cannabisnews.com: After Voting, Dreams of Legal Pot Go Up in Smoke 





After Voting, Dreams of Legal Pot Go Up in Smoke 
Posted by CN Staff on November 07, 2002 at 08:25:28 PT
By Bob Keefe, Cox News Service
Source: Dayton Daily News 
What had been a growing movement to relax the country's marijuana laws abruptly lost its buzz this week.With several pro-marijuana state ballot initiatives going down to defeat Tuesday and conservative Republicans now solidly in control of federal policies, pot advocates can't help but wonder if the United States will ever follow other countries in relaxing its rules on dope.
"I'm not going to try and dress up a pig," said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington, D.C. group that was behind the pot proposals in Nevada, Arizona and elsewhere. "This is pretty disappointing."In recent years, Canada and several European countries have relaxed their marijuana laws.But Americans showed Tuesday where they are willing to draw the line on pot:-- In Nevada, 61 percent of voters defeated a proposal that would have allowed anyone to possess up to three ounces of marijuana. -- In Arizona, 57 percent killed a plan that would have made state law enforcement the broker for medicinal marijuana. -- In Ohio, 67 percent of voters struck down a proposal that would have allowed nonviolent drug offenders to seek treatment instead of jail time.Pot proponents did have one minor victory Tuesday night. In San Francisco, voters approved a proposition that directs the city to explore growing and distributing marijuana for medicinal purposes.The Nevada referendum marked the fourth time a broad marijuana initiative has failed at the polls. In 1972, Californians overwhelmingly voted down a proposition that would have allowed them to grow and possess small amounts of pot. Voters in Oregon and Alaska also denounced the pro-pot proposals in 1986 and 2000, respectively.Those votes showed that changes won't come easily on the state level. And after the big Republican wins Tuesday night, few think any attempt to revamp marijuana laws on a national level stands a chance."These failed initiatives represent the high-water mark of the drug legalization movement," John Walters, director of National Drug Control Policy said in a statement Wednesday. "Common sense has prevailed."Kampia agreed that "with regard to any broad marijuana proposals, I must say we're a little pessimistic about getting a majority vote."Instead, Kampia said his group -- which has the backing of several big business leaders, including well-known corporate financier George Soros -- will focus on pushing medical marijuana initiatives in selected states. Currently, eight states have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes.The ballot defeats will be a prime topic at a conference the Marijuana Policy Project is sponsoring this weekend in Anaheim, Calif. -- an event they once hoped would include celebrations of the voting results. The conference features former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders and a raft of pot supporters.Source: Dayton Daily News (OH)Author: Bob Keefe, Cox News ServicePublished: November 7, 2002Copyright: 2002 Dayton Daily NewsContact: edletter coxohio.comWebsite: http://www.daytondailynews.comRelated Articles & Web Site:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Marijuana Backers Pledge Continued Effortshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14680.shtmlState Voters Reject Legalizing Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14671.shtmlMarijuana Legalization Backers Suffer Defeats http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14670.shtml 
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Comment #3 posted by unknown pleasures on November 07, 2002 at 11:53:47 PT
 watch and see...
"These failed initiatives represent the high-water mark of the drug legalization movement," -John WaltersHistory will show that comment to be utterly and irrevocably full of shit. To be honest, I'm not too troubled by the failure of these propositions.Legalization is unavoidable, it can only be postponed. They are fighting against human nature itself, with ignorance and fear as their only weapons. The reason why they fight so damn hard, is because they know that the drug war is essential for their grip on power, and to them, that is everything.Opression is like a rubber band, the harder and longer you pull on it, the more suddenly and dramatically it will snap back, and when it does, the drug war won't be the only thing to go. 
 
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Comment #2 posted by p4me on November 07, 2002 at 09:30:10 PT
What to say?
Everything I was about was getting people to vote for change and speak out with their vote against the fascist Republicans. Now that the election is over, what can we do?I think a buzzword would be leap. People are going to have to abandon their old ways and take leaps. I miss having Kap introduce some words to the board, but he is taking a leap in another direction I am sure.Of course it has been my thing to say vote with your money, even if it is to buy Canadian honey or Jamaican beer. The big leap that many people could follow would be down the share the pain path. You know how everyone and their mother calls asking for money? I am going to develop a line of response similar to, "I wish I could help, but my cause is for the legalization of marijuana. Good luck with your cause. There are a lot of things that need to be done and volunteers are hard to find. Good luck to you."I think too that the words that are said in vow at marriage apply to some and hopefully the list will grow. It is time to foresake all others and serve this cause exclusively. I wih everyone well with trying to make the world a better place, but in an age of specialist, the cause needs specialist armed with all the details of the lies and wrongs, and corruption, and killings.It is still the world of the writers that is yet to appear that will abruptly change many people's minds. It will take writers to penetrate people's inner world and plant the idea that something is wrong when 4 in 5 people overcome billions in propaganda and the feds still will not address the issue of medical cannabis in a real fashion.I have the story I want to write and I have the song I want to sing. It is the direction of my leap.I once talked of a play where a child genius thrashes the a prohibitionist in a debate. That would be a world of fiction. You know what I would really like to see. I would like to see DdC in a debate with any prohibitionist. Get two or three bible thumpers , a cop, an elected official and let Ddc have at them. Props and slides being permitted of course. That would be some real entertainment for me and some real prohibitionist slaying .
What is sad is that there are plenty of prohibitionist that would argue and Ddc would probably be willing to enlighten. All it takes is one guy with his home computer and a $400 digital camera and some editing.Now this would not have to be in a big auditorium. For that matter I would like to see Ddc with about 3 Boy Scout leaders. I guess what I am saying is that I recognize DdC as a reform specialist and any reform specialist can slaughter any number of prohibitionist on any given day of their chosing.I am finished rambling. I have a song to sing.1
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Comment #1 posted by afterburner on November 07, 2002 at 08:44:40 PT:
Another ray of sunshine.
We need to release cannabis from the irrational Cage of Schedule 1. Britain has already done so: Schedule A (our Schedule 1) to Schedule B in July, and plans to reclassify to Schedule C. All this happened this year despite the dismal voter response. Hail, San Francisco! ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question. The drive to liberalize, decriminalize, legalize must continue on all fronts. Dramatize the damage of prohibition with personalities that can touch the hearts of THE PEOPLE. Talk it up PEOPLE. What's next? 
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