cannabisnews.com: Supes Call for Pot Legalization





Supes Call for Pot Legalization
Posted by CN Staff on June 11, 2007 at 10:04:25 PT
By Mike A'Dair, TWN Staff Writer
Source: Willits News 
California -- County supervisors Tuesday approved a letter by north county Supervisor John Pinches asking the state and federal governments to "initiate, sponsor and support legislation that would call for the legalization, regulation and taxation" of the nation's marijuana crop.The motion was opposed by Supervisor Mike Delbar; Pinches' was joined by supervisors David Colfax, Kendall Smith and Jim Wattenburger in voting for the proposal.
Pinches said the time had come to raise the issue at the federal level. He noted marijuana has been a part of the county's life and culture since 1968, when as a junior in high school he first heard about the weed."This is just to start the process, because, after 40 years, I don't think anybody could deny whether you love marijuana or hate marijuana no one would deny our approach to marijuana has failed, and failed drastically," Pinches said. "This is just to get the discussion started at the federal level," he insisted. "'Cuz if we don't try to start 'em talkin' about it, what? Are we gonna wait another 40 years?"Pinches noted the marijuana industry in Mendocino County had been valued by late county District Attorney Norman Vroman at an estimated $5 billion. "That's two-thirds of our entire economy," he said. "If we could get just one percent of that, it would be $50 million, which would basically double the county's discretionary budget." Redwood Valley resident Robert V. Parker told supervisors he opposed sending the letter or legalizing pot because, "The social cost of the marijuana culture would only escalate were marijuana to be legalized."Willits Unified School District teacher Jeannie King added her voice to the opposition, saying, "I've seen the devastating effect on the students. Trying to teach a kid who is stoned you might as well forget it. To give the stamp of approval to marijuana, I think it's the wrong message to give."Ukiah native Eric Sligh, however, urged the board to support Pinches' suggested action. He warned the board that unless something is done, something unpredictable and possibly dangerous was going to happen. "You have a whole generation of young people who are learning to use the system to make their money," Sligh said. "There are people coming here from all over the U.S. to get involved in the industry or to get marijuana. If you don't do something, I feel like something is going to happen here, something bad."Up until now it's been pretty peaceful, but I wonder when it's gonna cross the line where it becomes really violent. I think the taxation of marijuana, if it were done properly...could reduce a lot of what is going on here," he said. "I mean, marijuana is here. Marijuana is real. It is in our community. To not regulate it I think no one knows where it's going to go. I feel it's doing no good for this community to have it as it is."Wattenburger, although personally opposed to marijuana use, noted "What we are doing now is not working. We have to move to some type of a more logical fix."He noted he had asked former state Senator Wes Chesbro and current Assemblywoman Patty Berg to help move the state toward legalization, but both legislators declined to address the issue.Cehsbro "told me, 'We don't want to touch this,'" Wattenburger said, adding the senator then asked one of his staff people to escort Wattenburger out of his office. Colfax admitted he was hesitant about voting to send the letter, fearing the negative attention the county would get. He predicted Mendocino County would not get any help from the federal government. "The real question is," he said, "are we putting a target on our backs?"Delbar said he had hoped to "find a way" to vote for sending the letter, but could not do so. "To have a whole generation of young people saying there's no reason to go to college, no reason to find work, because they just want to grow pot no, sorry, I just can't support that."After the vote, Pinches thanked fellow supervisors, both those who voted for sending the letter and those who voted against it, and Delbar thanked Pinches for bringing the issue forward, saying he understood where Pinches was coming from. "This is a polarizing issue, not just in Mendocino County, but across the state, and even across the whole country," Pinches said. Source: Willits News (CA)Author: Mike A'Dair, TWN Staff WriterPublished: June 8, 2007Copyright: 2007 Willits NewsContact: editorial willitsnews.comWebsite: http://www.willitsnews.com/Related Articles:Green Plague: Pot Busts On Risehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23060.shtmlGoing To Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23045.shtmlMendocino: Legalize Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23043.shtml 
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Comment #9 posted by ekim on June 12, 2007 at 18:51:43 PT
Jacks site has good read on GMOs
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=+Delta+and+Pine+Land&btnG=Google+SearchDelta & Pine Land and Terminator / The Industry / The Issues / Ban ...In August 2005, 2 of Delta and Pine Land’s greenhouses were destroyed and 11 were damaged by a tornado. Delta & Pine Land is testing Terminator seeds in ...
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http://www.jackherer.com/
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Comment #8 posted by afterburner on June 11, 2007 at 21:46:09 PT
Yes
"sending messages is irrelevant when kids are ALREADY coming to school stoned when it is still illegal."CN BC: PUB LTE: Dare To Dissent, The Chief, (08 Jun 2007)
http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v07/n702/a02.html?176
Russell Barth
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Comment #7 posted by ekim on June 11, 2007 at 18:56:19 PT
tipping point ----------------------------all most
Harry gives a great speech on how the US can build the economy and stop relying on imported oil with renewables.http://www.c-span.org/Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) on Energy Independence (6/11/2007)
http://glera.org/
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Comment #6 posted by HempWorld on June 11, 2007 at 13:50:59 PT
Economics 101:
Step 1: Make something, say the dried flowers of Cannabis sativa L., illegal, and the price of it will go up... When the price of a good go up, the profit from selling it also goes up. (just ask a used car salesman or a real estate broker) Then it becomes more appealing for others go 'get in the game.' This explains the current situation in Mendocino and basically the entire world under prohibition. The more you fight it... the more the price will go up... the more people get in the game...It's God's enegizer bunny, unstoppable except by legalization! Apparently it is taking the politicians a long time to figure this out and that is because they are in on the take and so is law enforcement. The victim is society at large. Thank your (local) politicians for this.
Nobody can stop this!
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Comment #5 posted by danimalman on June 11, 2007 at 12:09:03 PT:
How can people STILL be so ignorant
2 comments.One is that I know Willits is a small town, but the Santa Rosa Press Democrat article was better:"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."Yes it should be legalized and taxed, but why can't people like Pinches understand that because it's illegal is why the price is so high. If you legalize it the taxes will drop in direct relationship to the drop in price.Two is the teacher, Jeannie King, doesn't get it that sending messages is irrelevant when kids are ALREADY coming to school stoned when it is still illegal. If it was legal for adults then an effort to educate kids not to use would be better than the current status quo.
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on June 11, 2007 at 11:20:45 PT
Delbar is one of those
"Everybody is stupid and silly but him,", type of guys.He has no respect for others, at all.
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Comment #3 posted by dongenero on June 11, 2007 at 11:02:49 PT
No kidding!
The guy is just making sh!t up now!He has quite an imagination too....and he's obviously one of the "glass is half empty" guys, or is it "the sky is falling" guys.What ever happened to logic and reasoning? Colleges and Universities used to have courses on logic and reasoning.
These folks were obviously following other courses of study.
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Comment #2 posted by Had Enough on June 11, 2007 at 11:00:25 PT
Re: #1
Delbar is serving his masters.But he will soon find that his masters will be held up naked in front of everybody. Including him.National debate. I'm ready. It's about time.Many thanks to this Mendocino County Board of Supervisors.I have a suggestion for Mr. Delbar… LISTEN UP!!!
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Comment #1 posted by rafael on June 11, 2007 at 10:38:39 PT
???
Delbar said he had hoped to "find a way" to vote for sending the letter, but could not do so. "To have a whole generation of young people saying there's no reason to go to college, no reason to find work, because they just want to grow pot no, sorry, I just can't support that."WOW! What a GREAT argument. He must have spent hours and hours studying the issue to say something clever as that.What a joke.
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