When the people of Colorado voted to legalize recreational marijuana on Election Day, there was immediate speculation as to how the federal government would deal with how it conflicted with federal laws. So far there has not been an official response from the White House or the Department of Justice, and the waters remain as murky as prosecution of medical marijuana has been.
In an attempt to preempt any violation of states’ rights by the feds, a group of Colorado Congressmen formally introduced the Respect States’ and Citizens’ Rights Actthis past Friday. The bill would amend the Controlled Substances Act to exempt states where lawmakers or voters have legalized marijuana.
The bill, which was authored by Democrat Congresswoman, Diana DeGette, has bipartisan support.
In a press release Rep. DeGette said “In Colorado we’ve witnessed the aggressive policies of the federal government in their treatment of legal medicinal marijuana providers. My constituents have spoken and I don’t want the federal government denying money to Colorado or taking other punitive steps that would undermine the will of our citizens.”
The bill is also supported by Mike Coffman and other Republicans, even though some of them were opposed to marijuana legalization.
“I voted against Amendment 64 and I strongly oppose the legalization of marijuana, but I also have an obligation to respect the will of the voters given the passage of this initiative, and so I feel obligated to support this legislation,” Coffman said in the statement.
This legislation is just part of the chorus of letters to Obama’s justice department demanding that the feds leave the states alone when it comes to marijuana laws.
Reps Barney Frank and Ron Paul sent a letter to Obama encouraging him to respect state laws and to not use federal resources to prosecute pot smokers.
“Respect for the principles of democracy; respect for the states to make decisions on matters that primarily affect the residents of those states; the chance to conserve scarce federal financial resources — these we believe are many strong reasons for you to defer to the state decisions,” Paul and Frank wrote.
Another bipartisan Congressional group wrote a similar letter to Eric Holder at the Department of Justice stating,
The voters of these states chose, by a substantial margin, to forge a new and effective policy with respect to marijuana. The tide of public opinion is changing both at the ballot box and in state legislatures across the country. We believe that the collective judgment of voters and state lawmakers must be respected.
California Governor Jerry Brown, who opposes marijuana legalization, also said the federal government should respect states’ rights to decide how to regulate marijuana use on CNN’s State of the Union shortly after the election.
“It’s time for the Justice Department to recognize the sovereignty of the states. We are capable of self-government,” he said. “We don’t need some federal gendarme to come and tell us what to do. I believe in comity toward the states, that’s a decent respect”
Although this bill specifically refers to state exemptions where marijuana is concerned, it comes at a time when more states and citizens are attempting to flex their muscles against federal dictates.With White House petitions for secession of all 50 states gaining steam, a clear message is being sent for the feds to back off.
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In the next few months cannabis legalization measures will be going into effect in Washington state and Colorado, and already prosecutors all over both states are dropping charges against cannabis users.
Now, just weeks after those measures were voted on out west, there are a few states on the east coast that are now following suit and making moves to get the beneficial plant legalized in their area.
“State legislators in Rhode Island and Maine will announce bills tomorrow to legalize recreational marijuana, a spokesperson for the Marijuana Policy Project announced today.
Rhode Island Rep. Edith Ajello and Maine Rep. Diane Russell will hold a conference call tomorrow with the Marijuana Policy Project to announce the legislation.
MPP says that “similar proposals will be submitted in at least two other states — Vermont and Massachusetts.” A ballot iniative legalizing medical marijuana passed in Massachusetts last week with more than 60 percent of the vote.
Maine voters voted to expand the state’s 1999 medical marijuana law in 2009 to include dispensaries. The Rhode Island legislature decriminalized marijuana earlier this year, and has had medical marijuana since 2006″
The east coast has been far behind in efforts to legalize cannabis, in comparison to the west where many states have had medical programs for some time.
If these measures are taken seriously in these areas and do well, the effects will undoubtedly spread farther down the east coast, towards areas closer to DC and farther down south where cannabis users face some of the worst persecution.
Areas of New England have a much more laid back approach to cannabis, as we see with the announcement of these new bills.
As of right now New Hampshire is the only state in the New England area that has yet to pass any measures to legalize the drug, even for medicinal purposes.
However, I have a feeling that at this very moment a group of people from the Free State Project are hard at work to see that legalization efforts are made in New Hampshire as well.
The DEA has still promised to enforce the federal laws, but if this catches on like it’s looking to do, than it is going to get to the point where they cant enforce it, and then its all over for prohibition, or atleast prohibition of cannabis.
What the drug war actually accomplishes is the establishment of black markets and gangs, the erosion of personal liberties, the expansion of the prison system and prison population as well as a constant excuse for frivolous government spending.
This hypothesis has been tested time and time again, anytime throughout history where a ruling power has prohibited the consumption or possession of any item whatsoever.
This process was made quite clear during the alcohol prohibition of the 1920s and 1930s.
As we saw with alcohol prohibition, making a substance illegal does nothing to stifle its use, but simply creates outlaws out of nonviolent people and foments a culture of violence that the rest of society is forced to deal with, even if they have no interest at all in the banned substance.
However, Cannabis is of a specific immediate importance though, because of its ability to heal sick people and create more environmentally friendly industrial products.
It is also one of the safest drugs known to our species.
Note: Our friends at Truth Exposed Radio just conducted an outstanding interview with Rick Simpson that once again reminds us how powerful this plant actually is.
From Video Description:
Truth Exposed Radio’s Robert Blount interviews Rick Simpson about the power of pure hemp extract vs. Cancer and other diseases. – http://truthexposedradio.com/
J.G. Vibes is the author of an 87 chapter counter culture textbook called Alchemy of the Modern Renaissance, a staff writer and reporter for The Intel Hub and host of a show called Voluntary Hippie Radio.
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Support for marijuana legalization in British Columbia has reached a whopping 75%, according to a new Angus Reid poll commissioned by Stop the Violence BC, a coalition of law enforcement officials, legal experts, medical and public health officials and academic experts concerned about the links between cannabis prohibition in British Columbia and the growth of organized crime and related violence in the province.
The poll surveyed 799 respondents in British Columbia. The results have a margin of error of +/- 3.5%.
The number supporting legalization is up six points over last year’s Angus Reid poll, where 69% supported it. Meanwhile, opposition to legalization has declined from 24% last year to 21% this year.
The new poll also suggested a broad social acceptance of marijuana in Canada’s westernmost province, which has been a hotbed of marijuana cultivation and culture for several decades now. Only 14% of those polled believe possession of a joint should lead to a criminal record, down six points from last year, and 74% would be comfortable living in a society where adult cannabis consumption was taxed and legally regulated under a public health framework, an increase of four percentage points from last year.
Strikingly, support for full legalization was higher than support for the half-measure of decriminalization. While 75% supported legalization, only 62% wanted decriminalization.
“From a scientific and public safety, making cannabis illegal has clearly been an expensive and harmful failure,” said Dr. Evan Wood, founder of Stop the Violence BC and Canada Research Chair in Inner City Medicine at the University of British Columbia. “With 75% of British Columbians supporting change, and the status quo contributing to increasing harms in BC communities, it is absolutely time for politicians to catch up with the public.”
Stop the Violence BC has been pushing for the legalization and regulation of marijuana. Its members include four former BC attorneys general, four former Vancouver mayors, including Larry Campbell, and former West Vancouver police chief and Liberal member of the provincial legislature Kash Heed.
The campaign is picking up steam. In September, the Union of BC Municipalities passed a resolution called for marijuana regulation, and last month, the Public Health Association of BC (PHABC) endorsed regulation.
“From a public health perspective, we urgently need to research alternatives to our current approach to cannabis which has clearly failed to protect public health and has actually resulted in substantial individual and community harms,” PHABC president Dr. Marjorie MacDonald said in a statement.
Ayurveda being 1,000s of years old uses Sanskrit terms. Once some of these terms are mastered it all fits nicely into a pattern. Both Western and Chinese medicine are said to have their roots in the Indian Ayurvedic system of health.
We are made up of Earth Water Fire Air and Ether, when these go out of balance through lifestyle it is necessary to treat accordingly.
Dr Neelu makes consultations in London and on the internet nirmaladhevi@gmail.com
Activist Post
By JG Vibes
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