Criminal Justice

We need to dramatically shift how we are dealing with drug abuse in America if we ever want to make a dent in it. I applaud Mr. Frank's foresight on this issue. Lately more and more of his colleagues have been following his example and opening up to the idea of legalizing and regulating marijuana. We need to continue pressuring our elected officials that the failed policy of prohibition cannot continue. In so many different ways, we cannot afford it.

   The FAILED 'War on Drugs' has been four decades in the losing. As it stands, we have more than twice the number of people in jail than most of the rest of civilization COMBINED. We spend FAR too much money persecuting individuals who use cannabis.

   The VAST majority of us are hard-working, tax-paying, home-owning, CITIZENS, who simply prefer to relax with a different plant than tobacco, or alcohol. A plant that has proven to be LESS addictive than CAFFEINE. That's right, coffee is more physically addictive than cannabis!

  However, cannabis CAN be habitual (emotionally addictive), but so can exercise! TV! The internet, gambling, alcohol, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, or SEX! Shall we ban those and their participants as well?

   With nearly a MILLION AMERICANS arrested every year (and subsequently unable to get a good job because they now have a DRUG RECORD), is the policy doing more harm than good? I think so. With 15,000,000 Americans admitting to using within the past month, if it were so detremental, wouldn't there be a whole lot MORE people in clinics or in jail? If it's so addictive, and the government is doing such a POOR job of protecting them from cannabis, how is it not MORE destructive?!

   And consider this, suppose we 'Won' the WoD tomorrow, arrested all 15 million folks who use cannabis semi-regularly, where would we HOUSE them? With 2.5 million Americans in overcrowded jails now, we would need to fund, and construct another SIX times as many prisons as we have now to keep them. IT WON'T WORK!! WE CAN'T AFFORD IT!

  In all honesty, cannabis is NOT a beneficial thing, if smoked, it does put a bunch of tar and carcinogens into your lungs (though it's also proven NOT to cause cancer), and is not the healthiest way to ingest THC.

   But this is America, and we're supposed to have the RIGHT to a 'pursuit of happiness' aren't we? If my happiness involves occasionally ingesting the smoke from one of nature's plants (though not tobacco), what business is it of yours? If I maintain my job, my house, my friends, my children, pay my taxes etc, and I HARM NO ONE ELSE, why stop me?! WHAT business is it of yours?!

  Stop persecuting stoners, we'd love to pay taxes on it, we'd love to be able to keep good jobs, we don't want to smoke and drive, nor smoke and work. We just want to stop being oppressed by folks who've been utterly misinformed about the detrimental affects of a pastime intoxicant of ours.

The continued imprisonment of non-violent victimless criminals is creating more problems than remedies,because of the expense,and avoided with today's technology and the use of house arrest,gps monitors and community service.

The continued prohibition underwrites the existence of organized crime and the green market and the continued export of untaxed billions for something we can grow ourselves.

The legalization of marijuana would also remove the regulations on hemp farming,availing us of so many jobs and opportunities for America that listing all of them is impossible.

And finally,the legalization of marijuana rights a wrong,done to the American people in 1972,when a panel was asked to study marijuana and after doing so,their recommendations and findings were dismissed because our President decided he and his advisers knew what was best for America and declared War on the American people over a harmless plant. The indictment is against that President,and every president since his election and the anti-drug federal police that has perpetuated it and spent tax dollars to preserve it's own place at the tax trough.

Has anyone asked themselves why marijuana was made illegal, in the 1930's after a couple millennia of legal use?

The history is there for those who are interested.

When it became clear that prohibition would be repealed, the liquor lobbies didn't want to compete with the far less harmful, naturally growing, inexpensive marijuana plant, so they devised a campaign of disinformation that persists to this day. Hypocritical politicians have been jumping on this train of opportunists for decades.

And all the while we have paid for a ridiculously expensive, counterproductive war on marijuana that made criminals out of children, we've also subsidized the real killer; nicotine.

Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances known to man. It's considered by many drug experts to be more physically addictive than heroin.

I am not against legislation in relationship to drugs. I just want that legislation to make sense which it never has. Thank you Barney Frank for taking a step in that direction.

The main reasons to end prohibition:

1. Cannabis is both unique and essential.

     a. The only common seed with three essential fatty acids.

     b. The only crop that produces both fuel and food from the same harvest.

     c. Potentially the most globally available organic agricultural resource.

     d. The crop that produces the most monoterpenes, for mitigating climate instability.

2. Prohibition is counter-productive to its own stated objectives. -- i.e. "Forbidden fruit is always sweeter" (and more expensive) therefore more attractive to rebellious teens.

3. Freedom to farm "every herb bearing seed" is the first test of religious freedom.

See 

http://californiacannabisministry.blogspot.com/

for more

All I can say is it's about damn time! Yay Barney, you have Colorado's support

Stop the damn lies with these polls...way more people support it then they want us to believe ill put my life on that stated fact too as a pure fact!!!! I cant wait till karma finally rolls back a powerful swing and knocks out those old dried up sewer rats and politics for all these years of manipulating the public with false information thats ruined many lives of my brothers ill never get to know. Society is wakeing up and fast and if something doesint change they they government wont have the power to retaliate if People like us decide its not worth keeping around like some scare crow that can only make crows laugh -----remember everybody the government is just words and people nothing more nothing less and the real differences come from People like Mikey who I never met but I know hes a good guy. Please wake up people cause congress cant get enouth sleep

I'm definitely no stoner and haven't ingested marijuana in any way so far as I know (unless it got slipped to me in a brownie or something).  In fact, I used to think that it should remain illegal. 

No more!  Now that I've learned the truth, I've gone in the opposite direction. 

I still haven't used any and have no plans on becoming a recreational stoner.  However, I would hope that this would be a legal option for me should I develop a condition where I was in a lot of pain.

Think about this:  Had marijuana not had all of those lies and distorted truths making it illegal all of these years, Michael Jackson, Elvis, and many others would, likely, still be alive today!

This effects every single American, they are at War on Citizens and dont think because you dont smoke or that you have for so long without issues that it wont be you one day.

All it takes is one snich, trying to get off of some offence, to name your home as a marijuana anything and before you know it you will be on the floor, your animals dead, kids scared and being removed from the home, wife crying in handcuffs and guns in your face. It happens all day long, every day, in every state. In fact it just happened to a mayor of a town in Penn. His mother in law was handcuffed and sat down in a pool of the dogs blood. The Mayors home!

The funny thing is when they bust marijuana users they are calm and follow direcions they dont need the shock treatment, they are at War with all of us, dont think it couldnt happen to you!

Second note, HEMP, It could save our way of life, from fuel to biochemicals or food and medicines to paper and cloth, 5000+ uses and you want to bet why they dont want it around?

 Think of all the indusries keeping prohibition alive simply for their own profit. Textile, Big Pharm, Petrochemical, Petrolium, OIL, Corn, Paper, Cotton, Alcohol, and tobacco, they all have a stake in wheather or not Cannabis/Marijuana and Hemp are Prohibited or not!

Its going to take all of us and everyone we know to get off their collective Butts and start writting and calling these legislators, that get all their money for these big industries that dont want to change anything, we need to tell them to, END Prohibition or we will vote you out next time around! Its the only way!

Why did you take this story off of Change.org's email list?  It was the "top" article on your first batch of emails that were sent off, and now it is suspiciously missing on the later batch.  I know this because I have two email addresses and I always receive this email at one address a few hours before I receive the same email at my other.  Did you think people wouldn't notice?

My suspicion is that there are too many comments from readers exposing the ridiculousness and absurdity of pot being illegal.

Certain people do not want the sheep to wake up.

Censor away.  It is to no avail anyway.  Just makes you look guiltier to us enlightened people.

I have seen studies that say it is not addicting, It does not lead to more dangerous drugs and others that are used to legalize it.

Studies can be done to say what you want.  To me the only study that is good is the streets and the study of life by watching life.

Almost all of the crack users I know started with Marijuana.  Most Marijuana users I know are addicted to it.  I know people in prison for murder while being under the influence of Marijuana.

Is it as bad as alcohol?  Yes. 

Is it more addictive than alcohol? Yes.

Is it as addictive as crack?  No.

Should it be legalized?  I don't know.  If we try it there is no backing out and recriminalizing it.

what worries me is if we do legalize it then the other drugs will be legalized soon after.

I have many friends who have died because of drugs,  some were murdered, some got bad drugs and most died from the use of the drugs.  That includes alcohol and marijuana.

I hope they don't think that these statistics are even close to the number of people who smoke marijuana.The reason why I say this is because I know of at least 30 people who smoke marijuana and don't bother with taking polls or don't want to give their name out.

   I've turned a few to this site hoping to make a run for legalization.More and more people will start coming out of the closet saying they smoke MJ,it's just a matter of time.

When you sit back and look at alll the things we are supposed to have,like freedom of speech,or just flat out freedom.Kinda like going to jail,Your technically guilty until proven innocent,yea you heard me right.I'm already guilty and have to prove my innocence,innocent till proven guilty.

I sit back and see all these states that have legalized marijuana and all I can think about is what's good for the goose is good for the gander.I live in a non medicinal marijuana state(Louisiana) and I feel that everyone who was caught with their pants down for hurricane Katrina should have been given Marijuana for their stresses.I cannot begin to tell you what happened to a good bit of our(New Orleans,Chalmette,Metairie,etc)people.The world never heard about all the people who committed suicide because their brain was scrambled and couldn't properly think of their future without worrying what tomorrow holds,after their houses and lives were wiped out.Those who lost had no hope.

Anyway,I await the day that will end alot of confusion in the US,and for the most part I strongly beleive that if marijuana was legalized,most people will stick to MJ and not choose to mess with other drugs.Gateway drug,my ass.Cigarettes and alcohol are the real gateway drugs,but oh yea,they are legal.Just don't add up.

I never will never use nonperscription drugs of any kind but making Marujuana legal will be one the greatest positve steps ever taken. The main thing, it will stabilize Mexico because of the cartels now being more powerful than the goverment. There will be less murders and less people involved in drug smuggling and so on. Another thing, the huge profit from taxes and sales will bring many states out of bankruptcy thus allowing money for schools and social services. Law enforcement will be free to combat vicious crimes. The sick and those in pain can find temprary relief without facing prison time. Yes to Marijuana.

Yes we need pot to be legalized. We do not mind payong taxes on it for its wonderful benefits. Stop persicuting the stoners,they are not criminals. Pot has good medicinal values. I know for a fact it helps cancer patients. Legalize pot. You will make the stoners happy and the tax on it will help with our giant deficit and maybe keep us from bankruptcy.

Yes we need to make marijuna legal for people  twenty-one & over weather using recreational or medically.  The War On Drugs has gone on far to long for so many of us. Predifent Obama is for change so let's make this happen.

Why is it that when you ask any adult over 18 if they trust their government,no one ever says yes?

And yet,when the government spreads their lies and skewed studies trying to prove harm being caused by a harmless plant,that it takes a ball bat to knock the prohibition propaganda out of seemingly intelligent people.

I recently was fired from my job for the only reason of testing positive for marijuana use. My former employer had no other problems with my work, actually I was commended on doing a good job and being reliable, unlike fellow co-workers that drank heavy over the weekend and failed to show up for work on Mondays. I take care of my responsibilities, feed and cloth my children and pay my bills. I do not steal or harm others and do not consider what I do on my back porch, on my own time a problem, nether did my employer until some test told them there was a problem. The test surly does not prove use on the job (cause there was none) and I agree that the work place is not the proper place for such activities. Really what's worse here? the fact that I sometimes smoke marijuana to relax and unwind or the fact I can no longer support my family?

Thank you Barney Frank for having the guts to do what so many others won't do: defend everyday Americans over corporations and profit. It's rare and refreshing.

Ending cannabis prohibition would give us the ability to be free on an independent and personal level to provide food, clothing fiber for paper and building, fuel, medicine and recreational opportunities for ourselves. It would effect the markets of energy (especially oil) textile, timber, food (especially soy) pharmaceutical, alcohol and tobacco. These are ALL very powerful lobbies in Washington, bent on protecting corporate profits and this is the REAL reason this plant was made illegal and remains illegal to this day.

It's about freedom folks. You don't have to use this plant if you don't want to. Just stop standing in the way of people like me who want to utilize ALL aspects of this incredible plant that is therapeutically safer for you than aspirin.

Yeah, I'd say more like 60-70% of Americans want it legalized. This poll displayed is outdated/bias/innaccurate.

Also, it's very important that the people and government have a good relationship, I mean, the government is there FOR the people so if the people are upset, then the government is definitely doing something wrong.

So yeah, give us our well deserved freedom which we were born with. Stop treating us like children and let us choose how we live our lives and enjoy our free time.

You'd think the government created life with all the rules and bounds they feel they have the right to create for us. It's time for change. It's time we take our freedom and country back and become "America the Free" once again.

Where's the poll from a few months back that had "tax & regulate" at 50 or 51%? I'm confident that large scale nationwide poll done today would show a majority in favor of taxation and regulation. Although at this point I'd consider 60-70% pretty optimistic. In certain regions perhaps but I'd say realistically nationwide we're somewhere between 49-55%. A super-majority I'm sure is a few years off, although propably only about 10-15% of Americans are dead set against the idea.

I suspect a majority of Americans support legalizing, regulating and taxing marijuana, but are waiting for others to go out front about it.

However, there are still very powerful people who would like to sabotage this and are eager to circulate dark tales of the ruinous nature of this extremely powerful drug that a handful of naive people mistakingly think is really mild...

Witness this feature in the New York Times. Granted, it's the Style! section (What has this got to do with Style???) So, it's not journalism as most of us would define it. It's totally biased and more than a little unbelievable though its headline pretends to be balanced.

Then, remember it's the NY Times that printed it... The one newspaper we're supposed to be able to trust...

They graph and those percentige numbers are a lie. Its all propaganda to control us!I dont care what the number say LEGALIZE MARIJUANA you cant lie to us forever

Does our species possess sufficient coordinated will and functional intellect to recognize the true value of Cannabis agriculture, manufacture and trade in the context of 21st Century crises of environment, economics and social evolution? Ours is the first to face foreseeable synergistic collapse. How bad do things have to get before all solutions are considered?

Time is the limiting factor in the equation of survival. It's the only thing we can't make more of. Every spring planting season that passes, without the critical benefits of Cannabis agriculture, is gone forever.

If Cannabis agriculture can serve as a tool for carbon sequestration and  "radiative forcing" of the atmosphere,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiative_forcing

then should we not be at least studying the potential for Cannabis farming? Should we not at the very least be developing the seed varieties that will allow organic agriculture to surpass chemical agricultural practices in production of the world's best available source of organic vegetable protein?  

I'm sure that most people would agree that "forbidden fruit is always sweeter (and more expensive)" when they see the peaceful experience of Cannabis tolerance in countries like Holland, Spain and Portugal. When every country respects the Cannabis culture as the world's most ancient and global, then the true value of this plant will bring a renaissance of health, abundance and spiritually genuine economics. 

Unless spiritual dimensions of respect for nature are reintroduced into governance, against the tide of military-industrial-corporate-chemical socioeconomic intoxication, then our species will not see the end of this Century.

It's our choice, to open the hemp seed or not. If you don't have fresh fertile Cannabis seed when the music stops, then you will be poor. Cannabis seed is nutritionally complete, unique and essential to optimum health and development. Ofcourse it's legal.

Why would We The People give rightful jurisdiction over any "herb bearing seed" to the government, let alone a unique and essential "strategic food resource"?

Executive Order 12919 - PART IX—GENERAL PROVISIONS, Sec. 901.

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/pdf/12919.pdf

states that "hemp" is available by "essential civilian demand...irrespective 
of other uses to which such commodities or products may be put." I have requested a protocol for essential civilian demand from the government, and as a Cannabis scholar, feel it is part of my individual responsibility to future generations to stand for the truth about Cannabis.

I recommend that everyone watch this video on YouTube a hundred times, then take some money and invest it in the future of hemp fuels, foods, paper, cloth, biodegradable building materials and plastics, safe and effective herbal therapeutics, and put the agronomic tool to work that can save our bacon from being broiled by UV-B radiation.

"Monoterpenes" are the molecule of the 21st Century. Google "global broiling" to find out some very good news about how to stop it. 

Anyone who is interested in helping to make the shift in values necessary to avoiding extinction is invited to support "essential civilian demand" for Cannabis, under the protection of the First Amendment. I believe that this is the shortest route to Cannabis freedom upon which our survival truly depends.

What's most needed is a comprehensive, objective, peer reviewed cost/benefit analysis of regional agricultural economics, inclusive of Cannabis. I suspect that the increased energy efficiency of regional organic biomass production can reduce demand for energy to the extent that everyone everywhere can grow all of their own fuel.

If you'd care to consider, here's my BlogTalkRadio program of July 4th, 2009

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/projectpeace

JFK Calls for a Revolution

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8dLHZ6jKFc

Great post Paul von Hartmann, but unfortunately those people who have become very rich by basically owning the food and clothing industry would not be so rich if cannabis was legalized.  It is not so much the smoking that they care about, it is the loss of profits since hemp would create durable clothing and it is a healthy food source. 

It's all about money.  This whole big ridiculous parade.

Legalize Pot!!!!!!!!!! Maybe than crime will go down.

MISSOURIANS DO NOT VOTE FOR ROY BLUNT!!!

July 29, 2009

Ms. Christina Keating
*******
Neosho, MO 64850

Dear Christina:                          

Thank you for your letter regarding H.R. 2943.  I appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns.

Communication is a critical part of my job, and your involvement helps make the system run effectively.  As a representative of the people of Missouri it is important to hear the thoughts and concerns of all citizens so I am better able to serve the 7th Congressional district.

On June 18, 2009, Congressman Barney Frank introduced H.R. 2943, the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009.  This measure would eliminate most Federal penalties for possession of marijuana for personal use.  Currently, this legislation is under consideration in the House Judiciary and Energy and Commerce committees.

I believe the proper role of the government is to discourage, at every opportunity, the use of drugs and all other substances that are detrimental to the health and well-being of individuals and society as a whole. Legalization of marijuana and other illegal substances would do just the opposite, and that is why I would oppose legislation attempting to change federal drug policy.

Again, thank you for contacting me.  I look forward to hearing from you in the future.

Sincere regards,

Roy Blunt
Member of Congress

I would suggest that Blunt updates his resume. Him and every one of our elected officials that support the violence and the green market that underwrites the drug and anti-drug cartels.

The anti-drug cartels are D.A.R.E.,Drug Free America,the DEA,NIDA and a multitude of organizations that only recieve their federal funding if drugs are kept illegal.

(12) shall ensure that no Federal funds appropriated to the Office of National Drug Control Policy shall be expended for any study or contract relating to the legalization (for a medical use or any other use) of a substance listed in schedule I of section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812) and take such actions as necessary to oppose any attempt to legalize the use of a substance (in any form) that--
(A) is listed in schedule I of section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812); and
(B) has not been approved for use for medical purposes by the Food and Drug Administration.

The above mandate from congress to the ONDCP requires that he does anything required to keep marijuana illegal,including lieing,false studies and skewed data.

The ONDCP and the DEA have approved studies on marijuana,only if their outlined agenda is to find harm or something dangerous about marijuana. And they have had several studies,revealed by the scientists involved,that have proven that marijuana is a medicine,but they will not publish or report the results,because it is illegal for them to do so,instead,even if a study showed that marijuana is a cancer blocking agent,they are required by law to procure a study that contradicts the findings of the study,or casts doubts to the veracity and findings of the study.

And that very situation has already happened. A Dr Tashkin,while working at NIDA,did a study that was outlined to connect marijuana to cancer or COPD. After 8 years of study,they reported to the DEA that their was no connection,to either,from smoking marijuana,and that marijuana appeared to have some cancer blocking properties,according to their statistics,but that further studies should be done to verify.

Those studies will never be done. Our own laws,written to protect big pharmacy,will not allow it.

If the 15,000,000 plus and I say plus because in communities throughout America if you smoke even once a year you have friends that do, and they have friends and so on. With a little organization and commitment. The great American tradition of an act of defiance to fight for independence. It takes this 15,000,000 plus to go outside in the street and smoke where ever they live smoke with friends and friends of friends openly and what could really be done you can't arrest, jail, and imprison everyone. That would push this bill through. It would also change the way the American public was received by government.

marijuana should be legalize it grows like a plant or food that we eat and it helps older people that have  alot of health  problems and people should not go to jail when they are smokeing in the private  of there home  and it does not cause crime to go up it is the hard drugs that people get on that make them commit a crime not smoke pot  so good job barney