Last edited Wed Jul 25, 2012, 06:13 PM - Edit history (1)
As long as FEDERAL LAW makes the use of Marijuana a FEDERAL CRIME and as long as FEDERAL LAW permits LOCAL and STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT Agencies to enforce Federal Law (and as long as Federal Law permits such local and state law Enforcement agencies to keep any assets also obtained when enforcing Federal Law) the War on Drugs will continue. The proposed laws are meaningless as long as FEDERAL LAW exists that outlaw Marijuana.
The propose State Laws are more to show a willingness of the population to legalize Marijuana then to actually legalize marijuana. That being the case, all the the propose laws will be effective for that purpose. If the Federal Government ever does legalize marijuna then what the state's pass will have some effect.
Before I go on an state my position, some comments on the Pennsylvania Governor at the time fo the REPEAL of Prohibition, Governor Pinchot, the only man elected TWICE to be Pennsylvania's governor before 1970 (When the State Constitution was changed to permit sitting Governors to run for re-election).
Pinchot was Governor 1923-1927 AND the again 1931-1935). Pinchot was a Progressive, under Theodore Roosevelt he ran the US Forest Service, and made it a real force in Environmental matters. During his first term as Governor, he "reinvented" the regulatory system in Pennsylvania to the one still used, it is among the best in the Country in regards to regulations. He imposed the first restrictions on the Coal and Iron Police, he started the State Highway Patrol (Which was different from the preexisting Pennsylvania State Police, but the two were merged after WWII), his administration was the first administration to give any support for unions (for that he was denied the GOP nomination to become US Senator). He purchased vast lands to form state Forests, he improved the State park System.
When elected a second time in 1931 the first thing he did was to outlaw the Coal and and Iron Police, and for that alone for should be voted for Sainthood (more on the Coal and Iron Police below). In his second term he spent both State and Federal funds to improve the state's roads (While a life long Republican, was a personal friend of FDR and received a lot of funds to improve infrastructure in the State (Pinchot paved a lot of rural roads in Pennsylvania "to get the farmer out of the mud"
.
Like most politicians, most progressive agreed with him on most things but others did disagree with some of Pinchot's views. His close friend, John Muir disagreed with Pinchot's preference for a "Working Forest" where small companies or just families could harvest trees but preserve the overall forest (Muir preferred complete preservation of "wilderness" something Pinchot opposed). On the other hand both Muir and Pinchot opposed the massive clean cutting of forest that became the norm after Pinchot was removed from being the head of the Forest Service in 1910.
Another area where modern progressives may disagree with Pinchot is Prohibition, he was an active supporter of Prohibition and when it was repealed tried to get it passed in Pennsylvania (but was shot down by the voters). In response to that vote, but still seeing liquor as something that was inherently evil Pinchot set up the present State Store System. His rationale was simple, the people have said they wanted liquor and as such he will permit them to have liquor BUT he would try to make sure as much as possible that as many of the worse parts of the use of Liquor be restricted. i.e. people could buy it, but under very strict rules. In term of drugs (And I do include Alcohol, including beer, in the definition of drugs) I also agree with Pinchot's solution. Drugs must be regulated and that includes at the point of sale. The best way to regulate at the point of sale is to make sure it is done by an employee who can NOT be fired for NOT selling the drug. Under the laws of the 1930s and today that is Civil Service Employees only.
I write the above for I believe the best solution is to restrict drug sales, hard drugs have to be kept illegal, to much problems with they use. Alcohol and Marijuana has to much demand at the present time to outlaw, thus regulate is the best option. No advertisement should be permitted, and then only sold through stores by Civil Service (i.e. state owned stores, except when sold by the drink or other small amount). Note not a compete prohibition, but enough of one to have some effect.
More on Pinchot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gifford_Pinchot
More on Muir:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir
More on the "Coal and Iron Police" which has been called the only truly terrorist groups to exist in the US
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_and_Iron_Police
http://explorepahistory.com/odocument.php?docId=1-4-299
http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-3BA
http://explorepahistory.com/odocument.php?docId=1-4-29A
1915 US Senate hearing on the Coal and Iron Police:
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5661/
1928 ACLU report on the Police in Pennsylvania including the Coal and Iron:
http://debs.indstate.edu/a505s5_1928.pdf
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