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Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” — Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address.
We live in a democracy, one which many people say is the greatest on earth, including myself. In a democracy, the will of the people is paramount, and the majority rules, provided that it does not oppress the minority. But today the minority is oppressing the majority, spearheaded by the federal government.
In the beginning of October, four United States prosecutors announced they would be increasing their “enforcement” of federal law in California. This increased enforcement was outlined as the use of new tactics, which include threatening property owners with civil forfeiture of their properties and any assets derived from them, such as rent payments.
Apparently, there is now an accepted level of collateral damage in the drug war. These property owners are not even those who the federal government has made its enemies. They’re just local businesses operating well within the law’s capacity; they aren’t the ones selling marijuana. Why should the federal government resort to such ends to score a hit on the marijuana industry?
The close loss of Proposition 19 in 2010, which would have legalized marijuana for adults 21 and older, showed just how far support for marijuana legalization has progressed in California. The words spoken on the day of defeat were not sad, but happy, and there was a resolute commitment to do it again in two years when the next round of elections came — in 2012.
It seems that the federal government wants to “take out” some of the funds that will be backing this year’s marijuana legalization initiative, as well as smear the drug’s use in a national forum. These raids that have begun in California are merely a sign that the drug war is reaching its arrest-laden climax; the great push for marijuana legalization is almost over the hill and into the cities.
This isn’t just a one-state issue; there have been more than a dozen raids carried out in Washington state as well. Washington had its own marijuana legalization referendum in 2010, which did not receive enough signatures to get on the ballot. Since then, there has been talk of another 2012 bid. The federal government seems to be concerned about the possibility of the passage of such a referendum.
Colorado has just come under fire as well. All medicinal marijuana dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools have been ordered to shut down. This is the best possible excuse the federal government could have found. Colorado has one of the strictest medicinal marijuana programs in the country. They actually have a licensing committee set up specifically for medicinal marijuana, and the law has a requirement that patients must have a sustained doctor-patient relationship with whichever physician prescribes them marijuana. As of 2010, their larger facilities are not allowed within 1,000 feet of a school.
A version of this article appeared in the Jan 20 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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Jury Nullification is a constitutional doctrine that allows juries to acquit defendants who are technically guilty, but, due to their actions involving consensual adults only, do not deserve punishment. All non-violent 'drug offenders' who are not selling to children, be they users, dealers, and even importers, clearly belong in this category.
If you sincerely believe that prohibition is both a dangerous and counter-productive policy, then you don’t have to help to apply it. When it comes to acquittals, you, the juror, have the very last word!
*It only takes one juror to prevent a guilty verdict.
* You are not lawfully required to disclose your voting intention before taking your seat on a jury.
* You are also not required to give a reason to the other jurors for your position when voting - just simply state you find the accused not guilty.
Create what you can no longer afford to wait for - PLEASE VOTE TO ACQUIT!
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Marijuana will never be fully decriminalized. Thank our Prison Industrial Complex for mandating growth in the number of incarcerations. Without drug laws, how would our society easily lock up people of color or other social groups deemed inadequate?
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According to the U.S. Beer Institute (an industry trade group), beer purchases have gone down by an average of 5 percent in states where medical marijuana laws have been passed. And a new study from the University of Colorado-Denver found that the 16 states that legalized medical marijuana saw an average 9 percent drop in traffic deaths since their medical marijuana laws took effect.
"The University of Colorado-Denver study found that the increase in legal use of medical marijuana often leads to a reduction in alcohol consumption. In these states, the researchers theorize, some people are smoking marijuana rather than downing booze".
The number of lives that could be saved will be obviously far greater when we allow ALL alcohol users to switch to marijuana and not just those with a medical condition.
Marijuana has repeatedly been proven to NOT cause cancer, heart disease, brain damage, liver disease, emphysema, or any other significant health issue, and its addiction potential is about on par with coffee.
Legalizing adult marijuana sales will allow us to prevent a great deal of the violence, disease and death that’s caused by alcohol. We must not wait until a loved one has been harmed by alcohol before we take the steps necessary to persuade our legislators to legalize adult marijuana sales!
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Marijuana should be regulated in the same manner we do wine. It is an adult discretionary activity and we already know how to protect children from that. California is trying to do it right now.
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