California Governor Signs Marijuana Decriminalization Bill

The state will see a lot of money from the sales of pot. Think about it, the average, occasional user is not going to want to be bothered with attempting to grow and harvest. It is more convenient to run up to the local shop and pick up your high. I would be willing to pay the tax for the convenience of the whole experience. We are pretty lazy when it comes right down to it.

Look I consider myself on the conservative side, pro capitalist. Liberals tend to want Government to take all the our money and spend it better then we can. That's why Cali is in the trouble it's in now. I'm for prop 19, like a lot of conservative friends, we all smoke pot. So quit implying ever conservative is some anti-pot Nazi please. Just because we don't want some nanny state doesn't mean we don't smoke pot.

http://www.esoterictube.com/the-union-the-business-behind-getting-high.html 

watch this everything you wanted to know about pot!

For those of you who are voting against this, some of the people that will be on your side and voting with you, are people that make a living selling weed illegally.  They would love to see this fail.

Some people get into harder drugs when they go to their weed dealers that are also selling opiates (oxy, heroin), coke, or any other extremely addictive substance.  Violence goes hand in hand with these types of drugs, and the shady (armed) individuals that sell them.

I saw this posted before and wanted to post it again for anyone that missed it.  http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/drug-war-victim/ 

If celebrities can drop their COCAINE right in front of a cop’s face and suffer no consequences, it seems only fair that pot users should get a break.

OK, so the state now admits it can't prevent people who want to smoke dope from doing so, but it thinks it's still reasonable to try to regulate their consumption of sugar, salt, and fat?

Now if they would just do something about the illegals, high taxes and high spending, they might become a liveable state again!

Wishful thinking, but it needs to happen.  End this war on privacy.  End this war on freedom.  I am a leftist, but I think this is good for left and right wings.  Make the eagle fly straight instead of in circles.

Thank you Arnold!  I don't smoke marijuana, and I don't do any drugs but it's about the principle.  This is a huge step in getting the government the hell out of our personal lives.  Ge OUT!  Stop spending our money!  Mind your own business government!  Go catch real criminals like murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and terrorists, and get out of people's personal business.  We don't need to ruin people's lives (especially young people) for smoking a little bit of pot.  I understand arresting drug dealers, but we don't need extra people in jail wasting our tax dollars for stupid things like personal drug use as long as they aren't out in the street doing it. Less Gov = Better quality of life.  

We all know that studies prove whatever they set out to prove and that their primary purpose is to provide temporary employment for researchers, so why bother referring to them in this debate?

We all know that pot has minor beneficial  properties but that it can adversely affect your mental and physical health just like alcohol.

The biggest real problems are the cost of policing it and the effects on ones career prospects of being caught using it, growing it, or selling it, and the fact that it provides opportunities for criminal gangs to make tons of money.

The time has come to recognize that what is really happening here is a struggle between vested interests, i.e. the gangs, and the people employed at public expense to prosecute them such as lawyers, policemen, prison employees, etc., whose jobs depend to a large extent on this conflict. You have only to examine the number of incarcerations resulting from drug prosecutions to see that it's the money stupid!

I'm all for the legalization of pot. In my early 20's I think I smoked enough to fill a dump truck and I'm fine, fine, I'm okay, uh yay......... No really I'm fine.

From what I'm reading from everyone is politics, politics and everyone wants to put their 2 cents in. That's fine because I do too. I believe as long as you have narrow minded politicians who are scared of losing their jobs over doing the right thing we just want have much to change. The politicians I have seen on TV seem to contradict themselves all the time which makes them hypocrites. So how do we fix this problem? I don't know and I wish I did. What if you took all the jerks out of office and their associates at the same time? Leave a few people on that actually know what is going on and hire people from around the country that make the least amount of money to fill the spots in congress. Now please don't bash the idea yet. Each person hired/elected would need to pass an aptitude test and interviewed extensively and so on. I think the person should be of good moral character and be a down to earth person full of common sense. At the first sight of greed just oust the bastard. Ahhhhh you get my point.

I'd like to point out a possible result of prop 19 passing. I'm a 63 year old retired engineer living in Michigan and have been an occasional smoker for about 42 years. If prop 19 passes, guess where my next vacation will be. People talk about how much tax money could be generated by legal pot in California. Well, the people who keep saying that people will simply grow all they need and not pay taxes are quite wrong in my opinion. I for one would probably not bother growing assuming I could buy my stash for a decent price and could be confident of quality.  If tobacco companies can produce repeatable quality, I'm guessing that cannabis can be produced that way also.

VOTE YES

You you guys are forgetting  that weed is the gate way drug for sure, so in 5 years from now you see more crack heads in cali you have yourself's to blame.

OH CRAP.

Weed should be legal. This is a step backwards. Before you could demand a trial, a judge, and a defense attorney. Now you have no defense. They just take your money, every tine, even in the all too likely instance that the pig made it up.

And they are doing it to save money - and make money...

The courts are corrupt. The pigs are criminal parasites. We need a revolution - and they, right up to and including Ahnold, need to be terminated...

 Thank you  governor  I hope this send a messaged around your state please everyone   Vote  for  Prop 19 In  and we the united States of America   will become free of the prohibition wreckage and then we can clear and clean up this mess of prisons  and lock up only people we fear  not are mad at 

we  must over come this  or we shall die  so many are imprison who should not be  millions  even  so many young people over this  growing   even marc emery is being ship to calf  while this is going on  we need to free those patriots and end the war on MJ  on drugs  and make new  adventure  search in freedom  and great heath   a social -care system  leave not all ops

Please  vote for legalization we are all watching   your set to leave the world   ,

Massvocals  just do it 

 Thank you  governor  I hope this send a messaged around your state please everyone   Vote  for  Prop 19 In  and we the united States of America   will become free of the prohibition wreckage and then we can clear and clean up this mess of prisons  and lock up only people we fear  not are mad at 

we  must over come this  or we shall die  so many are imprison who should not be  millions  even  so many young people over this  growing   even Marc emery is being ship to calf  while this is going on  we need to free those patriots and end the war on Marijuana and the one   on drugs as police can not  fix this problem   and make new  adventure in a  search in freedom  and great heath   a social -care system  leave not out the cops   bring it back to heath issue doctors  free the people  form the law  and end the war  we will save lives 

Please  vote for legalization we are all watching   your set to leave the world   ,

MassVocals  just do it 

marijuana makes you stupid. you pot heads dont want to face it. i have to work around dope heads and they are all stupid. everyone of them. pot does you stoners no favors at all.
 

    As a manager I can spot a worker that smokes weed a mile off...  glassy eye stare thru you brain dead look...  their poor performance gets them kicked out the door every time, sad  ..... just lost my bother-in-law to dope;  He started off with weed, then alcohol/ cocain and when his money ran out he ended up drinking antifreeze for the alcohol.   Since all the fruits, illegals, and now dope heads will be drawn to California, the other states are going to be much better off.....  Wait how about Arnie legalizing prostitution so they will all move there also .. make it sound like his dope deal, you know, $100 fine if got having some crack..... Think of the taxes.... you could say it was for the children's education fund... the liberals luv that one ...

Just to throw this in - people have overdosed on:

cocaine

meth

water (remember the woman who died in the Wii contest)

heat

over the counter med's

food (yes you can overeat to the point of death)

you get the idea. 

Did you know there is not one single case - in history - where anyone has od'd on pot.  Not 1.  Lung irratation from smoke (use vaporizer much safer) yes.  But no death. 

Think of the LEGAL drugs - oxycotin anyone?  My brother used to smoke pot.  Got hurt - still smoked with some back pain but he got thru it.  His Dr said no pot - gave him oxycotin - guess what.  Wound up in jail and is now in an institution because he became so addicted.  On pot he was fine.  He contributed to society.  Now he is a pathetic shell of the man he used to be.  And he doesn't drink so that is not a factor.

It's natural - even God said the herbs of the earth were ours to use.  It was only in the early part of the 20th century that it's use was politicized and here we are.  It's just wrong that even for medicinal use that anyone would fight it.

marijuana is a name used by pancho villa, it was used by the gov to make blacks and hispanics look like the bad guys back in the 1930's the plant cannbis indica and cannbis sativa has been around hundreds of years before christ. one once is it even mentioned to be harmfull in any accounts besides the whole yellow journalism of the reefer madness, by a polititian who managed to deport hispanics who were smoking this "evil drug" after a very hard day of work.

besides if its ok to use acording to the bible than who is man to tell god he is wrong, dont know about every one here but im a god fearing man so i do as he says.

And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. -- Ezekiel 34:29

"The Lord said unto me, 'I will take my rest and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs.' " -- Isaiah 18:4-5

He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad the heart of man and oil to make his face to shineth. (Psalm 104:14-15)

And the earth brought forth grass and herb yielding seed after its kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:12)

God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so." And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Gen. 1:29-31)

(Cannabis is mentioned in Ex. 30:23 but King James mistranslated it as 'sweet calamus') :
Moreover, the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even 250 shekels, and of qaneh-bosm [cannabis] 250 shekels, 24 And of cassia 500 shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: 25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy anointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. 26 And thous shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, 27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick ahd his vessels, and the altar of incense, 28 And the altar of burnt offerings with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. 29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. (Exodus 30:22-29)

* As one shekel equals approximately 16.37 grams, this means that the THC from over 9 pounds of flowering cannabis tops were extracted into a hind, about 6.5 litres of oil. The entheogenic effects of such a solution -- even when applied topically -would undoubtedly have been intense.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:p_Zpg_T2_AUJ:www.equalrights4all.org/religious/bible.htm+marijuana+in+the+bible&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

First off I am all the way with Prop 19 I hope there is a domino affect. Go California...

Man.  i donno why all the fuss about a little bit of...ah.....weed.  its really good and makes

me relax.  before I get in my car....to...ah.....drive home from work, you know.....i light up a

joint...and....ah.....you know.....share it with a bud.  it makes ah my drive home so much more well

interesting.  like sometimes i accidentally cross over the line and people move their cars out

of my way...like....real fast.  i giggle and eat some M AND Ms.    and other times....like...some

guy will slam on his breaks and like  i have to slam mine on, too, you know and it wakes

me up real good until cars start moving again.  a lot of people honk at me.  i think they are

just being friendly when they see my tires driving on the edge of the interstate.  well, i have

to go now.  the guy who sells me grass just rang my bell.  it sounds like he is a lng ways away,

you know, but he isnt really.   thats my view.  thought you would like to know.

I feel that the people who have associated marijuana smoking with violence, deaths, and crimes,are completely Absurd. Marijuana has been given to people for medical conditions, how the heck can it be considered so bad ? I have not heard of any cases where Only marijuana was involved that there was violence, thefts, or any kind of criminal activity, Except in the case of the government wanting it to be illegal for a person to smoke. No one kills for marijuana, nor do they fight while using it, they do not steal other people's belongings to get it, this can not be said about alcohol use, yet, the government has made it legal to drink alcohol. Alcohol kills people, daily, and not just the people who are using it. The only reason that marijuana is not legal now, is because the government does not know a way to tax people for its use, since anyone can grow it and use what they have grown. Those people who are making their own beer, can be in trouble, because the government did not make their money. They call marijuana the gateway drug to scare parents and basically stupid people into thinking that if a person smokes marijuana, they will in turn do the real bad drugs, excuse me, but I do not believe marijuana is a drug in the first place. It is a weed, and it is a peacemaker, hmmm, I wonder, could this be another reason why the government does not want us to use it, peace...for them peace means less cops, less jail time, less attorneys necessary, that is no good for the government.

I can not wait until the day when people wake up and they legalize marijuana....

   The notion of a "drug-free America" is a neurotic fantasy, and the "War On Drugs" is a psychotic delusion.

   We've all heard the old psychologist's joke about the difference between neurotics and psychotics - 'Neurotics build castles in the sky, psychotics live in them.'

   The notion of a "drug-free America" is a neurotic daydream, a castle-in-the-sky. (--'*Sigh,* wouldn't it be nice if there were no drugs?'--)

   The "war on drugs" is a psychotic delusion. Not only are people trying to live in this castle-in-the-sky, they want to force us all to live in it. It's a psychosis, and it's leading to violent and aggressive behavior. It's making our society a danger to itself and to those around it.

     Did everyone get on here to disagree with everyone else and make derogatory comments? 

All I have to say is " At least the USA is getting over the retardation of weed laws"

Smoke on!!

Right direction, wrong law. They could of done better.

Hello Prop 19 Supporters!

I have something that I think that even staunch supporters of Legalization have considered, or at least tout as another good reason for Legalization. Something that may be another plus for the economy. It may appear as a selfish reason. Perhaps on some level it is. I would like to present it as a fact.

Fact is, if Marijuana were legalized, millions in this country would be saving a great deal of money.

Right now, I pay a lot for my ounce due to it's illicit status. I would have a fair amount more discretionary income every month if the price were to drop significantly. Money that I could choose to spend or save, both of which are a positive to our economy.

We do not need Legalized Marijuana in our Country period. Pot is nothing but an excuse not to do anything with your life. It also leads to harder drugs. Dont tell me it doesnt. You are lieing to yourself. The governor of Calif. needs to go to N.A. meetings. Christ Jesus is the Answer. Our Lord can set you free. If you would open yourself to him. I have 15 years clean off of Alcohol Prayer is what did it! Thank You Jesus

you realize, under national law, it still remains illegal due to the supremacy clause

Supremacy clause? If local and State cops are not arresting people for possession and or cultivation, who's gonna do it? Not the DEA, there aren't enough officers in the State. Or the Nation. Or the world. Think about it. to keep pot illegal, the Feds would have to virtually duplicate every local PD in terms of manpower. The States have no mandate to enforce Federal  Law where it conflicts with the laws of their State. Beyond a lot of Bluster and gesticulating, what can they really do?....police enforce the laws. The Feds can't do it alone and the Supreme court MAY not let them do it under the fourteenth (?) amendment.

Just getting in position for some votes. Remember me I freed up the weed. Check the demolition man movie with sly stallone. the swaznegger presidential library

There's one thing I'd like to mention, and it doesn't really have anything to do with this bill.  It's more to do with the discussion on the chatboard.  I'd just like to add to the discussion.

I am one of the small number of people who react really badly to marijuana smoke.  One puff, or even extended second-hand smoke, and I experience moderate to major full-body pain for a few hours or more.  It's a muscle/skin/joint thing.  It's not specific to pot, it's more a matter of being sensitive to some plants - I can avoid all of them except for whatever's airborne, obviously.  Although, I should mention that it seems to be limited to strong West Coast pot breeds - the lighter Thai breeds don't bother me - even though all breeds send me into headspins for hours.  And no, given the pain I suffer after breathing it, I'm not inclined to try and build up a tolerance so that I can function after inhaling some  ;)

I think that smoking marijuana, ingesting THC, whatever, should be allowed.  I also think that, because marijuana's a very active substance, the places where it can be smoked should be, well, not so much restricted as cordoned off or considerately applied.  I'm not hoping to restrict people, I'm hoping to keep the smoke contained - walls, fans, doors - or dissipated and away from entry ways and sidewalks.  I'd hate to have to run yards of smoke gauntlets along the sidewalk.  Basically I'm hoping not to have to curtail going out to restaurants, band venues and the like because of increased smoke, and I'm afraid of gaining a heavy smoking neighbor in an old Bay Area building with cross-wall ventilation issues or windows smack against each other, especially if it would mean I'd have to close my windows in the summer.  Does that make sense?

For me, marijuana smoke isn't "a smell" (it actually smells nice).  It's an air-borne particle that makes my nerve endings seize up and can turn me into a designated driver who's not fit to drive (it's already my turn to be hanging tough, why make it harder on me by blowing smoke my way).  But, it's also a popular libation and for many people it's a medicine.  So, I'm hoping for a middle ground that isn't heavy-handed on the government side.  Some citizen-driven ideal in which people who smoke can be free, in general, to smoke it, while also being kind to their fellows who react poorly to it.  Maybe that means special smoking rooms in drafty apartment buildings... maybe it means smoking by the window with a fan on.  I'm not sure.  It's touchy.  But I would really like to see a solution that allows people to do their own thing without harming others.  I would like to see marijuana completely decriminalized; I would hope that some day it's not even an infraction.  I just wonder how that can be accomplished when enough second-hand smoke can make bystanders slightly high and sometimes slightly sick.  If the smoke isn't contained, either by law or by custom, I don't see how it can ever be made fully legal in places where people congregate.  But... perhaps containment is the route to legalization.  I'm not sure.  I hope so.

I hope that marijuana smokers can understand.

Best,

Rebecca

Rebecca, unless I've read it wrong, smoking in public would still be illegal. It's already illegal in most places to smoke tobacco, including city parks and within twenty-five feet of any public doorway here where I live. I should think the same sensible regulations would apply to pot smoking.

Voters under 21 cant have weed under prop 19,but they can vote to pass it.The lawyers that back 19 think teens are too stupid to read the bill.Also it wipes out medical pot.The term notwithstanding means previous laws on pot no longer apply.There goes our rights under 215..Read the bill kids...

The few people against to this have heard to much propaganda about how pot damages the brain. The only proof that even showed brain cell loss was in a monkey. That poor guy was supposed to get the level of 2 joints a day over a few month period. The guys that did it were lazy and did like 2 oz a day over 15 min over periods of 15 mins. Ok, only 15 mins a day without oxygen would start to kill anyones brain cells; it's like drowning. Every smoker I've ever met realizes breathing good air in between smoking is fairly important. If you don't want to be high fine, but why try and tell other people what they can do? Get a life and enjoy that. Do you care what others drink and what sort of porn they may or may not watch? Of course you do, because your nose is so big even big brother say your too much in people business, back off off and let smokers smoke. It's not like it effects weither your god is real or not.

I do not think this proposition 19 ends prohibition of the plant.

Feels rushed with no comprehensive plan for the true ending of prohibition of the plant.

Too many things are side stepped.

Employment discrimination seems like a big one

Why is it your fellow employee can use alcohol on his or her off work hours, yet if you choose to not use alcohol and cannabis instead you are at risk of losing a career. Currently not even medical users have this protection. That is a form of prohibition in another form.

http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=5637 

If 19 is supposed to be the will of the people?  It feels Incomplete and not comprehensive enough.

Price will go down for recreational users after 19 and yet its not currently for medical users now. Why? So your charging the sick people that may really need it high prices until you expand your markets? 

 Oops i twisted ending prohibition into my own profit model.

This feels rushed and quite possibly tainted at the source if only by circumstance. In my opinion.

I think that I would like to see less people in jail for non violent crimes think of all the tax payers money going to our police state when these funds can go toward education & health even to build houses for the homeless, of course there is nothing non violent about drug cartels but if someone sparks up after a long day in there own home its their business. People deserve the right for student loans & being able to vote as a US citizen should never be taken away over drug charges. I don't smoke but I can see so many benefits its such a profitable cash crop & has hundreds of different uses save the trees create more clean air Im sure it could be used for fuel lol create real hydro cars jk. I would hope that people would smoke responsibly as for smoking around children its no better to smoke around children then some trashy people who drink thier 40's & hard liquor with their kids around responsible is to grab a glass a wine for dinner when dining out with the family drugs are drugs, in Arkansas people cant smoke in their car if  a child is present, not to mention it helps aid pms so people need to stop pms-ing. I think we also need to look at other countries & learn from their success's & mistakes. Law enforcement is so crooked I think of several cops that traffic people paying others off. I hate seeing people driving under the influence is totally irresponsible if people could use & enjoy thier 'freedoms' in a responsible manner we wouldnt have half the problems today. Sometimes abuse of power & freedom is not a good mix. The constitution was written on hemp. I think Ive seen more violent people on meth or that have been drinking to be honest. I do see how any drug over along time could effect someones brain chemistry. I have noticed a change in some pot smokers that insinuate that its been mixed with something that makes them 'addicted' acting like crack heads, real pot isnt addicting. I just hope our kids make the right choices and stay clear of the rave scene & dont OD like my brother did, he died in a rave house because people where so afraid of getting busted. This is coming from someone that at the age of 5 a certain family member use to have me carry their pot on the block in the ghetto even smoking it with people at the barber shop, I would rather see people in the ghetto stone on pot then crack or drinking just saying.  This could be very well more a class issue in the grand design, while prestine college students get away with murder sometimes loosing fin aid isnt enough with thier wealthy families paying people off. I dont know what the soluition is but we are taxed to death in a recession loss of jobs & hope makes people want to drink or spark up, I dont think our fore fathers intended our system to be as croorupt as it is even though they started on that foot, seriously ben franklin counterfited & he is like on a hundred dollar bill. People are greedy & corrupt these days its just the lesser of evils sad but true. If we where so concerned about economy we would impose more regulations on foreign trade & labor. My uncle lives in canada & enjoys his stash they have less crime there. sorry just rambling dont see what the big debate is about, progress is good i just hope we as a people evolve as well.

It's up to you California!!  I can't wait for the day when I can puff a joint and not feel guilty about it.

The news of decriminalization is welcome indeed. Now hopefully the rest of the country will eventually follow. I have lived my life as a "seudo" criminal due to my marijuana use. Thank the gods that civilization is finally waking up from the disease that is the far right wingers. Damn Richard Nixon,damn them all to hell!!

i'm going to be honest here. ok here goes... I smoke pot. yup that's right i do and i enjoy it. i remember the first time i drank as well. well i really don't actually all i remember is a broken arm people laughing at me and no idea how it happened. my first time with weed ? i sat and watched The Day After Tomorrow and remember the night very well which was alot of fun.

honestly im not going to repeat what hundreds of people are saying to get it through to those people who are hard headed instead take the link to this sight that compares many drugs and alcohol and there related deaths,OD, rate of abuse on a drug or alcohol and much much more

http://www.saferchoice.org/content/view/24/53/   

remember read before you speak. you wont sound like such a dumass when you do. :D

That's one giant step closer to freedom. Thank you Governor. Marijuana is a lot safer to breathe in than cigarettes, especially if it's vaporized. Marijuana is also a lot safer than alcohol. People die from alcohol even after just one night of drinking too much. There has never been a single reported death from marijuana use and it never reportedly caused cancer for anybody ever in history. It's truly amazing about how much false information there is on marijuana. I have been smoking marijuana for the past 5 years of my life and I can still run perfectly fine for even a couple miles in one go. In fact, I plan on becoming a US marine. I weight lift 5 days out of the week and you would never even guess that I smoke marijuana especially for the last 5 years of my life. To tell you the truth, you would probably think I was a cop or already in the military. Marijuana should be totally legal in every state and every country completely. Marijuana is a natural plant for goodness sake. Keep in mind, you don't even have to smoke it to get high. And I'm not talking about second hand smoke. I'm talking about eating it. It's time for legalization.