Another Milestone in the Golden State
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a first-of-its kind hearing on the “legalization and regulation of marijuana,” held in the California Assembly Committee on Public Safety. The three-hour hearing included testimony from experts who told the legislature that arresting adults for marijuana is a gross waste of police resources and that the only way to control marijuana is to end prohibition and institute regulations for its sale.
Witnesses advocating for reform included retired superior court judge James P. Gray and former San Francisco district attorney Terence Hallinan – both of whom have seen the futility of marijuana prohibition firsthand from inside the criminal justice system.
Some law enforcement organizations, who make a living arresting people for marijuana, also participated in the hearing. I’m sure readers of this blog won’t be surprised to know that these entrenched interests employed their usual tactic of hyperbole and flat-out lies to scare legislators from supporting reform.
One thing is for sure, and it’s that yesterday’s hearing was another step forward in the march toward marijuana sanity. The more lawmakers and the voting public are exposed to the truth about marijuana and the effects of marijuana policy, the more likely they are call for an alternative to prohibition.
This informational hearing set the stage for another hearing and a vote on A.B. 390 — legislation to tax and regulation marijuana — that the Public Safety Committee is expected to hold in January.
Here is one of the news reports covering this historic hearing and both sides of the debate:
Tagged with: California and legalization and Tom Ammiano by the author
34 comments
Hell yes!!!
Do you hear that Mr. Anerson? That is the sound of inevitebility…………
the last place i would look for guidance on making and changing laws is religion
Just legalize it and see what happens.
Let’s keep reminding the prohibitionists that, legal or not, people will continue to purchase and use marijuana. That should give everyone involved something to think about.
Legalize it. Tax it. Regulate it. Let’s do this already.
F. Aaron Smith,
I live in Colorado and today a judge pretty much destroyed the MMJ industry here it is a shame. No patients will be forced back to the streets to haggle with gang members, if they can even get out of bed.
R.I.P Colorado MMJ
http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2009/10/john_suthers_buzzing_on_stacy.php
this is the link to the colorado court ruling. this doesn’t sound good at all. I wonder is there will be protesting in colorado over this.
Common Ca put some sense into this country. If we can’t do it in Ca then i think the rest of the 50 are doomed. Everybody say a prayer for our cause.
Thanks for putting up the video Aaron. Was glad to see the shot from the back of the room as I was curious to the number of people who attended.
Interesting history being made here. Just keep shoving the True Facts down their throats and eventually they’ll swallow them.
As far as Colorado goes, Breckenridge is leading the way. Boulder is, to my limited understanding, snob ville.
BTW – the link on your BLOGROLL for Drug Law Blog doesn’t work for me.
@ Lea,
The entire state of CO is going to lose it’s dispensaries. I live in Boulder it is a hippy town. It makes me so mad a few judges pressured by cops are going to take away medicine from dying people. We think were gaining ground but were losing. I have been advocating for years and years now and with todays news I’m ready to give up. I never thought I say that but there is only so much I can take
“are you kidding me? I am a stupid idiot who’s just heard a bunch of hippies want to legalize ‘drugs’. Seriously? The good Lord made marijuan a illegal back in the times of Jesus…”
Sry ben I know you mean good but the good lord didnt make Marijuana illegal back in the times of Jesus lol
My bad ben I mistook your post. Reread and understand the quotations
Watch this: http://www.falloftherepublic.tk/
It’s worth your time.
I read about the Colorado Court of Appeals affirming the conviction of Stacy Clendenin and I must say I am torn. I support medical marijuana laws and I support full legalization of marijuana. However, when someone who claims to be a primary caregiver has NEVER met some of her patients it undermines EVERY medical marijuana law that allows caregivers to grow. All it takes is one person like Stacy to stir distrust and prevent a medical marijuana bill from passing in another state. Caregivers provide care, thats what makes them different from any other marijuana grower. Please caregivers, follow the rules so that other state legislators feel comfortable passing MMJ laws
Agreed will, well said.
#6
i live in CO and am also a patient and caregiver and all the judge said was that to be a caregiver you must know your patients. you must know their face, name, needs and whatnot. its reasonable. i wouldn’t say ‘R.I.P colorado mmj’. the genie is out of the bottle. this is not going anywhere. be well and stay positive.
Ca., is the cutting edge state on MJ Policy, we are fortunate to live in an enlightened enviroment. I would like to see a more open policy, w/o the stigma of drug abuse or criminality.
I want a more educated public, every person using should be fully cognizant of the law and able to explain it when needed. Educate yourself and those around you!
Or you could quit abusing drugs.
Pretty trite comment for an open discussion mr Lee, but at least you use a real name. Abuse and use ride a fine line, I don’t assue to know what makes you feel better and makes your life bearable. If it was misery or pot, would you choose misery for me? I hope its never up to you. but thanks for contributing’
A drug in any form can and will be abused. I wouldnt condone alcohol to combat your misery. Or Oxycontin to help you cope with your day.
Aside from that I think your biggest hurdle in Marijuana reform laws is The govt finding a viable solution to taxing and regulating it. In my Acre yard I could grow enough high quality marijuana to not only feed my supply, but also sell to all of my friends at a significantly cheaper rate that your local 7-11 or whatever venue could sell it for.
@Al Lee: You can make alcohol just as easily as you can cultivate high-quality marijuana. It’s not just about dropping a seed in the ground — high-end cultivation is a full time job. So no, I don’t believe that hobbyists could pose a serious business risk to a legitimate large scale open market. Yes there are black markets in alcohol and tobacco, but they can’t even come close to significance overall. The only time we’ve seen that was during alcohol prohibition.
@Rhayader. You cannot make alcohol just as easily. You obviously dont grasp the concept. Growing enough pot to last you a year could be done on your apartment balcony with little maintenance. It is not a full time job. Its also almost all profit sans water, seeds (one time investment) and minimal over the counter nourishment. WIth that in mind a drop in quality of 10% vs a pricepoint at whatever you need it to be to sell, will certainely draw a customer base.
Back to the alcohol, Lets say beer. to produce enough to say last you a year and sell to a small clientele, would require major efforts, expenses and space. You also have the packaging, and transport to consider. Now that you have your Saviour in office, and the conservatives arent a factor, this is the only hurdle you face in getting it legalized IMO. Big Govt cant find a way to effectively control the taxation. And do I need to mention the commercial blackmarket? it would be out of control and just as fierce of a war.
I dont enjoy pot anymore. Havent in 10 years, but Im not an enemy of its legalization either. Just expressing my opinion.
Al Lee:
Thanks for the contribution, but it is obvious you have never cultivated high quality cannabis. I know this because of the simplistic way you describe the procedure. You assume that this is a plant you can plant and just leave alone (you can grow enough on your apartment balcony). If all you want to grow is schwag then you’re probably right. BUT if you’re looking to grow quality cannabis there is much more that is involved. Take some time to watch the video: Botany of Desire (on PBS) and you will quickly see that it takes more time and knowledge than you thought.
Al Lee:
The blackmarket woulf be worse? YOu have got to be kidding me? You obviously don’t understand that the blackmarket is around because of the illegality of cannabis. It is the Prohibition that fuels the underground market. A legal market with regulations would keep marijuana out of the hands of kids, whereas today’s system does anything but that. Do you think drug dealers check IDs?
@Al Lee
You have some valid points with regard to the production and sale of marijuana. Cannabis prohibition is often compared with alcohol prohibition when so much has changed since then. The world is not the same. Anybody that wants to grow can go online, buy seeds, buy equipment, and find all the information they need. If everyone who wanted to toke grew their own then yeah government would have a hard time taxing it. But most people I know that smoke would prefer going to a “coffeeshop” where there are different strains to choose from, edibles, people who know the product, etc. So you’re going to have maybe 1 out of 10 users growing their own. Government could issue permits for growers (who could sell to dispensaries) and tax retail sales at dispensaries and get their cut of the pie. Do you see any problems with this type of system? With California and Massachusetts thinking about full legalization the system they choose could determine the future of cannabis prohibition. Let’s work together and find a solution.
we are all adults anyone over the age of 21 should be aloud to drink smoke or smoke mmj that should be our dission not the goverment i still belive in we the people wish there were more so that we could have a say in what want and what we wont this the usa is not
RE: Darthnole Firstly, If I had grown marijuana, quality or not, I wouldnt post it on a public Wordpress page. Secondly, the blackmarket doesnt equal illegal market. There is a blackmarket for cigs, watches, clothing, food and many more items that we consume legally everyday. So I would have to say its you that doesnt understand the “blackmarket system”. What about the Movie industry? Piracy is a major blackmarket of a totally legal industry. And its fierce. People die, and there is arrests everyday, worldwide. A quick google search indicates there were 1.9 billion in losses due to piracy in just the movie industry in 2005. If theres a market, theres a black one as well.
Once Marijuana is made legal, these drug lords on both sides of the border are going to have work MUCH harder to get even a small slice. This is going to impact “citizens” because citizens are consuming this product legally.
Post back after you take your Macro-ec class.
Also how are you going to keep it out of the hands of children when its legal, if you cant do it while its illegal?
@ Al Lee
Firstly, the black market for watches and clothing is not worth billions of dollars like the cannabis market is, so comparing them is like comparing apples and oranges. Secondly, a legal regulated market diminishes the black market becasue most people would not want to deal with the black market. This eliminates dealers who are going to go “out of business” when all of their customers decide to buy from a cannabis club. Less dealers = less availability to kids. I am sure the day after the 21st amendment passed there were the same amount of bootleggers selling alcohol but in five years they were all but eliminated because people liked mainstream alcohol, and not blackmarket alcohol. Explain how you think kids will get their hands on marijuana easier if there is a system of regulation and ID checking in place and the black market dealers have given up? Let’s find a solution instead of just arguing back and forth.
clothing and watches, as well as other industries are a billion dollar industry as well.
search garmet industry yearly sales.
Its not apples and oranges. its all apples. People that buy bootlegged or “blackmarket” goods either dont know the difference, or dont care. It will be a real problem if suppliers of Marijuana can go directly to vendors or coffeeshops and offer the products and discounted rates. Since Marijuana doesnt have a UPC code, or serials or a way to track movement through the system, it will be easier to pirate. and thats what it is: pirated marijuana.
Also, how has the legalization of Alcohol curbed our youth from consuming it? has it at all? they are certainley getting their hands on it. I did in high school.
My point of posting here was to try and bring to light the why, not the “for”. To curb piracy of marijuana would require selling it for such a cheap price, that the blackmarket cannot compete. this means the gubberment cannot take the cut they want, and privatized business cant make the returns they expect.
In other words. Uncle sam doesnt get a cut!!!!
this is why it isnt legal
Again on the child subject. We cannot effectively control the flow of drugs to our children with the current system.
AGREED?
If you agree, then how are we going to combat this if we can now legally trasnport this drug to within miles, if not feet of our childrens homes? And our childrens parents can keep this drug in their purses and medicine cabinets.
Can I make a dollar on this scenario? or is it the “honor system”?
Am I enemy or advocate?
Sorry buddy, you’re still wrong. It’s illegal because it’s potential uses would undercut dozens of very prominent industries including clothing, timber, energy, and more. The companies that head these industries would not want a cash crop as big as marijuana that can take such a substantial cut out of their business. This would be bad for them, and they pay for the illegality, alongside American tax dollars.
Another thing you seem to misunderstand is that Marijuana users don’t seek out to be criminals. They don’t smoke it because it’s illegal. They do it because it makes them feel good, and because it’s fun. If you think that legalization wouldn’t take a very, very significant amount of the black market’s business away, you are incorrect. Nearly every single marijuana smoker would pay the extra money to do it legally. If you don’t think this is the case, you obviously don’t know many pot smokers.
we would like to help and belive that all Californias Medical Marijuana collectives, dispeners should test all
Cannabis for pathogeneses and thc and cbd %
we do that
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