Legalizing Cannabis in California

In November, 2010, the State of California will be adding an initiative to the ballot to legalize marijuana. If the measure passes, California will become the first state to legalize the possession and sale of marijuana for general use. Currently, California has instituted measures to allow the use of medical marijuana. As well, since 1975, possession of an ounce or less of marijuana has been a misdemeanor that is accompanied by a 0 fine.

If the ballot to legalize cannabis passes, it would mean California residents could grow limited amounts of marijuana, and local governments would have the option to permit the sale of marijuana in retail outlets. Known as the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010, the November 2010 ballot includes the following measures:

1. Adults 21 years and older will be legally permitted to possess up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use.

2. Adults will be permitted to grow their own marijuana plants on a plot up to 5 feet by 5 feet per home or land parcel.

3. Counties and cities in California will be legally permitted to tax the cultivation, transportation, and sale of marijuana.

This November 2010 ballot measure comes with its share of controversy. There are opponents and proponents lining up on each side of the issue. Proponents of the measure make the following arguments:

1. There are financial benefits to legalizing marijuana in the state of California. Taxing marijuana would bring a considerable amount of revenue. Many experts, including California State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco, estimate over a billion dollars a year in revenue which would help California’s budget crisis. Also, many experts estimate that billion would be saved annually in government spending on enforcement which includes border security.

2. Legalizing marijuana has a number of law enforcement benefits. Law enforcement officers will be able to focus on serious crimes. The costs of law enforcement would be greatly reduced. The courts would not be tied up with marijuana cases. The overcrowded prison population would decline.  Crime and violence at the U.S.-Mexico border would be reduced. The lives of youth would not be ruined because they would not receive a permanent criminal record and prison time if they were caught with marijuana.

3. Many health experts say marijuana is not anymore detrimental to a person’s health than tobacco or alcohol. As well, marijuana has been shown to benefit patients with such conditions Cancer, AIDS, and Glaucoma.

Most opponents of the November 2010 ballot measure argue on the basis of their own personal moral beliefs. They believe the use of marijuana is immoral. Others argue that there are long term health consequences when using marijuana and it can also lead to more people moving to more hardcore drugs.

No matter how you view the issue, one thing most people can agree on is that marijuana is here to stay in American society. It would seem that those reflecting on which way to vote on the measure in November should look at both arguments and decide which one makes the most sense. It is also helpful to look at various cannabis websites such as CannabisSearch.com.

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Dancing in the Politics ? Legalizing Marijuana to Improve Lives of Millions

The active ingredient in marijuana appears to reduce tumor growth, according to a Spanish study published on Wednesday. The researchers demonstrated giving THC to mice with cancer decreased tumor growth and killed cells off in a process called autophagy.“ The findings support that safe, therapeutically efficacious doses of THC may be reached in cancer patients,” Guillermo Velasco of Complutense University in Madrid and colleagues reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Other research has shown benefits, such as staving off Alzheimer’s, and many doctors view THC as a valuable way to treat weight loss associated with AIDS, and nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy in cancer patients. Velasco and his team’s study included an analysis of two tumors from two people with a highly aggressive brain cancer which showed signs of autophagy after receiving THC. The researchers said the findings could pave the way for cannabinoid-based drugs to treat cancer.

It has been made clear by President Obama’s Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowaske what the federal government position is on the matter. Gil said: “marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit” and that “legalization is not in the president’s vocabulary, and it’s not in mine.” When will the ignorance stop? You are worried about gang activity all over the United States; legalizing marijuana would practically banish gang funds from marijuana. Several automotive companies like BMW use hemp in there door panels, yet it’s illegal to grow hemp in the United States. Instead of spending millions to import hemp, and spending millions to pay farmers in the bread basket not to grow crops, we can grow fields of marijuana and hemp to help not only the economy, but the environment. Hemp can be utilized in thousands of industries, marijuana can lower healthcare costs, and may even prove to be helpful in many other diseases / illnesses.  Instead of feeding people arrogant statements about legalizing marijuana, look at the facts and do what’s right for our country.

It’s kind of nauseating to think that not only our political advisers, financial advisers, and economic advisers, but the president of the United States is too caught up in the politics of legalizing marijuana that they don’t take the time to look at the facts. Studies done about the toxins in marijuana were done on samples that included all leaves, stems, and seeds. So of course the toxins would be comparable to cigarettes.  Until the government provides us proper testing supplies, it’s hard to get a sturdy case.  Looking around the market, everyone seems to be convinced that they have ADD, ADHD, Anxiety, or some sort of Depression.  If you take a second to look at the side of effects of every medication used for these fairy tale conditions, you’ll see things like nausea, vomiting, depression, anxiety, active behavior, suicidal thoughts, and acts of aggression or anger. Now let’s take a look at the side effects of smoking out of a vaporizer, or consuming thc, hungry, happy, and sleepy. THC is the only known substance to cure nausea while at the same time causing hunger. Studies done on mice and rats shows that the hungry like feeling from marijuana comes from the breast feeding stage of your life, natural body cannabinoids are consumed from the breast milk and are delivered to the natural cannabinoid receptors found in almost all mammals.  So as you smoke marijuana this is being triggered, causing the emotional and physical ability to eat comes into play. As we look at recent studies done on thc and cancer, we notice tumors, and cancer cells being reduced, if not eliminated.

While we dance in the politics of legalizing marijuana… why is it so hard to accept marijuana and hemp used at a sophisticated level could revolutionize this country. Instead of taxing the shit out of the Americans responsible for keeping this country alive, tax hemp and marijuana like alcohol, making millions while saving the environment and improving the life of millions. Using hemp for paper, clothing, and rope alone would help the environment significantly.  As far as recreational use of marijuana, the only side effects are moderate if any; a little euphoria never hurt anyone.

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Medical marijuana is currently legal in the following states: California, Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Minnesota, Vermont, Maine, Maryland, and Rhode Island. Certain states have also decriminalized it, which basically means that there is little to no punishment if you’re arrested with the substance on you. Interstate commercialization of marijuana in smokable form is a federal crime, and has severe consequences to it. The hemp industry, however, is legal, and can be done between different states.

Doing research about your state and states around you is highly recommended. Any pot smoker should know the consequences of being caught by the police. If you’re a student, your college or high school likely has no-tolerance policies addressing the substance, so make sure you’re aware of those, as well; being caught with weed at school is not only going to get you in legal trouble, but it will go down on your permanent record for your entire academic life. Even if marijuana is legal in your state, you should still check your educational facility’s rules and regulations, as well as disciplinary policies.

If you want to have an impact on cannabis legalization in your state, there are certain things that you can do. One, you can contact your local county representatives or city councils, inquiring about any marijuana drug law reforms that they might be considering. For all you know, there might be a bill under review already that you don’t know about. Two, you can contact your Congress representatives over the issue, urging them to take steps towards drug law reform. You want to write / call / email your Congressman from the House of Representatives, because the Senate doesn’t deal with domestic issues as much as international ones. Third, it’s never a bad idea to personally meet with government officials, like your state governor or a county representative, if at all possible. Go to town council meetings. Find an appropriate time to bring this topic up. And make sure that there’s a right time for everything – don’t interrupt an ongoing meeting just to be heard. There’s a right way to do things, and there’s a wrong way to do things, and a sensitive topic like marijuana reform can’t be ignored, OR done wrong. It’s a slow process, but you can be a part of it.

I look back over the years and remember back to reading thousands of articles filled with hard cold facts and statistics about marijuana helping with diseases and illnesses. To this day marijuana is the only substance that cures nausea and at the same time, makes you hungry, perfect for patience that are going through a hard illness. Unfortunately we are all a victim of drawn out boring commercial breaks on tv, but have you ever heard the laundry list of side effects for our top anti-depressants or anti-anxieties? IT’S RIDICULOUS! Marijuana seems to help out a hell of a lot more than it hurts anyone.

“Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marijuana in private and personal use.”
President Carter

So for example, let’s say I have anxiety, I’ve had a long day at work, flat tire on the way home, and to top it off my air conditioning has quit working. So I decide to try this new anti-anxiety drug my doctor prescribed… So I pop one pill and wait to see if it works… All of a sudden I feel an over whelming nausea. ( Fill in the side effect of your choice, there are thousands; nausea, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, thoughts of suicide, or hallucinations to name a few.) That doesn’t sound like anything I want to be a part of. So let’s re-wind, instead of trying an anti-anxiety pill, I pick up some marijuana. This time I take a seat on the couch, grab a paper, and prepare a nicely rolled jay. Flip on the discovery channel and fire it up; this time, side effects include hungry, happy, and maybe sleepy. So instead of taking a chemical drug made in a factory, I take a drug that’s grown in the wild, by Mother Nature. Instead of thoughts of suicide, I’m learning about the animal kingdom in Africa. As far as I was told, America was a Democracy, with that in mind, 60% of America says they would like Marijuana to be legalized. Crime and violence can only be related to marijuana in harder areas with large drug/money exchanges. Take the crime out of marijuana and all you have left is a life saver for millions.

Other research has shown benefits, such as staving off Alzheimer’s, and many doctors view THC as a valuable way to treat weight loss associated with AIDS, and nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy in cancer patients. Velasco and his team’s study included an analysis of two tumors from two people with a highly aggressive brain cancer which showed signs of autophagy after receiving THC. The researchers said the findings could pave the way for cannabinoid-based drugs to treat cancer.

It has been made clear by President Obama’s Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowaske what the federal government position is on the matter. Gil said: “marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit” and that “legalization is not in the president’s vocabulary, and it’s not in mine.” When will the ignorance stop? You are worried about gang activity all over the United States; legalizing marijuana would practically banish gang funds from marijuana. Several automotive companies like BMW use hemp in there door panels, yet it’s illegal to grow hemp in the United States. Instead of spending millions to import hemp, and spending millions to pay farmers in the bread basket not to grow crops, we can grow fields of marijuana and hemp to help not only the economy, but the environment. Hemp can be utilized in thousands of industries, marijuana can lower healthcare costs, and may even prove to be helpful in many other diseases / illnesses.  Instead of feeding people arrogant statements about legalizing marijuana, look at the facts and do what’s right for our country.

It’s kind of nauseating to think that not only our political advisers, financial advisers, and economic advisers, but the president of the United States is too caught up in the politics of legalizing marijuana that they don’t take the time to look at the facts. Studies done about the toxins in marijuana were done on samples that included all leaves, stems, and seeds. So of course the toxins would be comparable to cigarettes.  Until the government provides us proper testing supplies, it’s hard to get a sturdy case.  Looking around the market, everyone seems to be convinced that they have ADD, ADHD, Anxiety, or some sort of Depression.  If you take a second to look at the side of effects of every medication used for these fairy tale conditions, you’ll see things like nausea, vomiting, depression, anxiety, active behavior, suicidal thoughts, and acts of aggression or anger. Now let’s take a look at the side effects of smoking out of a vaporizer, or consuming thc, hungry, happy, and sleepy. THC is the only known substance to cure nausea while at the same time causing hunger. Studies done on mice and rats shows that the hungry like feeling from marijuana comes from the breast feeding stage of your life, natural body cannabinoids are consumed from the breast milk and are delivered to the natural cannabinoid receptors found in almost all mammals.  So as you smoke marijuana this is being triggered, causing the emotional and physical ability to eat comes into play. As we look at recent studies done on thc and cancer, we notice tumors, and cancer cells being reduced, if not eliminated.

While we dance in the politics of legalizing marijuana… why is it so hard to accept marijuana and hemp used at a sophisticated level could revolutionize this country. Instead of taxing the shit out of the Americans responsible for keeping this country alive, tax hemp and marijuana like alcohol, making millions while saving the environment and improving the life of millions. Using hemp for paper, clothing, and rope alone would help the environment significantly.  As far as recreational use of marijuana, the only side effects are moderate if any; a little euphoria never hurt anyone.

Law Enforcement adjoin Prohibition is an alignment that consists accepted admiral of the law and added individuals who ambition to point out the abortion of abounding biologic policies. They accept that accepting an analytical adjustment and ascendancy of drugs can account the association added than prohibition.

There are added organizations that accept that legalizing marijuana is an acceptable abstraction and others as well ambition to veto these suggestions from the pro organizations. Added analysis studies accept that marijuana can strangely affect the brain and the body. These are constant furnishings that can apparent themselves continued afterwards an alone has accustomed up application Marijuana. Such legalizing marijuana organizations accent that there are added articles in the medical marketplace which recognize the aforementioned absolute furnishings of Marijuana with little or none of the abrogating ancillary effects.

Current studies predicts the use of Marijuana in some individuals who are already ailing accept apparent that it can complicate the affliction and add to the severity of it. Most of these organizations that are adjoin the use of Marijuana as a medical biologic appetite the government for added all-encompassing analysis to accompany to ablaze the furnishings of the plant.

The laws assuming the outrage of application and growing marijuana are still in place. US government has not budged apropos the abounding lobbyists who ask for the appropriation of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. This is in lieu of ailing humans who ambition to accept absolution from affliction and adversity acquired by illnesses but there is a acknowledged absolute which needs to be followed.

The move to approve the use and advancement of legalizing marijuana will constantly recognize action back this bulb is notorious.