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Marijuana Laws Need Reform

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:15:31 +0100

By ISO 420

"If used responsibly, marijuana does not affect you in any negative way." - ISO 420

    Two years ago, Virginia resident Michael Lewis Easton was arrested for growing marijuana in his garage. His girlfriend, Debra Allyn Morris, was also arrested for conspiracy to manufacture 50 or more marijuana plants. Police found 20 to 30 plants in the garage on Easton's property in January 2007. He admitted to growing 20 to 30 plants previous to the ones found during the search. Easton admitted to using the marijuana as well as selling to some of his friends. As a marijuana user myself, meeting many growers and sellers in the past, those that grow marijuana usually do not sell for a profit, but simply to pay for their grow supplies. They typically want to keep as much of the marijuana as they can for medicinal or recreational use. Regardless of what his intentions were for selling it, had it been taxed, Easton alone could have easily earned the government $6000 a year had the government charged as little as $10 per plant as a growing tax and taxed the sale of the marijuana to a dispensary, similar to how California regulates its medical marijuana growing.

    Instead, this victimless crime will end up costing the tax payers nearly $100,000 with the 15 months of federal prison time given to Easton on January 5, 2009 and the 12 months of time given to his girlfriend that same day (not to mention the thousands more spent on the investigation and trial of the couple). This has also cost Easton and Morris their house, his business as a home renovation contractor, and their right to vote and to uphold their Second Amendment. It will also affect the couple in their future after finishing their sentences as they will have to disclose prior convictions on job applications or at interviews. It will be nearly impossible for Easton to get a loan to start his business back, not to mention his ruined reputation in the town.

    What an American does in their own home is their business. If a citizen decides to smoke weed, that's their right. If they want to keep that alternative lifestyle a secret, that's their right. Every day over a thousand Americans are embarrassed and their right to privacy is violated as law enforcement shares their secrets with newspapers, local TV stations, and online reporters. I myself have essentially been forced to move away from the small town I grew up in as the people I went to church with and worked with saw me as just some stoner or pot head. Had I not been arrested for a victimless crime, no one would have known. Now that my secret is out, I have come to realize that I should fight for my beliefs instead of letting society make me feel like I should be ashamed of those beliefs. God put marijuana on this Earth. If you believe it is wrong to do, that’s your right. If I believe that cannabis was given to us to by God for us to use, who are you to say I am wrong? Only God can judge me. God did not create narcotics; people created heroin, crack, methamphetamine, LSD, PCP, ecstasy, acid and even prescription pills.

    If used responsibly, marijuana does not affect you in any negative way. It's beneficial medically, mentally, and emotionally. The medical advantages of marijuana alone should be reason enough to legalize it without question. There are dozens of diseases, conditions, and common ailments that marijuana treats, without the harmful side effects that come with prescription or OTC alternatives. Marijuana can ease pain, reduce stress and anxiety, treat insomnia, treat depression, treat ADD and ADHD, and even reduce skin cancer. It has also been found to stunt tumor growth in lung cancer. More and more medical and scientific studies are completely disproving the lies the government has been feeding Americans ever since the release of Reefer Madness in 1937.

    Alcohol is legal because our government feels that at 21 years old we are responsible enough to purchase and consume alcohol because we should be responsible enough at that age to know our drinking limits and to know not to drink and drive. Let’s not forgot, though, that alcohol kills over 100,000 Americans each year, even if we ARE responsible with our drinking habits. Over 4 billions prescriptions are filled each year and when these prescriptions are used responsibly, patients often times get better, yet sometimes patients are irresponsible and overdose (or even at no fault of their own, they can have allergic reactions or interactions with other drugs). Prescription drugs kill thousands of Americans each year. On the other hand, marijuana is virtually impossible to overdose on.

    Studies have shown no harmful side-effects when subjects were given 7000 the amount of THC required for a "buzz" – try that with alcohol! (Don’t really try it; that would be a death wish). To break it down, 7000 times the amount required for a buzz from alcohol could kill nearly 300 average sized adults. Cigarettes kill almost half a million people every year -- that's over a thousand per day! With that known, the government still feels that if you're 18 years old, you're responsible enough to make the decision of whether or not you want to use tobacco. Marijuana accounts for zero deaths annually. Look it up. Which one do you think should be legal to purchase at 18? Do you want your citizens to have easy access to a product that results in killer cancer or a cancer killer? Think about it.

    On president-elect Obama's website, Change.org, Obama took questions from Americans to see what our top issues were. Of the top 15 questions, one requested to end the war on drugs, another asks to decriminalize marijuana, and the number one voted question calls for the legalization of marijuana. This is America's opinions. This is America's voice. This is not just one marijuana advocate speaking his mind, this is America speaking up. Listen to your voters. Legalize a harmless and beneficial plant and stop arresting people for a victimless crime. The only victim is the marijuana user being removed of their right to smoke marijuana, especially for medicinal purposes. Boost our economy, create new jobs, reduce the overcrowding prison populations, reduce crime, reduce narcotic use, and restore citizens' rights. It can all be done within Obama’s 4-year term by simply legalizing, regulating and taxing marijuana.

    Nearly $10 billion each year is spent due to over 800,000 annual marijuana arrests. Some believe this number to be upwards of nearly $50 billion when factoring in time lost when officers pursue, investigate, arrest, and process marijuana offenders on top of the court costs (especially the thousands of public defenders that have to be paid as the average American cannot afford a private attorney). With over 300 marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles alone (one dispensary for every 30,000 Americans), it's safe to assume that roughly 10,000 marijuana dispensaries could be opened in America if marijuana was to be legalized. With each dispensary needing multiple growers in order to be assured they have a full stock year-round, legalization of marijuana could create a million or more jobs by next election. Some may criticize the administration at first, but by the end of Obama’s first term most disbelievers will have witnessed first hand that legalization helped America. Instead of spending billions of dollars of the tax-payers’ money each year, we could be saving the tax payers that money as well as creating a new source of revenue for the government’s budget in our dismal economic times.

    Free Michael Easton, Debra Morris, and the thousands of other marijuana offenders in prisons and jails all across America. Stop lying to your citizens. Stop lying to the people that vote you into office. Stop punishing patients of medical marijuana. Stop spending billions of our tax dollars and bring a beginning to the end of this recession. If legalized, dozens of non-profit marijuana activist groups such as NORML, ASA, and even Christians for Cannabis could put their resources towards studying further medical advantages of marijuana instead of fighting for reform of the marijuana laws. The benefits of marijuana legalization are virtually endless.

Links

NORML -- www.norml.org

ASA -- www.SafeAccessNow.org

MPP -- www.mpp.org

ACLU -- www.aclu.org/drugpolicy/medmarijuana/index.html

LEAP -- www.leap.cc

Drug Science -- www.DrugScience.org

Christians for Cannabis -- www.ChristiansForCannabis.com

There Could Be a Way to Get the Medicinal Benefits from THC Without Getting High

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:22:35 +0100

If America would legalize marijuana, the government could some of the billions of dollars of earned from taxing marijuana to pay for further study on this. To find a way to extract the cannabinoids that would not result in a high so people who do not wish to be high after using the beneficial THC. -- ISO 420

The article comes from www.emedicinehealth.com

Chemicals in Marijuana May Fight MRSA

Study Shows Cannabinoids May Be Useful Against Drug-Resistant Staph Infections

By Caroline Wilbert
WebMD Health News

Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

Sept. 4, 2008 — Chemicals in marijuana may be useful in fighting MRSA, a kind of staph bacterium that is resistant to certain antibiotics.

Researchers in Italy and the U.K. tested five major marijuana chemicals called cannabinoids on different strains of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). All five showed germ-killing activity against the MRSA strains in lab tests. Some synthetic cannabinoids also showed germ-killing capability. The scientists note the cannabinoids kill bacteria in a different way than traditional antibiotics, meaning they might be able to bypass bacterial resistance.

At least two of the cannabinoids don't have mood-altering effects, so there could be a way to use these substances without creating the high of marijuana.

MRSA, like other staph infections, can be spread through casual physical contact or through contaminated objects. It is commonly spread from the hands of someone who has it. This could be in a health care setting, though there have also been high-profile cases of community-acquired MRSA.

It is becoming more common for healthy people to get MRSA, which is often spread between people who have close contact with one another, such as members of a sports team. Symptoms often include skin infections, such as boils. MRSA can become serious, particularly for people who are weak or ill.

In the study, published in the Journal of Natural Products, researchers call for further study of the antibacterial uses of marijuana. There are "currently considerable challenges with the treatment of infections caused by strains of clinically relevant bacteria that show multi-drug resistance," the researchers write. New antibacterials are urgently needed, but only one new class of antibacterial has been introduced in the last 30 years. "Plants are still a substantially untapped source of antimicrobial agents," the researchers conclude.

SOURCES: Appendino, G. Journal of Natural Products, 2008; vol 71: pp 1427-1430. News release, American Chemical Society.

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Hope Everyone Had A Great Christmas!! Here's a Poem for All to Enjoy! :)

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 04:47:16 +0100

A pot poem by Dana Larsen
Please share and distribute freely

GREEN BUDS AND HASH

Would you like green buds and hash?
- No I would not, Mister Stash!

Would you like them in a bong?
Would you like them all day long?

- No I would not in a bong!
- No I would not all day long!
- I do not like green buds and hash.
- I do not want them Mister Stash!

Would you like them wrapped in paper?
Will you try them now or later?

- I do not want them wrapped in paper.
- I don't want them now or later.
- I don't want them in a bong,
- I do not want them all day long.
- I do not like green buds and hash,
- I do not want them Mister Stash!

Would you like them in a joint?
- No I would not, what's the point?

Perhaps you would prefer a puff?
Just have one, that is enough.

- I won't partake, not of a puff,
- Nor a hoot, nor hit, nor huff!

Would you try a tiny toke?
- No I don't want any smoke!

What if they were vaporized?
- I've told you no a thousand times!

Would you, could you, in a cake?
Or in cookies I can bake?

- I do not want them in a cake,
- Or in cookies you could bake.
- I do not want them vaporized,
- Or other means you have devised.
- I do not wish to try a toke,
- Or otherwise inhale smoke.
- I won't participate in puffs,
- You have asked me quite enough!
- I get no joy from juicy joints,
- I really do not see the point.
- I do not want to use the bong,
- I think that buds and hash are wrong.

In a tincture would you take it?
I could show you how to make it.

- I do not want them in a tincture
- Or in any other mixture!
- I do not want green buds and hash,
- I do not want them Mister Stash!
- Why do you care if I try them?
- Will you profit if I buy them?

I offer buds and hash for free,
There is no benefit to me.
Someone said that that you were sick,
green buds and hash might do the trick.
If you find you're getting thinner,
With no appetite for dinner,
Or you suffer from sclerosis,
Epilepsy or neuroses,
For almost all the ills that ail ya,
buds and hash will never fail ya.
Have glaucoma? PMS?
Green buds and hash have much success.
For protection against strokes,
Its best to have some potent tokes.
If your muscles are not dandy,
Try some green bud infused candy.
For migraines, spasms, even cancer,
Green buds and hash provide the answer.
If you are not feeling right,
Then have green buds and hash tonight.

- It's true I am not feeling great,
- My health's been rather poor of late.
- My doctor says that I have ills,
- He told me I should take these pills.
- I cannot even sleep at night,
- I never do feel quite alright.
- I will try green buds and hash,
- I will try them Mister Stash!

Pfffffffffffffft!

- Hey now I am feeling good!
- They worked just like you said they would.
- I have never felt this fine!
- Green buds and hash are quite divine!
- I will bake a green bud brownie,
- Whenever I am feeling frowny.
- I will try them vaporized,
- That technique seems very wise.
- I will take them in a tincture,
- And in every other mixture.
- Perhaps I would prefer to puff,
- And stop when I have had enough.
- I will roll some massive joints,
- And smoke them down to little points.
- I will toke upon the bong,
- I will do it all day long.
- I really like green buds and hash,
- I do enjoy them Mister Stash!
- Thanks for being so insistent
- And for being so persistent.
- My mind and body are improved,
- My spirit also has been moved.
- Though I was told they are a sin,
- Green buds and hash are medicine.
- I'm sorry that I was so hateful,
- Now I know I should be grateful!
- Thank you, thank you, Mister Stash,
- Thank you for green buds and hash!

Will Arizona be Next in Marijuana Legalization?

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 00:42:58 +0100

Distribution control needed to legalize pot: Attorney General Terry Goddard

By Howard Fischer
Capitol Media Services
Published/Last Modified on Friday, December 26, 2008 1:06 PM MST

PHOENIX Attorney General Terry Goddard said Tuesday he might be willing to consider legalizing marijuana if a way can be found to control its distribution and figure out who has been smoking it.

Goddard said marijuana sales make up 75 percent of the money that Mexican cartels use for the other operations, including smuggling other drugs and fighting the Army and police in that country. He said that makes fighting drug distribution here important to cut off that cash.

He acknowledged those profits could be slashed if possession of marijuana were not a crime in Arizona. But Goddard said a number of other hurdles remain before that even becomes a possibility.

Goddard’s comments came following a press conference Tuesday announcing the breakup of a major ring that police said has been responsible for bringing about 400,000 pounds of marijuana across the border and into Arizona each year since 2003.

The operation has so far led to the indictment of 59 people and the arrest so far of 39 of them, some in this country legally and others who were not.

Phoenix Police Lt. Vince Piano said the operation was very sophisticated, complete with specially designed heavyduty trucks to actually let vehicles drive over the border fence.

They also had solarpowered radio towers and a network of lookouts who told the trucks, each carrying up to 2,500 pounds of marijuana, when to move and when to hide under camouflage. He said there even was a system of “food drops’’ to supply the drivers.

Piano said this operation was one of several under contract to Mexican drug lords to transport the marijuana from the border through the Tohono O’odham Reservation all the way to Phoenix.

Piano said busting this organization doesn’t stop the flow of drugs, saying this is one of several “transportation groups’’ working with the cartel. But he said it does disrupt at least part of the flow.

The issue of Arizona drug laws came up during questions about the operation of drug cartels and the violence associated with their operations, particularly in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.

“The key is, they will no longer exist when people don’t buy marijuana,’’ said Matthew Allen, special agent in charge of the office of investigations for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “This is a marketdriven economy and this is a marketdriven activity.’’

Allen said the question of legalization to eliminate those profits is a policy question.

“But if we’re going to go down that road, what is the acceptable amount of marijuana that you want a bus driver to have in their system,’’ he continued.

“I believe it’s zero,’’ Goddard said later.

Goddard said there is a lot of time and money spent on enforcement activities like the one that resulted in the bust announced Tuesday. He said that requires “a hard look’’ at the issue.

But Goddard said it’s not as simple as simply declaring it legal. He said there would need to be some controls on who gets the drugs and how much they use.

“Right now I’ve not found, and do not know of, a way to make a prescription control over marijuana as a consumer product,’’ Goddard said. “As long as we can’t do that, as long as we can’t put it behind the counter and in a safe distribution, I don’t believe there’s any way to make it legal.’’

Goddard said no one has found a way to put the kind of controls on marijuana he would want before he would consider legalizing it.

“If they could do that, we could certainly cut the legs out of some of these criminal activities,’’ he continued. “But until they do, we’re going to have to continue to go after the folks that are moving marijuana and are thereby funding violent crimes throughout the hemisphere.’’

Allen backed up Goddard’s statements that the smuggling operation is not simply about marijuana.

He said Mexican cartels also are in the business of smuggling cocaine and other drugs on behalf of other cartels in places like Columbia.

He said they make up the money they lose when those drugs are seized through the profits they make selling marijuana in the United States.

Now Tell Me Marijuana is Not Medicinal....

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 22:47:10 +0100

Fighting Cancer & Alzheimer’s, Marijuana Proves to be More Beneficial Than Harmful
ISO 420

Marijuana Compound May Stop Breast Cancer From Spreading, November 2007:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312132,00.html

Marijuana May Fight Lung Tumors, April 2007:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/17/health/webmd/main2696726.shtml

THC May Fight Lung Cancer, April 2007:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/4946.html

Study Finds No Lung Cancer-Marijuana Connection, May 2006:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/25/AR2006052501729.html

Cannabinoids Destroy Cancer, February 2004:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/3254.html

Cannabinoid Anti-Tumor Effect, July 2003:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/3016.html

Cannabinoid Treats Tumors, January 2002:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2255.html

THC-Tumor Research Funding Cut, February 2001:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/1878.html

Pot Shrinks Tumors, June 2000:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/1576.html

THC Destroys Brain Cancers, May 2000:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/1569.html

Cannabinoid Research Around The World, July 1999:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2353.html

US Federal Report Backs Medical Pot, May 1999:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/1435.html

THC for Tumors, March 1999:
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/1816.html

Cannabis and Cancer Studies from SafeAccess.ca:
http://safeaccess.ca/research/cancer.htm

Cancer Research

How Pot Kills Cancer:
http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=23461

Israeli researcher develops cannabis compound with unique anti-cancer action:
http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=22843

Derivatives of cannabis for anti-cancer treatment win:
http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=21653

Cannabis extract makes brain tumors shrink:
http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=11821

Report Supressed That Marijuana Components Can Inhibit Cancer Growth:
http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=11772

Cancer Killer:
http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=11203

Pot Compounds Halt Spread Of Known Cancer Causing Virus, Study Says:
http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=9986

Marijuana Extract Fights Brain Cancer in Mice:
http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8244

Cannabinoids as Anti-Cancer Agents:
http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6652

Cannabinoids destroy cancer:
http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=1918

Cancer Specialist Explains How Cannabis Keeps Steve Kubby Alive:
http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=30909

Netherlands: Scientific Conference Hears Of Tumor Reducing:
http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=30881

Spain: Cannabis Found to Shrink Cancerous Brain Tumours:
http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=30634

Marijuana's Active Ingredient Kills Leukemia Cells:
http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=28671

Israel: Cannabis against Cancer:
http://www.medpot.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=25808

Alzheimer’s Research

THC vs Alzheimer’s:
http://medpot.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=59348

SFN: Going to Pot May Lower Alzheimer's Risk:
http://medpot.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=40863

MJ's Active Ingredient May Actually Improve Memory:
http://medpot.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=40554

Marijuana's Key Ingredient May Fight Alzheimers:
http://medpot.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=40290

Alzheimer's disease: THC inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase:
http://medpot.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=38507

Marijuana May Block Alzheimer's:
http://medpot.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=15877

US Authorities Break Up $1 Billion Marijuana Smuggling Ring

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 17:27:09 +0100

MAYBE AMERICA SHOULD REGULATE AND TAX THIS INSTEAD OF BUSTING IT ... Our economy is diminishing, lets tax things and make money instead of spending billions of dollars to target marijuana. Idiots.

-ISO 420

U.S. Authorities Break Up $1 Billion Marijuana Smuggling Ring

Email | Print | A A A

By Ryan Flinn

Dec. 23 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. authorities broke up a drug trafficking ring that imported $1 billion of marijuana to Arizona from Mexico.

The operation, called Tumbleweed, led to the indictment of 59 people yesterday and 39 arrests for felony charges, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said today in a statement.

The Garibaldi-Lopez Drug Trafficking Organization, which started in 2003, smuggled 400,000 pounds (181,440 kilograms) of marijuana into the U.S. annually, according to the statement. The 2 million pounds smuggled in has an estimated wholesale value of $1 billion.

Felony charges against the defendants include transportation and possession of marijuana for sale, illegally conducting an enterprise, money laundering, conspiracy and misconduct involving weapons, the statement said.

Traffickers wearing night-vision goggles and aided by coordinators hiding in the hills would drive as many as four stolen U.S. vehicles, each holding 2,000 to 2,500 pounds of marijuana, on a weekly basis.

The vehicles were loaded in Sonoyta, Mexico, and crossed the border through the desert of the Tohono O’Odham Nation’s reservation, according to the statement. The marijuana was later brought to Phoenix.

Tumbleweed was initiated in January and drew on eight federal, state and local agencies with a task force involving 85 agents.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ryan Flinn in San Francisco at rflinn@bloomberg.net.

It's Time...

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 23:12:47 +0100

How legalizing marijuana can help create new jobs, boost the economy, reduce prison numbers, reduce crime, reduce use of narcotics, and even save lives.

Many Americans make the argument every single day that marijuana should be legalized or decriminalized. While decriminalizing marijuana would save over $10 billion each year, legalization would put billions more straight into our diminishing economy. The billions of dollars spent every year by Americans to purchase marijuana would go straight into our economy with Uncle Sam getting a small percentage. Marijuana is already the biggest cash crop in America, and it’s time to take full advantage of that.

The government makes the argument that marijuana is a harmful drug; the pure and simple fact is that this is untrue. Over 500 billion cigarettes are produced and sold in America each year, with each cigarette taking an average of about 10 minutes off a person’s life. These cigarettes kill nearly half a million Americans each year. Alcohol claims the lives of another 85,000 Americans each year. On the other hand, marijuana is virtually impossible to overdose on and accounts for zero deaths in America as none of its side effects are harmful. The government chooses to ignore these numbers and continues to allow the tobacco industry to kill over a thousand Americans a day, while spending billions of dollars punishing people for marijuana.

Millions of Americans were shocked by the 2004 documentary Super Size Me, as Morgan Spurlock showed just how bad fast food can be to your health. In 2007, Doug Benson was the study in a similar documentary looking at marijuana rather than fast food. Super High Me has a comedic touch throughout the film, but shows actual studies and facts disproving many governmental claims on marijuana. After doing many tests during a month of sobriety, Benson repeated the same tests while being under constant influence of marijuana for 30 days. Although it was just one subject in the studies, while under the influence of marijuana, Benson scored higher on the SAT test and had an improved memory, among other things. At one point, Doug’s doctor explained to him that after 17 years of smoking marijuana, no permanent damage had been done.

Just What America Needs

America’s economy is officially at its worse point since the 16-month long recession from 1981 to 1982. The Federal Reserve just recently cut the interest rate to the lowest rate ever; the dollar is weakening, and the unemployment rates are roughly 7 percent. Marijuana could greatly reduce unemployment rates while pumping billions of dollars into our diminishing economy. Legalization would cause reduced prison and jail populations, a decrease in use of narcotics, and even less crime. Not only will the government save money, but they will see a booming income from all marijuana-related sales, netting billions of dollars of revenue.

Once marijuana is legalized, thousands of new jobs all across the country will be created. From cultivating to dispensing, marijuana will make new job fields in every state of the Union. New businesses would want to hire experienced growers, essentially creating a new college major – cannabotany, or the study of cannabis plants. Creating approximately a million jobs, cultivation and dispensing would make marijuana one of the largest employers in America. Marijuana would account for nearly as many jobs as Wal-Mart Stores do. The increased jobs would put money back into our pockets and in turn, back into our economy. Removing marijuana from drug tests and previous criminal charges would also allow for marijuana users to get good jobs as they will no longer be denied employment due to their choice to use marijuana.

In 2007, nearly half of all drug arrests were for marijuana. Of those 872,720 marijuana arrests, almost 90% were for possession alone. If you were to break this down, every 40 seconds in America, someone is getting arrested for possession of marijuana. Americans are getting arrested for a victimless “crime” when the real crimes are what police officers need to be looking out for. Heroin, crack, cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamine, and other illegal drugs claim the lives of 17,000 people in America each year. Legal drugs are the cause of death for almost 40,000 Americans each year, whether it is from overdose or an adverse reaction. As previously mentioned marijuana is virtually impossible to overdose on and accounts for zero deaths in America.

According to the 2006 Bureau of Justice statistics, over 12 percent of all state and federal inmates incarcerated for drug offenses are incarcerated for marijuana violations. This equals out to over 33,000 state inmates and almost 11,000 federal inmates. Nearly 44,000 Americans are locked up for marijuana, costing the taxpayers roughly $1.5 billion each year. Some economists estimate that arresting and processing marijuana offenders costs the taxpayers another $7 billion each year. Marijuana legalization would automatically eliminate approximately $8.5 billion of annual spending, not to mention the billions more dollars being spent on fighting to keep marijuana off the streets. With the money and police man hours becoming available to go after real criminals, crime will be reduced. Instead of criminals seeing officers spend their time arresting and raiding the homes of marijuana users, they will see those officers patrolling the streets.

In the city of Los Angeles alone, there are over 100 medical marijuana dispensaries. If legalized nationally, dispensaries would be found in ever state with dozens in every major city. These dispensaries alone could total over 10,000, and probably much more since it would be legal for medicinal or recreational use. With each dispensary needing multiple growers to supply the marijuana, thousands more business will derive from legalization. Between marijuana dispensaries and marijuana cultivation businesses, there would be upwards of a million jobs created in America with the legalization of marijuana.

With the thousands of dispensaries across America making marijuana easily accessible for anyone over 18, or with a doctor’s recommendation for those under 18, the use of illegal drugs would decrease dramatically. Because some people only resort to harmful drugs when marijuana is inaccessible, less people would purchase and use narcotics like cocaine, crack, and heroin. It would be wiser to simply go to your local dispensary and purchase legal marijuana instead of putting money into the hands of drug dealers in exchange for a sometimes-fatal drug. Since people are going to purchase marijuana everyday whether it is legal or not, it is only a win-win situation for everyone. Users can easily and legally purchase the harmless product, the government can make billions of dollars each year as well as free up the over-crowding prison system, and the American people will be safer with police officers spending their time on the streets instead of locking up people for a victimless crime.

Just What the Doctor Ordered

Not only is marijuana harmless, but it is often times beneficial. In fact, it’s so beneficial to so many medical conditions and pains; it’s utterly ridiculous that it is illegal. With an estimated $40 billion market up for grabs, marijuana could become one of the largest doctor-recommended treatments if it were legally accepted in America. Marijuana has been used to treat or reduce pain caused from influenza, diabetes, anorexia, nausea, cancer, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, asthma, glaucoma, peripheral neuropathy, ADD & ADHD, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, HIV/AIDS, OCD, Tourette's, epilepsy, heart disease, head injuries, and more. Marijuana is also known to reduce anxiety and is a great anti-depressant. There are users that have claimed marijuana to be the most efficient in treating their depression and/or anxiety. Without the terrible and sometimes life-threatening side effects of popular antidepressants such as Zoloft and Prozac, marijuana is the perfect alternative.

People can get marijuana’s active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) into their body in many different ways. If your only argument for marijuana being harmful is the smoke, there are many alternatives for you to be able to get THC into your system and take full advantage of its benefits. Other than smoking marijuana, it can be consumed orally in food, more commonly in cookies or brownies. You can also find THC in a pill form, in a lip balm, or even in a topical spray. Once legalized, researchers and marijuana enthusiasts will only find more and more ways for people to get THC into their system.

With the recent passing of Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, New Jersey is the 14^th state to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, with a 15^th state (Maryland) allowing medicinal purposes to be used as a defense for marijuana-related state prosecutions. With the growing acceptance of marijuana in today’s culture, and the vast amount of people that benefit from it medically, it’s time to legalize marijuana in America. We are slowly moving towards this already, and with the economy in its current state it would be careless for the government not to act on this immediately. President-elect Obama... It's time!

The following states allow for medical marijuana use:

Alaska – Approved in 1998 with Ballot Measure #8, took effect March 4, 1999

California – Approved in 1996 with Proposition 215, took effect November 6, 1996

Colorado – Approved in 2000 with Amendment 20, took effect June 1, 2001

Hawaii – Approved in 2000 with Senate Bill 862, took effect December 28, 2000

Maine – Approved in 1999 with Question 2, took effect December 22, 1999

Maryland – Approved in 2003***

Michigan – Approved in 2008 with Proposal 1, took effect December 4, 2008

Montana – Approved in 2004 with Initiative 148, took effect November 2, 2004

Nevada – Approved in 2000 with Question 9, took effect October 1, 2001

New Jersey – Approved in 2008 with Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act

New Mexico – Approved in 2007 with Senate Bill 523, took effect July 1, 2007

Oregon – Approved in 1998 with Measure 67, took effect December 3, 1998

Rhode Island – Approved in 2006 with The Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act, took effect January 3, 2006

Vermont – Approved in 2004 with Senate Bill 76, took effect July 1, 2004

Washington – Approved in 1998 with Measure 692, took effect November 3, 1998

*** (Simply requires the courts to consider a defendant’s use of medical marijuana to be a mitigating factor in marijuana-related state prosecution)

The following states have legalized or decriminalized marijuana:

Alaska – Legal to possess up to an ounce in your home

California – Possession of 28.5 grams (just over 1 oz) or less is not an arrestable offense

Colorado – Possession of one ounce or less is a petty offense with a max. fine of $100

Maine – Possession of less than 1.25 ounces is a civil violation with a fine of $200 - $400

Massachusetts – Possession of an ounce or less is a civil violation with a fine of $100

Minnesota – Possession of less than 42.5 grams (just over 1.5 oz) has a max. fine of $200

Mississippi – Possession of 30 grams or less is punishable by only a fine of $100 - $250

Nebraska – Possession of one ounce or less is a civil citation with a $300 fine

Nevada – Possession of less than an ounce is punishable by a fine of $600

New York – Possession of 25 grams (just under 1 oz) or less is punishable by a $100 fine

North Carolina – Possession of half an ounce is punishable by up to 30 days in jail, most likely suspended

Ohio – Possession of less than 100 grams is a citable offense only, with a fine of $100

Oregon – Possession of less than one ounce is punishable by a $500 - $1000 fine

Marijuana in the news -- December 17, 2008

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:34:52 +0100

The following are links for marijuana news all across America, from various different sources.

Marijuana Law Comes With Challenges New York Times -- Mass. is unsure of certain details in its newly-passed decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana

New Jersey can safely allow marijuana's use as a medicine myCentralJersey.com -- New Jersey to become 14th state to legalize marijuana

The more and more states that are slowly joining the increasing number of states that allow medical marijuana or, like in Mass., decriminalize petty possession of marijuana, the more we believe it is coming soon to the day we finally legalize it. Join the fight to help legalize! View our "Links" and "Support Legalization" sections for more information!

SW, ISO420

President-elect Barack Obama Does NOT Support Legalizing Marijuana

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 23:01:22 +0100

A Message from ISO 420....

We can only hope now that Barack Obama and his administration will at least consider decriminalization, since they made it clear legalization is not an option.

***The Barack Obama article is from NORML.org . I will be posting my own letters & articles in the next couple days***

Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss December 16th, 2008 By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
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“The war on drugs has been an utter failure. … (W)e need to rethink and decriminalize our (nation’s) marijuana laws.”
-Barack Obama, January 2004 (Watch the video here.)

“I inhaled frequently, that was the point.”
-Barack Obama, November 2006 (Watch the video here.)

Q: “Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?”

A: “President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.”
-Statement from Change.gov, the official website of President-Elect Obama, December 15, 2008

Okay, count me among those disappointed, but hardly surprised to see that Change.gov — the official website of the incoming Obama administration — answered the above question, which finished first out of over 7,000 public policy questions submitted to the website, in the most curt and dismissive way possible.

That said, as StoptheDrugWar.org’s Scott Morgan writes, Obama’s brevity is, in fact, quite telling.

As frustrating and insulting as it is to witness an important matter brushed casually to the side without explanation, Obama’s answer actually says a lot. It says that he couldn’t think of even one sentence to explain his position. Within the vast framework of totally paranoid anti-pot propaganda, Obama couldn’t find a single argument he wanted to associate himself with. That’s why he simply said “No. Next question.”

All of this highlights the well-known fact that Obama agrees that our marijuana laws are deeply flawed. He‘s said so, and has back-pedaled recently for purely political reasons. If Obama’s transition team tried to give an accurate description of his position on marijuana reform it would look like this:

Q: “Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?” S. Man, Denton

A: President-elect Obama will not use his political capital to advance the legalization of marijuana. While he agrees that arresting adults for marijuana possession is a poor use of law enforcement resources, he believes that the issue remains too controversial to do anything about it.

In fact, Obama essentially said as much earlier this year when asked about the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Obama: “When it comes to medical marijuana, … my attitude is if it is an issue of doctors prescribing marijuana, … I think that should be appropriate. … Whether I want to use a whole lot of political capital on (this) issue; the likelihood of that being real high on my priority list is not likely.” (Watch the video here.)

So then, disappointed as we are, how should we proceed?

Answer: Just as we have been.

To be fair to President-Elect Obama, he never pledged to legalize marijuana. Quite the contrary, during his Presidential campaign he backtracked from his previous comments supporting pot decriminalization, and he even went so far as to pick one of the chief architects of the modern drug war to be his Vice President. In short, to believe that the Obama team would have responded to the legalization question any other way was idealistic at best, and foolish at worst.

But that hardly means that we activists should write off the next four years.

In November, editors at the website Alternet.org asked me to draft “a progressive agenda for Obama” regarding marijuana policy. At that time, I listed several realistic, practical actions Obama could take to substantially reform America’s antiquated and punitive pot laws. (Note, legalizing marijuana by Executive Order was not on my wish list.)

These actions include:

1. As President, Obama must uphold his campaign promise to “not … use Justice Department resources to try and circumvent state laws” that legalize the medical use of cannabis. (Watch the video here.)

2. Obama can appoint leaders to the US Department of Justice, DEA, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy who possess professional backgrounds in public health, addiction and treatment rather than in law enforcement.

3. Obama can support the autonomy and health of Washington D.C. voters by encouraging Congress to lift the so-called “Barr amendment” (passed by Congress in 1998 and reinstated every year since then), which prohibits the District of Columbia from implementing a 1998 voter-approved ballot initiative legalizing the use of marijuana by authorized patients.

4. Obama can call for the creation of a bipartisan Presidential commission to review the budgetary, social and health costs associated with federal marijuana prohibition, and to make progressive recommendations for future policy changes.

Ultimately, of course, it’s Congress, not the president, who is responsible for crafting America’s oppressive federal anti-drug strategies. Moreover, it is clear that in the coming years this battle will continue to primarily be fought — and won — on the state level, not in Washington D.C.

That’s not to say that we should not continue to keep the pressure on Obama by continuing to post questions to websites like Change.gov. (My suggestion for the next round of voting… How about: “On Election Day, over 3 million voters decided to legalize the medical use of cannabis in Michigan, making it the 13th state to enact laws allowing the legal medical use of marijuana. While campaigning, you pledged: ‘What I’m not going to be doing is spend Justice Department resources to try and circumvent state laws on this issue.’ As President, will you and your Attorney General uphold this promise not to target and prosecute patients and providers who are in compliance with state medical marijuana laws?“)

However, we must always remember that it will be the actions of tens of thousands — not the actions of just one man — that will ultimately bring an end to America’s vindictive and senseless war on cannabis consumers.

Now let’s get back to work!