By Dane Wilkins Source: Ukiah Daily Journal USA -- Let's take a step back and clearly look at the current reality regarding marijuana. It seems obvious to me that the war on cannabis (the plant) and the war on users has failed miserably. After 68 years of prohibition we have seen the numbers of users rise from approximately 35,000 (1937 U.S .FBI) to 83 million (according to DHS 2001, household survey) citizens who have admitted to cannabis use. Marijuana is the largest cash crop in California and has been for many years. Medical marijuana - There is solid worldwide evidence that many patients can and do benefit from using medical cannabis. It is also clear that there are many abuses of our current system and that it would be of great benefit for all of us to deal with this. Recreational use - This is the majority of marijuana users, which includes our neighbors, friends and relatives who use marijuana, and are under-represented and have been prosecuted for years (697,082 arrests in 2002, 613,986 were for possession only.) Industrial hemp production - Why not? One of the most versatile plants. Our Bill of Rights and our Constitution were both originally written on hemp paper. Hemp fabric, food, and biodiesel are also some of the uses. In fact there was a time in our country when it was against the law not to grow hemp. So instead today we just import processed hemp and are in effect punishing our farmers and citizens . I am also concerned that we are utilizing professionally trained law enforcement officers to become essentially field workers - removing approximately 1 million plants this season in California alone. There is no doubt that in some cases there are bad people doing bad things, and that is not acceptable. It is our responsibility to devise ways that clearly protects and benefits the health and safety of our public, and which diffuses and stops harm being created and endangering our people. What Can We Do? Legalize marijuana for adult use (cannabis is not for children). This would begin the process by taking the profit of growing marijuana from the black market. It would also have the effect of demystifying the herb and diffusing much of the mystery that attracts new users. Tax Marijuana There is no doubt that for the past generation and a half that marijuana growing has been a prime source of income for a large portion of the Northern California public. All of these folks utilize our public resources and should be paying the appropriate taxes. These taxes would add significant income to our economy. I would hope this untouched revenue would be used locally to help fund our schools, law enforcement, health care and emergency services. Regulate Marijuana Possibly in a similar manner as the wine industry. Sales are taxed and quality is evaluated, regulated, and quantified. I am asking that each of you consider these ideas and make your own decisions as to how you feel about this. Whatever our similarities or differences, I hope we can look at these together and come up with some reasonable and responsible solutions, lasting solutions that work and benefit our community. Dane Wilkins of Ukiah is the director of the Northern California chapter of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws. Source: Ukiah Daily Journal (CA) Author: Dane Wilkins Published: Wednesday, September 28, 2005 Copyright: 2005 Ukiah Daily Journal Contact: udj@pacific.net Website: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/ Link to article: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread21146.shtml
By The News Record Source: News Record Ohio -- The marijuana debate has been argued this way or that ever since the late sixties with no definitive answer or solution in sight. Pot advocates obviously want to, as Peter Tosh would say, "Legalize It." American society has shunned the idea of legalizing marijuana, labeling it taboo through various anti-pot commercials. You know, like "Parents. The Anti-Drug," or the one where the guys are getting high in a drive-through, then proceed to run over a little girl on a bike. Well, before tackling the whole issue of legalization we should consider some facts. First, we must ponder the question of why marijuana is illegal, while tobacco and alcohol are not. According to The Gallup Organization's Annual Consumption Habits poll (conducted July 2005) about 63 percent of America's 295,734,134 people drink alcohol. That's 186,312,504 people. That's a lot of people and tax dollars. Now consider that according to the Journal of the American Medical Association there are about 85,000 annual deaths due to alcohol. If that number fails to impress it should be noted that it doesn't include the 17,401 drunken driving related deaths a year, which tallies the death toll to about 102,401. Not to mention the 327,000 people that were injured in drunk-driving accidents last year. In respect to tobacco use, according to "A National Action Plan for Tobacco Cessation," there are about 24 million smokers in America, which is less than alcohol consumers. Yet tobacco still yields the highest annual preventable death rate claiming about 435,000 people a year. Now why should you care about these numbers? Because according to the same medical journal that published those findings, the use of marijuana is responsible for, are you ready for this, zero deaths a year. That's right, zero. In fact, the US Drug Abuse Warning Network says that instances of drugs in medical examiners' autopsy reports says that marijuana, although found in conjunction with other drugs, have not been shown to cause an overdose death. As far as driving goes, cases of marijuana-induced car accidents or deaths are so scarce there is barely any pot-specific information about it on the Internet. So now that we've established that marijuana, on its own, doesn't kill people. Why again is it illegal? Maybe we should approach the problem from the view of, "Why should marijuana be legalized?" From the government's standpoint the answer is easy: taxes. What else do we have to say? But on another note, the legalization of pot can have some very profound effects on the crime rate. In 2003, 45 percent of the 1,678,192 total drug abuse arrests were for marijuana. That makes about 755,186 arrests of which 662,886 were made for possession of marijuana. The decriminalization of pot (which means that instead of getting arrested for possession, one is just fined) would effectively cut down almost half of the drug arrests in America, limiting arrests solely to felony offenses. Currently the 11 states that have decriminalized pot, including Ohio, can also look to save a substantial amount of money that would otherwise be used on incarcerating minor offenders. Decriminalization of marijuana saves California $100 million per year. Do not forget the millions of dollars the government would make in taxes. So with a government so focused on the bottom line, America should seriously think about putting some of those numbers in its pipe and smoking it. Source: News Record, The (OH Edu) Published: October 13, 2005 Copyright: 2005 College Publisher and The News Record Website: http://www.newsrecord.org/ Contact: opinion.newsrecord@gmail.com Link to article: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread21183.shtml
although this is a well written post, and you do make a good point, this idea would never work. i mean the government only cares about money, they don't give a fuck, thats the bottom line. if they made weed legal and taxed and regulated it, the money they made wouldn't compare to the amounts of money they make now from it being illegal. when the government agents make a marijuana bust they fine the people thousands of dollars, and that money goes right into the government's pockets. you see, if marijuana was legal more money would go to the people and less to the government, and the government isn't about to let that happen. i hope marijuana eventually is made legal in the U.S., cause if it isn't soon, im packing my bags and moving to amsterdam.