cannabisnews.com: Here's Hoping for MJ measure That's Not Half-Baked
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Here's Hoping for MJ measure That's Not Half-Baked
Posted by CN Staff on April 01, 2015 at 05:40:41 PT
Los Angeles Times Editorial
Source: Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles -- Californians are almost certainly going to vote in 2016 on a ballot measure to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use. And according to the most recent polls, a majority of voters now support that goal.But general, theoretical support may not be enough. If legalization proponents are serious about passing a ballot initiative, they'd better be sure they put forward a comprehensive, well-thought-out proposal that addresses the complex legal, societal and safety issues involved.
They'd do well to learn from earlier, half-baked marijuana measures that were either wisely rejected by the voters (such as 2010's Proposition 19, which would have legalized the drug) or were passed, but were so poorly drafted as to cause years of confusion (such as Proposition 215, which allowed the use of medical marijuana).To its credit, the most organized and well-funded group, ReformCA, has spent more than a year talking to both the medical marijuana industry and regulators about what a responsible ballot measure should include. It's important that even critics of legalization, including representatives of law enforcement, are already part of the discussion, because it is difficult to fix unforeseen problems after a ballot measure has passed. And proponents of legalization can't rely on the Legislature to work out the details of implementation. It's been nearly 20 years since voters passed Proposition 215, and the state still hasn't adopted comprehensive rules for the cultivation, transportation and distribution of medical marijuana. In order to be effective, the next ballot initiative will need to create a sensible regulatory and taxing scheme from scratch.A nongovernmental commission on marijuana policy, led by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and the American Civil Liberties Union, released a report last week focused on three areas that need further analysis. Those include: how to keep children from getting marijuana and what are appropriate noncriminal penalties for youth possession; how to protect public safety, including keeping marijuana-impaired drivers off the road; and how to set an appropriate cannabis tax so the state earns enough revenue to pay for enforcement and education, but not so high that the state encourages a black market industry. And these three issues are by no means the only outstanding ones.The Times won't take a position on a 2016 marijuana initiative until the ballot language has been released. This page opposed both Proposition 215 and Proposition 19.It is important to remember that even if a legalization initiative were to pass, marijuana would still be illegal under federal law. It might be politically complicated for the next president — whether Republican or Democrat — to start enforcing prohibition laws after the Obama administration has essentially allowed states to legalize pot. But advocates shouldn't assume that it won't happen. There could be all sorts of complications as California moves forward; that's why it's important to proceed cautiously and carefully.Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)Published: April 1, 2015Copyright: 2015 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/OtB3mGSZCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #6 posted by The GCW on April 01, 2015 at 16:55:20 PT
Half-baked doesn't cut it.
FULL-baked is the goal.
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Comment #5 posted by observer on April 01, 2015 at 16:12:14 PT
Mockingbird Pie
msm/mockingbird/intel: "There could be all sorts of complications as California moves forward; that's why it's important to proceed cautiously and carefully."Unlike of course, when government uses "law" to enslave* more people using "drugs" as excuse, or wage aggressive war on distant peoples, murdering them, in order to steal their stuff. Or when government makes myriad dictator "Executive Orders". Then all that "proceed cautiously" claptrap is out the window, and it is "Full Steam Ahead, on the General Sherman" gunboat. Did you ever notice that when some new "law goes into effect at midnight" - one taking your traditional freedoms, then media/government gloat about how enforcement will be immediate and merciless, and that ignorance is no excuse - for you peons. (But ignorance is excuse for government when it comes to killing you, stealing from you; when it comes to government destroying you. What, did you expect a single standard of truth or justice?) _________* enslave - Under the U.S. Bill of "Rights" government is given carte blanche to literally enslave you, provided that government first convicts you of some crime.  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution
Government has been diligent to exploit this loophole and to imprison (enslave) as many people as profitable, more than any nation on earth. So much for the Bill of "Rights," which became another instrument of government plunder. 
http://drugnewsbot.org
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Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on April 01, 2015 at 13:42:43 PT:
Typical prohib eyewash
Interesting how the interference from the Feds and their local cat's-paw LEOs was conveniently left out. You have to wonder how much of the taxpayer's dollars were squandered these past 20 years, trying to destroy the above-ground cannabis community in CA, and how much more progress could have been made if it hadn't.One more thing: Judges, prosecutors, LE...they are not 'stakeholders', they are employees, and need to be reminded of that. Almost every level of government has disrespected the will of the people made manifest democratically WRT cannabis in CA since Prop215. It is that kind of contempt that causes revolutions in most countries. But that contempt, as exhibited in the tone of the editorial, will not be tolerated for much longer.Here, we are having a demographic revolution, as in "Out with old (ignorant, cannabis-'naive', low information voters dependent upon corp-rat media for information) and in with the new" (cannabis and Web-savvy voters who want cannabis legal again). The letter group now comprises the social and political majority, and has only begun to flex its new muscles. Such can and will overturn the old paradigm of drug prohibition, and, indeed, are doing so. And since the party machines trashed their futures, they have no reason to play the machine games anymore. Interesting times ahead.
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Comment #3 posted by Sam Adams on April 01, 2015 at 10:45:49 PT
Prop. 215
Yep, it's been almost 20 years now that the CA govt. and the feds have been trying to kill Prop. 215, and they've failed.19 years later CA residents still have by far the best availability of medical cannabis produtcs, the best protections to grow medicine themselves and/or get it to patients.Because of Prop. 215 CA is leading the way on cannabis business, with cutting edge stuff like pure extract vapor pens, places like the Farmacy pioneering organic medical cannabis, and much more.If you're dying of cancer or suffering severe pain CA is the best place to be in the US to be a med MJ patient because of Prop. 215
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Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on April 01, 2015 at 10:25:00 PT:
LAT needs to take its wagging, scolding finger
and put it up where the Sun doesn't shine. It needs to prod that walnut-sized lump of flesh that is its brain to get it going again. For it seems that's where LAT keeps it, not in the usual place.After such an editorial, I have to assume as much.I wonder how much readership they lost with this, alone. How many subscriptions must be canceled before these goofs realize that it's not smart to insult over half the subscribers? For, that is just what they've done, with this.
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Comment #1 posted by Hope on April 01, 2015 at 09:54:14 PT
Reading this...
I was thinking, why not keep it simple. Like "Legalize it!"Until I got to this part. "And proponents of legalization can't rely on the Legislature to work out the details of implementation. It's been nearly 20 years since voters passed Proposition 215, and the state still hasn't adopted comprehensive rules for the cultivation, transportation and distribution of medical marijuana. In order to be effective, the next ballot initiative will need to create a sensible regulatory and taxing scheme from scratch."So. I hope someone is working on a good one.Maybe something in there about die-hard prohibitionists not being hired to be the ones to implement legalization would be a good idea, too.
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