Pubdate: Thu, 27 Mar 2014
Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA)
Copyright: 2014 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsreview.com/sacto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540
Author: Ngaio Bealum

ON MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION IN CALIFORNIA AND SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN'S REMARKS

Ngaio Says Politicians Need to Get Over the Failed War on Drugs

What is wrong with Sen. Dianne Feinstein?

- -Worried in Woodland

Right? She recently spoke out against marijuana legalization (again!) 
in an interview with the Associated Press, spouting nonsense like, 
"The risk of people using marijuana and driving is very substantial," 
and "I saw a lot of where people began with marijuana and went on to 
hard drugs." As if.

First of all, states with medical-marijuana laws have seen a decrease 
in traffic accidents. Second, the whole 
marijuana-is-a-gateway-to-hard-drugs trope has been disproved again and again.

I know she is busy, what with defending the National Security Agency 
(until it spied on the Senate) and such, but maybe she could take the 
time to look into marijuana legalization and not just spout leftover 
slogans from the failed war on some drugs.

I have an idea: Perhaps Feinstein and Gov. Jerry Brown could come 
over to my house, and we will sit around, have a drink (or a joint), 
and discuss how cannabis legalization can help this great state of 
California. Whaddya think, senator? I am sure you can find my phone 
number if you need to speak to me. Or maybe you and Gov. Brown could 
talk to your homeys at the California Democratic Party. You know, the 
same group that just added a plank to the party platform pledging to 
support the "legalization, regulation and taxation of pot in a manner 
similar to that of tobacco or alcohol." You didn't get the memo? 
Don't be a party pooper.

I invite Sen. Feinstein and Gov. Brown to join us in the 21st century.

What's this I hear about the cops proposing legalization in California?

- -Mike in Midtown

You heard it right. The League of California Cities and the 
California Police Chiefs Association have decided to end their years 
of flat-out opposition and get behind Senate Bill 1262, introduced by 
Sen. Lou Correa. This bill would give authority over medical 
marijuana to the Department of Public Health, disallow butane hash 
oil (or "dabs") and other forms of concentrated cannabis, and audit 
doctors that write more than 100 medical-cannabis recommendations.

While I applaud the LCC and the CPCA for finally starting to come 
around on medical cannabis, this bill has some flaws.

No hash oil? No way. How many times must it be said? Prohibiting 
drugs doesn't work. It just creates an underground market. And 
auditing doctors? Psssh. Doctors shouldn't even be in charge of 
deciding who gets to smoke weed. Weed should be legal! The National 
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws has said it will work 
to kill the bill if changes aren't made.

A statewide medical-cannabis law should be simple. All it has to do 
is set up zoning parameters, keep cities from banning collectives, 
and set up a tax and fee structure.

The state is running out of time to get it right. According to the 
most recent polls, support for marijuana legalization in California 
is at about 60 percent. 2016 will be here sooner than you think, and 
by then, groups like the Drug Policy Alliance and the Marijuana 
Policy Project will have something to put on the ballot.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom