cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Measures on 3 States' Ballots





Marijuana Measures on 3 States' Ballots
Posted by CN Staff on October 28, 2004 at 21:13:05 PT
By Donna Leinwand, USA Today
Source: USA Today 
Washington -- Alaska will become the first state to make marijuana legal if voters approve a measure on Tuesday's ballot that has drawn criticism from the Bush administration. The Alaska proposal is the most provocative of three ballot measures in Western states aimed at easing restrictions on marijuana. Montana voters will consider a proposal to join nine other states in legalizing marijuana for medicinal use. And in Oregon — which is one of the states that allows medical marijuana — voters will weigh whether to allow patients and caregivers to grow and possess larger amounts of marijuana than are allowed now.
The measures have drawn fire from the White House, which has sent representatives to the states to campaign against the measures.In Alaska, marijuana is in legal limbo. State courts have ruled that it is legal to possess up to 4 ounces of the leaf for personal use, but a 1990 ballot initiative made marijuana possession a crime. Legislators say they will rework the state's marijuana laws to comply with the court rulings. Tuesday's initiative, however, proposes legalizing marijuana for those 21 and older and regulating it as Alaska and other states do with cigarettes and alcohol. Backers of the Alaska measure cast it as a way to help keep marijuana from youths. "We believe ... we can reduce teen access to marijuana with a regulatory system," said David Finkelstein of Alaskans for Marijuana Regulation and Control. "It is clear that prohibition hasn't worked."Government officials — including Scott Burns of the White House Office of National Drug Control Police, who visited Alaska recently — have countered with an anti-marijuana message. "Those people who are pushing these measures look at is as a freedom issue," he said. "But they don't see ... the addiction issue, the dysfunction in families, the treatment problems. Nobody can tell me what the upside is of making marijuana more available."Snipped:  Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/measures.htmSource: USA Today (US)Author:  Donna Leinwand, USA TodayPublished: October 28, 2004Copyright: 2004 USA Today, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.Contact: editor usatoday.comWebsite: http://www.usatoday.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Advocates Push Measure in Alaska http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19709.shtml3 States Face Marijuana Votes http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19701.shtmlMarijuana Should Be in The Toolboxhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19664.shtmlMeasure 33 Would Improve Marijuana Lawhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19632.shtml
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Comment #7 posted by Hope on October 29, 2004 at 13:09:38 PT
Kaptinemo
I can barely stand to read the stuff. It makes me so angry. 
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Comment #6 posted by kaptinemo on October 29, 2004 at 11:22:55 PT:
I stand corrected
A fellow CNEWS denizen has pointed out in an email to me that I misread Tari Renner's sex; male. My bad. But the original idea of informing MR. Renner that we as a class do not merit such treatment is still a valid one.
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Comment #5 posted by mayan on October 29, 2004 at 07:29:47 PT
Panick
They're getting hysterical up in Alaska!Assembly opposes pot measure:
http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~2499531,00.htmlmeanwhile in Cali...Pot clubs stir up residents, backers(CA) 
http://www.dailyreviewonline.com/Stories/0,1413,88~10975~2499885,00.htmlThe way out is the way in...NY Attorney General's Office Accepts Unprecedented Citizens' Complaint Demanding Criminal Inquiry into 9/11 Crimes:
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=39128
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Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on October 29, 2004 at 06:56:08 PT:
More on Renner v. Waller
It would seem that the reform movement is making more waves; unfortunately, the pols are trying to backpedal as fast as they can to distance themselves from any rational approach.Pete Guither at DrugWarRant (which along with Libby's LastOneSpeaks http://lastonespeaks.blogspot.com/ I read *daily* 'cause they're always *that* good, hint, hint, hint) reports at http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/ that his quietly tendered endorsement for Renner has created a tempest in a teacup that is being blown out of proportion into a urinary Hurricane Ivan. Mr. Waller is using Mr. Guither's mild endorsement of Renner to smear her; Renner is now in the process of said backpedalling. Mr. Guither's modest campaign contribution to Renner was returned with nary an explanation. And Mr. Weller is both slandering and libeling Mr. Guither for his support of Renner. I expect this kind of behavior from pre-schoolers on playgrounds; from adults, it's both disgusting and disheartening.Reformers are not lepers, nor should we accept treatment as such. If you live in the Great State of Illinois, a few diplomatically worded letters to both candidate's offices may be in order to make that point.
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Comment #3 posted by mayan on October 29, 2004 at 04:42:15 PT
Martz Blows Smoke
Guest opinion: I-148 blowing smoke, vote no on medical marijuana - By JUDY MARTZ,Montana Governor:
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/10/29/build/opinion/40-guest-op.incOn an unrelated note, it's a real bloodbath over in Iraq...100,000 Iraqi civilians dead, says study: 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1338749,00.htmlIraq death toll 'soared post-war':
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3962969.stmUS war in Iraq may have killed 100,000:
http://www.workersliberty.org/node/view/3315?PHPSESSID=8571a62e5cfd943fb6e894974c58db57
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Comment #2 posted by siege on October 29, 2004 at 04:41:03 PT
Prohibition "Obsolete 
 Newsbrief: Former Interpol Chief Calls Prohibition "Obsolete and Dangerous" 10/29/04
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/360/kendall.shtml Newsbrief: Nader Calls on Bush to Grant Clemency to Drug War Prisoners 10/29/04
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/360/clemency.shtml Newsbrief: US-Canada Joint Border Drug Threat Assessment Says BC Bud Only Two Percent of US Marijuana Imports 10/29/04
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/360/twopercent.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on October 29, 2004 at 04:19:27 PT
Another Q on Renner v. Weller
Illinois Democrat Teri Renner checked yes on the VoteSmart box for being in favor of decriminalization of marijuana, and he has said that prison should only be for extreme drug cases. But what I want to know is whether Renner is in favor of full freedom Marc Emery style, regulation in a style similar to alcohol Dennis Kucinich style, or fining instead of arresting smokers Mayor Daley style. Does anyone know?
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