|
MPP puts 'tax and regulate' language on Nevada and Santa Cruz ballots |
|
|
|
|
Written by Rebecca Greenberg
|
|
Thursday, 24 August 2006 |
More votes in Congress, advances in states
What do President George Bush, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and former President Bill Clinton all have in common?
They all smoked marijuana. And they all managed to avoid arrest and jail for doing so. And - whatever one thinks of their views or policies - they all went on to achieve extraordinary success. And that success gives the lie to claims by the likes of White House Drug Czar John Walters that marijuana is “a dead end” that must be kept illegal to “save” society.
“Is it fair to arrest three-quarters of a million people a year for doing what presidents have done?”
That is the point made in a new radio commercial produced by the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), the largest marijuana reform organization in the United States, and which began airing July 3.
While one voice reads the names of distinguished Americans who have used marijuana, a second voice asks, “Is it fair to arrest three quarters of a million people a year for doing what presidents and a Supreme Court justice have done?”
“Is it fair to arrest three quarters of a million people a year for doing what presidents and a Supreme Court justice have done?” 
The commercial will be broadcast through the summer during Jim Hightower's syndicated “Common Sense Commentary,” carried by Air America and other stations, and on “Downsize DC,” a libertarian-oriented radio show - airing on a total of at least 141 radio stations around the US. It's part of MPP's effort to bring new attention to the need for reform of America's marijuana laws.
The medical marijuana front continues to progress: In January, Rhode Island became the first state to pass medical marijuana legislation over a governor's veto. Nov. 7, South Dakotans have the opportunity to vote on a medical initiative.
In Congress, an amendment to the Department of Justice appropriations bill, aimed at stopping Drug Enforcement Administration attacks on medical marijuana patients and caregivers in states where medical marijuana is legal, received record congressional support this June: 163 “yes” votes. Fully 72 percent of Democrats voted for the bill; 18 Republicans even bucked the White House to vote “yes.” The amendment did not pass, but Reps. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) promised to sponsor the amendment until it passes,
Reps. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) promised to sponsor the amendment until it passes,
and MPP will continue its targeted lobbying campaign to gain legislative support.
The Bay Area's congressional delegation lined up solidly behind the proposal. Reps. Lynn Woolsey, Barbara Lee and Sam Farr all spoke eloquently on the House floor in support of the amendment. Strikingly, the amendment drew increased backing from conservatives as well.
“Support for medical marijuana has hit yet another high-water mark in Congress, 11 states have legalized medical marijuana in 11 years, and the latest national poll shows that an astounding 78 percent of voters want to see medical marijuana legal.” said MPP Executive Director Rob Kampia. “It's hard to imagine a scenario where Congress will not pass our medical marijuana legislation by, say, 2009.”
“It's hard to imagine a scenario where Congress will not pass our medical marijuana legislation by, say, 2009.”
“The most significant thing is that the amendment gained votes during an election year,” Kampia continued. The last time the House voted on this amendment during an election year was in the summer of 2004, when support dropped from where it had been a year prior.
The amendment's strong showing this year probably has something to do with the fact that Citizens Against Government Waste and other conservative organizations are now lobbying alongside a host of medical and other organizations, including the American Nurses Association, to pass the amendment.”
In Nevada, MPP has proposed a ballot initiative to tax and regulate marijuana similarly to alcohol. Voters will decide this November whether the state will regulate the production, sale, and use of marijuana by adults. The initiative recently got its first newspaper endorsement from the Lahontan Valley News, which wrote in a June 20 editorial, {quotes right}“In a state where prostitution is legal in certain counties, bars are not required to close and children can legally possess and use tobacco, objections to marijuana legalization on a moral basis seem hypocritical.”{quotes}
Here in California, MPP's grants program is supporting local efforts modeled on Oakland's successful Measure Z campaign, which made personal marijuana offenses the lowest priority for local law enforcement. The West Hollywood City Council passed such an ordinance in June, and San Francisco's Board of Supervisors may take up a similar measure in late summer or early fall. Lowest-priority initiative drives will be on the ballots in the cities of Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara and Santa Monica, and one is moving forward in Missoula MT. The Santa Cruz initiative calls on the city to tax and regulate cannabis as soon as possible under state law.
Headquartered in Washington, DC MPP works for reform on the federal, state and local levels. MPP acknowledges that any drug, including marijuana, can cause harm, but argues that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to tax and regulate it in a manner similar to alcohol. MPP doesn't believe anyone should go to jail for using marijuana; particularly sick and dying individuals who use medical marijuana to mitigate symptoms of serious illnesses.
 Your donations help MPP support the work of reform. For more information or to sign up for email alerts, visit mpp.org or call 1-877-JOIN-MPP.
|
| |
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 07 September 2006 )
|
The Men's Wearhouse George Zimmer
