Told You So

California tax board: Legal pot could generate $1.4 billion | McClatchy

I think I called this, but didn't realize that California was already ON THE JOB!

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Are we witnessing the beginning of a trend here?

Fort the first time, the United Nations have "lavishly praised drug decriminalization" in its 2009 World Drug Report on the state of global drug policy.

My favorite part: "The world's 'drug czar,' Antonio Maria Costa, would have you believe that the legalization movement is calling for the abolition of drug control," he said. "Quite the contrary, we are demanding that governments replace the failed policy of prohibition with a system that actually regulates and controls drugs, including their purity and prices, as well as who produces them and who they can be sold to. You can't have effective control under prohibition, as we should have learned from our failed experiment with alcohol in the U.S. between 1920 and 1933."

The axis of this debate has been dramatically altered ever since Portugal decriminalized the posession of small quantities of drugs in 2001. I will be interested to see how this issue picks up steam here, but guess is that this economic crisis will just accelorate legalization. We can no longer afford the infrastructure of our countries failed "War on Drugs".

Barney Frank Seeks to Decriminalize Pot Possession

Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts has introduced two pieces of legislation on marijuana -- one medical and one recreational. The first, HR 2835, would change federal law to allow states to experiment with medical marijuana without interference from Washington. And the second, HR 2943, would drastically reduce federal penalties for "personal possession" of marijuana.

To date the first bill has 16 cosponsors, including two Republicans (Ron Paul and Dana Rohrabacher). Frank has so far gotten less support for H.R. 2943 than for the medical marijuana bill, shown by the fact that there are currently only four cosponsors (two of which are the aforementioned Republicans).

This is a matter both of personal liberty and states rights and needs to be viewed as such. It's important to note:

• The legislation would not affect federal laws prohibiting the cultivation or sale of marijuana for profit.
  


• It would not legalize major drug dealing or create obstacles for federal officials from prosecuting such activity.
  


• It would not affect any state or local laws regulating marijuana.
  


• It would not alter the status of marijuana as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act
  

It would, however, provide long overdue reform for US drug policy. Our courts are already stressed and our prisons are over-crowded. It seems irresponsible spend scarce resources prosecuting people who are doing no harm to others.

I strongly encourage anyone who cares about this issue to search for the these bills' cosponsors, and if you don't see your representative on those lists, contact them and ask them why!