Cannabis Makes its Way to the East Coast In an effort to cut down on the number of marijuana-related legal cases flooding the Philadelphia court system, for the prosecution of pot heads, the city has decriminalized marijuana, making it the first city in PA to do so. In January, New Jersey presented a medical cannabis bill to the state legislators –the bill passed the state senate (25-13) and the state assembly (48-14) discuss. John Corzine made his last act in office signing the bill into effect on January 19th of 2010. The bill’s success in New Jersey has opened the door for surrounding states to follow suite. Of 810 New York registered voters surveyed by the Siena Research Institute, half supported the legislation passed by New Jersey. What Philadelphia has done is decriminalized marijuana — it is not available for medical use and it is certainly not legal. Instead of receiving a misdemeanor for possession of anything less than thirty grams, Philadelphians will receive a lesser summary charge. This means that they will be slapped with a hefty fine, but the charge will not show up on a criminal record. A major reason this local-statute passed in Philadelphia is because the court system and local prisons could not handle the large influx of non-violent, drug offenders that were processed. Before the ordinance was passed, the city of Philadelphia criminally charged and prosecuted somewhere roughly 3,000 minor marijuana offenses. Due to the fact that some drug crimes go unnoticed or ignored on the basis of racism, 83 percent of the minor offenders that were fined or imprisoned were black males. This local statute does not however, prevent law enforcement officers from enforcing State Law. Offenders can be punished with probation, up to thirty days in prison, or fines exceeding $500 with the addition of court costs... http://www.keystoneonline.com/2010/04/14/cannabis-makes-its-way-to-the-east-coast/ I live in rural PA- where the pot grows wild. Can't wait for it to be legal.
This is what I like to see, but still totally worthless since the feds wont take it off schedule I. I don't think the "medical marijuana" movement is going to work. Only full decriminalization + legality + taxation. Needs to be on the same page as liquor (legal usage at 21, only sold in designated stores, etc). People currently abuse the prescription system anyways. Painkillers, uppers, muscle relaxers, etc are still hot commodities where people willingly skirt the laws to obtain. Marijuana would become another Valium/vicoden/xanax - essentially unchanged from its current criminal contexts. I can't wait til the day its in the hands of the American farmers, and I can finally go to the stores to shop around for what I want. Also tired of the stupid employment drug testing - although its more of a minor inconvenience nowadays since I haven't used marijuana in 10 years or more.
I don't see it ever becoming legal, if the govt could do it they would make booze illegal again but they know the outcome of that, that's why they have sin taxes now. the govt is about control and if they can't control it they don't want you to have it.
Considering the price simple possession costs to the legal system, I definetly see it becoming more and more legal everywhere. Our prisons should be full of hardened criminals, not pot smokers.
I do. Hell, it's probably going to pass in California this November. (Full legality for recreational use.) It'll put the Feds in an uncomfortable position, but the CSA's scheduling of cannabis has been becoming gradually more untenable for decades. Besides, public opinion is turning. The baby boomers - who were the first generation in the US to really have experience with cannabis - are aging and becoming the senior vote, a bloc that was previously controlled by ignorant folks who grew up during the segregation era and "reefer madness" propaganda. Younger generations are all experienced with it, too. A majority of Americans support legalization for medical use, and the tide is turning for recreational legalization.
Yeah. California could be the spark, no pun intended. Of course, that will deprive state governments across the US of easy sources of revenue from asset seizures, tax fines, and private prisons overflowing with nonviolent offenders. It would be interesting to watch the results.
California leads and the rest copy http://personalmoneystore.com/money...nia-regulate-control-tax-cannabis-act-part-1/
That has been the trend in many areas for many years. Ending prohibition would enable us to redirect law enforcement to dealing with violent crime & terrorism. Taxes will make up for the budget shortfall and the retail market would kick up the economic upturn. Ending prohibition would clean up the personnel 's ethics as well. This considering some ~65% of LEO who are exposed to the cash and goods begin to participate in one way or another.
Arguably the primary reason that FDR supported the repeal of Prohibition was that the government needed the revenue from the alcohol tax. Back in those days before the income tax reached its current confiscatory level, the new tax on alcohol increased the federal budget by something like 30%. Even though I'm in Washington my home is in California and I know much of the momentum for legalizing marijuana there is for the licensing and sales tax revenue. If pot were legal the U.S. would become a net exporter rather than importing most of it from Mexico and sending the profits there. California and Hawaii would probably be the primary sources, although since it can grow everywhere, even Alaska, it might rescue a lot of farmers. I don't think the USA is in the vanguard on this issue, although other countries have their own way of dealing with it. Marijuana use is completely legal in Uruguay. Possession of small amounts is legal in Spain and Portugal. Many countries including Holland and the Czech Republic simply don't enforce their laws unless they need an excuse to arrest someone they don't like. Wikipedia says use is open and widespread in India despite the laws against it. Asset forfeiture, IMHO, is one of the starkest symptoms of a government that's gotten too big for its britches, the reason I'm a libertarian. Assets have no right to due process, so it takes (sometimes literally) forever to get something back that was seized in error. In aggregate, I very much doubt that state governments are making a profit on their prison systems. Especially when you factor in the tax revenue lost from otherwise responsible citizens who no longer have jobs. Not to mention the fatherless children who end up being felons. That cycle is out of control here in Washington DC--coincidentally a majority Afro-American city nicknamed Chocolate City. It's become normal for boys here to grow up with no positive male role models--so many of them are either in prison or out with a criminal record that prevents them from getting a decent job.
