Opponents of Marijuana Legalization Finally Noticed They're Losing the Debate
Well, as a few people pointed out to me, some of our opponents have been doing exactly that. Incredibly, the perpetually panic-stricken rapidly anti-legalization alarmists at National Families in Action have launched the But What About the Children? Campaign, which spells out the conditions under which legal marijuana would be acceptable to them:
12 Provisions to Protect Children if Marijuana is Legalized
Click on “Why”? to read the rationale for each provision. A complete copy of all 12 provisions and their rationales can be downloaded here: 12 Provisions to Protect Children if Marijuana is Legalized
1. No Advertising
An advertising ban on legal marijuana. Why?2. A Penalty Fee
on the marijuana industry for every underage user. Why?3. Automatic Repeal
of marijuana legalization if underage marijuana use exceeds certain levels.Why?4. No Product Placements
sponsorships, point-of-purchase marketing, or depictions in entertainment venues. Why?5. An Industry-Financed Fund
from marijuana profits to pay for the damage legal marijuana will do, so that taxpayers won’t have to pick up the tab. Why?6. A State Agency to Tax and Regulate
the marijuana industry, including marijuana purity and potency. Why?7. Licensed Growers, Distributors, and Retail Sellers
Marijuana sold only in licensed retail stores where no other products are sold. Why?8. No Drugged Driving
A ban on driving with marijuana in the systems of drivers or passengers. Why?9. No Drugged Employees or Students
A ban on people coming to work or school with marijuana in their systems. Why?10. Smoke-Free Laws Apply
No marijuana use where tobacco smoking is banned. Why?11. Marijuana Controlled by FDA
Marijuana placed under the control of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, like tobacco is now.
Why?12. A Surgeon General’s Report
on the impact of legal marijuana. Why?
The whole thing is really quite a project, with an entire dedicated website, blog posts, pictures, policy advisors and so on. On the surface, it really seems to suggest that some of the most hysterical anti-marijuana zealots on the planet are ready to compromise in exchange for a seat at the table, and if that's what this is, then it says a lot about how far the debate has come in just a few short years.
Buuuuut….if one goes clicking around through the numerous "Why?" links enumerating the campaign's conditions for regulated marijuana sales, you'll be reminded quickly who it is we're dealing with here. Their rules would make it illegal for anyone to attend work or school, or operate a motor vehicle with any amount of marijuana detectable in their system, which would mean any marijuana user would have to put their entire life on hold for about a week any time they took a puff.
They even propose that legalization be automatically canceled if use among 12-20 year olds rises above 5 percent, which is weird because use among 12-20 year olds is way higher than that already. So it's really just an unavoidable automatic cancelation provision designed to destroy legalization before it even starts, on the bizarre grounds that it didn't dramatically lower underage marijuana use.
There's more where that came from of course, and I'm left to wonder whether what we have here is actually a concession at all, as opposed to a weird sort of psychological warfare aimed at confusing everyone with onerous rules and ridiculousness, in the hopes that someone will be stupid enough to regulate any of this idiocy into existence. I really have no idea, but it's a fun read, and with numerous marijuana legalization measures hitting the ballot this year, there will likely be more where this came from.
Open your eyes
Do you really think kids are safe now?
When defending their
When defending their dangerous and counter-productive war on (some) drugs, prohibitionists often cite our obligation to 'The Children', but prohibition has made all of these 'at present illegal' substances available in schools and even prisons. So how has that helped our kids?
Prohibition has also raised gang warfare to a level not seen since the days of alcohol bootlegging in the United States. How has that helped our kids?
Prohibition has creating a prison-for-profit synergy with evil drug lords and terrorists. How has that helped our kids?
Prohibition has removed many of our cherished and important civil liberties. How has that helped our kids?
Prohibition has put many previously unknown and contaminated drugs on our streets. How has that helped our kids?
Prohibition has escalating Murder, Theft, Muggings, and Burglaries. How has that helped our kids?
Prohibition has overcrowding the courts and prisons, thus making it increasingly impossible to curtail the people who are really hurting and terrorizing others. How has that helped our kids?
Prohibition has evolved local street gangs into transnational enterprises with intricate power structures that reach into every corner of society, controlling vast swaths of territory, and with significant social and military resources at their disposal. How has that helped our kids?
yea right nfa
hey Scott the speakeasy man, i am a big fan of the speakeasy just to let you know - and i definitely agree with your analysis of the NFA's provisions but i'd like to point out two things that shows how kinda lost their position is now and going forward.
Thing 1 is, have you ever just skimmed through the ole Sun Tzu art of war? Well, practitioner, fan or otherwise, there's the idea of never letting the enemy know what your thinking, know what your planning etc. And like you've pointed out, this is an organization on the 'other side' of the debate... not our side of the debate... Sorta... for lack of better words, the, erm, 'enemy' if you will... note that i realize how jaded conservative ignorant calling them an enemy is. Well, i think by doing this they've allowed us a look at their psyche and how fragile and beaten they are now and realize this must be their hard line position, the ultimate fall back, for them, right now. That means wonders are possible.. kinda because
Thing 2 - remember this, this is a negotiation they're trying to put forward, and any savvy negotiator always comes to the table asking for everything but ultimately willing to agree to a little more or less than half of what they want (although i do realize perfectly well the foolhardiness of the 'enemy' and their position, 'cause they've consistently shown themselves to be all or nothing types.) There's no way they'd get everything, exactly how they wanted.
Some Valid Points
I actually agree with 1 and 4. No mass-media advertising. I think that is a fair concession. If America goes from all-out-war to all-out-weed it will drive the prohibitionists absolutely mad with rage, and that will backfire. We want our freedom, do we have to be stinking rich too? Once cannabis is culturally integrated then the people can talk about whether they need advertising for it.
It's worth our time as a movement to consider making concessions, instead of blankly shutting down all conversation with the other side.
I see this as very good progress, because the prohibitionists are finally moving to a position of negotiation instead of blind oppression.
Items 2,3,5,9,and 11 are all jokes though. They might sound appealing on first glance but it's just more big-government garbage.
Old Propaganda is Transparent
The National Families in Action (NFA) ploy is an ancient one. The idea behind NFA stipulations regarding marijuana legalization is to set goal posts so high that no pragmatic form of legalization can take place. Once this is done, it makes it appear as if it's the legalizers’ fault if things go wrong or can’t be accomplished, as will be the case by what has been defined as a legalization ‘success’.
As old schemes go, I haven’t seen the NFA one used since high school in the 70s. In the Nixon era, hairstyles and hair lengths threatened high school dress codes as well as cranky old authoritarians who felt the world would end if male high school students grew facial hair. The school superintendent basically said students could grow their hair out as long as it didn’t look long or unkempt. What constituted ‘long or unkempt’ clearly remained a subjective opinion by the principal or administration. A lawsuit finally settled the matter in favor of student freedom, and school dress codes in the state finally aligned with the constitutional guarantees of free expression.
Free expression of the altered state of consciousness is what is being fought for now, among other things. The threat of pot to authoritarians and reactionaries is as vapid as it was for hairstyles. In the case of marijuana legalization, there is nothing to fear but fear itself.
Giordano
Pure and simple insanity.
Pure and simple insanity. Every word of it is insanity. Notice how they keep saying it needs to be regulated like tobacco and alcohol? Notice how they keep mentioning that the regulation of tobacco and alcohol has not worked to keep those things away from kids? Pure insanity!
This is great news. I think
This is great news. I think it should be thought of as a starting point to work out a compromise that all parties can live with. Honestly points 1,5,6,8,10 & 12 arent totally unreasonable (though not necessarily for the reasons their website gives) & it may be necessary to have point 7 included just to get a majority vote ( i.e Washingtons I-502). Also point 9, while imo it shouldn't be mandatory, private employers & private institution ought to still have the right to give drug tests if they so choose( I honestly believe those companies/schools wouldnt do as well as their cannabis friendly counterparts & gradually you would see the practice disapear.) Its important to realize that the only way to make progress here is through a little bit of compromise.
look at the no drugged
look at the no drugged driving and the no work or school parts its ridiculous to test such things by urine test since ya know it takes about a month to get out of your system. its like "well too bad i smoked a joint with my buddy last week only 3 more weeks till i can drive and be productive again"
the M word
Any argument you have toward marijuana can be compared to alcohol. We dont want our children drinking underage but it happens just like it does with smoking. But look at the facts and in the end it looks a lot better for my child to smoke marijuana underage than getting drunk not saying i want him to. I say regulate it on the guidelines of alcohol, and lets see how fast this country gets out of debt with the jobs, revenue, and tourist attraction that this will bring. Marijuana can do nothing but help everyone in this country in many more than one way.
REVOLUTIONARY
This set of demands is the most amazing, revolutionary transformation of position I have ever seen. This list is the moment for which every reform advocate has waited.
Notice what is not in the list: continued placement of cannabis in a Schedule in the Controlled Substances Act.
You have won. If NFIA is really agreeing (quietly) to take cannabis out of the Controlled Substances Act, then everything else is just a matter of detail, because it is the Controlled Substances Act classification that makes policy change practically impossible.
To all of you who said some of the proposals seems reasonable, this is a key moment to engage that set of proposals and start negotiating with the other side.
To all of you who said those proposals are bad - what more do you want from your opposition? They have functionally handed you the keys to the kingdom by even proposing that they HAVE conditions for legalization?
Don't you see - they are engaging in the thought experiment.
It’s A Setup
They already know what they intend to do. It’s obvious, and it’s not a thought experiment.
You want to negotiate with these creeps? This is what will happen if you do, I guarantee it:
Sure, you may be able to ascend to their lofty standards for reconciling marijuana prohibition conflicts and issues, but it won’t be enough. If you succeed, the day you walk into their office to claim your reconciliation paycheck, it’s going to be, “Sorry. We were just KIDDING…we never had any intention of letting you scrubs smoke pot legally….”
It’s the same when prohibitionists want to conduct a research study about marijuana before making a decision about legalization. The Schafer Commission Report and Nixon is a famous example. Nixon says, let’s study the issue, and they do. When the Schafer Commission Report cleared marijuana of the hysterical charges against it, the attitude became “I was just KIDDING…I never had any intention of letting you scumbags smoke pot legally…besides, arresting you guys gets me more votes from the law-and-order crowd” (to paraphrase). Nixon literally threw the Shafer report into his wastebasket.
It’s important to note that the NFIA is not the government or a legal-sanctions capable body. It’s just an NGO sucking grant money out of the federal trough. They have no governmental power to implement their deal or offer, even if they’re legit. They have an anti-drug agenda. That’s what we know.
Beating prohibition politically means beating it the way the Allies physically trashed Germany in WWII. Flatten it. Obliterate it and leave big empty spaces where atrocities once stood. It’s essential to make the government and its authoritarians know they’ve been beaten, and beaten harder than they could possibly imagine, or they’ll just keep starting more wars.
Giordano
I can't agree more
Some people never realize the depth of the fanaticism involved on the part of the opposition. True Believer ideologues that are willing to lie to achieve their goals cannot be expected to 'play nice'; they can and have used every trick they could to maintain prohibition. In every State with MMJ laws, they immediately seek through their equally purblind allies in the legislatures to chip, chip, chip away on the established laws until they are practically nullified.
You don't kill vampires by cutting off their feet. And in the case of really nasty ones, you don't stop with stakes through the heart, either. Silver hollow-point bullets loaded with garlic juice, dipped in holy water and stamped with a crucifix fired from an automatic weapon with several magazines full of the same in reserve are in order.. Because otherwise, they might come back. Just like prohibs always do. It's not overkill when your survival is at stake
Which is why when it comes to this issue, half-hearted moves like 'decrim' won't cut it. Decrim remains a Sword of Damoclese hanging over the thread of every cannabis consumer, and the prohibs will do everything they can to weaken that hair that suspends that sword. The sword must be taken down...COMPLETELY. Leave nothing for the prohibs to stand on. No allowing legislation that incorporates stupid regulations that make cannabis seem more dangerous than alcohol.
But even more important, and I cannot emphasize this enough: the prohibs must be dragged into court and made to testify under oath regarding the scientific basis for cannabis prohibition.
So long as they can dodge the legal 'silver bullet of perjury for their bald-faced, outright mendacity about cannabis, the prohibs will be able to continue to spew their lies with impunity. The second they are forced onto the witness stand and made to realize that they can do nothing but perjure themselves the moment they open their mouths, you'll see lots of covered-mic conversations with their lawyers resulting in a long string of 5th Amendment pleas.
The prohibs need to know there are very real penalties for doing what they do: LIE. When they learn that, they'll get real quiet, real quick.
war crime trials for prohibitionist
But what about children sniffing petrol and glue? Let them have the SAFER choice.
And what about the drunken fathers who bash their women and children. Get those guys a smoke and half our domestic abuse will just disappear.The fact is, these crints are criminals who have supported a regime of terror and murder of the weakest people in our community, those who have terminal illness and chronic pain. This mass torture and murder happens as a result of a campaign of widespread persecution throughout the community. These are crimes against humanity. When the war is over we will give the prohibitionists a fair trial and put them in prison for the rest of our lives. The only thing on the list I agree with is the smoke one. Every one has the right to clean air and I don't want to smell any smoke when I am eating in a restaurant. Apart from that, Legalize! Apologize! Compensate! And let's get started on the war trials.
i go to that club in the
i go to that club in the picture =D
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