The Kindergarten Cop Needs to Do His Marijuana Homework
Over the last several days, the popular Web site Digg has been allowing users to submit and vote up or down various questions to be posed during today’s “Digg Dialogue” and CNN interview with Calif. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R).
When Schwarzenegger was asked about taxing and regulating marijuana as a result, he replied that he doesn’t support changing the current marijuana laws because believes — perhaps alone among citizens — that the current laws have “worked very well for California.”
You’ve got to wonder by what measure he’s gauging marijuana prohibition’s success. When California first banned marijuana in 1913, the plant was virtually unknown. Now nearly one in ten Californians admit to having used it within any given year – despite the more than 74,000 marijuana arrests made in the state last year alone. More California teens report using marijuana than tobacco, and the drug can be found in nearly every high school in the state. This is a successful law?
Once again, the public is way ahead of politicians on marijuana policy. Taxing and regulating marijuana enjoys majority support in California – at least according to one of the state’s most respected pollsters. Arnold’s job performance ratings, on the other hand, are a whole other story.
Tagged with: California and Schwarzenegger by the author
54 comments
Prohibition works! Shout it from the roof tops!
Disappointment all the way around. Let’s get this jerk out of office!
Schwarzenegger needs to be educated he says besides the profit of legalization and taxation that their was no other good reason or proof other countries have benifited due to legalization of marijuana. Well I guess he does not have information like the MPP has on a country like Amsterdamn if he did the he would know that the Netherlands are to Close Prisons due to Not Enough Criminals heince another point that if legalized and taxed the cartel would severly lose over 60% annual profit alone just from the legalization and taxation of marijuana. But hey what does Schwarzenegger care he is almost done with his term and do not care about the nations problem that can be fixed. Regardless of this it is a matter of time befor marijuana is legalized the real question is would the people and govt want to have it when we need to defend our country the most or rather wait till thousands of lives are gone due to suplying the cartel which we have the option to hurt them where it would hurt them the most (in the pockets) now be for it gets that bad? Personally it is better to deal with it now when the cartel can be hurt dramaticaly rather than to try to do so later on when it is too late regardless of what we may do. Also is not keeping it in prohibition in a way a violation of our 1st amendment….
Bruce, I think you need to educate him….. or at least run for govenor hell we know yould do better than him.
The irony here, of course, is that aside from Obama himself, Arnold is probably the individual with the biggest ability to shift the debate on this topic due to the fact that he is the governor of the most populous US state (and a state where marijuana is widely available).
If he was an actual leader, Arnold might actually be able to salvage some sort of legacy by offering a full-throated advocacy of regulation & taxation. Instead all we get is timidity.
Didn’t he just make baby steps in the direction of legalization a month ago saying that he thinks it should be discussed? Like all of our politicians, Arnold needs to grow a pair. He sounds like a fence-sitting coward.
Arnie needs to acknowledge and address the fact that legalization isn’t just about economics. It’s already way out in the open, all of the reasons prohibition sucks.
I also hope he acknowledges how things are working in Portugal and the Netherlands, if he wants to continue comparing laws.
Politicians have engaged in Calvinball forever. This is really no different than W’s “Mission Accomplished”.
All he had to say was they were successful and allow idiots in the general population to be oblivious to his intellectual dishonesty and then have prohibitionists come to his defense. It’s the political equivalent of taking a knee in football.
J also a point you didn’t hit but was on the way to making is the fact that Mexican cartels import a huge amount of opium for heroin from Afghanistan. Without the monetary flow from the sale of cannabis they would not be able to produce heroin and this would in affect shut down the Taliban because a large amount of funding for the Taliban is opium. Also, another point to be made is why is hemp tied in with cannabis I don’t want to sit here and type all the reasons why hemp could help us so educate yourself and watch Emperor of hemp it is amazing and life changing.
I think Arnold is afraid to go out on a limb and take a real stance on decriminalizing marijuana because of his past use. Its not like the Governator could ever defend his well documented toking scenes. It is definitely disappointing but I am more interested in what will happen in a year if more high profile politicians bring the issue to discussion. This is the information age; I believe as this issue continues to go mainstream, our “google” society will realize the scam our government has pulled with marijuana prohibition.
Put up or shut up Arnie, send it to a public vote. Let the people decide, then you can distance yourself from making the decision. You said you wanted a debate, well, where is it? Set up this debate, i’m sure i wouldn’t be to hard to organise. The pro legalisation side, i’m sure, is ready to go, and we know the prohibitionists are, because they have been using the exact same arguments for 40 years and i assume aren’t changing their views.
california get him out of office! Get somenone who will go with the ppl!
Did anyone consider maybe he is just playing it safe now but is encouraging a debate because he knows that then the truth will really be shown to the people then? Not that it would overrule his inability to stand up for himself on the issue though.
you are a noob on marijuana prohibition if thats what you think
you are a noob sean
Cali is retarted if they don’t legalize
He is not the man who he once was,and he have totally lost his soul to politics. This happens when he spends most of his time covering his own ass from his past and his failures with empty rhetoric. He is out of touch with the people and the fans who have liked him. He is a washed out puppet who have forgotten what it was like to be human.
http://www.nrc.nl/international/article2246821.ece/Netherlands_to_close_prisons_for_lack_of_criminals
Prohibition puts cops and criminals to work, ya it works….
He should never have gotten into politics. People are fed up with the WAR ON MARIJUANA and the social harm federal law has caused. California needs to chill out rather than listen to Gov. Schwarzenegger weak bull shit and confusing the people by playing the blame game.
If we repeal the 17th amendment,we could change this and many stupid laws. The problem is…congress wont ok the repeal because it gives them power to do as they wish. It would take 2/3s vote from states to get it done. While we are at it repeal the 16th amendment too, stop them from raping our wallets.
Its a war people, us against them. We have to rclaim the power they took so long ago. We need to reclaim not only our freedom,but our country,from these corrupt politicians.
i hate when elected officials think they get the to decide the way of the majority. governator, you work for me listen to what we’re telling you.
I guess Ronald Reagan was a better actor when it comes to bull shit.
Gov. Schwarzenegger is no hero, he’s a girly-man. He may have looked back in his past and was embarassed about it, but if he looked back what he is now, he would see that he was a jerk. It reminds me of one of his movies he have done in the past.
Most of his fans who watched his movies are in prison, because they smoke weed.
My Mother lives in Ridgecrest, California and Arnold the Governor is like George W. Bush, the larger majority want to see Arnold replaced asap. Nothing has worked for Arnold as Governor to secure his future in politics. Arnold is a failure in politics and now we see why. He’s out of touch with reality, the pot world reality.
You know, it’s interesting that he slyly brought up the idea of taking it to a ballot initiative. I think 2010 MIGHT be the year to do that, if it’s possible, in California. If the groundwork is laid starting now, you might be able to get a good majority willing to vote for legalization across the board… and that might be the tipping point nationally, as well, for other states to follow rapidly.
@endcycle
This is your brain. This is your brain on prohibition. Any questions?
a governor is a leader not a follower arnie grow a pair and lead your state if the grapes can bring in a 1/3 of the revenue that pot does do the math you will never get out of debt with large items it is going to be 1.5 bil $here 1.7 bil$there that is how you are going to do it and take a look at legacy cost. pentions, and health care for prison guards these costs add up and i know you don’t want to look soft on crime but ask a cop when was the last time they got in a fight with a pot head do you rember when you got high did you feel violent besids wanting to tear up a sandwich think about it
Put the cartels out of business.
Let ordinary Americans (Californians?) grow a little marijuana in their own back yards.
$100 per year for a permit for 12 plants.
Would anybody go for it?
What part of telling the truth does Arnold NOT believe in?
disappointing, for sure. I wonder if when politicians give hope like Arnold did with last month’s announcement, are they later threatened by powerful drug dealers to reverse their stance? Are they reprimanded by some higher ups in gov to shut up? Are they bribed with large sums of cash? It sure seems like any time someone in office seems to be getting with the times on this issue, they usually head straight back to their old views very quickly. This kind of backpedaling bullshit is why our economy is getting closer and closer to collapse each day. Maybe after a tear-down and rebuild of the country there will be some changes… but I doubt it will occur before the worse case scenario does. *sad*
Today is the last day to get this up the ladder.
Let’s Vote this up to #1:
http://opengov.ideascale.com/akira/dtd/3191-4049
Oh Arnold, puh-lease. There is video of you yourself smoking it, if the laws are so good you should turn yourself in you moron.
What amazes me is the short sightedness here. All the numbers you hear are the 1.3-1.7 billion dollars generated by sales within the state of California. Consider this. If California legalized MJ, then other states would almost certainly follow suit, just like what’s happened with medical MJ. If that was to happen, then California, being one of the nations leading producers of marijuana, would make even more from sales to the states that also legalize after they do. You haven’t even begun starting to figure the possible revenue from legalizing MJ. Second of all Arnold, why don’t you take your balls out of the purse of the Republican party and do what you know is right.
“U.S. Customs agents got a surprise on April 9, when they checked a trailer of an 18-wheel truck crossing into El Paso, Texas, from Mexico and found more than 9,000 pounds of marijuana hidden among auto parts bound for U.S. factories.”
Reason why I posted this is this simply points the fact I and many other Americans know about if marijuana was legalized and taxed that these types of problems with the cartel would no longer be a problem being the legalization and taxation would strike a saver blow to the cartel taking away their over 60% annual profit from keeping marijuana illegal which if legalized and taxed would be like cutting off the legs of a chicken to the cartel. Also as #8 ( through the looking glass ) Pointed out “the fact that Mexican cartels import a huge amount of opium for heroin from Afghanistan. Without the monetary flow from the sale of cannabis they would not be able to produce heroin and this would in affect shut down the Taliban because a large amount of funding for the Taliban is opium.” But hey what do we know after all will the govt listen to us? May be now they will and start to work with us “THE PEOPLE OF THE USA” put an end to the cartels reign by legalize and tax marijuana now be for the cartel does even more damage to our nation…..
I remembered the fun I had watching his movies while I was smoking weed. I liked to watch that movie “Total Recall” again, but because of no weed, there is no sense in watching it. Like most of his movies now, they just sit on the selves gathering dust.
Why can’t he be a real hero?
Connect the dots. Follow the money. The money doesn’t want legalization, and those who continuously and inexplicably block legalization efforts, therefore, must be in collusion with the money (cartels). It’s not a war on drugs, it’s a war on the citizens of this country.
What would be timely is a Personal Freedoms Act, that states what a person does to his body, on his property, in his home, is beyond the scope of what our elected officials (aka servants) ought to be wasting our time on. I say get out of our homes, our bedrooms, our backyards, and our piss. I hired you people to do a job, not to collude with the real criminals. Or are you and they one and the same?
We, the people need to contact our representatives in congress and Let them know that we no longer need their representation if they will not legalize Marijuana and end it’s prohibition. Tell them that they can no longer count on our votes if they do not obey our will!!!!
Robert, (and others)
We have contacted our reps, and their ongoing response, or lack of response, speaks volumes about their true perspectives on this matter. It’s not that they don’t care, it’s that they have vetted interests in keeping mj illegal. It may be monetary, but I think it is about power and control over the masses. After all, they don’t really have to find drugs on you to lock you up, they just need the convenience of being able to use this ploy against us.
well i guess atleast he didnt say if a bill goes through that he will veto it.
Sounds like the law enforcement industrial complex has put the screws to Gov. “Ahnold” !
The only way Marijuana will ever get legalized for recreational use is to start a pro cannabis campaign where we the people will only vote for those who support Legalization. Once we show our elected officals that we have the numbers to jepordise their means of life will these laws actually change. I am tired of hearing it takes baby steps first medical for awhile then decrimation then maybe legalization too many people are suffering from marijuana prohibition for our government to keep beating around the bush on this subject. How long did it take to end aloohol prohibition with the right people in office ?We need mpp norml ssdp hightimes leap and all other supporters of the cannabis community to make a list of all our congressmen and congresswomen who support our cause lets get this done in 2010 no time to waste.
I live in a place where I could be “legal” tomorrow. The problem however is that in order to do so I must first acknowlege that there is an authority greater than my own on this matter.
My position is that if I am to be free, it can only be so because I choose to be free and NOT because I am permitted to. Wish me luck.
right on, jw! And that’s the way it’s always been. I could get a stoner license, too, but the way I see it (I’m 53) I don’t trust these bastards, never did, and I don’t want to call attention to myself. It has taken me this long just to publicly speak about it.
When I was 18, I got busted for felony possession of paraphernalia! I had about 6 pipes in my vw that we had scraped down to the brass because we were dry for 3 weeks. I got pulled over, they tore the seats out of my car looking for weed, couldn’t find any. When I went to court, they brought out SIX OUNCES that they said they found on me. Plus every pipe haed been filled and scotch taped over, and the pig said that was how he found it. They don’t need to find drugs to bust you, they only need the laws kept the way are.
Arnie’s wife is a Kennedy, the Kennedy’s own alcohol companies. Not sure which one, or ones, but I do remember that they produce alcohol.
With that said, it appeared to me while listening to Arnie that he was scared and had been given a good tongue lashing by someone that could possibly ruin him. Maybe a Kennedy family member said they’d take away his wife’s inheritance ? Could be.
A good question for Mr. TurnCoat would be, who got to you ?
The Senate and Congress are exempt from drug tests also. Heard that a long while back. (I could never hope to keep all the stuff I’ve read over the years on file. I do apologize for not being able to supply a link).
Commenter #30 Christina pretty much hit the nail on the head with her questions.
Plus these bozo’s are so rich that they can travel anywhere and have their high times without anyone ever knowing.
The Kennedys’ made all that money from PROHIBITION. Old Joe Kennedy tiptoed around the gray area of “medicinal alcohol”, imagine that.
And yet this man would rather cut corporate taxes, purge the Medi-Cal and Healthy Family social safety nets, close state parks, and drastically cut public education spending. Why?
When clearly taxing and regulating California’s #1 CASH CROP would – at minimum – save some of these much-needed and highly valuable enterprises! Email this man today and voice your dismay: http://gov.ca.gov/interact#email
Arno talk like girley mon. Canifornia’s governor has been “high” more than once and knows the real deal, but he is just another coward, self-serving politician living in fear and confusion. There has never been a shortage of outstanding true American patriots in this country, only courageous, right-thinking politicians. They can’t seem to get elected, let alone re-elected.
So true comment #47. Mark my word here please, there are a small group of overly Powerful Oligarchy in our world. That is the problem here, they’re ruining 98% of everyone’s lives but their own. They could give a rip about you and I and it’s gone on for far too long.
Oligarchy: A government run by only a few, often the wealthy.
A member of an oligarchy, someone who is part of a small group that runs a country.
I do realize it sounds conspiracy type of stuff however, it is true. These are the individuals we need to expose and then enlighten the public at large as to what the Oligarchy are doing now and have done in the past to deceive all of us.
J.W.: Made their money through Prohibition of alcohol or cannabis ? My guess is alcohol however, I still think they’re involved in producing booze. And ….. the only reason Massachusetts decriminalized cannabis, if you want to call it that, is because Senator T. Kennedy learned how important smoking cannabis was to his recovery from his rare tumor.
Yes Mike, You are dead on there. Arnie I am ashamed man. Its the only work I can think of ashamed.
No no no , I think he is feeling the pressure from the police, and prison institutions who would have to downsize if it were legalized. They would have to revert back to doing real police work instead of sticking their hands in peoples pockets to get an easy bust. Its all about the numbers not the quality of arrests. You can’t have a police state when the people no longer are criminals over pot. His feathers are showing and he will never consider legalizing it. Vote him out of office and do your research on the next politician in 2010. Then he will be “Terminated”, and will no longer be able to “Stick around”.
“ja, he’s a girly-mon” He’ll send his best fans to prison for smoking pot. He is afraid and feels the pressure of those who don’t give a rats ass about his movies, because most of them prevent their own children from watching it. He’s no hero.
Check out the “Brain Storming” web site. Legalization is again in the top three issues. President Obama we are not going away.
Schwartzeneggar is pretty smug for a guy who “used” illegal steroids for many years (his use was technically abuse), who in fact probably owes his entire success to the fact that he did! Oh, he’ll go along with prohibitions against steroids now that he’s done with ‘em. He’s very much like other drug warriors: he doesn’t really want to curtail his own drug use, or that of his peers (alcohol), he wants to curtail YOURS.
I’ll Be Back!!!!!!
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