peace & love

pickupyourwill

...

Yield151

I think its gonna pass ..... I know I am voting yes.... and I don't even smoke LOL

mikepegg44

Yield151 wrote:

I think its gonna pass ..... I know I am voting yes.... and I don't even smoke LOL

it better. Not simply because because of being able to get high, but for someone to finally take on the ancient drug laws we have here. End the most expensive war in history...god damn war on drugs is so ridiculous.

release23420

yeah i think they will funny thing is the pot plant can make 95% of what a tree can and it only takes a pot plant a 20th of the time less to grow than a tree does an the fact 147 billion dollars was made over green an thats just the part you smoke an yes that total was world wide an yes it came from the histroty chancel an the national geographic channel wow 147 billion dollars a yr that no country gets a cut of legally seems those greedy ass loggers back in the day should have let pot be legal then we would have more trees an they would have made more money an wouldnt have let there product sink to the bottom of the river,, beings how qucik tha plant grows,, the country an the world could fix the debt , with in a few yrs , also create more jobs world wide, an save some trees, an be happy so make it legal in Cali an pave the way to make legal world wide an solve some the worlds serious problems

Jason P

I don't smoke but I had an ironworker superintendent get busted by the DEA after they spotted 30 plants from an airplane around his rural home. They charged him with three felonies: Intent to deal; Cultivating; and maintaining a common nuisance. The estimated weight is 8 lbs.

This man is in his mid-50's and has been one of the most reliable and creative ironworker I've had the pleasure of working with. I can say with great certainty that this was for his personal use and he has probably been doing this for the last 30 years so he can avoid messing with dealers.

Anyway, there is now a chance this man (and his wife who was also charged) will do a stint in prison . . . a productive member of society who pays his taxes and keeps to himself. If required, I will write a letter to the judge defending his character and ask for lenience.

The fact that we spend so much time and effort in a futile war against a drug that is less harmful then alcohol is mind-numbing. I've seen seasoned DEA agents publicly comment that they are not winning the war on weed and they know they never will. If you add in the fact that we have sustained an illegal black-market it's quite silly. Hopefully, we can get the first domino in motion and end the ridiculous penalties that are being handed out.

California, you had better not fuck this up.

Godfather.

if the FED'S don't play along it will still be a mess.

Godfather.

norm

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc ... ama/63681/

Jomolungma

if i heard right the govenator signed thru the decriminization of marijuana today. one step closer....

pickupyourwill

norm wrote:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/09/californias-marijuana-initiative-a-problem-for-obama/63681/

I think its a win-win situation all around for California to legalize it. As long as no other states legalize it within the next 5 yrs or so, I really don't see how the Republicans can cause such chaos over it. Its not like all 50 states will follow suite. But I think it would benefit our country to atleast have one state legalized.

pickupyourwill

Jomolungma wrote:

if i heard right the govenator signed thru the decriminization of marijuana today. one step closer....

:thumbup:

norm

SACRAMENTO -- A new law makes possessing up to an ounce of marijuana in California no more serious than getting a speeding ticket -- a development both sides battling over a marijuana legalization ballot measure hope to exploit with the vote just a month away.

The law signed late Thursday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reduces possession of an ounce or less of pot from a misdemeanor to an infraction with a maximum punishment of a $100 fine.

Even as a misdemeanor, possession of up to an ounce was still punishable only by a $100 fine and no jail time. But offenders also faced arrest, a possible court appearance and a criminal record.

Schwarzenegger reiterated his opposition to the ballot measure known as Proposition 19 when he signed Senate Bill 1449 but said the new law would save the state courts money.

"In this time of drastic budget cuts, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement and the courts cannot afford to expend limited resources prosecuting a crime that carries the same punishment as a traffic ticket," the governor said in a statement.

Other opponents of Proposition 19 said the new law helped their cause by negating the argument that legalizing pot would let police focus on more dangerous crimes, said Roger Salazar, a spokesman for the No on Prop 19 group.

"From our perspective it takes away the last reason anyone would have to vote for Proposition 19," Salazar said.

Meanwhile, backers of Prop 19 called the new law a step in the right direction but said the ballot measure was still needed.

"So long as there are any penalties on marijuana users, and so long as the production and sale of cannabis are illegal, we can't rest," Jeff Jones, a spokesman for the Yes on 19 campaign, said in an e-mail to supporters.

Proposition 19 would more or less make the new law irrelevant by legalizing possession of up to an ounce for personal use for adults 21 and older.

The ballot measure also would allow small marijuana gardens on private property and let local governments set rules for taxing and selling the drug.

The bill making possession an infraction was authored by San Francisco Democratic Sen. Mark Leno and supported by the Judicial Council of California -- the official policymaking body of the court system -- and by the California District Attorneys Association.

California's major police associations all opposed the legislation. Those groups said reducing possession to an infraction would discourage people cited for the offense from seeking state-funded drug treatment as provided for drug offenders under a ballot measure passed in 2000.

Other marijuana advocates praised the change made by the law as they pointed to the spike in misdemeanor marijuana arrests in the state in recent years.

"Californians increasingly recognize that the war on marijuana is a waste of law enforcement resources," said Dale Gieringer, director of the California chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and co-author of the state's landmark medical marijuana law.

Authorities made more than 61,000 arrests for marijuana-related misdemeanors in 2008, the latest year for which data exists, California Department of Justice records show.

In the prior decade, such arrests averaged about 48,000 until 2006, when the figure exceeded 50,000 for the first time
http://www.ktvu.com/news/25243473/detail.html

Commy

norm wrote:

SACRAMENTO -- A new law makes possessing up to an ounce of marijuana in California no more serious than getting a speeding ticket -- a development both sides battling over a marijuana legalization ballot measure hope to exploit with the vote just a month away.

The law signed late Thursday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reduces possession of an ounce or less of pot from a misdemeanor to an infraction with a maximum punishment of a $100 fine.

Even as a misdemeanor, possession of up to an ounce was still punishable only by a $100 fine and no jail time. But offenders also faced arrest, a possible court appearance and a criminal record.

Schwarzenegger reiterated his opposition to the ballot measure known as Proposition 19 when he signed Senate Bill 1449 but said the new law would save the state courts money.

"In this time of drastic budget cuts, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement and the courts cannot afford to expend limited resources prosecuting a crime that carries the same punishment as a traffic ticket," the governor said in a statement.

Other opponents of Proposition 19 said the new law helped their cause by negating the argument that legalizing pot would let police focus on more dangerous crimes, said Roger Salazar, a spokesman for the No on Prop 19 group.

"From our perspective it takes away the last reason anyone would have to vote for Proposition 19," Salazar said.

Meanwhile, backers of Prop 19 called the new law a step in the right direction but said the ballot measure was still needed.

"So long as there are any penalties on marijuana users, and so long as the production and sale of cannabis are illegal, we can't rest," Jeff Jones, a spokesman for the Yes on 19 campaign, said in an e-mail to supporters.

Proposition 19 would more or less make the new law irrelevant by legalizing possession of up to an ounce for personal use for adults 21 and older.

The ballot measure also would allow small marijuana gardens on private property and let local governments set rules for taxing and selling the drug.

The bill making possession an infraction was authored by San Francisco Democratic Sen. Mark Leno and supported by the Judicial Council of California -- the official policymaking body of the court system -- and by the California District Attorneys Association.

California's major police associations all opposed the legislation. Those groups said reducing possession to an infraction would discourage people cited for the offense from seeking state-funded drug treatment as provided for drug offenders under a ballot measure passed in 2000.

Other marijuana advocates praised the change made by the law as they pointed to the spike in misdemeanor marijuana arrests in the state in recent years.

"Californians increasingly recognize that the war on marijuana is a waste of law enforcement resources," said Dale Gieringer, director of the California chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and co-author of the state's landmark medical marijuana law.

Authorities made more than 61,000 arrests for marijuana-related misdemeanors in 2008, the latest year for which data exists, California Department of Justice records show.

In the prior decade, such arrests averaged about 48,000 until 2006, when the figure exceeded 50,000 for the first time
http://www.ktvu.com/news/25243473/detail.html

this is big.


the governator was going for a compromise, since he probably has some weird obligation to keep it illegal.









the whole thing is stupid tho. first they allow medicinal weed. then its 'for personal use only'. then it will be for commercial use once its legal.



and this whole process is done state by state, tedious.



get it over with, just legalize it.


its a plant for fucks sake.





Bob Marley's response when asked about it in an interview.,



"could you tell god its not legal?"


as anti religious as i am, the man had a point.

mca47

I think there is a good chance it'll pass, however, it's still illegal on the federal level.
Even if it passes, I'd expect many high court battles prior to the state being completely "free" to legalize it.


What I'm looking forward to seeing...
If Cali makes it legal, it's going to be amazing to watch the entire state's debt disappear in no time flat. They'll certainly tax the hell out of it, and I'm also pretty sure when more states see Cali's budget surplus every year, they'll probably jump on board.

arthurdent

mca47 wrote:

I think there is a good chance it'll pass, however, it's still illegal on the federal level.
Even if it passes, I'd expect many high court battles prior to the state being completely "free" to legalize it.


What I'm looking forward to seeing...
If Cali makes it legal, it's going to be amazing to watch the entire state's debt disappear in no time flat. They'll certainly tax the hell out of it, and I'm also pretty sure when more states see Cali's budget surplus every year, they'll probably jump on board.

you're right about the court battles. If this thing passes, the fed will file an injunction and send it straight to SCOTUS. The injunction will mean the law can't take effect until after the court decision and I doubt SCOTUS will rule in favor of it, so you're basically wasting millions of dollars on absolutely nothing.

And anyone who thinks that legalization will be some kind of magic budget remedy is an idiot.

keeponrockin

mca47 wrote:

I think there is a good chance it'll pass, however, it's still illegal on the federal level.
Even if it passes, I'd expect many high court battles prior to the state being completely "free" to legalize it.


What I'm looking forward to seeing...
If Cali makes it legal, it's going to be amazing to watch the entire state's debt disappear in no time flat. They'll certainly tax the hell out of it, and I'm also pretty sure when more states see Cali's budget surplus every year, they'll probably jump on board.

I don't know how much it costs to grow, but it can't be much more than tabacco, right? Even if they charged 3 times as much as cigarettes, with basically all of it going to taxes, it'd be dirt cheap compared to what one pays now.

pjfan021

it needs to be legalized; it's not hurting anymore than alchol plus it will help bring in a decent amount of cash. last year they only brought in about $100 million but are looking to turn that into $1billion if this goes through.

mca47

arthurdent wrote:

you're right about the court battles. If this thing passes, the fed will file an injunction and send it straight to SCOTUS. The injunction will mean the law can't take effect until after the court decision and I doubt SCOTUS will rule in favor of it, so you're basically wasting millions of dollars on absolutely nothing.

And anyone who thinks that legalization will be some kind of magic budget remedy is an idiot.

Maybe not a "magic budget remedy", but you don't think that extra tax revenue would be sizable?
In the slim chance that it does pass and it becomes legal, the state stands to make significantly more on the sale of pot than it currently does on tobacco.
The cost of growing pot and tobacco I would assume would be comparable.
The difference comes into what the state will charge for it. You won't be able to buy pot at your local gas station for $5/pack. I bet it's still going to be expensive. Maybe not the current "street rate", but it'll be steep.
I would imagine that 75-80% of the cost of buying legal pot would go to the state.

pjfan021

mca47 wrote:

arthurdent wrote:

you're right about the court battles. If this thing passes, the fed will file an injunction and send it straight to SCOTUS. The injunction will mean the law can't take effect until after the court decision and I doubt SCOTUS will rule in favor of it, so you're basically wasting millions of dollars on absolutely nothing.

And anyone who thinks that legalization will be some kind of magic budget remedy is an idiot.

Maybe not a "magic budget remedy", but you don't think that extra tax revenue would be sizable?
In the slim chance that it does pass and it becomes legal, the state stands to make significantly more on the sale of pot than it currently does on tobacco.
The cost of growing pot and tobacco I would assume would be comparable.
The difference comes into what the state will charge for it. You won't be able to buy pot at your local gas station for $5/pack. I bet it's still going to be expensive. Maybe not the current "street rate", but it'll be steep.
I would imagine that 75-80% of the cost of buying legal pot would go to the state.

the beauty part of decriminalizing it and letting people grow more without having to worry about the gov. would lead me to believe that it would be cheaper to grow if you didn't have to avoide the police all the time. the state will def. tax the hell out of it but i doubt it will be too expensive, otherwise people will just by from dealers instead of dispensaries and bypass the tax hike. it's win win either way, if they don't make more on the sale, they'll be saving money on the raids and nickel and dime busts. a penny saved is a penny earned.

arthurdent

mca47 wrote:

Maybe not a "magic budget remedy", but you don't think that extra tax revenue would be sizable?
In the slim chance that it does pass and it becomes legal, the state stands to make significantly more on the sale of pot than it currently does on tobacco.

Pot is much easier to grow than tobacco. It'll grow just about anywhere. And if its something that just about anyone can grow on their own, how much tax revenue is the gov't really going to see?

arthurdent

pjfan021 wrote:

the state will def. tax the hell out of it but i doubt it will be too expensive, otherwise people will just by from dealers instead of dispensaries and bypass the tax hike. it's win win either way, if they don't make more on the sale, they'll be saving money on the raids and nickel and dime busts. a penny saved is a penny earned.

how is that going to work? are people going to report their grow operations on their tax returns? And there will continue to be a black market, for those looking to bypass the taxes. Just like there's a black market for cigarettes.

mikepegg44

arthurdent wrote:

mca47 wrote:

Maybe not a "magic budget remedy", but you don't think that extra tax revenue would be sizable?
In the slim chance that it does pass and it becomes legal, the state stands to make significantly more on the sale of pot than it currently does on tobacco.

Pot is much easier to grow than tobacco. It'll grow just about anywhere. And if its something that just about anyone can grow on their own, how much tax revenue is the gov't really going to see?

People can grow peppers and tomatos on their own to, but I still see a billion kinds of salsa at the store. I don't know why everyone thinks that if it does go legal that everyone will become johnny pot seed and start growing their own shit. Just like anything else, the easiest way to get it will become the most used source. What I would love to see is the change to the farmers markets...those fucking things will be insane.

81

arthurdent wrote:

pjfan021 wrote:

the state will def. tax the hell out of it but i doubt it will be too expensive, otherwise people will just by from dealers instead of dispensaries and bypass the tax hike. it's win win either way, if they don't make more on the sale, they'll be saving money on the raids and nickel and dime busts. a penny saved is a penny earned.

how is that going to work? are people going to report their grow operations on their tax returns? And there will continue to be a black market, for those looking to bypass the taxes. Just like there's a black market for cigarettes.

and a black market for just about anything.

i'd love to be able to walk into a store and buy a dash of this, and a bit of that. fuck yeah

release23420

and a black market for just about anything.

i'd love to be able to walk into a store and buy a dash of this, and a bit of that. fuck yeah[/quote]


well if it happens 81 we should each get a lil of that a dash of that but all diff types an roll up the mookie spilff

81

road trip.

it will be a vacation destination

if it comes to pass, i will fly out and throw a week long party from my hotel room. all you need to get in is a 10c card. fuck yeah

release23420

indeed it will, i hope i meet someone with a MMC while in Cali for BSB