Recently, in a letter to former DEA administrators, Attorney General Eric Holder said:
"We will vigorously enforce the [federal law] against those individuals and organizations that possess, manufacture or distribute marijuana for recreational use, even if such activities are permitted under state law."
This carefully-timed statement is an attempt to take the steam out of the Prop. 19 movement. But the fact of the matter is states can decide their own marijuana laws, and if Proposition 19 passes it will effectively legalize marijuana in California.
Polls continue to show Proposition 19 at about even odds of passing, and thanks to the help of supporters like you, we've been able to work with the "Yes on 19" campaign to launch a significant TV and online ad campaign as well as make thousands of calls to California voters and raise money to get out the vote. It's this sort of activism that will tip the scales on Election Day.
Back in 1996, the federal government said the medical marijuana initiative in California was a symbolic gesture at most because they would continue to criminalize all marijuana use. Now, fourteen other states and the District of Columbia have functioning medical marijuana laws. It was politically-motivated saber rattling then -- just as Attorney General Holder's statement is today.
Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.
