non-users. College students who use marijuana have the same grades as nonusers. Among high school students, heavy use is associated with school failure, but school failure usually comes first.
Himmelstein, J.L. The Strange Career of Marihuana: Politics and Ideology of Drug Control in America. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1983.
Mellinger, G.D. et al. “Drug Use, Academic Performance, and Career Indecision: Longitudinal Data in Search of a Model.” Longitudinal Research on Drug Use: Empirical Findings and Methodological Issues. Ed. D.B. Kandel. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 1978. 157-177.
Pope, H.G. et al., “Drug Use and Life Style Among College Undergraduates in 1989: A Comparison With 1969 and 1978,” American Journal of Psychiatry 147 (1990): 998-1001.
Mr. Grant:
“Furthermore, marijuana use impairs judgment and motor skills, posing a serious risk of automobile accidents. It is also estimated that about 10% of marijuana users eventually become dependent on it. By enforcing policies that suppress the use of addictive drugs like marijuana, we are affirming our ultimate respect for freedom and liberty by ensuring that fewer Americans get trapped into a life of addiction.”
Fact: There is no compelling evidence that marijuana contributes substantially to traffic accidents and fatalities. At some doses, marijuana affects perception and psychomotor performances- changes which could impair driving ability. However, in driving studies, marijuana produces little or no car-handling impairment- consistently less than produced by low moderate doses of alcohol and many legal medications. In contrast to alcohol, which tends to increase risky driving practices, marijuana tends to make subjects more cautious. Surveys of fatally injured drivers show that when THC is detected in the blood, alcohol is almost always detected as well. For some individuals, marijuana may play a role in bad driving. The overall rate of highway accidents appears not to be significantly affected by marijuana’s widespread use in society.
Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. “Legalization: Panacea or Pandora’s Box”. New York. (1995):36.
Swan, Neil. “A Look at Marijuana’s Harmful Effects.” NIDA Notes. 9.2 (1994): 14.
Moskowitz, Herbert and Robert Petersen. Marijuana and Driving: A Review. Rockville: American Council for Drug Education, 1982. 7.
Mann, Peggy. Marijuana Alert. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1985. 265.
Fact: Marijuana produces immediate, temporary changes in thoughts, perceptions, and information processing. The cognitive process most clearly affected by marijuana is short-term memory. In laboratory studies, subjects under the influence of marijuana have no trouble remembering things they learned previously. However, they display diminished capacity to learn and recall new information. This diminishment only lasts for the duration of the intoxication. There is no convincing evidence that heavy long-term marijuana use permanently impairs memory or other cognitive functions.
Wetzel, C.D. et al., “Remote Memory During Marijuana Intoxication,” Psychopharmacology 76 (1982): 278-81.
Deadwyler, S.A. et al., “The Effects of Delta-9-THC on Mechanisms of Learning and Memory.” Neurobiology of Drug Abuse: Learning and Memory. Ed. L. Erinoff. Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse 1990. 79-83.
Block, R.I. et al., “Acute Effects of Marijuana on Cognition: Relationships to Chronic Effects and Smoking Techniques.” Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 43 (1992): 907-917.
Fact: Most people who smoke marijuana smoke it only occasionally. A small minority of Americans – less than 1 percent – smoke marijuana on a daily basis. An even smaller minority develop a dependence on marijuana. Some people who smoke marijuana heavily and frequently stop without difficulty. Others seek help from drug treatment professionals. Marijuana does not cause physical dependence. If people experience withdrawal symptoms at all, they are remarkably mild.
United States. Dept. of Health and Human Services. DASIS Report Series, Differences in Marijuana Admissions Based on Source of Referral. 2002. June 24 2005.
Johnson, L.D., et al. “National Survey Results on Drug Use from the Monitoring the Future Study, 1975-1994, Volume II: College Students and Young Adults.” Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996.
Kandel, D.B., et al. “Prevalence and demographic correlates of symptoms of dependence on cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and cocaine in the U.S. population.” Drug and Alcohol Dependence 44 (1997):11-29.
Stephens, R.S., et al. “Adult marijuana users seeking treatment.” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 61 (1993): 1100-1104.
and finally, Mr. Grant:
“Finally, please be aware that federal and Florida laws prohibit “medical marijuana” because an expert review of the evidence conducted by the Institute of Medicine concluded that “Smoked marijuana…is a crude THC delivery system that also delivers harmful substances…[and] cannot be expected to provide a precisely defined drug effect. For those reasons there is little future in smoked marijuana as a medically approved medication.” Safer and scientifically proven drugs exist for all of the medical conditions that marijuana is erroneously thought to treat.”
Fact: Marijuana has been shown to be effective in reducing the nausea induced by cancer chemotherapy, stimulating appetite in AIDS patients, and reducing intraocular pressure in people with glaucoma. There is also appreciable evidence that marijuana reduces muscle spasticity in patients with neurological disorders. A synthetic capsule is available by prescription, but it is not as effective as smoked marijuana for many patients. Pure THC may also produce more unpleasant psychoactive side effects than smoked marijuana. Many people use marijuana as a medicine today, despite its illegality. In doing so, they risk arrest and imprisonment.
Vinciguerra, Vincent; Moore, Terry and Eileen Brennan. “Inhalation marijuana as an antiemetic for cancer chemotherapy.” New York State Journal of Medicine 85 (1988): 525-27.
McCabe M, Smith FP, Macdonald JS. “Efficacy of tetrahydrocannabinol in patients refractory to standard antiemetic therapy.” Investigational New Drugs 6.3 (1988): 243-46.
Gorter, R., et al. “Dronabionol effects on weight in patients with HIV infection.” 1992. AIDS 6 (1992):127-38.
Foltin, R.W., et al. “Behavioral analysis of marijuana effects on food intake in humans.” Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 25 (1986): 577-82.
Crawford, W.J. and Merritt, J.C. “Effect of tetrahydrocannabinol on Arterial and Intraocular Hypertension.” International Journal of Clinical of Pharmacology and Biopharmaceuticals 17 (1979):191-96.
Merritt, J.C., et al. “Effects of marijuana on intraocular and blood pressure on glaucoma.” Ophthamology 87 (1980):222-28.
Baker, D., Gareth Pryce and J. Ludovic Croxford. “Cannabinoids control spasticity and tremor in a multiple sclerosis model.” Nature 404.6773 (2000): 84-7.
Hanigan, W.C., et al. “The Effect of Delta-9-THC on Human Spasticity.” Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 39 (1986):198.
I can only pray that you took the time to read this. Realizing that your home government is THAT uninformed is a sickening feeling. Something has GOT to change. You say that you’re protecting our freedom by keeping this plant illegal, but in doing so you send millions to jail and/or prison every single year. Eliminating the chances of them getting a good job and doing well for themselves is NOT protecting our freedom. Shouldn’t it be OUR choice anyway?? Isn’t it “We the People” that are supposed to be heard and acknowledged? Are you aware that this plant has only been illegal 1% of the entire time it’s been in use? Are you aware that the founding fathers of this great country, including one Abraham Lincoln, smoked “the sweet herb” on the steps of the White House? Are you aware that when our country was founded, it was illegal NOT to grow “the Indian hemp plant?” Are you aware that the only reason it was made illegal in the first place was based on racism against African Americans and Mexicans? You are supporting hate and inprisonment as opposed to love and peace.
Soooo many contradictions here. Our founding fathers would be ashamed.”
why are tabaco&alchohol legal killing thousands of people every year but marijuana is illegal and hasn’t killed anyone.I know there’s probably sum dumbass who got high and did something real stupid and got hurt.Not everyone(stupid ppl) should smoke.IF THERE TRYN TO PROTECT OUR FREEDOM WHY ARE THEY ARRESTING MILLIONS OF PPL,IT’S BECAUSE THEY MAKE MILLIONS MAYBE BILLIONS.THROUGH PROBATION AND JAIL TIME.THEY’RE NOT PROTECTING US BUT THERE MONEY.THE PUNISHMENT SHOULD NOT EXCEED THE CRIME.ALSO FREE LEONARD PELTIER!!!!
Hillary went before world goverments talking about how freedom activist were being run over by steel goverments or something to that effect.
Don’t one think that she should be looking first in her own back yard.
there’s a LOT of money in keeping pot illegal for a few people, there’s A lot MORE in making pot legal for EVERYONE!
I have been an avid smoker for 15 of my 30 years. During this time I have quit smoking tobacco and stopped drinking alcohol. Never in those 15 years have I once smoked pot and felt encouraged to try another, stronger drug such as opiates. However, getting drunk has impaired my judgment enough to the point of trying cocaine, prescription drugs and even reverting back to smoking tobacco. I’m also a Florida resident as well as a college student. I must say that I was displeased to learn that medicinal marijuana act was not place on the ballot yet again for the upcoming November ballot. Plus not to mention that less than 10,000 signatures were validated for the ridiculous amount of 700,000 signatures required for the initiative to even make the ballot. Governor Crist has been a complete waste of public resources and should have never made office in the first place. I think NORML should start promoting state legislation on their website to help inform voters of when these initiatives are up for petition or on the ballot.
[Editor’s note: NORML has been promoting and reporting on state legislation and initiatives online since 1994….federal and state legislation, as well as the means to communicate with one’s elected policymaker is found here.]
OMG! Too funny, well not really at all but OMG!
I wrote an email to the govenor and got the same email back!In fact it ticked me off so much I just sent this entire page to the govenor and Bruce Grant. Hope they like hearing what the public thinks.
July 15th, 2010 I submitted a request to reschedule cannabis on the Controlled Substance Schedule to the DEA, FDA, Dept of HHS and the Attorney General. I then posted it online. It is very different from anything I have found submitted to date. Instead of the same request so many have done, I backed it up with documentation, explanation, insight, and history. Please read it online at ;
http://requesttoreschedulecannabis.blog.com/
I honestly believe enough research has been done and it is time to
accept the fact cannabis has medicinal value as my request and
so much more proves.
As someone who suffers from
Celiac – Autoimmune Disease and Rare Disease
Rheumatory Arthritis – Autoimmune Disease
Osteoperosis – Rare Disease and Autoimmune Disease
Hypokalemia – Rare Disease
Peripherial Neuropathy – Rare Disease related/induced (Hypokalemia)
Duendonitis – Autoimmune related/induced (Celiac)
Hiatal Hernia – Autoimmune related/induced (Celiac)
Gerd – Autoimmune related/induce (Celiac)
Persistent Low Grade Fever – Autoimmune and Rare Disease related/induced
I am begging all to please change the state and federal laws and schedule.
My body can not tolerate the chemical pharmaceuticals.
It is a criminal offense for officials or executives of the U.S. government to direct orconspire to wage a deliberate campaign of misinformation, omission of fact, and outright lies with our tax dollars.
As soon as citizens start holding the politicians responsible for their crimes and reminding them of this fact the better off we will all be. I wish Norml would start pursueing that!
Sincerely – it is the best medicine for many!
Read the request – the documented science proves it.
Ask thosed cured of cancer by cannabis who were dying on chemo.
Fighting for my life!
hard working americans have been smoking it for years along with our judges, politicians teachers and scientists, athelets, coaches and yes even the police i don’t see the problem if your an adult and smoke it RESPONSIBLY. adults should have an option ….our nation is going broke and ironiclly the tax money will be needed to support social security and the pensions many of our police officers are expecting to recieve when they retire. we can’t just make money out of the air, lock innocent people up in jail or prison and start wars by fake terrorism and shove phoney man made chemicals down our citizens throat, pollute the enviorment to save money for the rich industries in the name of making the rich richer at the average americans expense. it appears the sins of our polliticians have found them and it’s the average americans who suffer initially….
Hello i think its kinda stupid that they said that they have prescription drugs for every health issue marijuana fixes well on my opinion that’s really interesting because i don’t think you are helping your self by “popping pills” because i know one true fact about pills no offense to those who take pills pills ruin your liver and if you are against marijuana and say it ruins your lungs don’t forget now that marijuana cannot be only inhaled or smoked as you may say it can also be eaten and as far as research shows marijuana DOES NOT do any harmful things to your liver as pills and there has been lots of improvement over the years on smoking like filters,bongs,and finally vaporizers and etc. thank you i hope my comment WILL make a difference on making Florida a proud medical and possible in the future a legal for anyone state. thank you hello from Ukraine.
this is absolutely crazzy… the american people are going to do what they want no matter what wether its legal or not… the government needs to relise that they are fighting a losing battle and need to let the people decide if marijuana should be legaal or not. i cant wait for the day to be able to light up and blow the smoke in a cops face
haha this whole letter is a bunch of Lies, and MisInformation.
First off:” It is also estimated that about 10% of marijuana users eventually become dependent on it”,we are affirming our ultimate respect for freedom and liberty by ensuring that fewer Americans get trapped into a life of addiction.
Ohhh Yeaa such bullshit..How about all the RX meds that are so over prescribed to sink in the “Legal Drug Addiction”..Oxy’s Roxy’s all the Pain meds, not to mention your mood elevators..
Cannabis does not in any case form a Chemical Dependency, Which carry Extreme sypmtoms from withdrawls.
Cannabis may be some what Habbit forming but that is a FAR CRY from creating “a life of addiction”.
This all Pisses me off so much!!!
Second Dumb statement:
“I am very concerned about the health and wellbeing of Florida citizens. The deaths caused each year by alcohol and tobacco represent a major cost to society that is in no way offset by the tax revenue generated by the sales of these substances. Furthermore, I do not believe that the adverse consequences of marijuana use (respiratory diseases, traffic fatalities, poor school performance, dependence, etc.) could ever offset the potential tax revenue it might generate.”
Well there aren’t any Laws on alcohol and tobacco, yet its a Proven fact that alcahol is the WORST//Most Dangerous, unhealty intoxicant around. Worse than Herion, Crack, Meth, PcP, MDMA, Cocaine, And Marijuana. Not to mention the number of people that get cancer from any form of tabacco use…
I will finish by commenting on this one Quote:
“we are affirming our ultimate respect for freedom and liberty”
If this were the land of the free, a plant wouldnt be Illegal also qualify as a schedule 1 drug…
So that means that Cocaine (schedule 2)is a safer drug?
Our government is so fucked up…they wont legalize bud because we can grow it.
MeanWhile Doctors are getting patients hooked on shit that they can O.D. on, or become addicted to..
Stuff only they can make, get you hooked and keep you coming back, milking every dime on “Rx Medication”.
Then they Become Junkies that will do ANYTHING for that next fix..which is when they end up in jail, Which we pay for. All their meds in jail to keep them of dying from withdrawls..
Shits a Shame..Just let us enjoy gods green earth.
The state Florida gives roxycets away like skittles and there worried about marijuana.
I’m pretty sure post #227 from J-blaze was referring to NORML’s need to spread the word on active ballot initiatives in the different states instead of waiting to know that its going to get on there and pass. It’s a way to help unite citizens in a state around a cause.
Legalize Medical Marijuana in Florida – PUFMM.org
I was diagnosed with MS 10 years ago. About every 3 months or so, I would have a relapse and be confined to my bed without any mobility for 2 months. The only medication that helped me was steroids, which in turn made me balloon up like a hippo. Along with the steroids, I was told to use injections ever 2 days, which cost about $1500 a month! My doctor said the weight wasn’t good for the MS and I still had to take a muscle relaxer for my muscle spasms. I gave birth to a child almost 6 years ago and I had to stop using the injections. A few months after I had her I had another relapse from the MS. Someone I knew suggested that I smoke marijuana. So I tried it, and guess what…I haven’t had a relapse since! I’ve been free and clear of any relapses for the past 5 years and counting. I still have the muscle spasms, but a few puffs from a small joint aleviate it. Unfortunately, I recently stopped smoking because my job is enforcing random drug tests. So for fear of being fired, I had no choice. Now, i’m beginning to feel the effects from the MS again, and if FL does not medicinally legalize cannibus soon, I’ll be forced to move myself and my whole family to a different state. It’s either that, or suffer for the rest of my life!
I am a disabled veteran of Iraq, I have severe PTSD, from the things i experienced while on active duty. I have nightmares wich only allow me to sleep for 4 hours a day if i’m lucky. Most of the time my mind wont let me sleep until i’m drained to the point of exaustion and my body shuts down on it own. Severe depression which makes my family worry about me constantly, chronic pain in my back, knee’s and elbows, I have tremors in my right hand as well as constant headaches from a land mine blast injury. I was put on numerous different meds from the VA. Most which made me have severe withdrawl symptoms within a few days of missing a dose. The Meds would temporarily work or not work at all. Not to mention cause extreme weight gain. I decided to try smoking cannibus and it helped me alot. It helps me alot. My headaches became more tolerable, my tremors went away,the pain in my knees and back went away. And my depression wasn’t there any more, i was getting goodnight rest, I didn’t have a single negative though go through my mind, In fact my family notices a huge difference when i use cannibus for my ailments. And have told me many times they would prefer me using cannibus over The perscriptions. But unfortunatly cannibus is illegal in the state of florida and i am afraid to use it illegaly, because of this, my family is falling apart and i am back to square one with all my problems coming back. I wish there was away to speed up the process of legalizing it for medical use. my family cannot stand to be around me unless i smoke and is currently now in a seperation process with my wife. What can we do? because what we are dong now isn’t enough to get it legalized. who do we have to vote out of power in florida to get it passed? i’m afraid of loosing my family and kids because of of not having a medacine that works as well as cannibus.
I have been smoking cannabis for over 30 year everyday. I have a home that is current on the mortgage in Florida, one kid in college and one in high school. I am a successful business man and family provider. I pay all my bills on time and have a good credit score. I have never not paid my bills missed work passed out driving due to using cannabis for medical or recreational use. I have seen may concerts smoking cannabis and hove not missed a note or passed out.
When I used to drink I missed work all the time, never made it past the end of a show and was sick days after drinking with hangovers. Never had that problem with cannabis and thatis why I choose to use cannabis over drinking or pills made by the FDA.
I support medical cannabis in Florida and the idea that prices will go down is not true. Look at the prices in California avg oz is 400 plus in the medical dispensaries. That is more than the street prices.
Peace and happiness to all. I hope our state wakes up soon before we are forced to move to a cannabis is friendly state.
I am 64 years old and I think Cannabis is a poisen,
a poisen to the powers that be because they do not fully know the consequences of legalization.
The powers that be are afraid of it and so are the their corporate masters.
Richard Lee of Oaksterdam University in Oakland Ca., the man resonsible for getting Cannabis on the ballot to full legalization is in a wheelchair and his Republican mother who is a federal goverment official did not like him using Pot.However, when she saw the good it was doing him she was somewhat amazed and became pro-Cannibis. That is the answer people, educate the goverment and Congress first because the good people at DEA supression central will not agree to losing their tenure. We all know how deluded these officials are and that is I believe the path to enlightenment and change. God bless us all and God enlighten the knucleheads in Goverment.
It is so sad the type of people we elect to govern or state. Since being in office for a year, Charlie Crist has reapproved offshore drilling, cut education founds and put thousands of teachers out of job, and just recently with the rise of unemployment across the country, and he has cut unemployment benefits. Florida economy is worst then it has been in years. It’s sad the kind of people we elect to office just because our neighbor is voting for that person without doing their own research on the candidate. I feel with this type of thinking in office, Florida will become one of the last if not the last state to pass medical use cannabis (That’s with is being passed on a federal level first).
“Smoked marijuana…is a crude THC delivery system that also delivers harmful substances…[and] cannot be expected to provide a precisely defined drug effect” …….. THEN LEGALIZE IT SO WE CAN LEGALLY USE OUR VAPORIZERS AND MAKE BROWNIES AND COOKIES! THAT’S SMOKELESS.
This guy is such an asshole!
What I find funny is that they can never admit the goods of marijuana. Everyone always thinks of marijuana as a way to get high. How about the fact that hemp is one of the strongest materials and that it also produces a very good fuel source and not to mention the fact that it can solve problems for CHILDREN medically. Anything else need to be said? I think not, just wish people would wake up and realize that we adapt and change due to the knowledge that we learn. we have learned the goods of marijuana and yet we still want to deny and ignore possible future gains from accepting this and try and learn more from it.
Its a private property issue.. We trade freedoms for securitys everyday.. WAKE UP PEOPLE
people like to party..i know i did…i rather like the approach of just looking the other way if users wish to smoke in the privacy of their own homes. the war on drugs will never be won, much like the war on piracy. just adapt to your environment and listen to this nations voice. lastly, i don’t see an increase in usage upon it becoming legalized. maybe slightly over hyped at the beginning but things will simmer down in time. good luck america
This is bull. All these politicians are a bunch of jokers.
IF it is good for OBAMA,then it’s good for me!!
Prison labor exchange! Prison labor exchange! Nonviolent drug offenders provide the highest work output and lowest behavioral risk among prison temporary workers. Filling prisons with legitimate criminals cuts WAY back on the pool of trustees, without selling inmate labor today’s prisons could not operate. In turn, prisons and probation offices are invested in ‘making’ (not rehabilitating) criminals. If you don’t believe that, these moronic policy makers suspend drivers licenses for misdemeanors. How much more obvious can you make it that you want it to be impossible to escape the system?