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Ex-U.S. Attorney: Time To Change Pot Laws
Posted by CN Staff on November 17, 2009 at 11:39:24 PT
By Levi Pulkkinen, SeattlePI.com Staff
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle, WA -- Three years ago, former U.S. Attorney John McKay was somewhere near the front lines of the nation's drug war.Directing federal prosecutions in Western Washington before he was fired in 2006 by the administration that appointed him, McKay's office sent marijuana smugglers and farmers to prison on decade-long terms. It indicted a loudmouth Canadian pro-pot activist for selling cannabis seeds by mail order.
So the crowd at an Edmonds auditorium could have been forgiven its surprise on Monday when McKay stood on stage with travel author and decriminalization advocate Rick Steves and declared that, of course, he is "against stupid laws.""I think there has to be a shift in the paradigm," said McKay, now a professor at Seattle University. "The correct policy change would be a top-to-bottom review of the nation's drug laws."McKay joined a panel as part of an effort by Steves and the American Civil Liberties Union to, in their view, return rationality to discussions about the nation's drug laws. They were joined there by Egil "Bud" Krogh, a former official in the Nixon White House who gained notoriety during the Watergate scandal, and state Rep. Mary Helen Roberts, an Edmonds Democrat who joked Monday about being dubbed by her colleagues the "Marijuana Queen of Northwest Washington" for her efforts on medical marijuana law reform.While the panelists did not agree on all points, each said they see the need for substantive change in the way marijuana is regulated and offenders are punished. They also each spoke about the fears, or lack of courage, of elected officials in addressing issues surrounding the drug.Steves and the ACLU launched the initiative last year partly as a response to that fear. The effort, built around an infomercial "Marijuana: It's Time for a Conversation," is aimed at encouraging citizens to discuss the issue openly. Snipped   Complete Article: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/412363_pot16.htmlSource: Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA)Author: Levi Pulkkinen, SeattlePI.com StaffPublished: November 16, 2009Copyright: 2009 Seattle Post-IntelligencerContact: editpage seattlepi.comWebsite: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #14 posted by Hope on November 17, 2009 at 19:49:56 PT
I agree
Mark is a bold one and he's had a purpose in the way he's done things. I've always admired his dedication, even from just reading about him in High Times back long before I'd got into the Internet.I hope he's OK and bearing up against their persecution well.
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Comment #13 posted by John Tyler on November 17, 2009 at 19:48:06 PT
conversion?
So, this guy McKay was a Republican prosecutor until his old buddies in the Bush Administration fired him. Now, he is singing a different tune. I’m glad he changed his mind, but I don’t think I could trust him. I wonder what really caused his conversion?  
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on November 17, 2009 at 19:06:41 PT
Hope
I really mind people who take down anyone on our side. 
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Comment #11 posted by Hope on November 17, 2009 at 18:19:25 PT
Comment 8
Do you want to tangle with this security guard?Edgar Gasparyan?Not me!I don't even want him to look at me!:0)
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on November 17, 2009 at 18:14:57 PT
FoM
Comment 1Sometimes I really have to think to understand what you are saying. But I think I do.I'm thinking you aren't overly impressed with McKay's conversion at this point.
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Comment #9 posted by Hope on November 17, 2009 at 18:11:00 PT
That DA
Cooley.He acts like he's the King or something. Does no one in government or law enforcement outrank him? I can't believe he can make pronouncements like that.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on November 17, 2009 at 17:27:26 PT
West Hollywood's Medical Marijuana Success Story
November 16, 2009URL: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-weho-marijuana16-2009nov16,0,5400544.story
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on November 17, 2009 at 17:02:49 PT
Just a Comment
Now that Lou Dobbs is off CNN we turned it on and they had a big piece on what is going on in California. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by HempWorld on November 17, 2009 at 16:16:44 PT
In Cool Aid We Trust ...
D.A. will prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries -- even if L.A. does not ban sales [Updated]
November 17, 2009 | 12:00 pm
Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said today he will prosecute dispensaries that sell medical marijuana even if the Los Angeles City Council adopts an ordinance that does not ban such sales.On Monday, two council committees rejected the city attorney’s advice and changed a provision in the proposed ordinance, allowing cash transactions as long as they complied with state law. “Undermining those laws via their ordinance powers is counterproductive, and, quite frankly, we’re ignoring them. They are absolutely so irrelevant it’s not funny,” Cooley said. Link don't fit: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/11/da-will-prosecute-dispensaries-even-if-la-does-not-ban-sales.html
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on November 17, 2009 at 14:52:48 PT
EAH
I really believe that there are people mostly Republicans that still hold on to the past. They seem stuck in a mindset.
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Comment #4 posted by EAH on November 17, 2009 at 13:02:27 PT:
Why is it so difficult?
One thing that mystifies me is who the prohibition charade is meant to placate and why? I mean, why is it that we have responsible people in positions of power 
advocating for and being happy with a ridiculous legal policy. We have states establishing a medical exception at the same time we have federal agencies 
refusing to modify or adapt to those policies in any way. Rather, they do the bizarrely absurd thing of saying we won't prosecute anybody. Well then, why not change the law? Who are you trying to please by not changing the law? Some kind of imaginary "voter"? A voter you fear will not re-elect you if you change the laws? Do you think this would be the only issue the voter would vote on? How do you even know a majority of voters are against changes at the Federal level?The tyranny of Nixon's "Silent Majority" lives on even though almost all the people who it consisted of have gone. The WWII generation that dominated the electorate in the 60s and 70s is gone. Why are we still pretending voters of today would act the same?
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on November 17, 2009 at 12:00:35 PT
runruff
That's right.
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Comment #2 posted by runruff on November 17, 2009 at 11:56:41 PT
...to us...
...every seed baring plant.....
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on November 17, 2009 at 11:53:37 PT
I See
So now the loud mouthed Canadian, Marc Emery, is sitting in jail over seeds. Maybe I would care if he got him out of jail.
[ Post Comment ]


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