Monday, September 13, 2010
Booze Lobby Funding the No on 19 Campaign
Legalization David Downs — Mon, Sep 13, 2010 at 2:18 PM
The California Beer & Beverage Distributors disclosed it donated $10,000 to defeat Prop 19 — which would regulate and tax marijuana like alcohol. The alcohol lobbyist's funds will help spread the lie that employers must tolerate stoned employees, and the talking point that 'California doesn't need another legal, mind-altering substance.' Alcohol causes an estimated $38 billion in costs in California each year from emergency room visits, arrests, etc, according to the Marin Institute. There are roughly 3,500 deaths annually from alcohol-related illness and more than 109,000 alcohol-related injuries in California. Conversely, pot caused 181 emergency room visits in 2008, according to a study by the non-partisan RAND Corporation, despite being used by more than four million Californians monthly.
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition spokesperson and retired Orange County, CA. judge James Gray said the booze lobby's decision was probably financial. The move echoes the tobacco and alcohol industry's help creating leading drug war group Partnership For a Drug-Free America.
“It was a really wise thing to do from a merchandising standpoint to reaffirm the distinction between a legal and an illegal drug,” he said. “They are protecting their own economic self interest.”
Prop 19 would deal a major blow to drug cartels (who get 60 percent of their funding from pot) and others profiting from the drug war. Alcohol companies purvey an addictive product that can kill alcoholics who are trying to quit. Conversely, side effects from quitting pot include irritability.
“[Prop 19] passing would be a day of mourning for the criminal class and others who profit off prohibition that hasn't worked and creates more damage than the drug itself ever could,” Gray said.
LEAP's comments came amid a news conference today reiterating their group's support for Prop 19, and lamenting the press' ability to fact check anti-19 propaganda. LEAP released a letter endorsing Prop 19 signed by dozens of California law enforcement, many retired.
Lobbyists for police chiefs and narcotics officers have come out against the measure. LEAP says actual police chiefs and beat cops want change, but are afraid to speak out.
“I won't say they're cowards,” said retired San Jose Police Chief Joseph McNamara who has a Stanford Ph.D. in public administration. “They have political and ethical considerations that prevent them from speaking out.”
McNamara said he has hosted multiple conferences with police chiefs who say they can only endorse Prop 19 in private.
“They said, 'We have a very political job. I have to respond to the chief , the mayor, the local editorial board. I can't tell the truth. I need political cover'.”
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Why I’m voting YES on Prop 19 in California- by Frank Lucido MD
http://drfranklucido.blogspot.com/2010/10/…
Frank H. Lucido MD
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Proposition 19 itself is also a scam, designed by big business, to increase it's bottom line. Including a couple of rich cannabis-club owners in Oakland. Now people are starting to figure that out. It isn't even a real 'people's initiative', but a sad example of how money can be used to buy legislation.
Personally, I favor legalization. But when you look at the dark underside of Proposition 19, you'll see that it is not only bad for the state's economy but also for individual marijuana users.
An excellent website that explains what's wrong with Prop 19 and where it came from is http://no-on19.com. They're a group of pot users and even they don't want 19.
Also, as of Oct 1, 2010, possessing an ounce of pot in California has ALREADY been decriminalized (no criminal charges, record or court). So who needs 19 anyway ? Other than big companies.
Right now you can wave an ounce in front of police and at worst they might give you a ticket.
Calvina is not off her rocker and doesn't smoke. Simply put, she is a prohibitionist. She once told me that she'd outlaw booze, too, if she could.
Alcohol distributors funding "Public Safety first" campaign? What an ultimate contradiction in terms, what an affront to our basic intelligence!
Cannabis prohibition has never been, and is not based on science. Passage of the CA Proposition 19 will deal a serious blow to the Mexican drug cartels and to the "drug war" in general. It will also restore sanity to the California State budget by collecting sizable Cannabis revenues and eliminating the wasteful spending on the so-called anti-Cannabis "enforcement". It is established by the science of addiction medicine that the so-called "gateway drug" theory, advanced by the opponents of the measure is a complete fantasy, as is the assertion that Cannabis is "physically addictive". Cannabis is NOT physically addictive, as there is no clearly definable and reproducible PHYSICAL withdrawal syndrome, associated with its use, as opposed to truly physically addictive substances such as opiates or alcohol. In fact, the latest addiction medicine research reveals that Cannabis may serve as an "exit" substance with the potential of helping former alcoholics or hard drug users to abstain from alcohol, hard drugs, or even dangerous and physically addictive prescription drugs! It is also being established that Cannabis use may help prevent such serious illnesses as cancer and Alzheimer's disease! Cannabis use also suppresses violent urges and behaviors. Let's not be intimidated by the scare-tactics of the "opponents", but be motivated instead by science, reason and understanding of these issues, and this means voting YES on California Proposition 19 on November 2!
Calvina Fay is DFAF, the wingnut end of the prohib spectrum. The PDFA is even more insidious: it's essentially a make-work project for pharma and tobacco clients of advertising agencies who don't want to be seen as being directly involved.
Yeah, I want some of whatever Calvina Fay smokes. Lord is that woman off her rocker or what? Why is it that the prohibitionists always get the best reefer?
The Partnership for a Drug Free America. What a joke. Although I do love their talking dog commercial. I've smoked some GOOOODD sh*t in my life but NEVER has my dog talked to me- I want whatever that girl is smoking in that commercial.
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