In 2008, California police made 78,500 arrests related to marijuana. This fall, voters in our State will be asked to vote on Proposition 19, also known as the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010. It legalizes a variety of marijuana-related activities, allows local governments to regulate these activities, impose and collect marijuana-related fees and taxes, and authorizes various criminal and civil penalties for persons furnishing pot to minors.
There is polling that suggests that California voters will approve the initiative. During the 2008 election cycle I came upon Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight.com, which does detailed analysis of various polls, along with its own surveys and tries to winnow out some truth. Mr. Silver’s take on Proposition 19 is quite interesting.
What it shows is that polls conducted by human beings, as opposed to robo polls yield varying results, with respondents telling computers that they support legalization by a significant margin. In the three polls done by non-humans, legalization passes by an average margin of 13%; three polls conducted by actual humans show legalization losing by just short of 3%.
Another interesting aspect of these results is the split between white voters and minority voters on the issue: minority voters seem inclined to reject legalization by margins as large as 26%, with Hispanic voters showing the most opposition to the act.
Latino voters make up 37% of California’s population and 21% of its registered voters, a number that has doubled over the past two decades. Black voters, who make up nearly 10% of the state’s population (and vote in proportion to their numbers), opposed legalization by nearly 12% in a recent poll. In 2008 African Americans and Latinos combined comprised less than 44% of the state’s population, but together constituted 56% of the people arrested in California for possessing marijuana.
I’m referencing these numbers about minorities because they go the core of the argument (I believe) that will be going on in voters’ heads as they mark their ballots. Regardless of drug usage in all groups, a survey commissioned by the National Institutes of Health shows a remarkably high percentage of the population operates under the assumption that marijuana consumption is associated with danger or great risk.
While government sponsored studies repeatedly demonstrate low risk factors associated with pot smoking, fifty years of propaganda have left their mark, even when one discounts those who feel that the risk associated with pot smoking is primarily from law enforcement.
Past surveys of voters associated with marijuana legalization initiatives in Colorado and Nevada give you an idea about why people who might otherwise vote “yes” say “no” when it comes down it: “Why should we add another vice?” In minority communities, where alcoholism and drug abuse have long been more than theoretical issues, a substantial portion of the voting populace will always vote “no” on these kinds of issues.
The California campaign to pass Proposition 19 knows that this “not another vice” is the argument they have to win. That’s why the initiative is named “The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010”. Their strategy is to allay voter concerns by offering a revenue stream to a State plagued by budget crises over the past twenty years.
If you go to the Yes On 19 website, the banner is “Control & Tax Cannabis 2010”, and the arguments in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are centered around revenue and cost issues, ie., $1.4 Billion in additional taxes, $200 million saved in law enforcement costs, $12 – $18 billion a year for California’s economy from spin-off industries and between 60,000 and 110,000 new jobs. Hell, you have to wonder why Meg Whitman doesn’t support this, if you believe her tv ads.
Similarly, if you go to the Marijuana Policy Project—which provides support for similar initiatives nationally with an annual budget of over $5 million—the headlines are:
Focus police priorities on real crime, not marijuana users.
In 2008, more than 78,000 Californians were arrested on marijuana charges – 80% for simple possession, not sale or manufacture. During the same year, almost 60,000 violent crimes went unsolved.
Fund vital state programs without raising taxes on families.
Marijuana is California’s top cash crop but this industry goes untaxed while Sacramento raises taxes on middle-class families and is making deep cuts to police, schools, and hospitals.
Get the drug dealers out of our streets and schools.
Prohibition creates an unregulated, criminal market for marijuana where drug dealers routinely sell to kids. Regulating marijuana will take marijuana out of the hands of criminals and put it where it belongs: in a well regulated, licensed market only available to adults.
The game plan for Prop. 19 is to appeal to the instincts of Californians who believe the drug war has failed. They will not try to change the minds of those who think marijuana prohibition has been a success. They are out to mobilize those who already support the cause and make sure they show up to vote; it also means they will focus on convincing voters who have some sense that criminalizing pot has done more harm than good that this measure is the right answer to this policy crisis.
(Note: The OBRag will give full coverage of all the ballot propositions in the weeks prior to the elections.)
There are two potentially thorny issues for supporters: lack of funding and a surprising number of legalization supporters who have come out against the act.
Reports from the California Secretary of State’s office show just $61,000 in the bank. That’s not good news in a Statewide election where one candidate for office (Meg Whitman) has already spent over a $100 million. The most prominent of Prop. 19’s opponents, the unions representing corrections officers, according to various conservative bloggers, spend more than that amount on toilet paper every month.
Much of the cash that got Prop. 19 on the ballot came from Oakland marijuana magnate Richard Lee. And that connection has some legalization advocates sputtering. A group calling itself “Stoners Against The Tax Cannabis Initiative” has posted an essay entitled “18 Reasons To Vote Know”, laying out their case that “…not only does the initiative not end the drug war, it apparently taxes the drug to fund the drug war.”
Some of Mr. Lee’s competitors in the dispensary business like the status quo. Others, like this guy mentioned in a Huffington Post article, claim that the act is the handiwork of Big Tobacco interests: “Did you know that Phillip Morris just bought 400 acres of land up in Northern California? The minute marijuana becomes legal, they’ll mass produce and flood the market.”
The one way that a campaign without major funding can beat the odds in a political race is with massive grass roots (pun sort of intended) support. In the case of Prop. 19, it looks like the broad support needed may be undermined by dissension in the ranks. Ironically, the paranoiac behavior of some of the legalize it opposition could make a good argument for those who brood over the negative effects of long term heavy marijuana use.
Your future governor on drugs.
So while there may be polling that suggests that Californians will support the legalization of pot, the campaign is ill-equipped to counter the kinds of “fear based” arguments that it’s opponents will field. While there are some strategists that are positing that support for the legalization initiative may drive up progressive vote counts on November 2nd, others remain very skeptical.
The notion of relying on marijuana to increase voter motivation is not easy for me to accept. I think that it’s more likely that too many stoners will “forget” to go to the polls. I think that the economic arguments are, by themselves, not enough to convince the electorate. I think Proposition 19 will fail. That said, I’ll vote for it.
Go ahead, prove me wrong!
Next up:
Part Four: Alcohol: The 800 Pound Elephant in the Room
Part Five: The Future Stoner
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“I think that it’s more likely that too many stoners will “forget” to go to the polls”
What’s with the stereotypes? Every single type of person you can think of smokes weed. Lawyers, congressmen, cops, firefighters, all the way to the ditch diggers and the people that care for my lawn.
There is no stereotypical “stoner”.
Thanks, Zack. I was going to pipe in with the same thought.
Most of my friends are pot smokers and every single one of them is politically active and votes regularly.
if a search engine brought you here, you should also visit the OBRag’s endorsement of Prop. 19: http://obrag.org/?p=25247
I don’t know where you get this information from, probably from some rap song …., the majority of professionals, actually are the main players in this drug triangle connection, distributing it to the weak dead troglodytes, there’s a saying ” el vivo vive del pendejo “, ” the strongest finances off the dumb asses “, so while your being deteriorated and poor, your making the investors in this trade wealthier and stronger, huevon….
Also funding doesn’t mean anything. We aren’t in prime time yet. George Soros could come drop like $5M on 19 if needed at any time. They probably don’t need much funding this is a slam dunk Proposition and win-win. The only people who are against it are squares/cops who can’t search you because it “stinks like pot” anymore :)
No cash? Talking trash?
Oh no! A new player coming off the bench into the game… Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake.com just dropped in with a cool half million bucks and http://firedoglake.com/justsaynow
Powerful media player joins just before the last quarter… who else was just signed to the team? So “Team Yes” seems only to be starting to work now, not confident on their two or three point lead.
What happens if “The Terminator” joins the team and stops “acting like a girlie man?”
The difference between a robo-poll and a human poll are staggering… ask someone to their face if they’ve ever smoked weed (we know that about half of all adults in the US have) or would legalize it… no one wants to be known as a “druggie” to a stranger. Give them an anonymous chance, and they’ll tell you about dirty things in an alley for crack.
far out, doug. keep up the good work on your series. lovin it!
Doug, your argument sucked. It is probably the worst one I have read out of the 500 articles that have been written so far this summer.
It’s hard to believe that you have read 500 articles and that your comment would be so devoid of content. That’s why I think your comment sucked.
There are about 5 news articles a day on this topic. All of them begin with, “This fall, California voters will decide on…” Summer starts in April here in California so, 5 x 30 (days) equals 150. 150 x 4 equals 600. 600 hundred articles that is in 5 months. So I wrote a short comment and i mentioned i’ve read 500 articles this summer. What is wrong with that? I like to read. Mr. Porter, your article was great. Well written. I apologize. If politicians want to use marijuana as a motivator to vote, that wouldn’t be a surprise. This is politics. Politicians are selfish, they’ll do anything to win a vote.
For credibility it usually helps to explain WHY the article sucked, and you didn’t even though you had two tries.
^^^note in one sentance I described how your reply sucked!
Ok you win. Good job.
Hey you can’t just graciously concede the point in a civil way and move along! This is the internet, that’s strictly prohibited.
nice to meet you. don’t let the door hit you on….
I don’t get the whole “other vice” argument that the movement needs to make. If you consider it a vice, then it’s a vice that’s alive and well. Legalizing won’t “introduce” it, but regulate it. Anyone who reads Last Call: the Rise and Fall of Prohibition can connect the dots.
Prohibition=failure every time. Frankly, CA should vote it in just because if the state doesn’t somewhere else will and CA could be a player in a world marketplace simply because of its branding power. The tough thing’s going to be watching what big business does once it’s legal.
No no no I’m not ready to watch big business take over and capitalize on marijuana like they have on everything else read 18 reasons to vote know and you will see what the outcome will be.
How does one vote “know”?
think before you fill out the ballot?
I read those 18 reasons and I still completely disagree…
For example: How can big business take it over when people will be able to grow their own? If anything it will take big business out of the equation because who wants to go out of their way to go buy it when they can just as easily grow it in the comfort of their own home?
Every major change in our society has started somewhere. Prop. 19 is the foot in the door for weed, and I am positive there will be future legislation that will build upon it.
That “the most prominent of Prop. 19’s opponents [are] the unions representing corrections officers” illustrates pretty much all you need know about why Prop 19 should pass and why pot remains illegal.
I once had a DEA agent tell me that he considered recreational pot users to be nothing more than job security.
It’s time to break the back of the prison-industrial complex.
that was a good one prison-industrial complex I like that one
Google stoners against the prop. 19
“No no no I’m not ready to watch big business take over and capitalize on marijuana like they have on everything else read 18 reasons to vote know and you will see what the outcome will be.”
Pot doesn’t make people stupid, but stupid people do smoke pot. And they give a bad name to the rest of us who smoke it now or have in the past (myself). I have more respect for the cops and prison guards, some of whom sincerely believe the anti-marijuana propaganda.
The idea that you would allow thousands to be arrested because you are worried about the effect of big business on the average quality of pot is evil. There will be all kinds of pot just like there are all kinds of alcohol. The majority of the people will chose to smoke the weaker stuff, just like most people chose beer or wine over hard liquor. Those are rational choices, and it’s none of your business.
possession of under an oz. is not an arrestable offense in CA now, but prop 19 makes a whole bunch of NEW ways for one to get arrested for pot.
This article has some big holes missing important information! Did you do any research prior to writing this Doug? Yes, Prop 19 has around $62,000 cash on hand, but the endorsements for prop 19 are over 1 million dollars! compared to the “No on 19” group that only has $18,000 on hand (1/3 of yes on 19) with around $61,000 in endorsements. When comparing fund and raising funds alone, Yes on 19 is blowing No on 19 out of the water.
Greed is the only reason a No on 19 campaign even exists. The growers in NorCal are greedy because they don’t want to see a price drop, don’t want to pay taxes and don’t want to compete in a fair market. The cops and police chiefs are greedy because they want the easy $ from arresting harmless marijuana users.
Furthermore, Doug you are fueling the flames of the negative propaganda associated with marijuana users by indicating that “stoners” are paranoid and too lazy to come out and vote. Thanks a lot for nothing.
my, my, my. such anger. this is part THREE of a FIVE part series. the problems I referenced with the yes on 19 campaign are very real and they know it. that’s why their plans at present include NO media buys. Voter complacency is their biggest challenge, because everybody “knows” pot should be legal. I threw in a couple of “zingers” into the article, like the “stoners” bit, hoping to motivate a voter or two. (remember, I said “Go ahead, prove me wrong”.)
take that anger you feel and translate it into political action.
You made some pretty good points but I don’t think you thought through this one:
“The growers in NorCal are greedy because they don’t want to see a price drop, don’t want to pay taxes and don’t want to compete in a fair market.”
At least the fair market thingy. Whether they end up placing this on the shelf with Marlboros, Budweisers, or somewhere in between, there’s really no way anyone involved in the trade now- whether they have a closet with two plants or an underground hydroponic football field full, is going to make inroads competing with those megacorporations.
Okay maybe this guy: (WARNING DON’T CLICK ON THIS TOO MUCH FUN)
http://www.v7n.com/forums/forum-lobby/26945-awesome-drug-bust.html
I think that is Phillip Morris’ house though. :-)
As a dad, I’ve asked myself, “If my child or grandchild got a little off track and got caught with a little marijuana, would I want him or her to go to jail, lose their college financial aid, spend a few days locked up with the sexual predators…?” Or would I rather have the chance to help them work through it WITHOUT a criminal record?
Californians: register to vote at
h t t p s://w w w .sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform/ Just fill out the form and mail it in!
Citizens of other states can Google your state name and “voter registration” to find out how to register; a lot of states allow instant on-line registration. Do it now so you can vote in November!
Dave what jrod means is that this is yet another industry that out government will
monopolize and attempt to make millions off of, meanwhile shutting out the people who have been making marijuana cultivation their business for quite some time, illegaly yes but who are they really hurting?
Read between the lines, no one is worried about compromising the quality of weed which FYI there has always been a big assortment of weed potentcy and majority of people are already choosing to smoke the weaker stuff this goes back to before marijuana became legal for medicinal purposes.
It’s not jrod who is evil it’s the evil corporatocracy who are going to seize places like the
golden triangle just to make the rich man richer like they’ve done throughout history.
Golden triangle= emerald triangle…. I always think of golden gate and
mix them up
Whoops, here it is. Yes, priorities people. If the politicians get their hands on the tax revenue, they will waste it. It might be good for prop 19 to fail this time around until the Pharmacy system gets the bugs worked out.
I’m tired of waste and corruption. How about “We the People” hold the public servants feet to the fire for a change.
Now that’s change I can believe in.
I know In a time of high unemployment its hard to get the prohibitionists snouts out of the Government Trough. However this has been over 70 years of the most destructive Government policy since SLAVERY. I am willing to wager you that the passage of Prop 19 and any where else in the world where it is made legal these laws, will have more effect on reducing the funds to the Taliban and other Terrorist groups than all The troops in the world. The world is watching pop19 this is the new Bunker Hill
It’s nice to see Richard Lee getting involved. Richard Lee caused more damage to Oakland then the Oakland firestorm in 1991. Lee comes across as the “marijuana suporter” fighting for legalization but instead has less credibility as a New York mobster. The man is in only for the mighty $$$$. “Oaksterdam” is a money making machine and the man removed anyone on his way by any means. West Oakland gangsters from “Acorn”, “Ghost Town”, “NSO’ were paid at some time by Lee for “street favors.
On the other hand anyone before talking profits anyone had any idea how the much the lawsuits/ littigations cost will amount too? The tobacco industry has been sued several times and hit with judgements as high as 200 bill. There is no way that someone is not going to figure out a way to sue and ask for some ridiculous amounts of money. I am still tryign to guess: the lawsuit is going to target CA for legalizing pot or the private industries..any ideeas?
I use to be a guard at High Level Juvenal detention facility and many of the Kids where there because the money and Glamour of the Life Style got them their Granted some of them were so violent they should never be released. Its this Concept Private Prisons and their lobbyist only perpetuated it more and A child who has been encarserated will never be the same.
As a Teen Age kid my friends and I use to cross over to Mexico and Party and it was relatively safe Today my friends from El Paso won’t go any where near it.
I know In a time of high unemployment its hard to get the prohibitionists snouts out of the Government Trough. However this has been over 70 years of the most destructive Government policy since SLAVERY. I am willing to wager you that the passage of Prop 19 and any where else in the world where it is made legal these laws, will have more effect on reducing the funds to the Taliban and other Terrorist groups than all The troops in the world. The world is watching pop19 this is the new Bunker Hill.
benevolent conspiracy of silence,
Left Right Black White
Let’s unite and end this injustice!
Let political borders down and lets finally free the herb!
As hubcap stated but I’ll reinforce, the most despicable thing may be the corrections officers union putting money into this… they are worried less people who are non violent offenders caught doing something that is only illegal because it’s against the law, will go to prison and play mommy to Bubba.
“My 20 and out with full bennies career is so much more important than the ethical dilemma of throwing people down a hole for having a drug so dangerous NOBODY has ever been documented as dying from it.”
However the yes/no vote is not such a clear decision, now do we buy a pack of Phillip Morris Green in the Box, with $X going to one of the more skull duggerous corporations around, and $X going to politicians who get to skim the till and what they don’t steal goes to programs that we may not like either?
Seems to me the medical/collective status quo may be the better way as it keeps big business and corrupt politicians out of the loop.
Did someone say greed is the only reason to vote No on Prop. 19? I’d say it’s more possible that greed is the only reason Richard Lee put up $1.5 of the $1.9 million it took to get this on the ballot. (I hear he’s got warehouses all set up to take over the commercial cannabis industry — does anyone have any links to such info to share?)
I’m an attorney and medical marijuana patient, and I’ve actually worked through, paragraph by paragraph, the actual legal consequences of adopting Prop. 19. It appears designed to remove all competition from the “commercial cannabis industry” that Prop. 19 is designed to create — and by all, I mean each individual who might try to grow even one plant indoors or outdoors.
For example, looking forward to growing your own? Your city , under Prop. 19, can adopt local ordinances that will require you, for example, to put your single outdoor plant at least 10 feet away from all boundary fences –AND put it in a separate additional fenced area if your own kids have access to your backyard. And, if its branches extend outside that 5 foot square, it will be a public nuisance and you could be fined $1,00 per day. Are you a renter? Cities will adopt ordinances that require you to get permission from your landlord.
The first such ordinance re cultivation was adopted by the City of Rancho Cordova. Check it out at http://www.cityofranchocordova.org/index.aspx?recordid=2378&page=351
A more detailed analysis by me, with citations to the law, can be found at the “No on Prop 19” website.
Are you a medical marijuana patient? Have you bought the lie by the pro-19 folks that 19 won’t affect you at all? I’ve posted a comment on the Modesto Bee website — following Dragonfly de la Luz’s “18 Reasons to Vote ‘Know'” discussion, that explains how Prop. 19 only allows medical marijuana patients to possess and consume more pot than non-patietns — but severely restricts their rights to grow and distribute marijuana collectively. So, need a lot of marijuana because of your particular illness (like to make marijuana oil a la Rick Simpson to treat cancer)? You won’t be allowed to grow it for yourself anymore — you’ll have to buy it from teh “commercial cannabis industry” — which will be a cartel controlled by those few businesses which can pay for the permits and licenses that cities will be allowed to restrict to none or even only one business in their jurisdictions.
Voting No is not greedy — it’s self-defense!
Inter-resting! I vote! I’m a medical cannabis patient. I already harbored doubts about the wisdom of a Prop 19 passage at this time in history. The Pharmacy system is distributing medical cannabis to those patients who need it. Let’s work out the bugs first before turning pot into a panacea for all that ails our political system. Since I’ve so rudely found out myself how polarizing this issue is and how deep the fear goes.
I just plunked down a $120 contribution and here’s the kicker, I live in Montana. They don’t really need a ton of money, just enough to counter the prohibitionist arguments. The money will come as we get closer to election time.
“No no no I’m not ready to watch big business take over and capitalize on marijuana like they have on everything else read 18 reasons to vote know and you will see what the outcome will be.”
When you legalize something “big business” can profit from it..
When you continue to outlaw something they cannot..
So, if you’re against Big business profiting off of something, you’re aginst its legality.
Marijuana causes short-term memory loss for some people. It is evident if a person is marijuana user because there is an increase in mistakes. For example, it is highly suspicious for YOUNG workers to have short-term memory problems like they are senile.
If you encounter cashiers, servers or waiters/waitresses who are doing the following, then it is evident that they are pot users.
1. Forgetting the orders such as what exactly was ordered after repeating the order to them several times.
2. Giving the order to the wrong customer.
3. Giving the bill to the wrong customer.
4. Forgetting to enter the order into the system, so the cooks can prepare the order.
5. Asking the same questions again and again even though the question was already answered.
This is happening right now. Very young workers with short-term memory problems because they are habitual pot users. Therefore, marijuana is not safe if the person is impaired by it. If you have a YOUNG worker who is forgetful, it is time for a drug test.
Wow, thanks for the laugh.
Huh?
Somebody has had one too many bad waitresses. Pull up your chonies, grandpa, and eat at home. All you care about are the “young” workers that serve you dinner? If you are going to argue your case, at least make it compelling.
Or they are just a teenager with alot of stuff on their minds other than your order of fries.You do remember being a teenager,don’t you?School,weekend parties,who’s going with who,does she like you or not, etc. Please pour yourself another shot of Geritol and come up with another fascinating theory.That one was pretty funny.
not true I have and have always had a memory issue my mother has it and has always had it so that is a bad stereotypical arguement just because you meet one doesnt mean you meet all
Sounds like you’re addicted to food!!!
Lousy “food-head(ass)”!!!
I have a neighbor, a naturalized citizen, and a youngster. Oh, he happens to be on disability for a neuromuscular condition. He thinks he’s a gangsta. He got his marijuana card, and started selling to the guys on the corner at the lube shop. His friends come over and piss on our garden. He parades his pipe around in front of the neighbors and apt. management. Meanwhile, he’s showing his weenie and trading sexual favors for xanax. He has already had one visit from the DEA.
I have witnessed some of this behavior myself. When I heard about the weenie waggling I had heard enough. I saw him when he got back from Mexico and I lit into him like the insane mental case I am.
I told him that his behavior was going to lead him straight to jail. That he thinks he’s a gangsta, but I can see his future as a patsy. I hoped he liked anal sex because he was going to be someones bitch very soon. That his weenie waggling days had better be over because that makes him a sex offender as well. I said I’d be watching like a good neighbor and I will not put up with his behavior. No one wants to live in the middle of that crap.
It felt good to read this young man the riot act. His behavior has toned down a great deal. The women in the building say he is no longer weenie waggling at them.
My point, speak up when confronted with stupid behavior. Stupid people take drugs. That’s no reason to punish the rest of us. It’s our job to police our environment of intolerable behavior. If we don’t do it, who will.
Keepng pot illegal won’t change the fact that your “neighbor” is a jerk. He probably drinks alcohol also. You also reference “weenie”, alot. I’m just sayin.
The only people who dont wanna see this pass are drug dealers who are worried about not being able to sell the trash they buy from mexico! dont be so worried about big business getting involved grow your own! its not like tobacco you dont need huge fields to susatin yourself. plus who wants erb with nicotine in it! lol you know what i mean no added chemicals! Its just a plant legalize it!!! Why not obviously the war on drugs is losing!! Its not like people dont already know about it. Maybe if it was legal some of the people who are so against Cannabis, tried it, it wouldnt be such a big deal. Hahaha you dont get a hangover from it! Plus maybe people would stop if it didnt make them an “outlaw” lol. JUST DO IT!!
Letitia, I have read and been told the same things you spoke of in your reply. I am a medical cannibus patient also and my doctor has documentation verifying these same points. I’m torn because I think it’s a great idea to legalize pot with many benefits to our community and our state but!!!! The way this proposition is written besides allowing the average joe get stoned behind the bar we will lose far more than we gain. This prop. if passed will really limit our ability to grow our own medicine. Big business will flood the market. I’ve also heard that there will be high costs for permits to grow that supersede medical mari. laws. I smell a rat.
People ALREADY smoke it. Even if the prop fails people will STILL smoke it. The only thing that changes is the conotation. Isn’t that what everyone wants? Change? We tried it as an illegal substance, now lets try the other way. If we don’t like it, we can always change it back. Ain’t America great!?
Andred,
You might want to also consider those who would be able to benefit from medicinal use, but who cannot now because they do not have access to healthcare. or the resources (money) that you enjoy.
There are many reasons people oppose legalization. What all of these reasons have in common is that they are self serving. Let’s get it legalized and I’ll get you some cheese
to go with your whine.
I think that people should vote yes on prop 19 because all of the reasons are there a few are that no one ever died from it, your brain cells dont die, and its less adictive than coffee.In conclusion I belive that you should study a little about marijuana before voting. p.s Dont u think its wierd how drug dealers oppose it
I think you are absolutely correct my good friend. people need to watch the documentary called “The Union: The Business Behind Getting High.” The best movie that I have ever watched!
a yes vote on prop 19 is a vote to starve millions to death all over the world.mostly africans.why would any farmer in california grow anything else ?marijuana sells for $2000/$7680 for one pound.this insane prop 19 imposes a$50 per ounce $800per pound tax!!!now for one minute put yourself in the farmers shoes $1 to $4 dollars per pound for any veggie our fruit even organic or $1000 to $4000 for marijuana what would you grow! think about it
shit they need to stop raping the sick and let us be peaceful dont trip i made the movement here in san bernardino at the route 66 it was fun but then they made me take my dog home anyways but that medical in the air………….
but yea i had nothin but stickers of marijuana and yes we cannabis stickers on my shirt and shorts man it was pimp yup yup cause like it or not potheads dont do pills u know just legalize our weed alr3ady…………
A bunch of ignorant, uninformed idiots you are. You see the words Legalized Pot and go nuts. Read the fine print people- check out Dragonfly de la Luz’s “18 Reasons to Vote ‘Know’ for more info on this flawed bill. We’ll have another chance to vote on this in two years with a much better bill that’s for the people not for just a couple of guys who want to monopolize the industry and supress everyone else. Do you really want to have the gov. and Richard Lee deciding how much you can grow and the price of it. Everyone thinks the price is going to drop but with this bill there will be no competition and a monopoly can charge whatever they want. Only 5×5 area to grow your own why is that. Oh maybe because they want the cash for themselves. With this bill youre going to be buying it and your going to be buying it from the only person who is going to control the whole market.
yea, you’ll certainly win people over by calling them “uninformed idiots”. May i suggest a mirror?
flawed or not, this is the bill in front of us. i, for one, don’t want to see anybody else go to jail for this. and, yes, i know this initiative won’t stop that completely. but this is a process and this is a good step.
monopolies are and have been illegal for over 100 yrs. No one person or company can own an entire industry
You do know its a plant? You do realize it grows easier than tomatoes? How can someone corner the market on tomatoes? You know there is no patent holder for pot, right? How come the pros sound more cognizant than the cons?
This article is retarded. Proposition 19 will not fail. Prop 19 will boost California’s economy greatly. Taxation of marijuana, which is used by so many people, not just in California, but nationally, is a great way to get easy money for the government. If Proposition 19 passes in November’s vote, California’s economy will get a lot better, and then the rest of the United States is going to see that, then they will decriminalize it as well. So vote yes to Proposition 19!
Totally, agree with you. “YES” on Prop 19 is one the California’s answers in solving the state’s economic crisis. Let’s get California’s economy back in track by creating jobs for the unemployed, a better state’s health system, improve the education system, etc.
decriminalizeit,
Maybe, just maybe the article has had the author’s desired effect. You feel motivated
to help prop 19 pass. No, it’s not the “r” word at all, it’s genius. You are correct on your last point “So vote yes”. I’m hoping that the passing of prop 19 will be the first step toward ending some of this country’s human rights abuses.
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n300/a08.html
The “r” word is quite fitting for states like Texas an Georgia.
yes on prop 19 yes on prop 19 yes on prop 19 yes on prop 19 yes on prop 19
Its the only way to stop hearing about MJ problems in this state.
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 conrol 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
I’m all for Prop 19 and all ready voted “YES” and mailed my absentee ballot. Legalizing cannibus will hurt the profit of street and organized criminals decreasing the violence committed to monopolized the lucrative drug trade. California government can tax the revenues made in selling hemp to improve the state’s economy such as creating jobs getting the unemployed back to work, funding money toward public education, improving our health care system, etc.
Hemp has about 50,ooo, commercial product usage and does not harm the environment such as the green house effect. Why not take the advantage of hemp products? It’s a heck of lot cheaper of manufacturing hemp products with a lower impact on the environment than using harmful chemical, made products.
As for personal, recreational usage. I have no problem with it, I’m over 21 yrs old, and smoking a bowl now and then is way much better than smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, doing other illicit drugs. As long I comply with the law, when Prop 19 passes, it’s okay and safe with me to smoke a bowl since the state of California approves it. “YES” on Prop 19.
yes on 19~
I love how everyone who claims to know what’s best can sit here and say ignorant things like “all the stupid ‘potheads’ will forget to vote” yet we’re the ignorant, stupid and useless to society individuals?
this will pass because the economy sucks and it is time.
I totally agree with you, Juan. Voting “YES” to Prop 19 will bring in extra taxed revenue to repair California’s economy.
Check out our PSA in support of Prop 19 :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5zn1vj1hGY&playnext=1&videos=LwDwfQU0Qlw&feature=mfu_in_order
I have been a daily smoker for 20+ years now, have built & ran my own businesses…..& would view a day “vegging” on the couch as torture. There is no stereotypical smoker, and I have smoked w/ everyone from Band members to business owners to polititions in my lifetime. I think this prop will SAIL through.. You are polling people about what is still considered a very “taboo” & private matter… what they will vote in privacy, and what they are willing to tell you are two VERY different things in many cases I am sure.
what amazes me is that in a state that considers itself to be so “Green”, they are not pounding some of the OTHER huge benifits of HEMP period that have been lost in this jackass prohibition period…. Like- All this crap was started by a Timber Magnate in the way back when… because you can make more paper out of an acre of hemp than an acre of trees..and regrow the hemp every year..not every 20 years. Hemp makes some of the most comfortable & durable fabric around…wears better than cotton. The oils extracted from hemp seeds have medicinal properties, are a high protien source, and make a great high grade lubricant….. I once recall seeing some literature that listed about 200 diff products that can be produced from hemp & the oils….
I have always prayed that in my lifetime I would see an end to this idiocy. This is the SAME crap this country went through over alcohol……. speaking of which it is MOSTLY nobody but the rotgut peddlers & the gangs that count on the sales revenues that oppose this.
To all you Jo-Blow squares that think the “dopers” are just going to run rampant & eat your children if this passes…
“THE DOPERS ARE ALREADY ALL AROUND YOU PAL & HAVE BEEN FOREVER….RAISE YOUR OWN KID & YOU WON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHO ELSE IS YOU SLACKER.”
..hey you don’t smoke fine, nobody is telling YOU to light up… just don’t cockblock the rest of us!
GO 19!!!
My favorite argument against legalization is that marijuana is a gateway drug, and it’s been scientifically proven. I am sure I could do “scientific studies” that prove giving candy to a child is a gateway drug to coffee consumption as an adult, or better yet, it is a gateway drug to cocaine or meth-amphetamines. After all, they are all uppers. You can have a caffeine “crash” just like you crash after using cocaine, but not to the same extent. Well, we don’t really know that because we would have to compare a child’s sugar crash to that of a cocaine crash. I am sure that you could prove that most, if not all speed addicts, ate candy as a child. Don’t you think that when marijuana is lumped together with cocaine and heroin a child or teen who has tried smoking marijuana and heard all of the OD horror stories or addict stories may think to him/herself ” well if this isn’t bad than that can’t be as bad as they say, maybe I’ll try it for myself.”
There is no question in my mind the right thing to do is vote yes on proposition 19. Keeping it the same way it is is not working and thats obvious. Marijuana doesn’t affect the lungs and i know this cause there is proof, one there are multiple studies proving this and also from personal experience. Try smoking cigarettes for a week and then smoking weed for a week. Trust me you will have much trouble breathing with cigarettes and none with marijuana.
Also the people think legalizing it would make kids think it is okay and raise the amount of people who do it. Percentage of people who have ever smoked weed in Amsterdam ( Very Tolerant of marijuana, pretty much legal ) 22%. Percentage of Americans who have smoked weed 40%.
Now one other thing people are arguing about that is extremely simple is that it will threaten public safety comparing it to alcohol. Marijuana is nothing at all like alcohol. The effects of alcohol are already known and yes it is bad having someone drunk behind the wheel. Now marijuana isn’t something thats going to make you crash your car. look at people who are high you don’t see them struggling to stand up straight.
One more thing that is bothering me a lot about uneducated people, Marijuana is not at all like alcohol or cigarettes. It is much less bad for you, it doesn’t impair your ability to do things like driving. It doesn’t cause cancer, in fact in studies its been shown to have the opposite effect. You cannot overdoes on it. Now there are people out there saying healthcare issues from marijuana usage are going to use more money thats supposed to be collected from taaxing it. This is hilariously wrong. Marijuana isn’t bad for the health like alcohol and tobacco so it should cost little to no healthcare money. if you read all my evidence that is true there is no reason anyone should vote no on prop 19. The fact that people supporting marijuana are even letting people make the same laws for it as alcohol is unbelievable to me. Vote Yes on Proposition 19. It is the best thing to do for everyone.
Just legalize it already. Everyone is doing it. Why not stop the prisons from making money off of people doing something to their own bodies. Its not like they’re hurting other people. On top of that, its quite beneficial for a lot of people. Though there is potential for abuse but there is potential for alcohol abuse, so why isn’t alcohol illegal. Alcohol is also poisonous to the liver where MJ is not. Its like cake. Its good. You’re going to want to keep on eating. But eventually it won’t taste as good. So you don’t eat it as often. So screw the addictive argument. Screw the poisonous argument. Screw the prison system, and just legalize the damn plant. Wait. You know we shouldn’t even have to legalize it in the first place. ITS A DAMN PLANT LIKE A TOMATO. Really, people are so easily brainwashed by the government. Just because the government is good at protecting us doesn’t mean we get a free ride without having to think for ourselves. After all who controls the government? THE PEOPLE. NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. So the people need to pull their heads out of their asses. Sigh, this is what happens to an uneducated population. And the failure to think outside the box. Why is it a crime to question authority? In my opinion, an authority of any kind must be repeatedly and continuously questioned for the benefit of the people. When authority feels the need to censor people and block off info such, they are in the act of committing a crime against the people. They are bypassing and lying to the people. They were not authorized by the people to block off that information. Everything done by the gov should be made transparent but clearly it is not and that was what lead to MJ being demonized and illegalized by our gov.
oh well. greed will always get the best of people. survival of the fittest but little did they know by survival of the fittest, they will be doomed when it comes to survival of the species. That is the flaw in darwins theory of evolution when applied to humans. Out of selfishness we will face doom. If we worked together, we could accomplish great things with our mind, cure for cancer, aids, etc. But no, our mindset and our government leads to war, separation of powers, we fight amongst each other. Especially about stupid shit like religion.
If I was an alien and came to earth I would think…. what a waste of resources and time. But hey, I would not have been able to think this deeply if it weren’t for that first puff of MJ I experienced and those that came after. MJ opened up my mind to creative thinking…clearly now…killing brain cells is a myth, studies have shown it grows the brain in rats, http://www.bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=2083. no bs. just facts. so who knows. the end for humanity. maybe. but w.e just legalize mj and maybe we’ll have hope.
In an article I recently read, one of the reasons prop 19 wont be passed is because of the potential vehicle fatality increase. They compared this to alcohol. Id rather have a high person behind the wheel then a drunk person..reason being…Alcohol takes away motor skills, hand eye coordination, ect. While weed increases the motor skills. I drive like a champ high, very concentrated and aware of my surroundings. Granted, you shouldn’t do either substances while behind a wheel.
I like how someone said earlier it was good for California to be the first state to legalize for branding reasons. Very valid point. What a lot of people forget is that not only are we taxing smokable MJ we are starting taxable businesses for hemp as well.. clothing brands, paper, oil, etc. All in which California can get the jump on. You cant really outsource this product because its illegal almost everywhere else so we are keeping it right here in CA. Couldn’t we just reform it to fit us better in 2 years instead of waiting all together?
Also, i thought a 5 x 5 spot would be plenty for personal consumption. I grow in a 5×5 and in one cycle i grow enough for the year (8 plants yielding 1/4 pound each = a little under 3 ounces a month+)
Lastly, yes pot is going to be on the minds of all farmers of California for a while. Unfortunately for them pot isn’t as easy as it looks to grow. At least for some good quality buds. Most trees are established and bare fruit consistently, most farmers aren’t going to mess with that. Also, they have contracts with big chain stores and local markets or at least loyalties for sales and make plenty that way. Once a few Companies emerge out of the Green rush things will settle down and replying to what someone else said.. the world will not starve. No one will corner the market for Pot. just like theres big companies like Coors and Budweiser there are smaller local companies with as good as or better products like Stone breweries and Karl Strauss.
I think controlled use of marijuana is just the same as alcohol. It is good for recreational use and taxable revenue.
If you can’t spell or use proper syntax, how can you tell me what I can or can’t do? It’s like having George Bush Jr for an english teacher. Ridiculous.