cannabisnews.com: Soros Behind Mass. Effort To Decriminalize Pot





Soros Behind Mass. Effort To Decriminalize Pot
Posted by CN Staff on August 27, 2008 at 12:23:00 PT
By Steve LeBlanc, Associated Press Writer
Source: Associated Press
Boston -- A measure that would decriminalize minor marijuana-possession cases is on the ballot in Massachusetts largely because of one man: billionaire financier and liberal activist George Soros. Of the $429,000 collected last year by the group advancing the measure, $400,000 came from Soros, who has championed similar efforts in several states and spent $24 million to fight President Bush's 2004 re-election bid. The Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy needed about $315,000 of that just to collect the more than 100,000 signatures that secured a spot on the ballot, according to campaign finance reports reviewed by The Associated Press.
"All of us owe George Soros a great deal of gratitude," said Keith Stroup, founder of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. If the measure is approved in November, Massachusetts would become the 13th state to lift or ease criminal penalties on marijuana possession. The proposal would make having an ounce or less of the drug a civil offense punishable by a $100 fine. A spokesman for Soros referred questions to Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the New York-based Drug Policy Alliance. Soros' efforts to ease penalties for drug crimes have come through the alliance, where he is a member of the board of directors. Nadelmann said Soros feels the war on drugs is draining money and resources that could be better spent. "He thinks the (ballot question) is a responsible initiative to reduce the overreliance on criminal justice sanctions in dealing with marijuana," Nadelmann said. "Marijuana should not be a priority of the criminal justice system." Soros is credited with putting financial muscle behind many of the state initiatives easing marijuana laws—beginning with a 1996 California ballot question to allow marijuana use for medical purposes. From 1996 to 2000, Soros backed medical marijuana questions there and in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Nevada and Maine. More recently he has focused on criminal justice reform efforts including pushing a proposal in California this year that would prohibit sending drug offenders back to prison for parole violations unless they commit a new felony, have a violent or serious record, or are considered high risk by prison officials. He has also contributed to Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Joe Biden and has helped support a group running ads opposing Republican John McCain. Critics say marijuana decriminalization sends the wrong message to young people—that using drugs carries few consequences. Not only are there health risks associated with marijuana, they say, but users often end up moving on to more dangerous illegal drugs. Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone said the marijuana being sold on the street these days is more potent than that sold three decades ago. "Decriminalizing marijuana is a slippery slope and sends the wrong message," he said. "Compounding this is the fact that users of marijuana are 10 times more likely to be injured, or injure others, in automobile crashes." Leone said marijuana possession is already treated less stringently in the courts than other drugs. The question has been criticized by others in law enforcement and drug education groups like DARE-Massachusetts—but according to the secretary of state's office, opponents haven't created a group to raise money to fight the question. A whopping 72 percent of Massachusetts' voters favored the ballot question and 22 percent opposed it according to a WHDH-TV/Suffolk University poll of 400 registered conducted from July 31-Aug. 3. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. Whitney Taylor of the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy said the question would help unclog the courts, save the state millions and spare thousands of residents the burden of a criminal record. The question requires parental notification and the completion of a drug awareness program for anyone under 18 caught with an ounce or less of the drug. It bars the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana from being used to deny financial aid, public housing or other public assistance, drivers' licenses or the ability to be a foster or adoptive parent. "They can move on and get a student loan and get their first apartment and move on with their lives," Taylor said. "People recognize that there are a lot better things we could be doing with our police resources." Currently, possession of small amounts of marijuana in the state is punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a $500 fine. Taylor said offenders commonly get probation, but even in those cases the criminal convictions stay on their records. The only other statewide vote this year on marijuana laws will be in Michigan, where voters are weighing an initiative to allow patients to grow and use small amounts of marijuana for relief from pain associated with cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other diseases. If Massachusetts voters approve the ballot question, according to NORML, the state would join a dozen others which have to some extent decriminalized first-time possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use: Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon.Source: Associated Press (Wire)Author: Steve LeBlanc, Associated Press WriterPublished: August 28, 2008Copyright: 2008 The Associated PressCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #9 posted by OverwhelmSam on September 02, 2008 at 07:16:24 PT
Thank You George Soros
I appreciate all of the work and support Soros has given to end the war on people who use marijuana. Even a billionaire recognizes this cruel injustice forced upon Society.
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Comment #8 posted by ekim on August 30, 2008 at 17:18:27 PT
 Howard is working hard for change with littleofit
LEAP on the Hill Stories from the weeks of August 22 & 29, 2008 “Bottom line? I am asking you to leave.” This week began with such promise. I was representing LEAP at the NAPOA (National Asian Police Officers Association) conference in metro DC by staffing the booth for four days. Monday was good, though the DEA agent gave me the evil eye, when I visited his booth. Tuesday started well, chatting with a table full of cops at breakfast, one of whom took my role of convincing his brothers to support LEAP. Thus, I was resting my voice,….. Finishing my third cup of coffee and about to head to the booth, when NAPOA President Reagan Fong asked to speak to me in private. We went into a room and he closed the door. This can’t be good I thought. Two minutes later the obviously conflicted and anguished Fong needed a nudge.* I asked him what the bottom line* was. Explaining that several of the federal agents staffing their booths objected to the LEAP message and my presence, he was honoring their wish that I leave immediately. We shook hands and 90 minutes later, I headed home. nudge = kleiner Stoß 
bottom line = das Wichtigste 
 Analysis: What a gift from the feds! Not only did everyone become exposed to the LEAP message before I left, I let several attendees know what had happened. The NCIS (Naval Criminal Intelligence Service) agent I chatted with as I broke down the display was openly annoyed with me being asked to leave. Thus, by now, everyone knows what happened. Given the controversy, I am sure the attendees will take what happened back to their 23 local orgs (organizations) & retell the story. All of this is a plus for LEAP. The press release from LEAP has already hit a couple of good blogs and ezines.  From Gandhi: First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. We are at stage three. Only one more to go. Same old, same old:  Last week I was on the Senate side of the Hill and met with a good number of staffers. Instead of five minutes of follow-up, they all engaged me for a solid 30 minutes or more. This was a repeat of the week before and the week before that. I write this to remind myself that my mission is moving inexorably* in the direction I want it to go. And it feels great! * inexorably = unaufhaltsam
http://leap.cc/
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Comment #7 posted by kaptinemo on August 30, 2008 at 12:12:17 PT:
User, they derive it from the SAMHSA stats
SAMHSA regularly requires all mentions of cannabis usage to be defined as 'causative' when it comes to mentions in Emergency Rooms. It usually goes like this:ER Doc: "Did you have an accident?"Patient: "Yes."ER Doc: "Did you use 'mair-ee-wanna' recently?"Patient: "Yes."ER Doc checks obligatory SAMHSA reference box. Presto! Cannabis becomes the cause of the accident. Never mind the fact the patient reeks like a distillery and hasn't used The Demon Weed in 3 weeks.And, yes, it's that simplistic...but what do you expect from prohibs? 
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Comment #6 posted by user123 on August 30, 2008 at 10:22:13 PT:
Same old Talking Points
"marijuana is a slippery slope and sends the wrong message," he said. "Compounding this is the fact that users of marijuana are 10 times more likely to be injured, or injure others, in automobile crashes."....Where do they dream this crap up? Where are all the news stories about automobile accidents caused by marijuana? According to the stupid quote above, you might cause an accident just because you use, not because you're stoned at the time? So, again, where are they getting this statistic from? Besides the top of their heads, or out of their a**.
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Comment #5 posted by kaptinemo on August 30, 2008 at 10:01:18 PT:
A little too old for believing in The Boogeyman
As if Soros was the Right's version of a Leftist Karl Rove, the 'Dr. Evil' behind every measure to reform the drug laws. I can just imagine some right-wingers telling their children to be good or "The Soros will getcha if ya don't watch out!". Oh, puh-lease.I wish we had a big-time sugar-daddy, I really do, as our efforts show a distinct lack of financial support, and what is provided is as a grain of sand next to the Mount Everest of cash provided by the taxpayers to our opponents...who use it in propagandizing those same taxpayers and interfere in the democratic process when reform referenda and legislation is proposed."Marijuana never kicks down your door in the middle of the night. Marijuana never locks up sick and dying people, does not suppress medical research, does not peek in bedroom windows. - William F. BuckleyIf there is a 'boogeyman' to be afraid of, it's in the form of Officer Jack Boot, who routinely does just what cannabis does not...and does markedly worse things. And unlike the aforementioned 'boogeyman', ol' Ossifer Boot is all too real...
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Comment #4 posted by observer on August 28, 2008 at 13:37:18 PT
Wealthy Dissenters vs. Poor Government
[from the book, "Drug War Propaganda".]Wealthy Dissenters vs. Poor Government"Supporters of the drug war, like myself, did not think any such
destructive movement would become accepted among people who
consider themselves informed and intelligent, including journalists,"
hissed one journalist. With "propaganda funds from a few truly rich
Americans," the dissenters question drug warriors. This is not to be
tolerated! Unlike good Americans who are silent, the "legalizers" have
"hatred for the drug war, out of whatever cradle trauma."18 That they are
citizens, questioning unworkable and expensive policy failures, is not
considered."The advocates of drug legalization ignore the human costs of overdose
deaths, drug- addicted newborns, broken homes and broken hearts,"
explained other prohibitionists.19 Reformers are supposedly "financed
by the money of George Soros and others," another elaborated.20
We must never listen to the legalizers, because "their ultimate reason
for promoting the scam of legalizing 'medicinal' marijuana is driven by
their long-term goal of legalizing all drugs for recreational purposes,"
revealed another writer. This wicked "cartel of legalizers bankrolled by
George Soros and friends is (one state at a time) circumventing federal
laws," the writer complained.21People who question drug policy are "seeking to dismantle drug laws,"
and want to "turn the drug death trade over to government or big
business," the director of Michigan's drug control policy protested.22 A
New York editorial concurred: the "well-funded drug legalization
movement" is to be vilified for questioning existing drug laws.23
"Having had eight years to build their case unopposed, financed by the
money of George Soros and others," the drug reformers, wrote another
editor, "never speak of the human and economic costs that legalized
drugs would inflict on all of us."24Prohibitionists continually rail against George Soros and others who
dare donate money to drug reform organizations. The wealth of such
benefactors is given great play. Prohibitionists nurture the perception
that the untold billions these men are said to control are pitted against a
hopelessly weak and underfunded government. (The far greater
amounts that the US government spends to vilify drug users in the
media and elsewhere are not mentioned.) This helps present an image
of government as an embattled underdog, outgunned by the "billions"
of a devious enemy.[...]"A well-financed propaganda machine has sold its misinformation,"
warned another anti-drug activist, pounding in the theme.29 You see (say
prohibitionists,) never mind how much the government may spend to
spread disinformation, hunt down and jail drug users, not to mention the
amounts spent to attempt to interdict drugs. Never mind all of that.
Rather, concentrate on a "well-financed" machine which is funded at far
less than 100th of the government’s anti-drug funding.
Likewise, the president of a group seeking to imprison more citizens for
using marijuana decried an activist who questioned current marijuana
laws. It wasn't that the activist (who questioned the punishment of jail
for marijuana users) could have a point; the group president never
mentioned jail at all. Instead, questioning the harshness of drug laws
was "one of the many examples of the propagandizing used by those
who seek to downplay the dangers of marijuana for their own self
interest," or from "their sheer naiveté about the subject." The "tentacles
of the legalization movement and its financial strength provided by
George Soros," were corrupting America, under "the guise of freedom
of speech."30Drug War Propaganda, p. 287-288
http://www.cafepress.com/drugpropaganda2
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Comment #3 posted by ekim on August 27, 2008 at 19:11:56 PT
Rainbow please send info to Howard
as he is compiling a list of storys to take up to DC and confront the lawmakers on busts that have gone bad.to anyone else that might be able to help Howard please try. Wednesday, August 27, 2008 
http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/Oh no you didn'tLEAP Becomes Latest Victim of Government Censorship Arlington: Virginia - Retired police detective Howard Wooldridge, representing Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), was ousted from the National Asian Peace Officers Association (NAPOA) Conference in Crystal City because he was representing a view contrary to U.S. government policy. ----- Original Message ----- 
From: Howard J. Wooldridge 
To: 
Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 2:45 PM
Subject: total US consumption by tons!!Mike,If you can help,.. i am trying to find any source on how much cannabis is consumed in the US. If you could find out, that would be great. I’ll need the source. Thanks..Howard 
wooldridge leap.cc
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Comment #2 posted by observer on August 27, 2008 at 16:54:34 PT
Soros
[1]
Boston -- A measure that would decriminalize minor marijuana-possession cases is on the ballot in Massachusetts largely because of one man: billionaire financier and liberal activist George Soros . 
(Sentence 1) re: "George Soros", "billionaire" - Because they hold differing opinions on drug policy, say prohibitionists, "legalizers" should be silenced or jailed. (Dissent Attacked (propaganda theme 8) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme8.htm#8 ) 
 
 
[4]
If the measure is approved in November, Massachusetts would become the 13th state to lift or ease criminal penalties on marijuana possession . 
(Sentence 4) re: "criminal" - Prohibitionist propaganda claims that horrible dangers are caused by "drugs." (Madness,Crime,Violence,Illness (propaganda theme 2) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme2.htm#2 ) re: "marijuana possession" - Prohibitionist propagandists repeatedly assert that "use is abuse." Details about "using" as opposed to "abusing" drugs are ignored. (Use is Abuse (propaganda theme 4) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme4.htm#alluseisabuse ) 
 
 
[6]
Soros is credited with putting financial muscle behind many of the state initiatives easing marijuana laws beginning with a 1996 California ballot question to allow marijuana use for medical purposes . 
(Sentence 6) re: "marijuana use" - The rhetoric of prohibition will assume that "use" and "abuse" are identical. (Use is Abuse (propaganda theme 4) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme4.htm#alluseisabuse ) 
 
 
[8]
More recently he has focused on criminal justice reform efforts including pushing a proposal in California this year that would prohibit sending drug offenders back to prison.. . 
(Sentence 8) re: "drug offenders" - Prohibition rhetoric often attempts to associate hated groups with targeted drugs. (Hated Groups (propaganda theme 1) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme1.htm#1 ) re: "criminal" - Drugs, scream prohibitionists, cause all bad things in life: crime, violence, insanity, etc. If not for prohibition (i.e., jailing drug users), then criminality, violence and psychotic behavior would explode upon the land, the prohibitionist assures us. (Madness,Crime,Violence,Illness (propaganda theme 2) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme2.htm#2 ) 
 
 
[9]
Critics say marijuana decriminalization sends the wrong message to young people that using drugs carries few consequences . 
(Sentence 9) re: "using drugs" - Any use of an illegal drug is deemed to be "abuse," weasels the propaganda of prohibition. (After all - it is illegal!) (Use is Abuse (propaganda theme 4) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme4.htm#alluseisabuse ) re: "young people", "message" - "Since the Harrison Act of 1914, the user and the seller of illicit drugs have both been characterized as evil, criminal, insane, and always in search of new victims, the victims are characterized as young children." [W.White,1979] (Children Corrupted (propaganda theme 5) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme5.htm#5 ) 
 
 
[10]
Not only are there health risks associated with marijuana, they say, but users often end up moving on to more dangerous illegal drugs . 
(Sentence 10) re: "health risks", "dangerous" - Drugs, claim the prohibitionist, cause insanity, violence, and terrible sickness. (Madness,Crime,Violence,Illness (propaganda theme 2) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme2.htm#2 ) 
 
 
[12]
"Decriminalizing marijuana is a slippery slope and sends the wrong message," he said . 
(Sentence 12) re: "Decriminalizing", "slippery slope" - Any mention of lessening the harshness of drug laws is portrayed as a sinful "legalization". Only total prohibition (or more jailings) will be righteous. (Total Prohibition or Access (propaganda theme 7) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme7.htm#7 ) 
 
 
[14]
Leone said marijuana possession is already treated less stringently in the courts than other drugs . 
(Sentence 14) re: "marijuana possession" - "This strategy equates the use and abuse of drugs and implies that it is impossible to use the particular drug or drugs in question without physical, mental, and moral deterioration." [W.White,1979] (Use is Abuse (propaganda theme 4) http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/pg/propaganda/theme4.htm#alluseisabuse ) 
 
 
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Comment #1 posted by Rainbow on August 27, 2008 at 16:50:59 PT
Help
Wow, sure would be nice to have some of that come to Wisconsin or Minnesota. Just yesterday the cops were doing a drug deal and it went wrong. The kid (20yr) got spooked and tried to get away hitting the now "police officer" and another police officer gunned the kid down. he lived in the area as his Mom was heard saying No my son.One more for the halls of drug war death.Of course the officer will be exonorated and everything will be fine.The kid is dead.Please help us in Minnesota and Wisconsin please.
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