cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Amendment Marijuana Amendment Posted by FoM on December 30, 1999 at 12:03:06 PT Letters To The Editor Source: Detroit News I have but only a few questions to ask those politicians and which hunters who would so happily deprive a person of their right to enjoy what they wish, how they wish. Ask yourself these questions and make your own decisions. 1. We spend $50 billion per year trying to eradicate drugs from this country. According to DEA estimates we capture less than 10 percent of all illicit drugs. In this regard, I have a two part question 1) How much do you think it will cost to stop the other ninety percent? 2) Does $50 billion a year for a 90% failure rate seem like a good investment to you?2. White people buy most of the illegal drugs in this country. Yet, seventy four percent of those receiving prison sentences for drug possession are African-American and other minorities. Is race a factor in the enforcement of drug laws, and if not, how can we prove that to skeptics?3. Has the cost of the War on Drugs in terms of billions of dollars, blighted lives, jammed prisons, intensified racism, needless deaths, loss of freedom etc., produced any significant change in drug availability or perceived patterns of drug use?4. Someone once said "Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and make crime out of things that are not crimes." How do you respond to this statement? 5. It is estimated that 77 million U.S. citizens have tried an illicit drug at least once. How many of the 77 million drug users do you feel we must incarcerate in order to win the war on drugs?6. Why does the FDA stand up for the right of adults to smoke tobacco, which is highly addictive and causes over 400,000 deaths per year, while decreeing that adults have no right to smoke marijuana, which is non-addictive and kills no one?7. Drug use is an acknowledged fact of life in every prison in the country. If we can't stop prisoner' use of drugs, how can we rationally expect to stop average free citizens from using them?8. Despite signatures from 85 prominent groups and individuals, why has the Hoover Resolution (a call for an independent panel to revue existing drug policies) not been considered, accepted, or initiated?9. What lessons from alcohol prohibition lead you to believe that the current drug war will end in victory? 10. Fifty-two federal judges, the district attorney of San Francisco, The mayor of Baltimore, the vast majority of prison wardens, and numerous other respected officials consider the war on drugs an abject failure. More than a few important Americans are opposed to the drug war. Since no other US laws or policies are inspiring such resistance, shouldn't we be listening to the many voices which are saying that continuing the war on drugs may be a grave threat to the long-term health of this nation? 11. At a time when working people are being asked to tighten our belts in order to help balance the budget, how do you justify increasing the funding to the drug law enforcement bureaucracy? Explain why supporting a failed policy of drug law enforcement has a greater priority than student loans or drug education programs. 12. What do you conclude from the experience of Holland--a country where drugs fall under the jurisdiction of health agencies, not law enforcement--which has seen a decline in chronic use of hard drugs and casual use of soft drugs since de-criminalization?13. If illegal drugs are so obviously harmful to people's health, why is it necessary to put so many American adults in prison to prevent them from using these drugs?14. In drug policy discussions we hear a lot about the "message" that certain policies may send to children. What message is sent to inner city children who witness illegal drug sales on their way to school each day? 15. The modern drug war began in the 1960s, and for thirty five years it has failed to reduce drug access to school-aged children. Which is better for America during the next 35 years, prohibition with continued school-aged access to drugs OR reform policies that ease prohibition but reduce school-age access? 16. Drug prohibition has been one of the biggest U.S. domestic policy failures of the late twentieth century. Why is a perpetuation of this failure more desirable than serious consideration of alternative policy options? 17. Why should 270 million citizens continue to pay $50 billion per year to try to change the habits of 20 million people, considering that this policy has not been able to change those habits in 82 years and at a total cost of nearly one trillion dollars?Thank you for your time. Rick GarciaMarijuana.Com http://www.marijuana.com/ Posted: Wednesday Dec. 29, 1999 at 11 :16 AM From: Rick Garciahttp://www.marijuana.com/ City: Phoenix State: Az Country: USA E-mail: webmaster marijuana.com Posted: Wednesday Dec. 29, 1999 at 10 :22 AM From: Roger A. Gertz City: Manistee State: MI Country: USA E-mail: ragertz yahoo.com Subject: Marijuana_amendment Comments: This is a step in the right direction on stopping the war on drugs and the needless costs of lives ruin by laws that are clearly unconstitutional by way of life, liberty, and happiness. Only can the legal system work if they have the rights that will protect civil state. We have been fighting a war on drugs and killing people and destoring property for this century. This sencelessness must end. The war on drugs must end. Posted: Wednesday Dec. 29, 1999 at 10 :17 AM From: Jason Lewis City: Columbia State: MD Country: USA Subject: Marijuana_amendment Comments: A quick comment to those who oppose due to the smoking is bad for you bit. Marijuana can and has been used for many years without the need to smoke directly. New methods of vaporization also remove (almost 90%) of the carcinogens and bad chemicals from the smoke by a method of heating rather than buring the herb. What is produced is a white cloud of pure marijuana (not just THC!) but the essential oils present in the herb which Marniol has not been able to replace. The Government wants those who "must" have marijuana to survive, to take an expensive pill containing synthetic THC which is obviously difficult to swallow if per-chance you are having difficulty keeping foods down. Also methods of steeping the leaves to make a tea has been used by Jamaican Grandmothers for many years to help sooth a child's pains and aches. You can cook with Marijuana (using butter of course). Drinks can be made from it (elyxars sp?) I also support a states (or DC for that matter) right to self govern without the far-reaching hand of the Federal Government shaking its big fingers to tell the people of this country what they really need or want. How did these politicians get to where they are now. Send a message to your representatives in the House and Congress letting them know that the abuse of their powers will no longer be tolerated. The people have spoken and they will have to listen. No media ploy to fool our children or ourselves into thinking that Big Brother is wathcing out for our best intrests is going to stop the will of the people.And for those politicians who fear for the legal crop production of HEMPAmerica was built on the promise of Freedom, Free will and a thriving Hemp Industry...lets get it right in 2000... stop the war and free the mind. Posted: Wednesday Dec. 29, 1999 at 9 :25 AM From: Van Estes http://www.waronsomedrugs.com/City: Hendersonville State: NC Country: USA E-mail: landman a-o.com Subject: Marijuana_amendment Comments: It is too bad that persons like Bill B. of Lansing MI, who make comments and derogatory remarks about previous postings and posters generally do not have the BRASS to put in their email addresses. It all boils down to this Bill: Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself. - President Jimmy CarterMarijuana has never killed anyone but the prohibition of marijuana has gotten a lot of folks killed. It is time to change that. Posted: Wednesday Dec. 29, 1999 at 9 :40 AM From: Sehlis City: Julian State: PA Country: USA E-mail: yes424ever aol.com Subject: Marijuana_amendment Comments: If you wish to know what this country would be like if cannabis were legal ask our elders. Great grandpa wore pants made from hemp, great grandma kept cannabis extract in the medicine chest. The term marijuana was used by the power players to dupe the American public into believing this 'dangerous' drug was something imported from Mexico and not the common substance in use at the time. The AMA opposed the prohibition of cannabis and thus their members were excluded from the decisionmaking process. Many years after its prohibition the government temporarily suspended their own laws to encourage farmers to produce cannabis. Hemp for Victory! The strong cloth that could be quickly and cheaply produced from this plant was needed for the war effort. What a boon for our nation's farmers if we could once again grow cannabis. Instead of building prisons in economically depressed areas we could provide jobs manufacturing the many products that cannabis was once used for. Posted: Wednesday Dec. 29, 1999 at 9 :24 AM From: Earth Friend City: Central State: PA Country: USA E-mail: prsnlgenie aol.com Subject: Marijuana_amendment Comments: We are not just talking about a 'drug' or a 'fibrous plant' here. We are talking about the government attempting to eradicate a living species of plant. For all of their talk of protecting biodiversity and environmental impact, it is total hypocrisy to go to such great expense and effort to rid the planet of a plant that grows naturally in our climate. This is a plant that is good for the soil, the air, and the wildlife (birdseed contains hempseed). Instead our country sprays poisons into our air and upon our soil to kill these plants. The fact that these poisons also kill many other broadleafed species is of no concern to them. It is of great concern to the animals that feed on these plants, and to the earth which uses these varieties of plants to control water runoff and prevent scorching of the earth. Posted: Wednesday Dec. 29, 1999 at 9 :21 AM From: Potsie City: Warren State: Mi Country: USA Subject: Marijuana_amendment Comments: Please, let us stop them in their tracks, Man, if they legalize this, it will put me out of business. I mean, how many of you can make 100K a year and not pay taxes on it. LEAVE IT ILLEGAL! The kids are depending on my service, and If they make it legal, then the Government will tax it and my customers won't be able to afford it. Not to mention they will do the same thing as cigarettes. Make it illegal for the kids to buy it at the store unless they are 21. Posted: Wednesday Dec. 29, 1999 at 9 :13 AM From: kim hanna City: framingham State: ma Country: USA E-mail: onegreenday hotmail.com Subject: Marijuana_amendment Comments: The right to use ANY of nature's plants is inalienable and cannot be abridged by ANY government. The laws against marijuana in the U.S. and around the world are corrupt and reflect the failure of humanity to accept nature as God and God as nature. It is OUR separation from Nature/God that is the root of the world's problems and until we accept Nature/God we are doomed to a failed/dying world. Posted: Wednesday Dec. 29, 1999 at 8 :36 AM From: Van Estes http://www.waronsomedrugs.com/City: Hendersonville State: NC Country: USA E-mail: landman a-o.com Subject: Marijuana_amendment Comments: The current status of marijuana has resulted in the same effects as alcohol prohibition did years ago. Since alcohol was still in demand, the MONEY from the black market propelled criminal enterprises and corrupted the police.Powerful groups protected their illicit businesses with deadly force, and the losers were the public and the law. Legalization of the cultivation of marijuana would effectively remove it from the black market and spoil any profit motives for the dealers and their partners in this crime foisted upon the American people - the narco-fascist thugs in police and politics.It is time to end this prohibition, and use our money for more education (truthful drug education instead of fear mongering and better public schools), treatment for hard-core addicts, and an end to the prison industrial complex. It doesn't take an Einstein, but here are his comments concerning (alcohol) prohibition: "The prestige of the government has undoubtedly been lowered by the prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous increase in crime in this country is closely connected with this."Or as Abraham Lincoln put it: "Prohibition goes beyond reason in that it attempts to control a man's hunger through legislation. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles this country was founded upon."The current drug laws are an invention of the last 85 years. Prior to that there was no organized crime in control of the drug trade, and drug crime was almost nonexistent....even with cocaine, opium, heroin, and all other drugs LEGAL! Posted: Wednesday Dec. 29, 1999 at 8 :34 AM From: Jani Saksa City: Pori State: Country: Finland E-mail: jsaksa79 hotmail.com Subject: Marijuana_amendment Comments: No matter where you live or what you do, it should be your own choice what you want to put in your body and what you want to do with your mind as long as you dont hurt others. Besides, we all already know that marijuana is safer than alcohol or tobacco. Posted: Wednesday Dec. 29, 1999 at 8 :11 AM From: Rob harris City: bath State: mi Country: USA E-mail: wellsrya pilot.msu.edu Subject: Marijuana_amendment Comments: This state and indeed this country has made a big mistake in the last fourty years by moving more tword protecting people instead of peoples rights. I believe the personal responsibilty amendment is a step in the right direction to cure this. Posted: Wednesday Dec. 29, 1999 at 4 :16 AM From: Vaughn Wilkinson City: Placerville State: CA Country: USA Subject: Marijuana_amendment Comments: I personaly believe that if alcohol is legal, than so should marijana. I think alcohol is much more dangerous than marijana. Maybe this isn't true if you have one or two beers, but a few shots of hard liquor or four or five beers, and you would be a lot more prone to some sort of accident than any amount of marijana can cause. Related Article & Web Sites:Marijuana Policy Project http://www.mpp.org Ballot 2000http://198.109.165.99/ballot2000/Petition Drive Seeks To Legalize Homegrown Pot - 12/29/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4122.shtmlPlease Vote On This Marijuana Poll!http://data.detnews.com:8081/poll/survey.hbsActivists Promote Legalized Marijuana - 12/26/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4096.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by Jeff H. on May 18, 2001 at 21:14:44 PT: Alcohol VS. Marijana To the people who are not for the legleization of marijana. Look at al the people who fall victims of alcoholism president's,politician's and allmost all law inforcement.Is this because thay all are stressfull job's maybe.But if people just use marijana to releave stress after work insted of drinking at a bar till two or three in the morning there wouldn't be as meany Alcohol caused deaths.How meany deaths are caused by alcohol? How meany are caused by maraijana? you do the reserch.In the words of Stephen Stills "IN A LAND KNOWN AS FREEDOM HOW COULD SUCH A THANG BE FAIR"Thanks for your time peace. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by dragonfly on September 23, 2000 at 19:07:10 PT: sleep apnea any info avaliable on sleep apnea and the use of pot.I would appreciate anyones input as I have a friend who suffers from this disorder. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Steve Klingsporn on December 31, 1999 at 10:53:18 PT: A new start in 2000... I pay 42% of my salary in taxes. I do not want my hard-earned money (and it seems like the better I do, the better our government does off of me!) used to put my fellow citizens in jail. Law enforcement is making a nuisance of itself -- I have seen plenty of "racial profiling" here in Mountain View, CA. I've had their little lights shined in my car when I drive around at night -- good thing I'm a white boy!For starters, our government (who don't (obviously!) represent the people anymore -- how 1960's to believe so!) needs to PARDON ALL NON-VIOLENT DRUG OFFENDERS CURRENTLY IN PRISON. I'm not talking about killers, etc. I'm talking about people who were busted for dealing or growing or using ANY illegal drugs.I'm a marijuana smoker -- I refuse to go back to drinking alcohol to "chill out" -- how destructive -- and I'm certainly not going to go back to smoking Marlboro's -- God knows what that's done to me!Steve [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Scott on December 30, 1999 at 16:56:52 PT: I've seen those questions... www.mapinc.orgI've used those questions several times in debates on talk.politics.drugs (its a newsgroup on the usenet). I have not been able to get good, intelligent answers from anyone who supports prohibition. Find me a prohibitionist that can give logical and well thought out answers to these questions and I'll be amazed. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on December 30, 1999 at 12:09:21 PT More Letters! Hi All!Here are more letters!So many that I posted the link!http://data.detnews.com:8081/feedback/lettersindex.hbs [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: