cannabisnews.com: Mendocino: Legalize Pot










  Mendocino: Legalize Pot

Posted by CN Staff on June 06, 2007 at 11:11:46 PT
By Glenda Anderson, The Press Democrat 
Source: Press Democrat 

California -- Mendocino County supervisors said Tuesday the war on marijuana is lost and it's time to legalize, regulate and tax the multibillion-dollar illicit crop. "Whether you love marijuana or hate marijuana, you can agree it's time for a change," said Supervisor John Pinches, part of a 4-1 board vote in support of a letter asking state and federal lawmakers to legalize marijuana.
The letter, penned by Pinches, is addressed to North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson and copied to the governor, both California senators, other area representatives and President Bush.The Mendocino Board of Supervisors is the first North Coast government body to make the formal request, said Dale Gieringer, Bay Area coordinator for NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.Other jurisdictions, including Santa Cruz and Oakland, plan to send similar letters, but they are being generated by voter-approved ordinances, not county legislators, he said. Mendocino County voters passed a similar measure in 2000, but it was nonbinding."The time has come to call upon our leaders in federal government to initiate, sponsor and support legislation that calls for the legalization, regulation, and taxation of this multi-billion dollar crop," states the letter, signed by Board Chairman Kendall Smith and approved by the board.Supervisor Mike Delbar was the lone "no" vote, saying now is not the time to legalize marijuana."I don't believe legalization is the answer," Delbar said. Legalization sends the wrong message to the community, particularly children and youth, he said.Thompson said it's doubtful the letters will have much impact on Congress.Noting that his efforts to legalize medical marijuana at the federal level have so far failed, a bill legalizing all marijuana would be "a long shot," Thompson said in an e-mailed response to a reporter's questions Tuesday.Supervisors said they expect the request to be largely ignored, but are hoping to stimulate debate.Supervisors said they do not advocate smoking marijuana, but said the war on its production not only has failed, it has made growing and selling marijuana increasingly popular, dangerous and lucrative.Currently, marijuana sells for between $3,000 and $4,000 a pound, Gieringer said. People are being robbed and killed over marijuana because it's so valuable, supervisors noted.Growers have come to Mendocino County from out of state because they erroneously believe it's legal to grow marijuana there, said attorney Susan Jordan, who has represented some of the growers in court and supports legalization.Rather than a reduction in the amount of marijuana being grown, Mendocino County has seen an increase in the number of plants, Pinches said.Last year, 227,019 plants were seized in Mendocino County, a record. This year is expected to yield at least that much.Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman did not attend Tuesday's meeting, but said he neither opposed nor supported the letter. He said the problem in California is a lack of consistency in the law."Wherever we go, I hope it is on a trial basis to see if we can work for public safety," Allman said. "Is legalizing marijuana increasing public safety? I don't know the answer."He said even the record seizures are barely scratching the surface."I don't believe that we are getting 10 percent of the illegal marijuana in Mendocino County," he said.The letter claims marijuana is a $5 billion crop in Mendocino County, a figure provided previously by former District Attorney Norm Vroman, who died last year.Pinches said the crop could generate $50 million a year for Mendocino County in taxes. But that figure was based on the current street value for pot; the price is expected to drop if it is legalized.Area resident Jeanne King disagrees with legalization. She said she grew up near the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco and spent much of high school stoned and accomplishing nothing.Now, as a teacher, "I've seen the devastating effects of marijuana on students," she said.Note: Conceding there's little hope of success, Board of Supervisors urges state, feds to change law.Source: Press Democrat, The (Santa Rosa, CA)Author: Glenda Anderson, The Press DemocratPublished: Wednesday, June 6, 2007Copyright: 2007 The Press DemocratContact: letters pressdemo.comWebsite: http://www.pressdemo.com/California NORMLhttp://www.canorml.org/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

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Comment #13 posted by Hope on June 07, 2007 at 11:08:57 PT
Delbar!
Delbar! Delbar!I wasn't going to let it switch to Dunbar...on me...but I did.It's Jo-D's fault.:0)
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Comment #12 posted by Hope on June 07, 2007 at 11:06:57 PT
"the wrong message to the community"
Aargh! "They", have obviously, already, been sending the wrong "message" for ages. Let's try a new "message". If it looks like a bad message to Dunbar...then that likely indicates, it is, in fact, a good message.Messages!? They need to take their "messages" and put them where there heads seem to be. 
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Comment #11 posted by dongenero on June 07, 2007 at 08:43:36 PT
Supervisor Mike Delbar
....sorry the Dunbar thing was my typo at the end of post# 2I tend to just plow through my posts without a good proof read and then wish I could go back and edit.I think potpal's "Mr. Dumbbell" in post # 10 works very well though!By the way, who the h ll is saying it should be legal for high school children anyway!? It should not be. Legalize it for adults!What next? Is my cable viewing going to be limited to Barney and The Wiggles so I don't send the wrong message to kids!?? Parents, do your job, don't expect me or the government to do your job.
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Comment #10 posted by potpal on June 07, 2007 at 04:35:47 PT
the message
Mr. Dumbbell is in somebody's pocket. "She said she grew up near the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco and spent much of high school stoned and accomplishing nothing."  Now she's straight and still accomplishing nothing.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on June 06, 2007 at 21:07:36 PT
How I Tell if a Christian is Really a Christian
Galatians 5:22-23 (King James Version)King James Version (KJV) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=galatians%205:22-23;&version=9;
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Comment #8 posted by The GCW on June 06, 2007 at 20:41:42 PT
JustGetnBy
I don’t know Mr. Dunbar’s religion…But, I believe the term, born-again Christian has been misused due to disobedient Christians diverting what it really is rather than what it often ends up.There is actual born-again Christians which would not support war, killing, murder, capitol punishment, cannabis persecution, prohibition or extermination etc.And then there is disobedient Christians, dead born Christians who support killing, war murder, capitol punishment, cannabis persecution, prohibition or extermination etc.One of the worst things to happen because of this mess is that many people will reject The Christ, Our Master due to disobedient Christians.Example: If George Bush is a “Christian” then I don’t want anything to do with Christians / Christianity.Fact is, George Bush etc. is a disobedient Christian and people should not want anything to do with being a disobedient Christian!!!!!!!!!!Don’t let disobedient Christians influence Your relationship with the Prince of Peace, The Ecologician, Jesus Christ.And His Spirit of Truth.0--0The Green Collar Worker
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Comment #7 posted by JustGetnBy on June 06, 2007 at 20:22:40 PT
I wonder if Mr. Dunbar would be
would be willing to divulge his political and religous affiliations?  Wanna bet he's a born-again Christian Republican
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Comment #6 posted by Storm Crow on June 06, 2007 at 19:28:31 PT
And I had a kid...
Who COULDN'T accomplish anything UNLESS he was stoned! He was ADHD and the only time he completed his work were the days he came to school reeking of pot! The teacher and I just shook our heads, and ignored the kid's obvious stonedness. He passed 7th grade by the skin of his teeth (with a little help from "Maryjane"). If she couldn't manage it, well, maybe she shouldn't have smoked before school. 
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Comment #5 posted by Yasuo on June 06, 2007 at 16:20:38 PT:
...
"She said she grew up near the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco and spent much of high school stoned and accomplishing nothing."That's what happens when you're irresponsible with something. Just as some people tend to be with Alcohol, or other drugs. I hope everyone will understand her statement is reflecting her personal stupidity; Her statement is not an example of what will happen to anyone who try Cannabis.
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Comment #4 posted by MikeEEEEE on June 06, 2007 at 16:11:30 PT
Great start
California is a 1st. in a lot of things.I wish them luck!
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on June 06, 2007 at 12:44:35 PT
dongenero 
You are so funny! LOL!
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Comment #2 posted by dongenero on June 06, 2007 at 12:41:16 PT
on a side note.........
..........a North Coast archaeological dig has unearthed the ancient but well preserved remains of a County Supervisor.
Dubbed "Mike Delbar", the ancient fossilized County Supervisor has been reconstituted and amazingly been put to work.Unfortunately this stone age relic is only able to say, "sends the wrong message to the community, particularly children and youth", over and over and over again. "It's driving us all a bit nuts", stated an anonymous board member. "I mean, the ridiculous claims this fossil makes are preventing any meaningful progress in society!"A board vote and voter referendum are being proposed to refossilize the "Mike Dunbar" dinosaur and place him in John Walters hysterical, I mean, historical Prohibition museum.
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on June 06, 2007 at 11:42:06 PT
Not just "legalize"
Not just, "legalize" RE-legalize.As in:Stop caging humans for using a God-given plant.Plant; as in,Christ God Our Father (The Ecologician) indicates He created all the seed bearing plants, saying they are all good on literally the very 1st page of the Bible.Caging responsible adult humans for using cannabis sends the wrong message to youth.RE-legalize Cannabis.
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