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Special Report: New Labor Groups Organize Marijuana Workers

In the last nine months, Eric Engstrom has been criss-crossing California as president and co-founder of Union Local 13, whose motto, “Don't Leaf Us Out,” describes the efforts to unionize marijuana cultivators, processors and distributors. Unionization of marijuana workers already is under way elsewhere. Members of Teamsters Local 70 in Oakland added nearly 40 new members in September when they organized the nation's first group of unionized marijuana growers — vowing to raise their wages from $18 per hour to $25.75 an hour within 15 months.
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What the Feds Can Do About Prop 19

Attorney General Eric Holder, President Obama’s top law-enforcement officer, has said the administration will “vigorously enforce” federal drug laws in California if Proposition 19 wins at the ballot box. For all the trails that approving Proposition 19 would blaze, much of its impact would depend on the extent to which Holder follows through on that threat.
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Opioid Safety Is Focus of $1 Million-A-Year Educational Initiative

A group that represents patients living with pain has launched an initiative aimed at educating physicians and patients on how to prescribe and use opioids and other pain treatments safely. The $1 million-a-year project is called Pain Safety & Access for Everyone, or PainSAFE. It comes in response to a rise in deaths and overdoses related to opioid abuse and controversy over how the drugs are marketed.
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Democrats Responsible for Drug War on Black and Latino Men, Ruining Countless Lives (Opinion)

It’s a bit shocking to grasp the role that the Democratic Party, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, have played in undermining the lives of hundreds of thousands of young minority men. In a very hard-hitting op-ed on October 24th, “Smoke and Horrors” New York Times Saturday columnist Charles Blow, citing the work of City University Professor Harry Levine, makes four truly mind-jolting points.
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Chronicle

Prop 19 "Robo-Polling" Shows Majority Support

The Yes On 19 campaign Friday released an internal poll showing that likely voters support the initiative to control and tax marijuana by a margin of 56-41 when presented with an automated questionnaire but are less likely to state their support to live interviewers.
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Prop 19 Down in LA Times Poll

Two out of three polls this week show Prop 19 trailing, and today's LA Times/USC poll has the worst numbers yet. Ongoing get-out-the-vote efforts, or a late turnout surge, would be the initiative's best chance to free the weed this year.
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In The Trenches

LEAP's Dispatches from the Front Line...October 2010

                    October 2010: Special Edition on California's Proposition 19

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Dear friends:

We are witnessing a truly pivotal moment in drug policy reform. In just a few short weeks, California voters will have the opportunity to vote for Proposition 19: The Regulate, Tax and Control Cannabis Act of 2010. Prop 19 will put police priorities back where they belong by allowing law enforcers to do their jobs more effectively, ending the arrest of nonviolent marijuana users and making the streets safer for everyone. Whether you are a resident of California or not, Prop 19 affects all of us. The passage of this initiative would be a major victory for the drug policy movement and will impact every state, laying the groundwork for future reform and serving as a model for legalized regulation. 

LEAP’s speakers, particularly those based in California, have been hard at work to support Prop 19. On  September 13, LEAP held a press conference, which received significant media coverage, to announce our endorsement of the initiative. Since then, our speakers have been in high demand in the national and local California press to discuss Prop 19 from a law enforcement perspective. LEAP has also partnered with the Just Say Now campaign calling on President Obama to join the debate about legalizing and regulating marijuana. To make your voice heard, please sign the petition here.

As Election Day draws closer, Proposition 19 has a majority of support in the polls, but the vote will be close. If you are a resident of California, please VOTE, and remind everyone you know to vote. Today, October 18, is the deadline for voter registration in California.


LEAP is at the forefront of drug policy reform, and our speakers have a credibility that cannot be ignored. Your genorosity sustains our work. To make a contribution to LEAP, please click here. 



Read on for more about what our speakers have been doing in support of Proposition 19…

Sincerely,
LEAP Staff

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Neill Franklin, Kyle Kazan and Judge Jim Gray on CNN




Retired Maryland State Police Major and executive director of LEAP Neill Franklin, former Torrance, CA police officer Kyle Kazan, and retired Orange County Superior Court Judge James Gray appeared on CNN to discuss the urgent need for legalization and regulation.





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Joseph McNamara and Norm Stamper on CBS Evening News and Fox News Channel


Former San Jose, California Police Chief Joseph McNamara and former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper – who spent 28 years of his law enforcement career with the San Diego Police Department – appeared on CBS Evening News in support of Proposition 19.









Chief McNamara also appeared on Fox News Channel’s Fox and Friends to talk about why it’s time to legalize marijuana. 







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Stephen Downing on MSNBC





Retired Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Stephen Downing presents the case for legalization on MSNBC.








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LEAP in the News in California

 

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Our speakers have been making waves in the local California media, and as election day approaches, LEAP's visibility continues to increase. Among the many news features on LEAP were Leo Laurence, a former deputy sheriff, recently featured on NBC News 11 as he spoke to students at Imperial Valley College in Imperial, CA, and former Sutter County, CA deputy sheriff Nate Bradley appearing on CBS 5 News.  


To view more videos featuring LEAP speakers, please visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/copssaylegalizedrugs



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All of this work happens because of generous donations from our supporters.
Your gift to LEAP is tax-deductible. Donate now to show your commitment to ending the war on drugs.

           

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Law Enforcement Against Prohibition is an ever-expanding group of criminal justice professionals and civilian supporters calling for an end to the war on drugs. Trained criminal justice professionals are available to speak to your club or association about their experiences in the drug war and the need to create drug policies that stand the test of reason. Invite a speaker to your town today.

 
In The Trenches

Sensible Voter Guide: Marijuana on the Ballot in Colorado

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 "Sensible" Voter Guide 

Which cities are voting to ban dispensaries? 

Which candidates support marijuana reform? 

Find out below!

 

Candidates Stance on Marijuana

See SAFER's candidate survey HERE.

Municipalities Voting on Marijuana Issues

Counties: Alamosa, Broomfield, Conejos, Costilla, Custer, Douglas, El Paso (Contact: 719 213 3993 or HERE), Eagle (Contact: EMBA, 970-569-3701), Las Animas, Mesa (Contact: 970 270 8394, [email protected]), Moffat, Montrose, Otero, Park, and Washington.

Cities:   Aurora, Federal Heights, Jamestown, Broomfield,  Antonito, Sugar City, Paonia, Lone Tree, Castle Pines, Minturn, Elizabeth,  Ramah, Fountain, Granby, Fraser, Hot Sulphur Springs, Town of Lake City, Loveland, Windsor (Contact: 970-222-5555, [email protected] ), De Beque, Dinosaur, Olathe, Hill Rose, La Junta, City of Ouray, Pueblo, Akron, and Otis. 

Other Issues

California is currently voting to regulate marijuana for adults over 21 statewide.  Learn about the campaign HERE.

In Colorado, Prop. 102 seeks to fill the jails with mid-level drug offenders, by denying them reasonable bond.  Learn more HERE.

Sensible Colorado | PO Box 18768 | Denver CO 80218

 
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Cops Under Pressure to Deny They Support Legalizing Marijuana

During California gubernatorial debates last week, Meg Whitman was asked about her position on Proposition 19 and marijuana legalization and said: "Every single law enforcement official in this entire state is against Proposition 19." "She's absolutely wrong...A lot of police officers both retired and on duty are in favor of passing it because they realize that the 'war on drugs' has failed and is going to fail," said former San Jose Chief of Police Joseph McNamara. Scores of former officials recently signed a letter saying that marijuana prohibition only fuels more dangerous crime by enriching Mexican drug traffickers who put guns on American streets -- but every member of the California police department waited until after they'd retired to sign.
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Medical Marijuana Advocate Michelle Rainey Dies from Cancer

Michelle Rainey, the organizational force behind Marc Emery’s marijuana-based business empire in Canada, has died from cancer. She had lived with Crohn’s disease since she was a teenager and in the last years of her life struggled against melanoma and lymphatic cancer. Sadly, she did not live to see the historic marijuana legalization vote that will occur in California on Nov. 2.
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Texas National Guard Soldier Killed in Mexico Went Despite Warning

Pfc. Jose Gil Hernandez, a Texas National Guard soldier, was gunned down in violent Ciudad Juarez. He crossed the border despite the Guard urging soldiers not on active duty to stay out of Mexico. Hernandez is at least the third American serviceman killed in Juarez since the drug prohibition war began.
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Colorado OKs Medical Marijuana Help for Poor

The Colorado State Board of Health approved a program through which poor medical marijuana patients can apply to the state registry for free and not have to pay sales tax on their cannabis purchases. But the standard the board approved for determining who is poor enough to qualify for the program upset medical marijuana advocates, who said some indigent patients will still be stuck with a bill. And even some board members expressed frustration that the health department — which has received millions of dollars in application fees since the medical marijuana program began — couldn't put together a program that includes more patients.
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Peru Wants More US Aid for Drug War; New Ambassador Hints 'No'

Peruvian President Alan García met with President Obama over the summer and directly accused Washington of pushing cocaine growth into Peru. The world's second-largest cocaine producer, Peru has asked for more US aid in combating drug trafficking and blamed Washington's policies for driving coca plant production in the country. Despite Peru's leaders repeatedly calling in recent months for more US aid in fighting drug trafficking, the new US ambassador said in her first media interview that resources are limited.
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You're Either For Legalizing Marijuana or You're Against It

A peculiar phenomenon amidst the deafening debate over Prop 19 is the tendency of some in the mainstream press to pay lip service to legalization, while simultaneously and dishonestly trashing the only available opportunity to actually do it: