A majority of Californians continue to voice their support for Prop. 19 — which would eliminate penalties for the private possession and use of marijuana by adults, and allow local governments to regulate retail cannabis production and sales.
According to the most recent Survey USA poll (conducted August 9-11), 50 percent of likely voters in California say they are certain to vote ‘yes’ on Proposition 19 versus 40 percent who say that they will vote ‘no.’ These totals are the same as reported by Survey USA one month ago, and indicate that voters’ support is holding steady despite increased attacks and propaganda from our opponents. (NORML Outreach Coordinator Russ Belville has just posted an excellent rebuttal to many of our opponents’ more outrageous claims here.)
According to the latest polling data, voters age 35 to 49 are most likely to back Prop. 19, and African Americans and self-reported Democrats are more likely to support the measure as compared to other groups. (To read why self-proclaimed ‘conservative’ voters ought to vote yes on Prop. 19, please see my recent op/ed in the Orange County Register here.) On Friday, leaders from the Latino Voters League held a press conference in Los Angeles announcing their support for Prop. 19, joining the state NAACP which had previously announced their ‘unconditional support’ for the measure in June.
Predictably, many members of law enforcement continue to speak out against the measure. Yet, as you can see in my recent rebuttal to three Bay area police chiefs, their rhetoric rings hollow. In fact, even those in the media who oppose Prop. 19 are beginning to question the rhetoric and tactics of LEOs.
Fortunately, editors at several prominent California papers are giving ample editorial space to getting out the facts regarding Prop. 19. Recently, I’ve had op/eds published in the San Jose Mercury News (“Critics of Prop. 19 on marijuana rely on fear, not facts“), The Los Angeles Times (“Feinstein’s misguided opposition to marijuana legalization“), and The Ventura County Star (“Media’s coverage of report spurs reefer madness“) setting the record straight.
Bottom line: The status quo in California for non-medical patients is an abysmal failure. California lawmakers criminalized the possession and use of marijuana in 1913 yet right now in California, the federal government reports that one out of 10 people annually use marijuana and together consume about 1.2 million pounds of it. Self-evidently, cannabis is here to stay. Let’s address this reality and end the practice of arresting 70,000+ Californians each year for minor marijuana possession and/or cultivation charges, and lets stop ceding control of the commercial marijuana market to unregulated, untaxed criminal enterprises and put it in the hands of licensed businesses. Proposition 19 is a first, significant step in this direction.
It’s going to be so funny, smoke a joint and break the law, go vote, smoke a joint and abide by the law…. free at last.
That has to be the GREATEST feeling in the world once it passes.Just hope it sweeps the nation faster than we all think.
I hope it passes but it wont, young people just will not go to the polls, its that simple. Another 10 years and the prohibition is over….if we are around that long.
That’s great news!
We need to make sure we rock the vote in November. Polls are one thing, but voter turnout is another entirely. It is time to stop funding cartels, losing revenue, letting dealers sell to minors, and imprisoning non violent cannabis consumers.
Please do whatever you can to get the word out!
the biggest part is swaying the votes who are already planning on voting against it… they need to be re educated by their own kids and grandchildren. along with everyone getting their asses out there and voting!!!
I was looking forward to hearing conservatives start with the “death panels” of marijuana legalization and how the proposition is “socialist”, but it’s getting so popular even ultra conservatives like Glenn Beck are coming out of the closet to offer support. It’s too difficult to complain about government spending and not consider a plan that will provide the economy with much needed cash. This is a “yes” vote for both sides.
Problem is similar to post WWII. You remember those guys whose job it was to hunt down Nazi war criminals? Well, they ran out of war criminals and so their jobs were in jeopardy, so they started in on anyone they could find who could be linked to having been even a private in the Nazi army–anything to maintain your power and prestige, as well as your job!
Same thing here. The DEA has failed. The Drug War has failed. But it has unfortunately produced a structure in which some very dishonest control freaks have been installed in positions of power and prestige, and now their jobs are jeopardy. They won’t give over that power easily, and they will never admit to the failure that has become apparent to anyone with half a brain. Wannabe fascists never do admit it, but this isn’t really about protecting anyone from “teh drugs” anymore, is it?
Sounds just like my brother’s girlfriend–she’ll give up any and every right and freedom if it means her damn untrustworthy neighbors will be monitored day and night. And her neighbors think the same about her.
God bless America, I guess.
Can NORML-Rich Lee Brain trust get out the YES vote.? Need a media budget,so get Willie Nelson in rural areas. The inner city is Snoop Dog…will some big donor step up.Godspeed !
Wish I lived in California to vote for Prop 19…however…I do strongly urge those of you who do live there to vote YES on Nov 2nd…There is a method to my madness, in that, provided the state of California votes IN Prop 19, other states would fall by the way side and also vote YES for LEGAL Marijuana…Cannabis…or Hemp whatever one chooses to call this marvelous plant that I firmly believe is God given…let no man rescind God’s Law…Amen…
Puff…Puff…
That is very good news to hear. For a very long time people have recognized that Marijuana Prohibition must end. Marijuana Prohibition is making criminals out of everybody.
When your opposition is based on lies. The truth will set you free.
ADs, especially directed at the 18-30 range(targeted TV, Radio, Social Networking Sites), need to:
1. Counter the negative lies with truth.
2. Encourage those in favor (mostly the youth which is why demographic targeting is absolutely need for this part) to get out and vote.
BTW, I live in Texas and am already thinking of moving to Denver, CO in order to avoid persecution.(They are more lenient than here by far.)
I work around heavy equipment daily and YES I smoke marijuana recreationally as well as smoking cigs(which I would quit) and drinking alcohol. I’ve never had an on-site accident (probably because, I’ve never been drunk or stoned at work, but use nearly if not every day I have off from work, afraid of the consequences of the smell on work days as I live on-site and currently it is a terminable offense). I’ve never been in a drug related motor vehicle accident(maybe because I don’t drive drunk or stoned). I’ve never been in trouble with the law for marijuana (even though I’ve smoked it for 8 years occasionally. Probably due to the fact I avoid using it in public and avoid) I’ve passed every drug test I’ve ever taken without using any cleaning system(I guess quitting for a month isn’t a problem for a non-addictive drug). I’ve never used cocaine, heroin or any “harder” drugs, even though it has been offered by dealers before(which wouldn’t happen if legalized and regulated).
I am 30 years old, been using since I was 22 years old, and if I can responsibly be able to consume marijuana in it’s current illegal state then in my opinion all the argument against legalization are invalid or flat out lies.
Long story short, “IF CALIFORNIA PASSES PROP. 19 AND IT GOES INTO EFFECT, I WILL BE MOVING TO CALIFORNIA AS A POLITICAL REFUGEE TO AVOID PERSECUTION.”
(P.S. Last time I was in California I said I would never go back except possibly as a vacation.)
Might as well pass it! We’re going to use it whether they pass it or not. So! we might as well get the tax revenue to pull the state out of bankruptcy. As the progressives say – lets not let a good catastrophy go to waste.
California better not eff this one up. I do not want to be forced to pay my tax dollars to bail out California’s sinking economy because they can’t get their shit straight. I’m only warning you once California, don’t eff this up or you won’t be here in the future.
California voters can go online to register to vote:
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm
or to vote by mail
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_m.htm
South Dakota citizens can go online to register to vote, and you can vote as an absentee if your a SD citizen who is currently out of state (e.g., a student):
http://www.sdsos.gov/electionsvoteregistration/registrationvoting.shtm
Other states: Google your state name and “voter registration.” It takes 5 minutes to change the world.
College students can usually register as residents of the place they live while in college OR, if they are from elsewhere, they can register as a citzen of their “home town.” The choice is theirs, so college students, you might want to think about where to make your vote count the most.
Register. Vote. Change things. Share the links.
And as a side note: If you’re not already registered or if you’re just not sure, do it today. Most states have a deadline that’s a few weeks BEFORE the election, so don’t delay!
(And also: If you didn’t vote in 2008, there is a good chance you are no longer registered; in some states you have to re-register if you miss an election or two, so make sure you’re registered, and if you have a chance to vote early (either by mail or in person at a polling place, jump on it!)
Hmmm , I’ll try this again ;
http://www.goodgreenbuilders.com/
If it doesn’t highlight . Check out GOOD GREEN BUILDERS of , Walnut Creek , Ca.
This is a first & no , i work for them .
National Black Police Association Supports CA Prop 19
http://the420times.com/2010/08/national-black-police-association-supports-ca-prop-19/
Imagine what a yes vote in California would really mean.
1. It would mark the beggining of the End of the drug war.
2.It would be a landmark statement for Human Rights.
3. It would start the dismantling of Large Government.
4. It would end the social burden that the industrial prison complex has placed upon the backs of society.
this is it,the time is now,we have it in our hands and its up to all the voters to pass this law and be the first state to do it,i”ve only voted twice in my life and this will be the third,prop19,vote yes.
I’M 51 yrs old, and have nausea and vomiting spells since 1995,they lay me up for 3 days, my DOC can not find a legal drug to help.The only drug that helps is POT, when I can find it. Here in S.C.we need help man, the laws are B.S.I wish we could get a law on the books! ANY WAY I CAN HELP let me KNOW. mail me at my po box if there is anything this ole hippy can do thanks BRIAN E WHITFIELD
I fell brian whitfield!!!
I live in South Carolina too, and the laws are bs for cannabis use.
I have done my research for medical cannabis and it can help for alot of illiness and pain…
If a crackhead can smoke cannabis and easy they way off of crack with cannabis…
Than i feel they should leagalize it for everyuse (personal and medical)…
Think about it?? If you leagalize just medical, might as well do it for personal use.
Put taxes on it like the street dealers do… $5 to $100 bucks simple!!!!
I hope and pray Prop. 19 passes in California. It will be a great economic boom to the state and might help the recovery in California. Unfortunately I live in PA and we don’t even have medical pot thanks to Republican legislators in our state who oppose it eventhough a recent poll found that 80% of Pennsylvanians favor medical marijuana.
Thee are some raitors in the marijuana legalisation movement who are traitorswho sy that we shoulvote noon 19.They must be stoped before tey cause 19 to be defeated. Thes3e selfish enemies falsely claim that 19 will take awayn the right we won with prop. 215. Not true. Tey lie and claim thatcannabis is “alreay legal”. Do not believethis nonsense Cannabis is not legal in California if you do not have a medical condition.For anyone ese annabis is very, very,very illegal. Oh wait . cannabis is “legal” if you wish to be a con man and lie to your doctor. Just claim you have a medical condition you do not have, be dishones and be immoral. What these enemies are doing is teaching people to be immoral liars. I suppose if you are desparate enough and if there was noprop. 19 on the ballot lying to get medical mrijuana might seemthe only way you can get cannabis. But does lving a lie every day of your life make you feel ood. Can you live with yourslf. The only way you can guaruntee that an adult 21 and over can get marijuana is by legaliig marijuana for all. 215 never did that but 19, if it passes will do that . Of course you couldlie to yourself and say that cannabis is “legal” and lie to a doctor; claim you have an illness you don’t have; that is how marijuana become “legal” for all. Of course dipensary opperators who are morally corrupt, unlike Richard Lee and Steve D’Angelo and wish to create a captive market so they could ake al of the money themseles would like you to think that Marjuana is already “legal” ( wink, wink, lie to yur doctor so you can “legitimately qualify”) and that the passage of prop. 19 wil take away rights of medical patents won under 215 (which do not pertan to people who are not patients). Of course this will enable those few who are liars in the industry to line their pocket with money. And let us no forget tofeel sorry for those selfis growers up in the emerasld triangle whoare against 19 simply because they do not want to cease earning the extra profits illegality gives the. Let them play fair and compte in an open legal market; those growers, along with the bad dispensary owners, not the good dispnsary owners are enemies too. What I fear s the coming to pass of the predicton of one Field poll (which may or my not be correct because it is contradiced by other polls)inwhich 51% support cannabis legalisation but only 47% say they will voe for 19. If this nightmare comes to pass this small group of morrally corrupt dispensary owners and growers will have defaeated the only chance we have fr genuinelegaliation. Is it right that a buch of corrupt people should stop the victory we have all been working for? No, it is unfair and it only helps our archenemies, namely those in law enforcement and religious groups whod not support our cause. I sktese suppoosd defenders of the mere illusion of “legality” whose side are you on: the side of adult cannabis consumers r our archenemies? It is obvious to me that they help our archenemies. I mplore all who read this to vote for prop. 19 so we can avoid the nightare of prop. 19 only getting 47% of the vote. The key to victry my be defeating this enemy ithi the cannabis legalisation movement
Give the people what they want. This is why we pay taxes. We as human beings all over america have the right to smoke pot if we want
To win, as with any war (which, by the way, was declared on US by THEM), you have to understand the principles behind war. Sun tzu laid these down perfectly thousands of years ago. I suggest that everyone who wants to see this bill become law read what he said…mainly the parts about winning the hearts and minds of the people. Thats why we got our asses kicked in vietnam…we had a sprawling military industrial war machine sucking money and blood out of our country, against the will of the people…exactly like the drug-war machine of today. The other side knew that, and capitalized on it. The war ended ONLY when the people TOOK TO THE STREETS, when an entire “fuck no, we wont go” COUNTER-culture arose, and our nations YOUTH stood up on its hind legs and said “no more…we’ve bled enough. Not one more day of this.”.. and the tide turned.
A call needs to go out, across the nation, to the youth of today AND yesterday, to come to California, not only to help get the word out, but to show America and the world that we are sick TO OUR VERY SOULS of seeing sick and dying people go to prison….homes torn apart because of a benign plant…and OUR MONEY flooding across our borders and into the hands of narco-terrorist regimes. We need NORML to finish what it started, and put itself out of business, by WINNING. We need A LEADER to simply say, on this day, at this time, everyone who lives in fear, and HAS lived in fear, for using a PLANT, to meet, from every corner of america, and show the world that we are NOT criminals…we are YOU…sons and daughters, fathers and mothers…grandparents…veterans…WE ARE AMERICA!!!! Norml…if you build it…we WILL come.
And maybe…just maybe…if we can show the world that We, as a people, can stand up…on our hind legs…and say that for over 70 years, we were wrong about cannabis…and that we are sorry…and that we are asking for forgiveness, and the right to move on….maybe there wont be so much WORLD-HATE for us. Maybe we can go on vacation again, without having to worry about being killed or kidnapped, just because we are americans. Maybe we will be able to work in our buildings again without worrying when the next plane will fly into it. Maybe our sons and daughters can come home, play with their children again, instead of dying on foreign soil. Because MAKE NO MISTAKE…this drug war goes deeper than any one person can fathom. Its a war of HATE, fueled by LIES, perpetrated on OURSELVES. It is the age-old pattern of humans attempting to destroy what we dont understand…and what we dont understand, in this instance, is how to transition from a hate-filled, intolerant world, to one of acceptance, not just of those who look like us, but of ALL people. The POWER knows the POWER of the plant to break down barriers between race and class, and that is the MARROW of why they will fight tooth and nail to see it tilled under.
I live in south mississippi, right on the beach. When it rains, I smell the oil that BP put into the Gulf. I turn north, and all the way to the cotton-belt, I see pine trees, grown for pulp…a sea of giant grass, waiting to be mowed, and chemically processed. I live in the very heart of the rabbit-hole, where NOTHING is as it should be. Hemp could make offshore drilling unnecessary. Hemp could allow a LOT of pine-forests (which are no forests at all, any more than a row of tomatoes is a natural habitat for a rabbit) to return to nature, and let some of our endangered species recover. Our “leaders” just outlawed FAKE cannabis…so we dont have any hope of legalization…UNLESS Prop. 19 passes…and California starts raking in tax money…and the dominoes start to fall…
Sun-tzu. Read it. Norml…organize it. Cannabis users…put back some cash, save your vacation time, keep the vehicle ready to go. State chapters…start fund-drives to charter buses, and help arrange car-pools. And yeah..Snoop Dogg, Woodie Harrelson, Willie Nelson, and everybody who is anybody, who has a voice that can be heard louder than the average citizen…now is your time to either truly shine, or miss your opportunity to lead our nation back to sanity and reason. If we can organize for Katrina relief, African relief, Aids Relief, and every other relief…we sure as hell can organize for something that, in one fell swoop, will SURELY change this planet for the better.
I love you…each and every one of you. You take that love, and you give it to each other…but better yet, you give it to JUST ONE PERSON who would vote to keep PUTTING US BEHIND BARS…and we will win California…WE WILL WIN BACK OUR COUNTRY…and for once, in a very long time, we will shed at least SOME of the filthy skin of hypocrisy, that has caused us to hate and be hated, to bleed and cause to bleed…to fear, and be feared.
GOD BLESS AMERICA…today, tomorrow, and forever!
bkdavisesq@hotmail.com
I think prop 19 is flawed in allowing people to grow so much for personal use, I believe perhaps three to four plants. I think growers should be licensed and the product should be taxed. It could pay off state and federal deficits in ten years.
@#8 Thats one of the main reasons it was made illegal in the first place in the u.s. Harry Anslinger, head of what would become the DEA, wanted more power.
Cannabis should be tax free and as available as any garden herb. No on limits and no on the commercialization of cannabis.
This prop will make jobs ?? You’re crazy !!! It takes 10’s of thousands of people to grow now, it will only take hundreds to work at the Factory’s. Say goodbye to the north coast and killer bud and hello to expensive crap weed. Duh, maybe you should do your homework and see who wrote and funded this prop. and then you will see its about money for a select few, NOT California. Everyone is so fucking stoned, they’re STUPID !!!
[Paul Armentano responds: Prop. 19 legalizes personal cultivation for non-medical users, which is presently a felony now in California. Maybe you should do your homework.]
DO ALL YOU PEOPLE AT NORML REALLY WANT THIS SPIRITUAL HERB TO BE IN THE HANDS OF THE CORPORATE ENTITIES LIKE PHILLIP MORRIS?? WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS. THIS SPIRITUAL PLANT WILL BE COMMODIFIED AND EXPLOITED TO PUT MORE $ INTO THE HANDS OF CORPORATE OWNERS, NOT INTO THE STATE COFFERS. WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ALL OF THE LOCAL ECONOMIES THAT ARE RUN BY THE CASH INFUSIONS OF LOCAL GROWERS?
IS ANYONE THINKING ABOUT THESE ISSUES OR ARE YOU ALL BLINDED BY THE HOLY GRAIL OF LEGALIZATION???
THINK ABOUT IT. REMEMBER PROHIBITION? ALCOHOL BECAME LEGAL WHEN THE POWERS THAT BE FIGURED OUT HOW TO MAKE $ OFF OF IT! HELLO??!!
[Editor’s note: ALL CAPS?! Apparently, rather than you not going to a corporate-branded store and growing your own, you want the voters to reject legalization, continue with the waste and fraud of prohibition/keep the prices of cannabis absurdly high because you fear corporations is just about as weird as the DEA claiming cannabis has no medical value.
You both should be in the Flat Earth Society.
If you don’t want to go to corporate brands, then don’t. But not voting to end the arrests and continue cannabis prohibition is truly bizarre.]
If you were REALLY informed about all the implications and facts of this prop, you would not have responded that way. PLEASE READ the entire prop. There is SO much more to this than anyone is talking about! I am all for full decriminalization. This bill adds MORE criminal laws, and will KILL local economies. It also does NOTHING to help those incarcerated currently for petty pot charges. Also this as law will supersede Prop 215. And it is the beginning of the Walmartization of Marijuana. How about an intelligent response to all that? please. READ it.
[Editor’s note: Have YOU read Proposition 19? Because if you did, then you know you’re spreading lies and falsehoods here on NORML’s webpage. How you’re able to lie and twist facts to misconstrue a legalization initiative to “increase penalties” and “kill local economies” is totally incorrect and the opposite of what legalization does.
Continued cannabis prohibition in California is a crime…supposed cannabis law reformers going around propagandizing against the initiative is an even worse offense against society.]
If we vote no on PROP 19 all of the users of Marijuana will obtain medical marijuana recommendation cards and will use the product anyway. If that happens it will continue to support illegal growing and importing of marijuana and there will be no control or taxes generated from its use.
Please understand 1 thing, Pot is sold at every street corner now, if prop 19 is approved Marijuana will be completely controlled and handled in a safer manner including quality control, prices will be more realistic and in turn the illegal importing will cease to exist.
The Dispenseries have spent money to setup the medical marijuana collectives therefore they have everything to lose if Prop 19 is approved, Remove all the scammers and peddlers vote yes and allow the state to protect the minors and keep some cash in this country for our future.
Thanks and VOTE YES on PROP 19
Laws to protect everyone money to be made by California State and in return allow people to use MJ at home providing they follow the rules about minors etc with no gray areas.
What a great prop.
Vote yes its the only way to solve the MJ problem in this state, otherwise we can continue with gray areas feds vs users state judges dismissing the charges and the cat and mouse games continue at the tax payers expense.
I love the gateway theory its about having something you can lean on when your completely clueless as why people change up from one drug to another.
Here are some reasons why people use multiple substances.
#1. Drug Dealers are great salesmen, a store selling pot will not offer you other drugs like cocaine etc.
#2. Marijuana will not gradually increase your high as you smoke it kinda just levels out after a few tokes, some people just want more than what pot has to offer, but in no way dose pot cause cravings for another drug.
#3. Another drug was passed around at a party, whats that got to do with pot!!, Gateway! are we laughing yet.
#4. Some people just prefer a different kinda high, physical uppers, downers, mental uppers, downers etc.
#5. Friends share with you.
Now heres the real gateway theory!
You got hooked on a prescription drug like oxycontin and its not working anymore so you turn to street narcotics like heroin to help make you feel better.
Stop comparing Marijuana to Meth and Cocaine, Marijuana is natural and all the others are processed to form a drug, stop confussing the issue! the only reason Marijuana leads to more potent drugs are because the dealers are great salesmen.
Get rid of the lousey dealers and cartel just vote yes on 19 and stop blaming marijuana for every drug problem in the world.
MISSISSIPPIANS please sign this petition to get proposition 19 into congress!! http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/prop19ms