cannabisnews.com: Where I Stand -- No on Q9 = Common Sense





Where I Stand -- No on Q9 = Common Sense
Posted by CN Staff on October 04, 2002 at 12:52:33 PT
By Mike O'Callaghan, Executive Editor
Source: Las Vegas Sun 
Billy Rogers spent almost 1 1/2 hours visiting our editorial board to promote his support of Question 9. Rogers, a Texan working out of Washington, D.C., is running a very expensive campaign to legalize the use of marijuana in the Silver State. The big dollars are being provided by billionaire Peter Lewis, one of three wealthy people who have spent millions to make pot legal.A brief provided by law enforcement must be used to describe Lewis. He refused an interview request by a Sun reporter. 
The brief tells us in part: "Mr. Lewis, who spends much of his time in tropical climates aboard a converted tugboat called the Lone Ranger, says his personal use of marijuana has influenced his political activity. Last year, in New Zealand, he was arrested for possession of hashish and marijuana. Authorities there released him after he made a donation to a local drug-rehabilitation center, he says. 'My personal experience lets me understand and have a view of the relative effects of some of these substances,' he says."Like most Nevadans, I have never met Lewis, but his proxy Rogers gave a most forthcoming interview. He is a bright and smooth-talking young man who says he hasn't smoked pot in 15 years. Rogers admits that Q 9 couldn't pass in his home state but he believes Nevada is fertile ground for the seeds he is planting.He is one of many who believe that our state opened the door when reducing the penalty for the use of marijuana. The Q 9 pushers also see our legalizing the use of the drug for medical purposes as another invitation. Of course, I doubt if most people who approved its use for medical purposes, including me, foresaw that use as a step toward taking down other legal barriers.The Los Angeles Times quotes Rogers saying, " 'Nevada is the only state in more than a decade to have passed decriminalization legislation.' " He added, "We believe we already have a strong base of support in Nevada and that the Legislature would give a good-faith effort to implement the necessary laws." Does Rogers have reason to believe we are an easy mark? Well, let's take some excerpts from other newspapers.The Washington Post: "Nevada, land of blackjack and brothels, drive-through weddings and quickie divorces, appears tempted to go to yet another live-and-let-live extreme this fall and ease its drug laws in a way that few other states have even contemplated much less put up for a public vote."USA Today: "Las Vegas -- For 30 years the campaign to legalize marijuana in America has gone nowhere. A few states have approved it for medical purposes. A few have removed criminal penalties for possessing small quantities. But no state has said, in effect, get high at your own risk."I'm not cool but, along with fellow Nevadans, I don't like being treated as a rube. Writers misinterpreting my vote for medical marijuana as a door opener to turn our state into a carnival isn't appreciated. If you read the last sentence of Q 9 that's exactly what could happen. It reads, "Any statute or regulation inconsistent with this section is null and void after January 1, 2005."Few people, other than Chief Deputy D.A. Gary Booker and Sandy Heverly of STOP DUI, have seen the blood and brains spread over our highways by drivers under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Heverly told me, "Question 9 goes to the very core of STOP DUI's mission, which is to stop the violent crime of driving under the influence and assisting the innocent victims of that crime."If the marijuana initiative passes, more of this mind-altering drug would be easily available and abused, resulting in more people driving impaired, thus, creating more innocent DUI victims."Another honest broker is outgoing Sheriff Jerry Keller who is against Q 9 because he doesn't "want to be responsible for the increase of criminal activity that -- make no mistake about it -- will follow the passing of this measure."It was enjoyable to interview Rogers and he is a pleasant young man, but past experience tells me that Keller, Booker and Heverly will be our neighbors long after he goes on to promote marijuana in some other state.Mike O'Callaghan is the Las Vegas Sun Executive Editor.Complete Title: Where I Stand -- Mike O'Callaghan: No on Q9 = Common SenseSource: Las Vegas Sun (NV)Author: Mike O'CallaghanPublished: October 04, 2002Copyright: 2002 Las Vegas Sun, Inc.Contact: letters lasvegassun.comWebsite: http://www.lasvegassun.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:NRLEhttp://www.nrle.org/Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Nevada Could Be Drug Haven if Question 9 Passeshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14344.shtmlGot Pot? - Reno News & Review http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14343.shtmlLeaders Emerge in Nevada for, Against Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14270.shtml
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Comment #8 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on October 05, 2002 at 06:30:35 PT
LTE
Sirs,  Does Mr. O'Callaghan oppose question nine because he supports criminal organizations at home or terrorists abroad? The current black market for cannabis gives the criminal element an easy source of revenue. No amount of arrests will dent this profitability - the more arrests, the more the rest just raise their prices. Just as Elliot Ness was unable to close down every speakeasy, our law enforcement will never catch the last drug dealer. The only way to put these criminals out of business is to give the business to someone who is responsible to the law. If a store sells alcohol to a minor, we can apply criminal sanctions. But we already throw the book at drug dealers no matter who they sell to, so why should they refuse to sell to minors?  Mr. O'Callaghan's main argument is for the safety of our highways. This, in a state where alcohol flows freely. We allow responsible adults to drink alcohol; but if they pose a danger to others, we can take action. Yet the current laws do not discriminate between responsible and dangerous cannabis usage, and may in fact encourage risky behaviour. How many teenagers hide their marijuana use from their parents by smoking while out for a drive? Mr. O'Callaghan should take a look at chapter 8 of the recent Canadian Senate Committee report, which states "cannabis alone, particularly in low doses, has little effect on the skills involved in automobile driving."   You can find the Canadian Senate Committee report summary at:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/ille-e/rep-e/summary-e.pdf
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Comment #7 posted by p4me on October 04, 2002 at 16:18:02 PT
Outside agitor=Interloper
Isn't interloper the word John Wayne used as he manufactured a reading of a letter and used in the movie, The Kentuckian, to get all his men angry and ready to fight. I think he should of said interloper and then I could ask, "Who do you think you are, John Wayne."Once people see it is going to pass people are going to jump ship to be on the winning side. All pressures need to increase on all sides and end this insanity.I hope a lot of incumbent legislatures are sent home at the same time. If Nevada does that it will be the vote heard around the world. Why would someone vote against freedom? Why would someone show they have no tolerance? Why would someone want to appear brainwashed as the new enlightenment begins? And why would anyone want to piss around with prohibitionist politicians? They have already shown they cannot fix the corruption of government that the people will have to untrench and since they have been part of the problem, they have no place in the solution.Free Cannabis For Everyone. Free Cannabis Everyone.DAD-D,1,2
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Comment #6 posted by afterburner on October 04, 2002 at 15:58:44 PT:
outside agitator?
"Rogers, a Texan working out of Washington, D.C...." = outside agitator? Mayor Richard P. Daley of Chicago describes the anti-war-in-Vietnam protestors who came from all over the country to demonstrate during the 1968 Democratic National Convention as outside agitators. Outside Chicago, maybe. Outside the nation, probably not.
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Comment #5 posted by DdC on October 04, 2002 at 15:41:14 PT
Buzz Words for Controlling the Herd 
A Few Buzz Words By Dave Neal
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionstuff.showMessage?topicID=131.topic"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." Malcolm XWhy I Support Marijuana Prohibition
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionstuff.showMessage?topicID=122.topicWeed with roots in Hell
http://www.cannabinoid.com/boards/politics/media/34/34417.gifDevils Harvest
http://boards.marihemp.com/boards/politics/media/37/37588.jpgSTATE OF THE UNION: CORRUPT 
by Publicus 
http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm?ID=5063 "Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger."
Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, Nazi Air Force (Luftwaffe) commander, the Nuremberg Trials http://www.narcoterror.orgInternationalism, an Old Trick
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionwhyitstimetolegalize.showMessage?topicID=207.topicControlling the Herd
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionwhyitstimetolegalize.showMessage?topicID=34.topic"Terrorist operatives infiltrate our communities, plotting, planning and waiting to kill again....To those who scare peace loving people with phantoms of lost liberty, my message is this: your tactics only aid terrorists."
United States Attorney General John Ashcroft Cannabis Hemp: The Invisible Prohibition Revealed
http://www.sumeria.net/politics/invpro.htmlBe on gaurd against science without humanity, Politics without principle, Knowledge without character, Wealth without work, Commerce without morality, Pleasure without conscience, And worship without sacrifice.
GanhdiOPINION: All You Really Need To Know About John Ashcroft
http://www.hightimes.com/News/2002_01/opinion.html Dare has stranglehold on Drug education!
Communities should have alternatives to using the DARE program, becuause of it's ineffectiveness. There are other programs out there infinitely more effective, but DARE has a stranglehold on drug education. DARE has, you stated contributed to increased drug use, and should be replaced with a more effective program. DARE gets some of it's funding from Pharmaceutical companies, so there lies a dubious fact right there.
http://www.mamas.org "You know, it's a funny thing, every one of the bastards that are out for legalizing marijuana is Jewish. What the Christ is the matter with the Jews, Bob? 
Nixon's Oval Office rants about drugs from the Weed Screed, May 26, 1971Just What Was He Smoking? 
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread12302.shtml
Why do YOU think they call it DOPE?
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Comment #4 posted by Morgan on October 04, 2002 at 14:53:05 PT
Dissection
Let's see if I can dissect this piece of ...propaganda. I admit that I'm just a rookie at this, but I'd like to give it a shot. Let's start by finding the key words and phrases that are inserted as "hot buttons", and leave out the filler. "a Texan working out of Washington, D.C...."
Translation : ( he's a pompous federal bureaucratic windbag)"legalize the use of marijuana..."
(that will addict your child)"The big dollars..."
(RICH pompous federal bureaucratic windbag)"...spent millions to make pot legal."
(Rich pompous federal bureaucratic windbag will addict your child)"He refused an interview..."
(He has something to hide) "...he was arrested for possession of hashish and marijuana."
(He's a criminal addict) "...spends much of his time in tropical climates aboard a converted tugboat called the Lone Ranger."
(He's an un-american, dirty, sweaty hippie)"...proxy Rogers..."
(spin doctor) "...smooth-talking..."
(dishonest spin doctor)"Rogers admits that Q 9 couldn't pass in his home state..."
(foreign opportunist)"Of course, I doubt if most people who approved its use for medical purposes, including me, foresaw that use as a step toward taking down other legal barriers."
(We innocents have been fooled.)"...we are an easy mark?"
(We aren't stupid anymore)"...live-and-let-live extreme..."
(sodom and gomorrah, sex in the streets)"I don't like being treated as a rube."
(I may be pure and innocent, but I'm not stupid)"...misinterpreting my vote..."
(Liars destroying democracy)"...turn our state into a carnival..."
(More sex with freaks in the streets, accompanied by laughing and giggling)"...blood and brains spread over our highways..."
(After the freaky sex and giggling, everybody will kill each other in the most gruesome fashion) 
"...violent crime of driving under the influence..."
(the killing will be brought about by MARIJUANA!)"...mind-altering drug..."
(MARIJUANA!)"...abused..."
(ADDICTED!)"...increase of criminal activity..."
(Caused by MARIJUANA!!!!!)Whew! That was almost orgasmic.Anybody got a cigarette?
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Comment #3 posted by DdC on October 04, 2002 at 14:15:52 PT
Reality Check...This stenographer means...
Common Cents $$$Afraid of more drivers on the road under the influence? We are talking about Vegas, right? Where booze is given away to the tourist in hopes their vacation money will be lost on the blackjack table. Where anything can be obtained for a price. How many holes are dug in the dunes for those questioning authority? And what authority, the mafia? ¶8)
Because a stoner happens to be a billionair. Nevadians should go to the cages for minding their own business in the privacy of their own homes? Because cannabis has been proven in several studies to be safer than booze while driving, even safer than straights in traffic with nervousninnies and road rage rising as an equal to booze and speeding traffic incidents. Over the counter meds also prove dangerous though they or booze is on the D.E.A.th budget. While nonpsychoactive hemp comprizes 99% of the cannabis eradications, is included. Booze, the #1 killer of the kids they say they want to protect. So prohibition employees want to leave it on the black market, at inflated prices and sometimes hazardous conditions obtaining it, for the benefit of the weak and poor? The sick can by state law grow it or go to the doorman at one of the casino's and that is better for the reputation of the soldiercop following orders. If they can't get out of bed then so be it. Having the local distributor deliver it would be a risky danger to the Pharmaceutical profits. So lets see what common cents this parrot spouts. Alcohol, Fossil Fuels, Ambulances, white powder Drugs and cop budgets at stake vs responsible citizens toking what is safer and more compassionate than the status quo man made hard drugs in liquid or solid form. I guess many with vested ignorance in the state are dysfunctionally literate and depend on these propaganda memo's. But I assure this Gobble's groupie the tourist spending their cash aren't. The world is watching and moving a hell of a lot faster than those in the U.S. waving their flags calling themselves patriots of a free land. Déjå vü is boring. Stop the racist, sadistic war on peaceful people. Just say no to stupid laws and their creators and enforcers...VOTE Em OUT! VOTE YES on Q9. Liberty is not for sale...Its a birthright of U.S. Americans.Peace, Love and Liberty or Brain D.E.A.th!  DdC"All propaganda must be so popular and on such an intellectual level, that even the most stupid of those towards whom it is directed will understand it. Therefore, the intellectual level of the propaganda must be lower the larger the number of people who are to be influenced by it." Just Say Duh!"Another weapon I discovered early was the power of the printed word to sway souls to me. The newspaper was soon my gun, my flag - a thing with a soul that could mirror my own." Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini together in the heyday of 1930s fascism. Anslinger-Bush-Hearst-Nixon-Hitler Jüst Déjå vü!!! 
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionprohibitionistwodjunkies.showMessage?topicID=55.topicRemember their names...Follow the Money...
Mike O'Callaghan, Executive suffering from cranial rectal inversion... 
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Comment #2 posted by i420 on October 04, 2002 at 14:00:22 PT
America is the home of the hypocrite
The reason it is still illegal is because America is full of too many ignorant people who don't care about nothing but where their next paycheck, meal, and buzz is coming from. People will say ya legalize it but ask them to contact their lawmakers about it and their tail is between their legs cowering like a 4 year old who got caught with the cookie jar.
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Comment #1 posted by DdC on October 04, 2002 at 13:12:03 PT
Puppets whining about being duped, thats rich!
PREJUDICE: CANNABIS AND JIM CROW LAWS
http://www.jackherer.com/book/ch13.html"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Philipino's and Entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others." 
Harry Anslinger, Commissioner of Narcotics testifying to Congress on why marijuana should be made illegal, 1937.
(Marijuana Tax Act, signed August 2 1937; effective Oct.1, 1937)Fascism should more appropriately be called corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power.
MussoliniAnslinger-Bush-Hearst-Nixon-Hitler Jüs Déjå vü!!! 
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionprohibitionistwodjunkies.showMessage?topicID=55.topic
 
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