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Personal Marijuana Use

Marijuana Will be Legal Soon (And if You Don't Like it, Move to Canada)

If I didn't want legal marijuana in America, I'd be seriously unsettled by the existence of a national marijuana holiday that gets more press than Thanksgiving. The mere fact that multiple news organizations marked April 20th by conducting national polls on legalization is itself a profound statement about where we're headed, more so when you look at what those polls show:

*A national CBS poll found 44% support for legalization.

*A national AP/CNBC poll found that 56% believe marijuana should be treated the same or less strictly than alcohol.

*Another CBS poll found that 56% of Californians support legalization, as the issue heads to the ballot this Fall.

Maybe it won't happen this year or even the next, but it's just an indisputable fact that we're heading towards majority support for legalization. Those majorities could quickly move to end prohibition in many states, and there's little the opposition could say that hasn't been said a million times before. The American people have been subjected to decades of vicious anti-pot propaganda, and yet this is where we find ourselves.

If there was ever any doubt before, it should now be perfectly clear that those who've invested themselves in the political war on marijuana are fighting a losing battle. We'll soon be finding out who was right and who was wrong. The debate will be settled once and for all in the most logical way possible: letting adults buy marijuana at marijuana stores and seeing if our society gets destroyed.

Anyone who remains convinced that this can’t possibly work would be well advised to just wait it out. Let your apocalyptic theories speak for themselves once the law changes and if everything goes to hell, I'm sure you'll have a delightful time pointing that out to all of us. But don't waste your time and ours on an argument you're eventually going to lose anyway. If you're so worried about the children, go read them a book.

Public Opinion: California Support for Pot Legalization At 56% in New Poll

A SurveyUSA poll conducted this week for a consortium of California television stations showed majority support for marijuana legalization. An initiative that would do just that, Control and Tax Cannabis California 2019, will be on the ballot in November. The poll found that 56% of those surveyed responded affirmatively to the question, "Should the state of California legalize marijuana?" That's the same number as supported legalization in a Field poll a year ago this month. In this week's poll, only 42% answered negatively, with 3% undecided. People under 35 supported legalization by a margin of three-to-one (74%-25%), with support declining to 46% among the 35-to-49 age group, rising to 49% among the 50-64 group, then declining again to 39% among those 65 and older. Among all voters under age 50, support was at 61%, while among those over 50, it dropped to 46% The poll revealed a significant gender gap, with 65% of men supporting legalization, while a dramatically lower 46% of women supported it. That means legalization supporters will have to work to win over a key demographic. There was majority support for legalization among all ethnic groups except Hispanics, of whom only 45% wanted to free the weed. Support was highest among blacks (67%), followed by whites (59%), and Asians (58%). Somewhat surprisingly, there was majority support for legalization in all regions of the state, although only barely, except for the San Francisco Bay area, where support was at 65%. In Central California and the Inland Empire, support was at 54%, and in the Greater Los Angeles area, support was at 52%. The poll was conducted Tuesday and involved interviews with 500 adults across the state. It has a margin of sampling error of plus/minus 4.4%.

Happy 4/20

As support for marijuana prohibition continues to hemorage and calls for legalization reverberate louder than ever before, the 4/20 marijuana holiday has become much more than the official day to get stoned. Recent years have brought frenzied media coverage and cable TV specials, in addition to the famed improptu pot parties that just seem to escalate each year. It's a phenomenon, the very existence of which perfectly humiliates the great drug war army. Today we celebrate the culture that thrives despite decades of persecution and renew our commitment to the fight for freedom. A few links:

*Norm Stamper wants all you 4/20 revelers to Put Down That Joint and Pick Up a Pen, although maybe I should have mentioned this to you earlier in the day. Do not, I repeat, do not send letters to the editor if you're stoned off your ass.

*D.C.'s medical marijuana law takes another big forward step. This was a bit of a 4/20 surprise from the D.C. Council. We actually would have preferred that they wait a couple more weeks, so we'd have more time to push for amendments. If the law ultimately takes effect under the current regulations, we'll have some annoying problems. Nevertheless, the inevitable emergence of medical marijuana in the Nation's Capital is something to celebrate.

*A new AP-CNBC poll completely pukes all over our pot party. I'd like to know how they phrased the legalization question to come up with only 33% support. Every other recent poll is in the 40's. I call bullshit on this. A new CBS poll says 44%. That's more like it.

*You can download the book Marijuana is Safer today only. Click here.

*Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley is doing his best to interfere with California's legalization initiative. Someone give him a hug.

*Finally, since marijuana isn't truly legal yet anywhere in America, please take a few minutes to educate yourself about dealing with police. Click the link, dude. You'll love it. I swear.

Will the Economic Argument Help Legalize Marijuana? Yes.

It's been the most prominent talking point for marijuana reform in recent months, but can the promise of tax revenue really convince people to support legalization? A new poll attempted to find out:

AP-CNBC Poll: Legalizing pot won't boost economy

LOS ANGELES — Few people see legalized marijuana as a way to boost the economy and create jobs, according to an Associated Press-CNBC poll.

About a quarter of those polled said legalized pot would lead to more jobs in their communities; 57 percent said there would be no effect. About a third think the economy would improve, while 46 percent foresee no impact.
…
And while 62 percent approve of states taxing the drug, with people from the West most likely to back the idea, only a third felt the levies would make a significant contribution to state budgets.

As far as I'm concerned, if you can get 62% to approve of taxation, you're heading hard in the right direction. The AP headline pours cold water on the argument's viability, but the goal here was never to convince everyone that legalizing marijuana would end the damn recession. The point is to increase support for taxing marijuana.

Given the poor showing for the "create jobs" argument specifically, maybe we want to lean away from that and just emphasize tax revenue and savings. The whole idea of new marijuana-related jobs wouldn't impress our target demographic anyway. They are people who generally don't like marijuana and just want to hear less about it. Hopefully, we can sell them on supporting legalization in exchange for a little bit of tax revenue and a lifetime of not having to watch these massive initiatives come along every two years for the rest of their life.

Ultimately, the reality of marijuana reform messaging is that there's no silver bullet. Some arguments poll better than others, but when you actually talk to casual supporters, they're often oblivious to half the arguments anyway. There are dozens of distinct and sufficient reasons to legalize marijuana and our goal is simply to connect with swing voters one way if not another. The only arguments to really avoid are those that only make sense to people who already love the stuff.

Jack Herer Has Died

Jack Herer, author of "The Emperor Wears No Clothes," died this morning in Eugene, Oregon. He had been in ill health since suffering a heart attack at the Portland Hempstock Festival last Fall. Here's the report from the Salem News:
The Hemperor, Jack Herer has Died (SALEM, Ore.) - The sad news has been confirmed. Jack Herer, author of Emperor Wears No Clothes and renowned around the world for hemp activism, has died at 11:17 a.m. today, in Eugene, Oregon. Jack Herer suffered a heart attack last September just after speaking on stage at the Portland HempStalk festival. The last seven months have proven to be a huge challenge to the man, with several health issues making his recovery complicated. Jack Herer's health has been poor lately, this last week there have been reports of the severity, and an outpouring of prayers on his behalf. "It's shocking news, even after these last seven, trying months," said Paul Stanford, THCF Executive Director. "Jack Herer has been a good friend and associate of mine for over 30 years. I was there when he had the heart attack at our Hempstalk festival and I know he wouldn’t appreciate the quality of life he's endured these last months. Still he will be greatly missed. I honor his memory." "No other single person has done more to educate people all across the world about industrial hemp and marijuana as Jack Herer. His book is translated into a dozen different languages, it's a bestseller in Germany," added Stanford. "The Hempstalk stage will forever be the Jack Herer Memorial stage. And, a Memorial is planned to be built where he fell that day," Stanford said. "His legacy will continue to inspire and encourage for generations to come."

The Government is Still Trying (and Failing) to Prove That Marijuana is Dangerous

Ever heard someone argue against medical marijuana on the grounds that there hasn’t been enough research to prove that it works? There's been plenty, of course, but there would be even more if the government weren't spending all its grant money trying to prove that marijuana is poisonous instead of therapeutic:

The Medical College of Wisconsin will investigate the effects of chemicals in marijuana on the development of psychiatric disorders thanks to $1.7 million grant from the National Institute of Health's National Institute on Drug Abuse.
…
Using lab research and mouse models, this study will test the hypothesis that the primary psychoactive chemical in marijuana produces an over-activation of an enzyme in the brain and that this is responsible for the increased incidence of psychiatric disorders in marijuana users.

Last I checked, the "primary psychoactive chemical in marijuana" is widely available in an FDA-approved pill that the National Institute on Drug Abuse has never lobbied to take off the shelves. How concerned could they possibly be about the dangers of THC if they let doctors prescribe it to people?

The sick truth here is that their only agenda is to create negative headlines about marijuana, not to discover anything of actual scientific significance. That's why they spend their money dosing rats with powerful synthetic chemicals instead of studying the massive population of real medical marijuana patients who are using it successfully to treat a variety of illnesses.

The Best Argument Ever for Legalizing and Taxing Marijuana

Ok, maybe it's not the best ever, but this observation from the comment section of a recent article caught my eye:

I never did (and pretty surely never will do) pot, alcohol or cigarettes in my life so legalizing pot (or even cocaine, heroine, crack etc) won't change my life at all. as a matter of fact any taxation that doesn't affect my pocket is welcomed.

I see two different important points here:

1. Legalization doesn't mean that people who don't do drugs will have to start doing them.

2. If other people are paying taxes on a product you don't buy, that just means more government services for you.

It sounds like a really great deal, as long as you can keep yourself from becoming confused by the apocalyptic predictions of people whose job it is to hate and vilify drugs.

Teachers for Marijuana Legalization

More of this please:

Teachers union boss Randi Weingarten thinks it's high time marijuana is legalized.

Weingarten - head of the American Federation of Teachers and former president of New York's United Federation of Teachers - came out in support of a California proposition to legalize pot for personal use.
…
While advocates of legalization have applauded Weingarten, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America blasted her stance.

"Legalizing marijuana would just add another substance, along with alcohol, to the menu of intoxicants that are already too available - and harmful - to kids," said Partnership spokeswoman Josie Feliz. "It's hard for us to look on legalization as a positive." [NYDailyNews]

This "adding another substance to the list" argument just kills me every time. It's such a classic prohibitionist fantasy to pretend as though marijuana is just a theoretical concept, the dangerous risks of which remain entirely unknown thanks to prohibition. Please, oh please, can we legalize marijuana so I can finally give it a try?

The longer folks like the Partnership for a Drug-free America continue spouting such nonsense, the more we can expect to hear from prominent educators like Randi Weingarten who aren't buying it anymore.

Confusing Legalization With Prohibition

No matter how hard you struggle to explain the basics of the black market drug economy to supporters of the drug war, they stare blankly back at you. Yet, the instant you propose legalization, they will predict the creation of a massive criminal empire, as though it never existed before:

For starters, California will become a legitimate shipping and marketing point for the deadly weed. Such legalization will spur many entrepreneurs in California to invest in marijuana production and distribution because of the big money to be generated. An oversupply of marijuana will force some of these legalized pot cartels to set their sights on other states as their customers, even though it is illegal in those states, as in Alabama.

Secondly, the crimes associated with marijuana use and efforts to dominate the market will flood not only California, but the surrounding states. [Montgomery Advertiser]

If all of this sounds familiar, that's because it happened already. But it happened under prohibition, not legalization. It's as if our opponents have literally stolen all of our talking points and are now incoherently parading them around in a strange cynical attempt to confuse everyone. I guess that's not the worst strategy to deploy in a debate you've been losing for more than a decade.
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