Pubdate: Wed, 29 Oct 2008 Source: West Hawaii Today (HI) Copyright: 2008 West Hawaii Today Contact: http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/contact_us/letters/ Website: http://westhawaiitoday.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/644 Author: Adam Lehmann MARIJUNA QUESTION Vote 'Yes' For Question One On The Ballot One for all and all for one "for" Ballot Question 1 that is. Finally the Big Island has an opportunity to vote for a cannabis policy that makes sense. If you support medical patients' rights, religious freedom, privacy in the home, the 4th Amendment, a peaceful sky, an efficient court system, space in our prisons, resolving the "ice" epidemic, and meanwhile saving Hawaii County taxpayers millions of dollars each year, then please tell your ohana and your friends to be sure to vote for Ballot Question 1, the "Lowest Law Enforcement Priority of Cannabis." The only issue addressed in Ballot Question 1 is that of adult personal use. Adult personal use is defined as the use of cannabis "only" by a person 21 or older on private property only. Although the County Council will no longer be allowed to accept funds for the marijuana eradication program (green harvest), cannabis laws not described in the lowest law enforcement priority of cannabis will continue to be funded and enforced. Because the adult personal use of cannabis would be law enforcement's lowest priority, police will therefore have more time and resources to resolve the issues that still concern people, issues such as; trafficking, distribution to minors, large grow operations, and the use of cannabis in public places. The police will also have more time and money to focus on serious and violent crimes, such as "ice"-related crime and violence. advertisementAccording to the three-year study performed in Hawaii by The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), which is the largest federally funded Institute created to resolve drug abuse, "the marijuana eradication program (green harvest) has not stopped the cultivation of cannabis in Hawaii, rather it has only limited its supply, which increases its street value, resulting in more crime." The National Institute of Drug Abuse also reported that "a large increase of the use of methamphetamine was related to the marijuana eradication program's implementation." We aren't reinventing the wheel here, as a matter of fact, we would be joining the likeness of 19 other U.S. municipalities who have voted in favor of similar laws within the past five years, municipalities in states such as Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. An oversight committee is designated in our new bill to oversee and document details on how the new law is taking effect in our community. In Seattle, their oversight committee just disbanded after three years of determining that the intended results had been achieved -- the number of adult cannabis arrests went down significantly without any increase of the use of cannabis among the youth, no increase in crime, and no adverse impact on public health. People are tired of seeing money misappropriated away from our schools and healthcare to fund a military-style war on a medicinal plant and the people who use the plant. Ballot Question 1 is a sensible cannabis policy for responsible adults; the issues that concern people will continue to be well addressed, but adult personal use will no longer takes up over $1.1 million each year from our county budget, money that would be a great help toward resolving the "ice" epidemic, especially if the money would be taken away from an effort which perpetuates the crisis and weakens the morale of the community. Last year on the Big Island there was more than one cannabis arrest for every 100 people registered to vote in the county. Now it's time to save our money and prioritize wisely; please vote for Ballot Question 1 on Nov. 4, and spread the word. Adam Lehmann ProjectPeacefulSky.org Pahoa - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin