Marijuana legalization advocates organize to put new measure on California ballot

[kpete]

Source: Los Angeles Times

Marijuana legalization advocates organize to put new measure on California ballot

March 18, 2011 | 12:34 pm
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef014e5ff46e70970c-800wi
The campaign behind a failed initiative to legalize marijuana in California announced Friday it had formed a new committee to put another measure on the ballot.

The Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform 2012 aims to build on the unusual support that coalesced around Proposition 19, which would have allowed adults to grow and possess marijuana and authorized cities and counties to legalize and tax sales.

That campaign drew backing from the California NAACP and the Latino Voters League, which saw it as a way to end disproportionate arrests of African Americans and Latinos for marijuana crimes. Labor leaders in the Bay Area also got behind it, bringing endorsements from some major unions, which saw a legal pot industry as a potential source of union jobs.

The committee announced Friday included Alice Huffman, who heads the California NAACP; Antonio Gonzalez, who formed the Latino Voters League; and Dan Rush, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union official who worked during the campaign to build labor support. It also includes several key players behind Proposition 19, including Dale Sky Jones, who was the campaign's spokeswoman and will be the chairwoman of the new coalition.

Read more: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/03/new-medical-marijuana-initiative-in-california.html

[xchrom]

1. recommend

[VoteProgressive]

2. Wonder why they think this one will be a different outcome?

[abelenkpe]

4. Because few voters turn out for mid terms

The state is in desperate need of additional revenue and the proposal has lots of support.

[VoteProgressive]

25. But same as last time.

[Kelvin Mace]

5. Take a lesson from abortion foes

Persistence pays off. Wear your opponent down.

[reggie the dog]

13. because legalization support

has been going up every year for 20 years and prohibition support has been going down each year too.

[Unvanguard]

17. There is almost certainly majority support for legalize, tax, regulate in California.

A lot of the opposition to Prop. 19 was driven by concerns about its poor design, rather than its core purpose. A better-written initiative that manages to get some support from "respectable" people and media organizations would probably pass.

[VoteProgressive]

24. I hope! I was so disappointed the last time!

[meow mix]

3. republican fear campaign to commence..

if they dont respond to the fear tactics, then dont bother.

[LawnKorn]

6. Let grow, let it roll

[LawnKorn]

7. K&R

[nebenaube]

8. You know...

They can't protect us from polluters, they can't protect us from radiation and they can't protect us from the weather. Why bother protecting us from ourselves?

[msongs]

9. oh heavenly grid gave us carrots, avocados...and pot. nt

[freshwest]

29. Better than anything Monsanto grows. *That* stuff should be illegal.

[felix_numinous]

10. K&R

[Joey Liberal]

11. All republicans need to smoke pot!

A stoned Tea Bagger would be an amusing thing, eh?

[truthisfreedom]

16. Helps reduce that neanderthal brow.

Don't browgart that joint, dude!

[jkirch]

27. tee hee. funny.

[reggie the dog]

12. sounds good to me

[Moondog]

14. K & R

[reggie the dog]

15. i like the anti pot propaganda ad on the page

[musiclawyer]

18. Two things

Critically missing from the last initiative 1. Protocol for employers to assuage their anxieties ( although nothing really is different Be impaired on the job you risk discipline) and 2. Incentive for the the triangle growers and those already in the game to vote for it. Grandfather them in with a lower tax rate. Less tax if you are certified organic. Anything. But they need something in exchange even though it seems counterintuitive to those of us on the outside
Then there is money and messaging. They need to run ads Like now. Smart ads that educate the electorate why it was made illegal decades ago, the cartel connection, revenue implications and something I personally think is understressed -- the big brother thing; no one likes tyranny and that is what we have now
I'm sure the people could make very creative and efficacious ads. They should be solicited

[Le Taz Hot]

19. Plus the introduciton of a Bill to legalize Hemp:

http://www.votehemp.com/PR/2011-02-28-Introduction_of_California_SB_676.html

It passed twice before but Wilson and Ahnie both vetoed it. Let's see what Brown does with it.

Prop. H8 notwithstanding, California is still California.

[droidamus2]

20. They should be more focused

The last initiative seemed to have been 'written by committee' by that I mean they threw in a bunch of stuff to try and appeal to different constituencies which lead to a lot of people not thinking it was a very good solution. I think they need to focus in on something simple and easy to implement. The usual solution presented and one I would support, if I still lived in California, is to treat pot just like beer. Legal, age restricted, licensed for sale, you some of the proceeds for drug education and treatment and you can grow your own with reasonable limits. To give an example of what not to do, I mentioned reasonable limits on growing now the tendency is for them to try to reassure the anti-pot forces by saying 'oh we'll restrict to a few plants or a plot that can't be anymore than 10'x10' and with strict zoning regulations. As soon as you start done that road of 'legal but heavily restricted' you lose some of the strongest supporters. They can grow now with no restrictions, unless of course you get caught, so therefore most of them would rather just keep the way it is than accept a lot of new regulations.

I think eventually it will be legalized in California. It is almost traditional for groups that have ideas that have a good amount of support to just keep putting them on the ballot until they get passed. It's almost like people just get tired of seeing them on the ballot so they end up voting for them just so they don't have hear about it anymore.

[musiclawyer]

26. License for sale is ambiguous

How about this:
(medicinal excluded) from conversation

you want to sale wholesale ( regardless of buyer) you get W license from the state
you want to sale retail you must get a R license from the county or city which in turn impose reasonable zoning restrictions
( ie they can get sued if they act unreasonably)
home grow allowed not to exceed x space as long as no sales of any kind allowed
existing wholesellers grandfathered in at a lower tax rate depending on existing acreage

If you tax intelligently ( hemp too) and show financial benefits + good advance PR, it should pass given how close it got last time plus presidential election year

[truedelphi]

30. Plus my household.

They have already had newspaper stories about how the legally taxed legally grown medical marijuana gave Mendocino County the money to to sustain its police forces.

[Uncle Joe]

21. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.:thumbsup:

[JanDutchy]

22. The municipality of Utrecht (NL) would tolerate weed nursery

Utrecht would tolerate weed nursery


Cannabis Plantation




Utrecht wants a cannabis tolerance that obtains nursery proliferate. The plan is unique, because although Netherlands tolerates the sale of soft drugs, but cannabis production is prohibited. As a result, there is no control on the quality of the weed. With all health risks, according to the college.


The municipality of Utrecht therefore experimenting with a new kind of coffee shop, with only members and their own hemp nursery.


Each Member is entitled to five cannabis plants. That is equal to the number of plants that by the public prosecutor is allowed for the home production. The young plants come in a tolerated nursery. The more members, the greater will be the nursery. Members can then that weed ready to pick up in the coffee shop.


Interest
How many people receive, is not clear, because the plans have yet to be further developed. But that there is a market for it, is clear: over the past year put out some 11 percent of the Utrecht at least once on a joint which is still Provisional. can simply contact the current coffeeshops in Utrecht.


It is also still unclear where the new coffee shop, and who is going to exploit him. The municipality is that in any case not do yourself.


It is clear that the new coffee shop there within three years. If this new coffee shop is a success, the city also other coffee shops this way go resupply. Also Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Enschede have now shown interest for the new Utrecht approach.


Control
The big advantage of this new construction is according to the municipality, that control of hemp farms.


That is desperately needed, says Victor Everhardt responsible Alderman of the city of Utrecht. "It is now totally unclear what the quality is of the weed, with all the health risks." For example, unclear or toxic pesticides have been used in the production process, or what the THC content is in the joint.


Criminal system
Not only public health is the reason that Utrecht ending the illegal supply of the coffeeshops. Because the policy of tolerance, there is also a lot of nuisance and Everhardt crime and a criminal system.


Cannabis cultivation has become the main form of organised crime. There goes every year an estimated 2 to 5 billion euros in order.


Ongoing discussion
This is not the first time that the municipalities of Dutch drug policy. Previously called the Association of Netherlands municipalities already for the legalization of the back door of the coffee shop, but which bot caught time and again to the Cabinet. Thus, the municipality of Eindhoven recently whistled back then which is itself a hemp nursery wanted to go to manage.


According to the Cabinet is regulating the backdoor is not the solution.


Opstelten against
Minister of Justice and Safety Opstelten has already let it be known that he is against the plan. "This is not going to happen. I assume that the municipality of Utrecht contact will search with me about these plans. Know they fixed my answer. We will in no way legalize the cultivation and in no way deviate from the line that is deployed. Even with experiments. "


The municipality of Utrecht called the reaction of Minister Opstelten premature and thinks the plan certainly can be executed. The municipality of goes with the Minister in conversation

NOS/ANP :
http://nos.nl/artikel/224611-utrecht-wil-gedoogde-wietkwekerij.html

[DissedByBush]

23. Legalization is long overdue, and I don't smoke

The drug warriors like to portray us all as drug users who want free license to take our drugs.

I don't smoke pot or cigarettes, I NEVER take illegal drugs and even avoid taking legally prescribed prescription drugs when I can.

I do not like drugs.

I'm still for legalization.

[tabasco]

28. If it passes,

I'm fuckin moving there!

[defendandprotect]

31. kr