Posted by: thepinetree on 11/04/2010 08:54 AM
Updated by: thepinetree on 11/04/2010 12:45 PM
Expires: 01/01/2015 12:00 AM
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Leter to the Editor on Prop 19 ~by Steve Johnson
San Andreas, CA...Proposition 19 was a resounding victory for the legalization of marijuana. If you consider that in a non-presidential election year with a highly motivated right wing, nearly half of all California, nearly 3.5 million voters as of today's count, voted for legalization. Sacramento noticed. Those results should be staggering if you oppose legalization. This measure polled over 50% many different times in this campaign as well. For a barely funded proposition facing the consolidated opposition of state and federal government and their consortium of paid minions, not to mention the myriad of private "nanny in your bedroom" organizations, this was remarkable. Proposition 19 garnered mainstream and law enforcement support. The major political party in our state took an official "neutral" position on the measure, while its base voted for it. There can be no doubt that Proposition 19 was the foundation for a future victory. This was huge....
With the incoming administration, we can look forward to many laws beneficial to the “marijuana community”. Nor-Cal is in the house! And Nor-Cal favors legalization. Many measures vetoed by Arnold will be seen again (such as medical marijuana workplace rights) and even more progressive medical marijuana/marijuana/hemp bills. Remember, as Attorney General, it was Jerry Brown's formal written position that medical marijuana dispensaries are legal if they met certain criteria. With Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom, and Kamala Harris (fingers crossed!) at the helm, we can be sure real progress will be made in continuing to secure marijuana rights in our state. Harris and Newsom are from San Francisco. 65% of San Francisco voted for Prop. 19, not to mention, it’s San Franciso!. Brown is from Oakland. Oakland is the home of Proposition 19, Oaksterdam University, and the medical marijuana capital of the world.
A surprising "foe" to legalization of marijuana emerged - many growers and suppliers in the medical marijuana field. This is their source of income and a vote to legalize is simply seen as voting themselves out of a job. While I empathize with that point of view, the issue is bigger than you. Marijuana simply should not be illegal and it will not remain illegal.
Today, even as a legal medical marijuana patient, marijuana is still probable cause for search and arrest. You can have your vehicle impounded. They can still bust in your door, confiscate your computer and other property, and arrest you over even a single plant observed in your yard. They can keep that stuff for a very long time as well, and usually it's gone forever. Medical Marijuana is a "affirmative defense" in court. You are not "legal" on the street. You might win in court, but how much do you spend for that victory? How much of your life is destroyed? Many medical marijuana patients facing prison have felt the sting of California's harsh marijuana and cultivation laws and our justice system. Too many good people go to jail and far too much of our tax money is wasted putting and keep them there. All of this must change - Proposition 215 and AB420 were a good start, but they are not enough. We must legalize marijuana for the good of the medical marijuana community and the state, despite some of their opposition.
Medical marijuana patients in Calaveras County are especially aware of the persecution you can face since marijuana is still illegal under state law.
Prop. 19 failed because of flaws (perceived or real) in the language of the measure itself, not the idea of legalization. We must take note and consider very carefully the next measure for legalization, with these lessons learned. We must also continue to press the legislature for legalization. We must continue to expand medical marijuana rights and protections and to reduce penalties. In CA, Hash, marijuana butter, and cultivation of even a single plant are all still felonies. With our prisons bursting, state coffers empty, county jails full, and counties bankrupt, we still need to rethink our law enforcement stances and priorities in regards to marijuana. The voters understand this, even if they rejected other parts of Prop. 19's language.
For those of us that have been involved in the legalization of marijuana, we look forward to a landmark decade; a period when the USA, after 70 years of lies, devastation, and propaganda, enters a period of rational discussion about marijuana and it's sister plant, industrial hemp.
Legalization of marijuana: it's not if, it's when.... and 2012 sounds just about right. See ya real soon.
Steve Johnson
San Andreas
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