Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Daily Roundup: Stoners Against Legalization Team Up With Ex-Crackhead Priest
Legalization David Downs — Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 12:55 PM
1. How do you convince paranoid stoners fearful of a secret tobacco industry conspiracy to take over pot? Well, you can't simply call RJ Reynolds and get a denial like Peter Hecht of the Sac Bee did today. "Frank Lester, spokesman for Reynolds America Inc., seemed almost apologetic for killing the speculation. But he confirmed that the parent company for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco and the American Snuff Company, won't be adding a marijuana production division. 'Even going back years, I remember hearing that same thing back in the 1970s and 1980s,' Lester said of the Big Tobacco pot business rumors. 'We are paying attention to the California initiative just as a political situation. But we're not preparing to enter into the marijuana trade at all.' Lester added: 'We're a domestic U.S. tobacco company. We're interested in providing the finest tobacco products to adult tobacco consumers. We're not in the trade of selling marijuana, nor will we ever be.'" See, man, that's just what they want you to think. Read more news after the jump.
2. It's this kind of hermetically sealed logic at play in the Stoners Against Legalization movement, who brought a little Tea Party theater to the International Cannabis and Hemp Expo last weekend, Cannabis Culture reports. "What was meant to be a debate and forum on Prop 19 devolved into chaos. The bill’s creator and sponsor, Richard Lee, the founder of Oaksterdam University, was so loudly heckled and booed that when it was his turn to speak he got red in the face and yelled into the microphone, 'We’re all for fucking legalization! This is the best we can do right now!' and then a quieter aside to panelist Chris Conrad, Publisher of West Coast Leaf, 'I’m done,' was picked up by the microphones. Conrad spoke to represent the 'Yes on 19' opinion for much of the remainder of the debate."
Stoner Against Legalization writer Dragonfly De la Luz teamed up with ex-crackhead and self-appointed Sacramento bishop Ron Allen (watch him on Fox here) to spread their misunderstandings of Prop 19, like the idea that it would have any effect on medical marijuana but to make it cheaper. Panelist and West Coast Leaf publisher Chris Conrad "pulled up the proposition on a projector and attempted to show the audience the protections in the bill but was also drowned out by hecklers.”
3. Meanwhile in reality, liberal blog Firedoglake takes on the No on 19 argument that a "patchwork" of California laws on sales of cannabis would be a bad thing. “The fictitious, nightmarish patchwork of regulations caused by allowing local governments to craft local ordinances is no different than how local governments handle almost everything in our economy, including alcohol, parking, pizza ovens, farmers markets and building codes. ... Where do these distortions and ridiculous worries about differing local ordinances come from? They come directly from the long-time drug warriors leading the opposition to Prop 19, such as the California Police Chiefs Association. [And the California Beer and Beverage Distributors.]
"The point is that everything from lawn size to beer sales is subject to different local regulations. Prop 19 would simply mean that marijuana is treated no differently in this regard than any other legal product. The people who somehow seem horrified about letting towns write their own ordinances about marijuana sales amazingly have done nothing to fix the terrifying 'legal nightmare' we apparently currently live in regarding almost everything else. These attacks on Prop 19 are in fact weird, broadly metaphysical complaints about the entire purpose of this country's local governments."
[via MMJ]
4. The Atlantic concludes Prop 19 will be a problem for President Obama, whose re-election might partially depend on his response to the initiative passing. "Earlier this month, nine former administrators of the Drug Enforcement Administration sent a letter calling on Obama and Holder to sue if Prop. 19 passes, blocking the statewide legalization of possession and personal growth and the allowance of individual counties to license commercial sale and production of marijuana. ... The pressure will likely be intense. Legalized marijuana is practically inconceivable to large swaths of the country, and one can see the broader coalition of social conservatives and concerned moderates reeling in shock on November 3, aghast at California's decadence and lawlessness, and turning to President Obama to put a stop to it. ... At this point, it seems the Obama administration will sue California, but that's just an educated guess: the Justice Department has declined to comment.”
Comments (6)
Showing 1-6 of 6
i still think anyone that dont want 19 to pass is crazy,ok it might of not been written perfect but through out the years it could be fixed. i have 4 kids and when i was growing up i could gt anythging at any time through the weed man, now imagine the weed man being the little concern lady at the store whos going to card you even though you look 40. cant you see how this will work? we wont be fundng gangs or mexico and to make things even better we all pay taxes...... YES ON 19
like
dislike
Actually the reason for NO on 19 is that it's a badly written law. It ads criminal penalties that don't exist today and will allow the cities to decide how they wish to rip off cannabis patients. Just because it says yes doesn't mean it will solve the problem or that it's a good law. Prop 8 sure wasn't.
I don't know that we'll see Obama sue over the issue. In fact, I think it's possible that he could use the end of prohibition as a way to get re-elected. If voter turnout in California is strong, then any state with a similar prop on it in 2012 will likely see similar results. Since these younger more progressive voters are more likely to vote Obama than conservative, they could very well mean the difference in electoral votes in some of the battleground states. If he stays hands off after California passes prop19, then it is likely that other states will more forward with similar legislation. If he attacks California then he only risks alienating his own party and hurts his chance of getting reelected.
I have done a good bit of looking into this issue and have come to this conclusion. Anyone against prop19 has 1. Not read the proposition 2. Likes putting non violent people in jail. 3. Dose not care how their tax dollars are wasted. 4. Likes all the murdurs commited by cartels and gangs. 5. Has no real experiance with the subject. 6. Can be brainwashed into paying taxes for the air they breath. 7. Are making money the way things are. If proabition was working after 100 years we would not be having this debate. It's time for change. Something different. An approach we have yet to try. Don't let the true brinwashed calling the other side braindead persuade you into thinking more of the same is the way to go. It will get us exactly more of the same.
These people agonize over changing their underware brand because it's something different. Anyone getting medical mj now that is opposed to prop19 needs to get over the fact that there is more at stake here than thier own little world. It is selfish and very childish of them to take this attitude. It's these people that should think about what will happen to them when the rest of the country gets tired of the medical angle and makes it all illeagle as well. So what it's still against fedral law. If we don't make it accross the board for all then thier is always a chance for it ALL to come crumbling down. And they won't have anyone to blame but themselves. We would never be able to get full leagalization without tax and regulation. What do we not regulate and control? It's just a pipe dream here in Texas for even medical. Redneck central will drink it's life away before even concidering medical mj. If we force a national change in policy, then mabey.
This is the debate Richard Lee doesn't want you to see. He refused to debate if Lanette Davies was on the panel. He had her kicked off at the International Hemp Expo Sept. 25, before he took the stage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttu0xxpLIVg
Don't let these lunatics (who obviously aren't smoking cannabis when they shout down people) scare you. No one thinks shouting and yelling and shoving a poorly written and flawed tract in your face on how your side is right is going to sway any voters to your side. If you feel threatened by these individuals while you're either patiently listening to a debate where they're in attendance or they are attempting to get between you and a Yes on 19 booth, just steer clear of them and ask the venue organizers/security to control these individuals. You don't hear about this type of rude behavior from the Yes on 19 supporters because they have much more to prove against many many opposing forces who want to keep cannabis prohibited at any cost!
Author Archives
