21st Century Prohibition - Changing Tide?

I've been trying to get the next post in my series "21st Century Prohibition" done but this shit is changing daily. I've never seen it like this. It's like trying to change a diaper on a baby while its crawling around the room.

Now, I have no illusions as to the possibility of legalization of marijuana. I still believe that relief from Prohibition is still quite a ways away. I'm not even convinced that it will happen at all. Times change, the pendulum swings back and forth; we've been close before only to have our hopes dashed and the tide surround us. A friendly administration is great, but we need a lot to happen before the doors open on cannabis shops on Main Street.

But this article from NPR is hope wrapped in promise. All I can say is it's a great game to play but I'm waiting for real life.

"Imagine if you turned on the radio and heard this: "From NPR News in Washington, I'm Carl Kasell. After 70 years of prohibition, marijuana becomes legal today for personal consumption throughout the United States for persons 21 and older …"

The article goes on by interviewing certain people who have a vested interest in Marijuana Prohibition, pro and con. As I said, it's an interesting game but some of the assumptions reach a little far into fantasy to be a serious look ahead. As this segment about the Mexican drug cartels...

"With the spiraling drug mayhem in Mexico, some Latin American leaders looked at legalizing marijuana as a way to deny the murderous cartels a portion of their profits. When it was banned, marijuana was the greatest source of income for Mexican traffickers. Now that it's cultivated domestically and sold legally, surely that has crippled the cartels?

"These are crooks. You're not gonna take 'em out of the criminal activity business," says Robert Almonte, who worked narcotics for 25 years with the El Paso Police Department, just across the river from the ruthless Juarez Cartel. "Because drugs are legalized, they're not gonna say, 'Let's go back to school and get an honest job.' "

I don't think anyone is so naive to think that the cartels will just pack up and go fishing when prohibition is lifted. I would consider the cartels even more dangerous in a post-marijuana world than before because they will recoup their losses elsewhere. Cocaine, krank, heroin, and pharmaceuticals will take up the slack of the loss of revenue from pot. That shit is far more deadly and the profits more stark. If anything, the lives of the Mexican people will take a turn for the worse because more of them will be needed to process the drugs rather than merely growing them. That is, if the Mexican government stays as corrupt and toothless as it has been the last 50 years. Corruption is so embedded into the Mexican government, it might take a revolution to weed out the criminals. However, I'm sorry to say that revolutions south of our borders haven't a great track record of freeing the people. They mostly just change the sign over the door, nothing inside changes.

The New York Times has posted an article about "4/20" and the reemergence of the marijuana culture. They too speak of the changing attitudes about cannabis. Allen St. Pierre, one of the Pot Warriors at NORML, wrote a great article at NPR on the 17th. He makes a great point that I try to reiterate: Pot has its demons too.

"Cannabis is not harmless; no drug is, including aspirin. However, with no measured "lethal dose" and no fatalities on record, cannabis, as compared to alcohol, pharmacologically speaking, is a remarkably safe and nontoxic drug."

There are those who make the case that we don't need another vise, especially at this time of economic downturn and widespread pain and anxiety. Legalize pot and you'll have the whole country stoned. But people are people, we are who we are and if we spark a spliff for a bit of herbal peace then so be it. The thought that the whole country will turn to potheads over night reminds me of the fears that were made when they began to reconsider the first Prohibition.

Al Smith, the famously Catholic governor of New York in the early 1920's ran for president in 1928 as a 'wet' candidate. He favored the repeal of the 18th Amendment which outlawed the sale of alcohol. Herbert Hoover, the man many folks hold responsible for the Great Depression, was content to keep things the way they were. As the election grew closer, Smith, the Democratic candidate was gaining support in a large part through his opposition to prohibition. However, he was a Catholic so this was exploited by the Republican Hoover - go figure. Hoover won the election and prohibition lasted through his term and into the next. Even so, during the campaign, Hoover had to acknowledge the tide changing away from prohibition by promising to appoint a commission to study the its ramifications.

"There have been more sustained pressures to enforce this law than on the whole has been true of any other federal statute, although this pressure in the last four or five years has met with increasing resistance as the sentiment against prohibition has developed . . . . That a main source of difficulty is in the attitude of at least a very large number of respectable citizens in most of our large cities and in several states, is made more clear when the enforcement of the national prohibition act is compared with the enforcement of the laws as to narcotics. There is an enormous margin of profit in breaking the latter. The means of detecting transportation are more easily evaded than in the case of liquor. Yet there are no difficulties in the case of narcotics beyond those involved in the nature of the traffic because the laws against them are supported everywhere by a general and determined public sentiment (Sinclair, 1962: 367-368)."

(from "History of Alcohol Prohibition" by the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse)

Even though this made the case for repeal of the 18th Amendment, 10 of 11 commissioners still opposed it. It wasn't until Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his campaign for president in 1932 that repeal of this amendment was included in his platform. In short, although public sentiment was clearly in favor of repeal, the event itself took years to accomplish. People went out and partied, there was revelry all over, but the Depression was in full swing and people had other things to think about, like survival. Repealing the 18th Amendment didn't destroy America.

So, the likelihood of the end of marijuana prohibition is still far away. But we are still fighting the good fight. States are seriously considering changing laws for medical marijuana and the growing of hemp, each good steps toward legalization. In Colorado, a pro-marijuana ad was broadcast on TV


(the giggle at the end was edited out for broadcast, but it was a cute touch anyway.)

What are we looking at? This August in Seattle, Hempfest will be enjoy the fruits of a somewhat friendly administration and, perhaps, the greatest scrutiny of any past gatherings with regard to the new attitudes toward marijuana. Although the theme of this year's festivities will be on industrial hemp, the talk in the crowd will be centered on when the ball drops on legalization. I caution people against getting too optimistic. I hope to be in the midst of the fray during this whole affair, as well as at Hempfest. I also hope to reconnect with some of the Warriors I've mentioned in this series. I fell out of favor long ago and have been trying to re-establish my cred for awhile now. Voicing opinions is like speeding down a winding road - both require some steering. I forgot that.

Here's a few facts that I've stated but this video puts it out in a frame that I may not have made here. It's the MPP party at the Playboy Mansion last year. This year's party is in June.


Hmmm, my invitation must have got lost in the mail.

The tide is turning. The winds of change are blowing in our direction now but that may not be the case tomorrow. I've been on this roller coaster before. We need real change to happen, that means advocacy at the top and real legislation at the federal level. It can't be just an issue for old hippies and cancer patients. Mom and Pop America have to join the team. Real change takes bold steps by people who would normally not make them. In Congress, we can get one side of the aisle on our side but the other side is in no mood to cooperate. Republicans, true to form, will do everything in their power to scuttle this agenda. They have no soul and care nothing for those who would benefit from legalization.

The media is also not quite on our side. They deal in the sensational, not the informative. News outlets like Fox News and CNN will show every bad angle, every misstep made by the Warriors as we try to get our message out. They don't want the truth, they only want the shock. They want the car wreck, even if they have to grease the road to get it.

So this is up to us. All of us. Each person who feels that marijuana prohibition is wrong has to take a stand and do their part in bringing about its demise.

Note: OK, I did say that Legal Eagles was to be the next part. I'm getting there. This shit isn't as easy as I thought. Stay tuned!

So Mote It Be,
David A.

21st Century Prohibition pt4 - Main Street

This series on the 21st Century Prohibition is changing a bit. Due to recent developments and Pres. Obama's unfortunate comments at the Online Townhall meeting, I've decided to change the direction of the discussion here. I had originally meant for this to be about the Legal Eagles, the groups that are providing legal services to those who find themselves in the grip of Johnny Law. That part will be forthcoming as soon as I can get more information. I would hate to link to bad goods on a topic that's so important to the Warriors.

This post is about Main Street. It's your hometown, my hometown, the little berg that has a couple of stores and a post office or a urban neighborhood with ethnic flavors and smells, little old ladies walking to the grocery and the church. This is the residence of Mom and Pop America. They've lived here most of their life. They shop here, worship here, they say hello to Phil at the corner grocery. They go to the clinic for all their aches and pains and dread the day when the doctor tells them the inevitable. They're getting older but they still have their kids.

Their kids are in schools all over the country, trying hard to get that sacred piece of sheepskin. They go from campus to campus learning all about the world and how they'll make their mark in it. They're burning the midnight oil for tests and midterms, studying hard and smoking pot. Lots of pot.

Mom and Pop America may not know about this, they may be sitting in their kitchens drinking tea and coffee, talking about the medical bills, the student loans, the costs of gas and grocery, or the rising price and dwindling coverage of their insurance. This isn't a happy time. Concern about whether their progeny is partaking of the ghanj isn't high on their list. Until, that is, their kids get busted.


Getting busted for a gram of weed can cost a college student his/her student loans. In some states, it could lead to a felony conviction which would severely limit their employment opportunities. A person with a felony conviction can't hold any job that requires bonding or licensing, other than a driver's license. Most government jobs are off the table as are most large corporations. You are required to divulge your conviction on all job applications and if you lie (background checks will rat you out) you'll be kicked to the curb. The best you can do is unskilled or semi-skilled labor or, if you're lucky, go to work for a small business that has a soft spot for you.

Mom and Pop America are getting older. They're getting close to their sunset years with all the aches and pains that go with them. There was a time when you just died if you got cancer or AIDS. Now, you can live longer with the right combination of drugs. Even if they make you sick and puke or lose any semblance of an appetite. In order for these drugs to work, you have to keep your strength up, eat regular and drink lots of water. When your body is healing itself, the last thing you want to do is stop putting food in it. Well, consider the decisions facing Mom and Pop now that Granny or Auntie Em are sick with cancer and need pain relief or won't eat anything. Either you order a pine box for their big dirt nap or you set aside all the bullshit that people like Harry Anslinger, John Walters, or General Nuisance Barry McCaffrey have been selling and take a long, hard look at cannabis. Converts are coming out all over the US.

Drug companies have us by the balls. Insurance companies have us by the throat. Together they're twisting and stretching us every which way but up. They may have had a bad time these past few months but don't think they've seen the light yet. They still exist only to make as much profit as possible, the health and well being of the population be damned. Medical marijuana is bad juju to these goons. Here's a plant that can be grown in the back yard that can alleviate pain and nausea. No processing, no slick advertisement, no fancy packaging that features pretty people with perfect teeth - worse of all, no profit. You can bet your last bar of soap that these industries will be dead set against allowing the legal distribution of medical marijuana.

State legislatures all over the country are taking a new, reasonable look at their marijuana laws. With the advent of the progressive movement's victories in elections all across the country, many lawmakers are taking the chance on changing these outmoded laws and penalties, something not heard of just a couple of years ago. Mind you, there are a lot of hurdles yet to climb and this could all take a turn for the worse but there has never been a better time to defeat 'Reefer Madness' once and for all.

In order to get to the point where we can go to the corner smoke shop and order a qtr 'z' of Purple Spank Surprise, there are certain landmarks that need to be laid out.

1. Stop the raids on medical marijuana clinics and make a public statement to that effect.
2. Defer to state laws in all cases of jurisdiction if state laws are more lenient.
   
3. Drop Cannabis from the Schedule One list of dangerous drugs.
4. Legalize the cultivation, distribution and processing of Hemp and Hemp products in the US.
5. Decriminalize the possession of up to 40 grams of marijuana for personal use.
6. Legalize the cultivation of up to 15 plants for personal use. (60 plants for medicinal)
7. Enact legislation that creates a tax code and reasonable mechanisms for taxing the sale and distribution of marijuana.
8. Legalize the sale and possession of up to 40 grams of marijuana for adults 21 years or older.
9. Allow special licensing for small homegrown craft growers who would expand the market and allow branding of certain 'vintage' types of cannabis.

Surely, the last few are a long way off, but it pays to dream!

Currently, there is a lot of suffering going on at the border with Mexico. Drug cartels are kidnapping people, sending them across the border into our state parks and national forests to grow marijuana. The marijuana grown there is sold in the cities of the Southwest, perhaps even as far away as Chicago and New York. The profits from those sales are then taken to gun shows and retailers in Texas, Arizona and California where semi-automatic (and in some cases fully automatic) weapons are purchased and smuggled back to Mexico. Once there, the guns are used in the cartels' war with the Mexican government. Try as they might, the Mexican government is outgunned, out financed and outmaneuvered by these drug lords. The MPP has said that 60% of the financing for the weaponry used by the drug lords comes from the sale of marijuana to users in America.

Take away that money! If we were to legalize marijuana, the flow of funds and guns to the cartels would dry up like an old condom. They wouldn't be able to keep up the fight with the Mexican government and would soon be defeated. The only ones who would be adversely impacted by this, besides the drug lords, would be the gun merchants in Texas. Boo freaking Hoo!

So, it comes down to being reasonable. Lord knows, we don't need another vice in our lives and marijuana is one of them to be sure. But if I were to choose which one to have, smoking pot would be far ahead of tobacco (hate the taste and the toxins), alcohol (false bravado, hangovers, puking your guts out in the back yard), gambling (going broke in 15 minutes was never that fun) or sky diving (planes have landing gear for a reason).

The only way we are going to achieve the list I've put out there is by doing it by the numbers. When Mom and Pop America see Auntie Em, whose suffering from her cancer treatments, get relief from pot then we've got advocates. Not the kind of advocates you'd normally see associated with the cannabis issue, but god-fearing hard working folks who just want to see their loved ones treated with dignity and compassion.

Update: I erred in including Oklahoma as a source of illegal guns to the Mexican Cartels. The ATF states that in addition to Texas, California and Arizona have been found to be the source of many of the weapons used by the cartels. More info coming...

Update deux: jeg43 commented that I should take another look at my statement about the flow of guns from the US to the Mexican Drug Lords. I found the error with Oklahoma as I was researching this and changed it above. But as I went across the web, the primary theme from the government (the ATF, the FBI, and the State Dept.) as well as the media on the ground in Juarez, Tijuana, and the US border towns that the evidence of Mexican surragates buying thousands of assault weapons from American gun shows is overwhelming.

Mexican cartels are using assault rifles like the variants of the AK-47 and AR-15 that the ATF traced back to sellers in the United States. According to a Mexican government official and The Brookings Institution, as many as 2,000 weapons enter Mexico daily and fuel an arms race between competing Mexican drug cartels. Since 1996, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has traced more than 62,000 firearms smuggled into Mexico from the United States,and ATF officials estimate that 90% of the weapons recovered in Mexico come from U.S. gun dealers; about 55% of these guns are assault rifles.

An in-depth analysis of firearms trace data by the ATF over the past three years shows that Texas, Arizona and California are the three most prolific source states, respectively, for firearms illegally trafficked to Mexico

My source, with good footnotes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Drug_War I hope to provide more info later as it comes up. As I said to jeg43, I'm no fan of unregulated gun sales and feel that there are far too many guns in the world. BUT, I acknowledge that the Constitution has a Second Amendment that should be considered as important as the First. No law abiding citizen should be kept from owning a gun if they choose.

So Mote It Be,
David A.

21st Century Prohibition pt.3 - Pot Warriors, the Good Guys

Travel back with me to a time long ago when disco was king, bell bottoms were bottoming out and Jimmy Carter, lustful heart and all, was president. I was a freshman at Washington State University in Pullman. Big change from the little berg I was raised in. They had more than one traffic light.

Upon registering, I came across a row of tables manned by students hawking their clubs and organizations. There were farm clubs, science clubs, chess and sports clubs, political organizations of all stripes and colors. Along the far wall, a table had caught my eye. You see, at that time, I was a recreational user of marijuana and was completely out of herb. Being in a strange new town, I was resigned to the fact that I was going to remain without until I was able to return to the hometown for a reload.

On that far wall were two gents gathering memberships for NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. I thought, what better way to get connected than to join that group. I walked over and signed right up.

I didn't get any weed, instead I got schooled.

The Good Guys

NORML - The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws was founded in 1970 by Keith Stroup. It has led the fight for decriminalization and reasonable regulation of marijuana use. It also has been instrumental in educating the American public on the facts about the many uses of cannabis, not the falsehoods and propaganda of reefer madness and 'Just Say No!' campaigns. They fight the good fight and, if the gods favor us, will succeed in bringing justice to millions of marijuana users and producers.

Their mission statement -NORML's mission is to move public opinion sufficiently to achieve the repeal of marijuana prohibition so that the responsible use of cannabis by adults is no longer subject to penalty."

There are chapters in almost every state (what's up with Virginia?) and they provide a state-by-state guide to the current marijuana laws. Check out what your state has in store for you should Johnny Law find you partaking of the ghanj. If this issue is important to you and it should be, join up and bring needed change to this gawd-awful clusterfuck. I've been a member since those early days so their standards are suspect but their cause is righteous.

MPP - The Marijuana Policy Project tracks the political side of the issue. Like NORML, they advocate a responsible, reality based policy on marijuana use and production. I see them as the suit and tie version of NORML but their purpose is more wonky, more palatable to the stuffed shirts that hold the reins of power in DC. They came about in 1995 and have been working tirelessly to advance favorable legislation in Congress. Since their charter, they have advanced medical marijuana legislation in the US Congress and have seen the statute approved in 13 states.

Their vision/mission statement -
Vision:
MPP and MPP Foundation envision a nation where marijuana is legally regulated similarly to alcohol, marijuana education is honest and realistic, and treatment for problem marijuana users is non-coercive and geared toward reducing harm.
Mission:
1. Increase public support for non-punitive, non-coercive marijuana policies.
2. Identify and activate supporters of non-punitive, non-coercive marijuana policies.
3. Change state laws to reduce or eliminate penalties for the medical and non-medical use of marijuana.
4. Gain influence in Congress.

They've been instrumental in getting the word out about our draconian marijuana laws. In WA, medical marijuana was passed by initiative by 59% of Washington's voters. It's coded as RCW 69.51A. They were also instrumental in passing a 2003 law (Initiative 75) that made marijuana possession the lowest priority in law enforcement.

Personally, I think that type of law is a bit ludicrous but it does send a message. In reality though, a cop will bust you for whatever he/she thinks of at the time. In my dealings with Johnny Law, you are at the mercy of a merciless thug. If you walk away from a pot bust, it's not because of this law but because you weren't a big enough catch or the paperwork wasn't worth hauling your stoner ass to jail.

Drug Czar? WTF? - This one doesn't really fall in the category of the good guys but I reserve judgment to place him here versus the bad guys. Seattle police chief Gil Kerlikowske has been tapped by President Obama to head up the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). He be the new Drug Czar! While advocates wanted a progressive health industry official, not a law enforcement officer; this one is easier to take. While Chief Kerlikowske is not as bad as his predecessors like John Walters and General Nuisance Barry McCaffery, he's still a cop and will do his job along that line. However, as the chief in Seattle, he oversaw the implementation of medical marijuana clinics and Initiative 75 without incident. Also it begs mentioning that during Hempfest, the Chief lowered the footprint of law enforcement, allowing folks to relax and be 'real'. The cops present were very tolerant of those who chose to imbibe a little Bhab during the festivities (provided they weren't blatant about it!)

Hempfest - Bask in the glowing embers and inhale the magic. If it's the middle of August and you find yourself in the Emerald City you'll find no place closer to OZ than Hempfest. Staged at Myrtle Edwards Park and the surrounding area, this free (donations gladly accepted) 'protestival' is the largest organized protest and gathering promoting cannabis decriminalization and activism. Now as much as we lurves ourselves the herb for personal enjoyment, Hempfest also focuses on the industrial uses of hemp. In 2009, the theme is industrial hemp. Hempfest features many stages, lots of music and speakers, goods and services - all with the message of ending prohibition. Incidentally, one of my favorite spots, is a stage and area called the Hemposium that exhibits all things hemp. The Hemposium educates through demonstrations, speakers, panel discussions, and displays that center on the many uses of industrial hemp. But any discussion of hemp always comes back to the failed war on marijuana, so Hempfest incorporates industrial hemp, access to medical marijuana, and the responsible recreational use by adults into a single weekend festival of fun, frivolity and information.

Their mission statement - To educate the public on the myriad of potential benefits offered by the Cannabis plant, including the medicinal, industrial, agricultural, economic, environmental, and other benefits and applications, including domestic industrial hemp production and commerce. In particular, Seattle Hempfest seeks to advance the cause of Cannabis policy reform through education, while advancing the public image of the Cannabis advocate or enthusiast through example.

OK, full disclosure here. I've been a volunteer at Hempfest for awhile and needless to say, it's near and dear to my heart. The gang of organizers and other volunteers are second to none and despite the 'stoner' reputation, they get shit done. To organize and administer this size of an event is insanity at its best. The list of names that get this lovely chaos to work is beyond my capacity to put here but let me say they are the BEST! That means you, Katie!

I missed last year due to an illness so this year I'll be on course to volunteer the whole weekend. For those of you who may be looking for a good, inexpensive outing in the Great Northwest around Aug 15 and 16, 2009 you couldn't do better than to cogitate, communicate, mediate and vegetate at Hempfest!

Poster from last year, 2008

I could list a lot more folks here. Willie Nelson, Woody Harrelson, Tommy Chong and countless others who may not be household names. In the future I will be adding to this list with other posts about fighting the good fight and winning the war on marijuana. These folks are to Harry Anslinger like water is to fire.

Next part: The Legal Eagles

So Mote It Be,
David A.