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Marijuana: Hope for an economical boost

1/31/2010

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As Americans are forced to contend with an economy that is at best “shaky”, an entrepreneurial spirit is blazing across many parts of the United States; Fueled by an Obama administration that has decided to scale back federal raids on establishments that legally sell medical marijuana under state law. Entrepreneurs who have established legal bodegas have made the purchasing of marijuana on the street corner obsolete. Today, marijuana can be ordered by phone and delivered to your home in California. In Germany ordering a beer with your “Quarter Pounder” and fries at McDonalds is not only legal, but millions of people in Germany do it every day. So is being able to order Kush with your large extra pepperoni and cheese Domino pizza in Des Moines, Iowa far away? The question to ask is “who exactly is in the mix of legally making money from the sale of medical marijuana?” The answer is a variety of entrepreneurs. People selling marijuana growing equipment, running clinics that provide clients with certified doctors who can verify bonafide marijuana patients, creating “compassion clubs”, and selling ski resort packages in Colorado, entrepreneurs are getting paid.
What States have the potential to gain
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) estimates that a legal market for marijuana in California could provide the state with as much as $1.5-2 billion in additional revenue each year. Implementing a $1.00 per joint excise tax would yield about $1 billion to the state, while the state would save over $150 million in law enforcement costs for arrests, prosecutions, and prison. Additional benefits would accrue from sales tax and spinoff industries. Total retail sales of marijuana would be on the scale of $3-5 billion, with total economic impact of $8-13 billion including spinoff industries such as coffeehouses, tourism, and industrial hemp.
Alcohol vs. Marijuana
The most frequently asked question by Americans who advocate the legalization of marijuana is, “why is it legal under the current scope of the law, to consume liquor, beer and cigarettes but illegal to smoke a joint?” Even in an alternate universe ran by Reptilians, the answer to the question is both hypocritical and inaccurate. From Manhattan, Kansas to Cairo, Egypt, medical and safety experts agree that annually, more deaths are caused by the use of tobacco products than any other drug. So…let’s get it straight lawmakers, if a constituent is of legal age to buy a pack of Marlboros, smoke them, and then develop illnesses that kill them from the consumption of this product, well…it’s OK. However, depending on what state that you live in, if you buy an ounce of marijuana, a drug that like tobacco, releases certain cerebral endorphins is bad and you may lose your job, your car, and your home, as well as potentially serve jail or probation time. Something, senators and congressman, is not right in your Land of OZ. The truth of the matter is the powerful global tobacco industry pays tens of millions of dollars annually to lobbyists in Washington, D.C. who ensure that legislators will stay “convinced” to continue to allow cigarettes to remain legally sold off of the shelves of Wal-mart and your local bodega. However understanding our lawmakers’ logic rationale behind empowering drug lords an opportunity to commit a multitude of crimes through the illegal trafficking of marijuana is more than baffling. Could it be that they have an invested interest in keeping things “as they are?”
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Marijuana and the Spirit of Prophecy

1/28/2010

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According to the Holy Bible “On the Third Day of Creation God said: 'Let the earth bring forth grass, THE HERB yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.' Genesis 1:11 'And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.'” Genesis 1: 12 There are some among God’s children today that believe that the Lord gave a special blessing to the Green Herb and that the Lord seems to have put it above the rest of the flora and fauna known simply as; “and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth.”
Did you know? “There is only One Green Herb that has Herbal-Medicinal-Spiritual properties. There is only one green herb that has green stalk, green branches, green leaves, and green flowers. There is only one herb that is completely green including its flower. Green flowers are so rare they are almost nonexistent and certainly not something common enough to merit God's special proclamation on two of the first six days of creation specifically giving the Green Herb to all mankind and singling it out as something other than grasses or trees.”
Interesting is it not that; in the beginning God gave His children a Vegan diet and called herbs, fruit and seeds MEAT for us. God created man on the sixth day and after he created him “God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”Gen 1:29
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Legalization move in California brings 700,000

1/28/2010

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Backers of an initiative to legalize marijuana in California say they will submit far more signatures than needed to qualify the measure for the November ballot on Thursday. Volunteers intend to submit about 700,000 signatures collected across all 58 California counties, campaign spokesman Dan Newman said. The initiative needs around 434,000 signatures from registered voters to make the ballot. Campaigners typically try to collect far more to build a cushion in the case that some signatures are invalidated. The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 would legalize possession of paraphernalia and small amounts of marijuana for adults age 21 and over. It would also allow limited growing on private property and permit local governments to decide whether to legalize and tax pot sales. "Our current laws aren't working. We should have learned from alcohol prohibition," said Oakland medical marijuana entrepreneur Richard Lee, the measure's main backer. Lee has marshaled manpower and financial support for the initiative through Oaksterdam University, an Oakland-based school he founded to train growers and distributors of medical marijuana. Under current state law, Californians can legally grow and possess pot for medical purposes. The drive to put a broader legalization measure on the ballot got a boost in April when a Field Poll found that 56 percent of California voters supported legalizing and taxing marijuana to help bridge the state budget deficit."This initiative was very carefully crafted to win at the ballot box. It contains specific safeguards and controls," he said. Standing in the way will be a coalition of religious and law enforcement groups that argue marijuana is harmful and an immoral approach to fixing the state's financial problems. "We're going to talk about blood money, about trying to raise taxes on the backs of our youth," said Bishop Ron Allen, a pastor and head of the International Faith Based Coalition, an anti-drug religious group. The ballot measure would require jail time for anyone who sells or gives marijuana to children. It also forbids smoking pot in front of minors.
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Fiscal debt pushes for offshore drilling and marijuana taxing

1/24/2010

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Florida lawmakers are facing a daunting task in the upcoming legislative session, fighting to close a budget gap that could reach $2.4 billion. The situation, however, could be worse. To their credit, previous legislatures had enough fiscal sense not to take Florida down the same tax-and-spend path trod by California. The Golden State faces a $20 billion shortfall, which amounts to a fiscal straightjacket from which even Houdini couldn't have escaped. Yet, lawmakers in fiscally inept California are considering a couple of good revenue building ideas that Florida legislators should adopt. The ideas might not have an immediate impact in Florida, but they would provide a decent income stream down the line. The first is allowing offshore drilling for oil and natural gas* (see below), which would result in royalty revenue. California banned offshore drilling after the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, and for good reason. As with Florida, the coastline is a vital natural and economic asset that must be protected. But drilling technology has come a long way in the last four decades, and it's far safer than at the time of the Santa Barbara spill. In fact, there hasn't been a major drilling spill in U.S. waters since Santa Barbara. Drilling certainly isn’t risk free; however, it is much safer than it was in 69’. The second sensible idea coming out of California is, hold onto your hats, legalizing and taxing marijuana. Can you hear the reaction from self-anointed Florida "conservatives?" It goes something like this: "Are you nuts? We'd be turning the state over to drug-crazed, hippie, liberal, Godless reprobates. Anyone advocating such a course of action would be doing the work of the devil." To which, would be countered: "Those who have argued for an end to the un-winnable drug war include the late William F. Buckley, the intellectual godfather of the modern conservative movement; the late Milton Friedman, the free-market economist whose economic thinking laid the foundation of the modern conservative movement; and George P. Shultz, Ronald Reagan's venerable secretary of State." None of them stumped for drug use, but they all realized fighting the drug war caused more problems than it solved. The illegal profits have turned some of the most reprehensible people in the world into major power brokers, who use a share of their fortunes to corrupt politicians, judges and police officers. The drug war is helping to destabilize foreign governments, including Mexico's and Afghanistan's. Profits are being used to bankroll terrorists. Arresting, trying and incarcerating those involved in the drug trade costs this nation and the states tens of billions of dollars annually that could be used for constructive purposes. Meanwhile, government isn't raising a dime in taxes. That's not the case with alcohol and tobacco, legal drugs that cause far more misery and death than all the illegal drugs combined. The claim that legalizing illegal drugs would result in a massive increase in use is far from proven. Just look at legalized tobacco. Its use has been declining in recent decades, and per capita alcohol consumption in the United States has dropped by half since the middle of the 19th century. Florida isn't California, and marijuana legalization and taxation will be more difficult to sell here. But it's time to start pushing hard for it. The cause could get a lift from the "tea party" movement. Tea-party libertarians need to convince the so-called "conservatives" waving placards next to them (many of whom never heard of Buckley, Friedman or Shultz) that it's time to call a halt to the war on drugs.

*Hemp 4 Victory does not support offshore drilling in anyway shape or form. Through legalization of marijuana the hemp industry should become a trillion dollar crop replacing most plastics, papers, fibers, and fuels.

 
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National Criminal Justice Commission Act Passes Senate

1/23/2010

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Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee, approved Sen. Jim Webb's (D-VA) National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 on a unanimous voice vote. The bill would create a commission to conduct a top-to-bottom evaluation of the country's criminal justice system and offer recommendations for reform at every level. Webb has been a harsh critic of national drug policies, and has led at least two hearings on the costs associated with current policies. The bill could create an opportunity to shine a harsh light on the negative consequences of the current policies. An amendment offered by Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) that was accepted by the committee, stripped out the original bill's lengthy list of negative drug policy "findings" and replaced them with blander language while leaving the bill's purpose intact. Passage out of committee was applauded by sentencing reform advocates. "Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) commends the Senate Judiciary Committee for recognizing that the American criminal justice system needs an overhaul," said Jennifer Seltzer Stitt, FAMM federal legislative affairs director. "Any comprehensive reform of our criminal justice system must include eliminating mandatory minimum laws. One-size-fits-all mandatory drug sentencing laws enacted in the 1980s are responsible for filling prisons with low-level, nonviolent drug offenders, wasting millions in taxpayer dollars, and destroying public trust in the criminal justice system. The National Criminal Justice Commission can help right these wrongs by recommending mandatory sentencing reform." The bill's prospects are uncertain. It faces a crowded calendar in the Senate and has made little progress in the House.
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First approved legalization bill in legislative history

1/18/2010

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For the first time in legislative history, a group of lawmakers in the U.S. have approved a bill legalizing the recreational use of marijuana by adults. The California Legislature’s Assembly Public Safety Committee approved AB 390, which would allow possession, sale and cultivation of marijuana for people over 21, by a 4-3 vote. The legislation would impose a $50-per-ounce sales tax to fund government regulation of marijuana sales by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Some lawmakers voted for the bill even though they did not support its provisions, in order to continue the debate on decriminalizing marijuana. “I do not support marijuana. I don’t use it, I don’t want my kids to use it, I don’t want anyone’s kids to use it,” said Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), who voted in favor. Despite the precedent-setting vote, the plan was not expected to move further along in the California Assembly due to a legislative deadline that will force the bill’s sponsor, Tom Ammiano, to reintroduce the bill. California lawmakers aren’t the only ones taking on the controversial subject of legalizing the drug. The state legislature in Washington is considering two bills to remove criminal penalties associated with marijuana. Also, lawmakers in New Jersey last Monday legalized the medical use of marijuana.
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American History proves marijuana/hemp acceptable

1/16/2010

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There is a common myth going around that cannabis makes a person less productive. People are affected by substances in different ways, and to say that smoking pot lessens enthusiasm and vigor for life is nonsense. I believe the United States was founded on some pretty cool ideas. The revolutionaries who founded this country were earthmovers who dedicated each day to production on an unprecedented scale. And many of them enjoyed a good toke of weed. Seven early U.S. Presidents have been identified by creditable sources as having smoked marijuana: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Zachary Taylor, Franklin Pierce and Andrew Jackson. Pierce, Taylor and Jackson, all military men, got high with their troops. Cannabis was twice as popular in the U.S. Army during the Mexican War as it was during Vietnam; Pierce wrote to his family that it was “the only good thing” about that war. Hemp farmer Thomas Jefferson and paper maker Ben Franklin became ambassadors to France during the rise of the country’s hashish craze. Such international celebrities probably had several opportunities to try the herb. Jefferson smuggled Chinese hemp seeds into America, and he reportedly exchanged gifts of smoking blends with Washington. Indeed, our Declaration of Independence was penned by a stoner, and written on hemp paper. Abraham Lincoln, often argued as the greatest American president, once said, “Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica.” Yet television ads will show you melting children to get you to avoid such sweetness like disease. Even in our times, it is clear that appreciation of cannabis is no inhibitor to success. Sir Richard Branson, entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin business empire, has openly professed his moderate use of the drug, and even went so far as to say he would sell it in his record stores if it were ever to become legal to do so. Captain of industry Henry Ford saw a greater strategic value to the plant: “Why use up the forests which were centuries in the making and the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the hemp fields?” He made cannabis gasoline to fuel his hemp car, and I think at that point it’s irrelevant whether he smoked or not. President Obama admitted smoking and inhaling pleasant cannabis vapors, and has made mild concessions to the advancing states’ legalization movements. Bill Clinton blazed, despite his shifty answers, and George Bush, Jr. did cocaine while he was a male cheerleader in his college days, so he must have passed through the “gateway,” right? Governor Schwarzenegger said of cannabis, “That’s not a drug, it’s a leaf.” Technically, it’s a flower, not a leaf, but I like Arnold’s spirit. What a lazy lot of stoners. Renowned scientist and astronomer Carl Sagan is widely regarded as a genius. Yet Mr. Sagan called cannabis prohibition “outrageous” and praised the plant’s ability to “produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world.” Albert Einstein, another renowned thinker, astutely observed the significant rise in crime associated with prohibition laws, which he said were “destructive of respect for the government” because the laws cannot be enforced. My tune resonates marvelously to the choice words of John Adams: “We shall, by and by, want a world of hemp more for our own consumption.” I enjoy what I deem to be an acceptably safe freedom, and I do not consent to masochists or hypocrites governing the contents of my bloodstream. A person who is inspired to act productively encounters no major obstacle to occasional cannabis consumption… unless they are a math major or something (that can get a little dicey). There was never a supreme mind in history that took the words of others to be true authority without first considering the issue for themselves. If the great thinkers of the past hadn’t dared to think for themselves, they never would have challenged traditional understandings of the way things work. If these men hadn’t thought outside the box, our modern society would be lacking all sorts of valuable objects and ideas. This pattern suggests that conventional wisdom is always false in some way, and a rational human would do well to accept the reality that the forbidden fruit is the one guaranteed to be tasted.
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Seattle: Marijuana virtually decriminalized!

1/16/2010

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Seattle's new city attorney is dismissing all marijuana-possession cases, starting with those that were already under way under the old city attorney. City Attorney Pete Holmes said, “He dismissed two marijuana-related cases in his first day on the job, and several others are about to be dismissed.” In addition, his new criminal division chief, Craig Sims, said he is reviewing about 50 more cases. Unless there are "out of the ordinary circumstances," Sims said, the office doesn't intend to file charges for marijuana possession. "We're not going to prosecute marijuana-possession cases anymore," Holmes said Thursday during a public interview as part of Town Hall's Nightcap series. "I meant it when I said it" during the campaign. Seattle voters approved Referendum 75 in 2003, making marijuana the lowest priority for local law enforcement. City records show that Carr still prosecuted many cases. In the first six months of 2009, Carr declined eight of the 62 marijuana-related cases filed with his office, a city report shows. Of the cases he took up, marijuana was the only charge in 21 cases. In the second half of 2008, Carr dismissed 21 marijuana-related cases and filed 60 others. Of those, marijuana possession was the only charge in 20 cases. Holmes' policy change comes amid several state-level efforts to decriminalize or legalize marijuana. A ballot initiative filed Monday would legalize adult marijuana possession, manufacturing and sales in the state. The Legislature is also considering two bills to decriminalize and regulate marijuana, or to make it legal in the state. The drug would remain illegal under federal law.
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Pot On Deck in 2010

1/14/2010

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Pot appears to be back on deck in 2010, as four states debate legalizing marijuana and what impacts this move could have on businesses and the economy. Business owners are concerned that legalization will make them subject to new discriminatory lawsuits for not hiring workers who use marijuana. Some states, however, are hopeful that legalizing the sale and production of marijuana will bring new tax revenue to the state during difficult economic times.

In Oregon, the Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp (CRRH) and Oregon NORML have finished gathering the 1,000 sponsorship signatures needed for the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act 2010 (OCTA) to be placed on the ballot. The OCTA, would set aside two percent of the profits from the sale of cannabis in cannabis-only stores for two state commissions that promote industrial hemp biodiesel, fiber, protein and oil. The measure would legalize the sale, possession, and personal private cultivation of marijuana.

People who want to cultivate and sell marijuana, or process commercial psychoactive cannabis, would be required to obtain a license from the state.  Adults could grow their own marijuana and the sale of all cannabis strains, seeds, and starter plants with no license, fee or registration.  Profits from the sale of pot would go to pay for state programs and drug treatment programs.  Proponents argue that the proceeds would generate millions of dollars toward public finances.


California has also managed to collect enough signatures to place a petition on the ballot by next November. Advocates for legalizing marijuana in California argue that taxing the plant, will generate much needed revenue for the cash strapped state, potentially in excess of $1 billion per year. The state is now facing a $22 billion budget deficit. According to the Associated Press, the ballot proposal in California would legalize possession of marijuana up to one ounce for Californians age 21 and older. State residents could also cultivate small marijuana gardens, and local governments would decide whether or not to allow sales of the drug in their area.

Washington State lawmaker, Mary Lou Dickerson (D-Seattle), introduced a bill this month to legalize marijuana. Under the bill, marijuana would be legal for persons 21 and older to use and possess, subject to regulations similar to those controlling alcohol. Dickerson wants the legal pot to be grown by Washington farmers and sold in state liquor stores. Revenue from marijuana sales would pay for drug and alcohol treatment programs. Similar to other proponents across the nation, Dickerson believes Cannabis revenues will probably be comparable to those for alcohol, Dickerson said, which are at about $330 million yearly in Washington.

Nevada is the fourth state following suit, as a group called Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws announced another petition drive that could let voters deciding whether or not to legalize marijuana. Past petitions have failed, but this time the law would be narrower and would only allow adults 21 years and older to use and transport up to one ounce of marijuana. Nevadans would not be permitted to use the drug in public places.  Thirty-nine percent of the state’s voters supported legalizing marijuana in 2002 and 44 percent backed it in 2006, campaign manager David Schwartz said he was confident the majority will support the petition if it secures a spot on the 2012 election ballot.
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Arizona Meds may not be far off

1/14/2010

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A group in Arizona believes that their state will be legalizing medical marijuana, as New Jersey becomes the 14th state in the nation to pass such a law. '"There are doctors all over Arizona already that are recommending marijuana to their patients, but they're doing it in an extra-legal manner. And we're putting patients who are doing nothing but following a doctor's advice at risk for felony prosecution," stated Andrew Myers of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Project. The Arizona Medical Marijuana Project says New Jersey's law regulates the number of places where patients can get the drug, meaning law enforcement can keep tabs on who gets it, and where. "Because they're state-regulated dispensaries, it provides a mechanism for law enforcement to make sure of that, while patients are getting what they need. It doesn't have a negative impact on society," says Myers. Similar measures to legalize the use of medical marijuana have passed and failed in Arizona, but Myers says we can learn a lot from other states. '"The fact that it's taken us as long as it has here in Arizona, at least we're able to learn from the mistakes of previous states, and create a system that really works for everybody," says Myers. Opponents of this measure believe that prescribing medical marijuana could lead to the use of more illicit drugs, making it a gateway drug. In the meantime, California is taking a big step towards legalizing marijuana in the state, for all users. Lawmakers voted to end a 100-year-old ban on marijuana, and also passed a bill that would add a $50-ounce tax on marijuana sold for leisure purposes. It would be a big moneymaker for the state, and with 84% support, supporters say it would help regulate its use.
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