cannabisnews.com: Feds Oppose Calif. Prop 19 To Legalize Marijuana
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Feds Oppose Calif. Prop 19 To Legalize Marijuana
Posted by CN Staff on October 15, 2010 at 10:56:00 PT
By Marcus Wohlsen and Pete Yost, AP Writers
Source: Associated Press 
San Francisco -- Attorney General Eric Holder says the federal government will enforce its marijuana laws in California even if voters next month make the state the first in the nation to legalize the drug.The Justice Department strongly opposes California's Proposition 19 and remains firmly committed to enforcing the federal Controlled Substances Act in all states, Holder wrote in a letter to former chiefs of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter, dated Wednesday.
"We will vigorously enforce the CSA against those individuals and organizations that possess, manufacture or distribute marijuana for recreational use, even if such activities are permitted under state law," Holder wrote.The attorney general also said that legalizing recreational marijuana in California would be a "significant impediment" to the government's joint efforts with state and local law enforcement to target drug traffickers, who often distribute marijuana alongside cocaine and other drugs.He said the ballot measure's passage would "significantly undermine" efforts to keep California communities safe.If Proposition 19 passes in November, California would become the first state to legalize and regulate recreational pot use. Adults could possess up to one ounce of the drug and grow small gardens on private property. Local governments would decide whether to allow and tax sales of the drug.The state has clashed with federal authorities over marijuana since 1996, when voters approved a first-of-its-kind ballot measure that allowed people to grow and use pot for medical purposes. Thirteen other states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana.Under federal law, marijuana is still strictly illegal. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the federal government has the right to enforce its ban regardless of state law.During the Bush administration, retail pot dispensaries across the state faced regular raids from federal anti-drug agents. Their owners were sometimes sentenced to decades in prison for drug trafficking.Yet the medical marijuana industry still grew, and has expanded even more since Holder said last year that federal law enforcement would defer to state laws on using it for medicinal purposes.Some legal scholars and policy analysts have questioned how much the Justice Department could really do on the ground to halt a state-sanctioned recreational pot trade.Nearly all arrests for marijuana crimes are made at the state level. Of more than 847,000 marijuana-related arrests in 2008, for example, just over 6,300 suspects were booked by federal law enforcement, or fewer than 1 percent.Yost reported from Washington.Source: Associated Press (Wire)Author: Marcus Wohlsen and Pete Yost, AP WritersPublished: October 15, 2010Copyright: 2010 The Associated PressCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #7 posted by b4daylight on October 15, 2010 at 13:28:01 PT:
Down with the system
 States Rights is something we all can get behind on. 
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on October 15, 2010 at 13:18:59 PT
ekim
That looks like it might be a good book. Thank you for the link.
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Comment #5 posted by John Tyler on October 15, 2010 at 12:59:45 PT
Feds will have a tough time
I was checking out the comments from the LA Times article. It seems that the lefties, the righties and the Tea Baggers are for Prop 19. It would seem that Prop 19 is an issue that everybody can get behind. The Fed is going to have tough time enforcing this one.
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Comment #4 posted by ekim on October 15, 2010 at 12:58:50 PT
interview of new book on NPR just on
http://www.amazon.com/Pot-Book-Complete-Guide-Cannabis/dp/1594773688By Julie Holland M.D.http://sciencefriday.com/
The Pot Book
A new book collects essays on the science, history, politics, and medicine of marijuana. (more) 
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on October 15, 2010 at 12:39:21 PT
The GCW
I have seen a few articles on Arizona and one on two on South Dakota. I will post articles on election day results. Both of those states wil be hard to get people on board and I don't think we have anyone from those states on CNews. 
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Comment #2 posted by The GCW on October 15, 2010 at 12:29:42 PT
Arizona letter
I didn't see any Arizona news here to post this on, so here it goes...-0-US AZ: PUB LTE: God put marijuana on the Earth(Dear editor)I get so angry reading all the editorials about how dangerous marijuana is. How many of you have gone through the horrors of cancer, chemotherapy and radiation? I have been going through it for eight years! Please keep in mind that marijuana is a plant God put on this Earth. Since November 2009, I have had seven surgeries related to cancer. I probably would have died had I not had accessibility to marijuana. If you worry that your children will have more access to marijuana, try being a better parent. I pray no one has to go through cancer without being able to use marijuana. -http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2010/10/15/20101015voices151.html-0-It seems, Arizona and South Dakota is not getting as much attention.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on October 15, 2010 at 12:01:21 PT
Related Article From The LA Times Blog
Even if Prop. 19 Passes, Federal Drug Laws Will Be 'Vigorously' Enforced, Official SaysOctober 15, 2010URL: http://drugsense.org/url/FPjLMo4k
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