CA. Democratic Attorney General Jerry Brown,Seeking Governorship/ Against

[MedicalNeed]

Prominent candidates running for higher office, including Democratic Attorney General Jerry Brown, who is seeking the governorship, and San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, a Democrat who is running for attorney general

Read more: State's voters to decide on legalizing pot



California voters will decide this November whether to legalize and regulate adult recreational use of marijuana. The secretary of state on Wednesday certified that a Bay Area-based effort to put the issue on the ballot has collected enough signatures to do so.

If passed, California would have the most comprehensive laws on legal marijuana in the entire world, advocates say. Opponents are confident they will easily defeat the measure.

The vote will be the second time in nearly 40 years that people in the Golden State will decide the issue of legalization, though the legal framework and cultural attitudes surrounding marijuana have changed significantly over the past four decades. If Californians pass the measure, they would be the first in the nation to vote for legalization. Similar efforts in other states all have failed.

Backers needed to collect at least 433,971 valid signatures of registered voters, and Secretary of State Debra Bowen said they met that threshold.

If voters approve the measure, it will become legal for Californians 21 and older to grow and possess up to an ounce of marijuana under state law. Local jurisdictions could tax and regulate it or decide not to participate. Marijuana would continue to be banned outright by federal law.

Current state law allows a person, with a doctor's approval, to possess an amount of marijuana that is reasonably related to the patient's current medical needs. People also can obtain cards identifying themselves as a patient, which helps in interactions with law enforcement.

"There is no state that currently allows adults to grow marijuana for personal (recreational) use, but what is totally different and will be a game-changer internationally is this would allow authorized sales to adults as determined by a local authority," said Stephen Gutwillig, California state director of the Drug Policy Alliance Network, an organization advocating for changes in drug laws.
Key supporters

The major backers of the initiative - the founder of an marijuana trade school based in Oakland, a retired Orange County judge and various drug-law reform organizations - are planning to oversee a $10 million campaign to push the measure.

Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said his organization will work hard to pass the proposition, adding that the California effort is notable because it probably will be funded by the marijuana industry.

"This is being launched at a time not only of mass nationwide zeitgeist around marijuana," but acutely so in California, he said. "Almost all other (marijuana) initiatives were poorly funded, and what funding there has been ... was purely philanthropic."

But opponents, who probably will include a large coalition of public safety associations, said that once voters understand the implications of the measure, it will be handily defeated.

"The overarching issue is, given all the social problems caused by alcohol abuse, all the social and public safety problems caused by pharmaceutical abuse and the fact that tobacco kills - given all those realities, what on Earth is the social good that's going to be served by adding another mind-altering substance to the array," said John Lovell, a lobbyist for a number of statewide police and public safety associations.

Additionally, he said, employers and government entities that receive federal money may not be able to meet federal standards for drug-free workplaces if the measure passes, putting billions of federal dollars in jeopardy.
'Sink like a rock'

"It's terrible drafting ... that will cause the state of California significant fiscal problems," he said. When these issues are presented to voters, he said, the measure will "sink like a rock in the North Atlantic."

Attitudes of voters in California have increasingly moved in favor of full legalization of marijuana. Californians passed Proposition 215 in 1996 to legalize marijuana for medical use. A bill in the Legislature would also legalize adult recreational use, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said it is an idea that should be debated, although he personally opposes it.

A Field Poll taken in April found that 56 percent of voters backed the idea of legalization and taxation of marijuana. The measure will add to an already crowded November ballot, with an expensive gubernatorial race looming along with other statewide offices.

Prominent candidates running for higher office, including Democratic Attorney General Jerry Brown, who is seeking the governorship, and San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, a Democrat who is running for attorney general, have said they oppose the initiative. Don Perata, former Senate president pro tem and candidate for Oakland mayor, supports the initiative.

The major Republican candidates oppose the measure.

Richard Lee, the founder of Oaksterdam University, has spearheaded the effort and said he is not concerned about prominent political opposition to the plan, noting the similar lack of support for Prop. 215.

"I think the voters lead the politicians on this issue and they realize that," Lee said.

Read more: State's voters to decide on legalizing pot

 

[Cephas]

So is there any organization in LA like the ASA that will be organizing a voter awareness drive?

 

[MedicalNeed]

There is little to mostly NO political outing in this area this is the reason for this section.

You should write ASA and some of the other groups to express your interest in this area.

I would also encourage everyone to post up any political opinion story's here in this section to help the voters who want to do their part.

 

[MedicalNeed]

CA. / Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tom Campbell-Against / Democratic Sen. Barbar

CA. / Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tom Campbell-Against / Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer- Against

GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman's -Against

Quote- Steve Poizner feels we need an across-the-board tax cut to reignite our state's economy, not an attempt to smoke our way out of the budget deficit." -- You Decide?



Legalize pot in California? Statewide candidates inhale the question — blow out answers


By Patrick May


To legalize pot or not?
That's the question California voters will face in the fall now that the ballot measure has qualified for the November election.
The state's political candidates got to face it Saturday. And their answers — more or less — were no, no, no and no.
When asked whether any of them had ever smoked marijuana, the answers were, again: No — except for the occasional "dunno."
"I am not supporting the initiative," said Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tom Campbell, unable to comment at length because he was driving at the time. Before hanging up, though, he was able to add: "I've never smoked marijuana in my life."
GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman's
spokeswoman, Sarah Pompei, reiterated her statement this week that Whitman was "absolutely against legalizing marijuana for any reason. She believes we have enough challenges in our society without heading down the path of drug legalization."

Asked whether Whitman had ever smoked it, Pompei said, "I've never asked her, and I would have no idea."
Jarrod Agen, spokesman for Whitman's GOP opponent, Steve Poizner, replied in an e-mail: "Steve has said that he's never used drugs."
Still, Poizner had one of the more interesting takes on the initiative, which would allow licensed retailers to sell up to an ounce of marijuana, generating as much as $1.4 billion in new taxes, according to proponents. Agen said that "like electing
Jerry Brown, the idea of legalizing drugs is one more bad idea from a bygone era. Steve Poizner feels we need an across-the-board tax cut to reignite our state's economy, not an attempt to smoke our way out of the budget deficit."

Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Jerry Brown's spokesman, Sterling Clifford, said that because the candidate, as attorney general, is "the state's top law enforcer, and because he has to write the title and summary of the ballot initiative, he's not going to discuss the merits of the initiative until that's done."
Has Brown used marijuana? "I haven't the slightest idea," said Clifford. "And I'm not sure he can be reached today. He and his wife were going hiking."
A spokeswoman for Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer said she would ask her boss about the initiative, but had not responded by press time. And Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina "opposes the legalization of marijuana," said spokeswoman Amy Thoma.
Chuck DeVore, the conservative California assemblyman trying to unseat Boxer, said he had never used marijuana and that he opposed legalizing it. As he drove from one tea party rally to another Saturday in Nevada, DeVore raised a number of potential problems, including how challenging it would be to come up with roadside tests to weed out people who were intoxicated behind the wheel.
"What can the police officer do?" DeVore wondered. "Pull out a plate of brownies, and see if you take one?"

Source: Legalize pot in California? Statewide candidates inhale the question — blow out answers - San Jose Mercury News

 

[FoolsParadise]

Re: CA. / Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tom Campbell-Against / Democratic Sen. Ba

Steve Poizner feels we need an across-the-board tax cut to reignite our state's economy, not an attempt to smoke our way out of the budget deficit." -- You Decide?

I like his tax cut idea. And he's right. You can't smoke your way out of the red. Federal, state and local governments collect more tax money from the sale of cigarettes than retailers, wholesalers, farmers and manufacturers combined, but they're still running deficits. Hey Poizner, try cutting spending. Perhaps he doesn't realize that about $200 million (according to CA NORML) of law enforcement cost would be eliminated in CA if cannabis was legal.

 

[MedicalNeed]

California Dems Endorse Pot Legalization, Proposition 19

California Dems Endorse Pot Legalization, Proposition 19


Democratic lawmakers from California are hoping that a proposition to legalize marijuana on the November ballot will help drive progressive voter turnout, but most are so far unwilling to state publicly how they'll vote when the curtain closes. Three House Democrats, however, tell HuffPost that they'll be supporting the measure, which would authorize cities and counties to tax and regulate the sale of marijuana for adults 21 and over.

Three may not seem like a high number, but it represents the most public support that legalization has garnered from a single state's delegation -- and it signals the effect that ballot initiatives can have on advancing the public debate over marijuana policy. Many of the rest of the Democrats in the delegation said they were open to supporting it. The state's chapter of the NAACP has also come out in favor of it.

The three Democrats to tell HuffPost that they'll vote yes - Reps. George Miller, Barbara Lee and Pete Stark -- represent Bay Area districts and are the first federal legislators to publicly back Proposition 19. Another Democrat, Mike Honda, who represents Silicon Valley, which owes much to consciousness-expanding drugs, said he was leaning toward voting yes. "It's like driving or drinking: We have a certain age, then you have that privilege and if you abuse it you lose it. I don't think this is any different, just like other kinds of legalized behavior," said Honda.

One Republican, the libertarian-leaning Dana Rohrabacher, who represents parts of Huntington Beach and Long Beach, said the he was initially planning to endorse the proposition, but thinks it doesn't go far enough to protect employers. "I would say in principle I would vote yes but you always have to read the fine print," he said. "I read into it and it was more than simply preventing people from going to jail. It was that nobody could use that as a criteria for hiring and firing... If somebody wants to hire just non-smokers or non-drinkers that's his or her personal prerogative as far as I'm concerned."

Rohrabacher said that if a bill similar to the proposition in California came to the House floor, but didn't include the employer language, he'd vote for it.

HuffPost quizzed each member of the California delegation, but perhaps the most unlikely negative response came from Rep. Lynn Woolsey, a Democrat who represents Marin and Sonoma Counties and is co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. No polling has been done specific to her district, but Woolsey's opposition would put her in a dwindling minority in Northern California.

In a statement, Woolsey emphasized her support of medical marijuana. "Marijuana use is increasing among today's youth, and as a mother and a grandmother, I am concerned by any initiative that might contribute to increased substance abuse," she said. "While I am not convinced that legalization of marijuana is appropriate at this time, I do believe that doctors should be permitted to prescribe marijuana for patients suffering from cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, spastic disorders, and other debilitating diseases. I'm an original cosponsor of H.R. 2835, the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, which would prevent federal laws from restricting the production, distribution, and use of medical marijuana."

Illegal growers in Northern California could suffer if marijuana is legalized and production spreads equitably throughout the state.

Honda, meanwhile, said that legalizing and regulating the industry would be harmful to the business models of the drug cartels. "It would have a negative impact on the drug trade, on cartels," he said. "You regulate it here, it's going to impact the trade because we are a market for the drug trade. They bring marijuana over here illegally because of the market -- people want to buy it."

Dale Sky Clare, a spokesperson for the Yes on Prop 19 campaign, said that it's not unusual for public officials to play coy about their support for legalizing pot. In Sacramento, she said, she gets a lot of implicit backing. "There's a lot of wink-wink, nod-nod, but nobody wants to come out and say they support it--and that's from Republicans and Democrats," she said. Polling on the question is tricky, too, she said, given that a person might not want to tell a stranger over the phone what position he or she holds on legalizing weed, suggesting there may be a "reverse Bradley effect."

Some members of Congress are scarred by California's experience with medical marijuana, noting how easy it is to find a doctor who will recommend marijuana for all manor of minor ailments. "Medical marijuana in California is a complete failure and a fraud. It's not about people with terminal diseases; it's about recreational use. Although well-meaning for the right cases, it never dealt with just those right cases," said Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican who represents a district north of San Diego.

Issa said that the lack of regulation of the medical marijuana industry had stunk up homes in his area. "We've ended up with an awful lot of homes ruined by mildew -- not with eight or 16 plants, but with thousands of plants there -- so I would not vote for any bill that changed the status quo unless it also dealt with a lot of those issues," he said.

Issa, however, said he was open to reviewing marijuana prohibition, he said. "I'm not completely averse to looking at those laws. I am concerned that we look at all the fundamentals. Just as alcohol is not -- it's decriminalized but it's extremely well regulated, taxed, if you realize that 100 percent of all the sources, or virtually 100 percent of all the sources, of marijuana today are clandestine. So there are a number of hurdles that need to be dealt with."

Judy Chu, a freshman Democrat who represents part of the Los Angeles area, answered the question about the legalization prop by recounting problems with medical marijuana, as did several others. "With everything going on in Congress, I haven't had the chance to study Proposition 19 to a point that I can take a position on it. I do know that current policy has led to a number of problems with the proliferation of dispensaries in countless Californian communities. Any change in law needs to address and fix these problems. At this time, however, I don't know if this law does that," she said in a statement.

The Democrat who represents Beverly Hills, Henry Waxman, said he was undecided. Mike Thompson, a Blue Dog Democrat who represents Humbolt County and grows grapes is also undecided, a spokesperson said. Spokespersons for Democrats Maxine Waters and Brad Sherman and Republicans Tom McClintock and Tom Campbell said their bosses had yet to announce a position.

Rep. Jim Costa, a Democrat representing San Joaquin Valley, said his decision on how to vote will have much to do with the position of law enforcement. "I would be inclined at this time not to support [the proposition]. I would want to see that law enforcement is comfortable. This would be a very significant change. I'd want to see whether or not they think this would make their job more difficult," he said.

Dan Lungren, a Republican who represents a suburban district outside Sacramento, surprised nobody by telling HuffPost he'd be voting against the proposition. As the state's attorney general, he waged a relentless war against medical marijuana.

Spokespersons for Republicans Jerry Lewis, Elton Gallegly and Mary Bono said they'd vote against the initiative.

In 2004, Karl Rove famously helped drive conservative turnout by putting anti-gay marriage initiatives state ballots. Some Democrats hope that marijuana - whether medical or recreational - can have a similar effect and drive youth turnout, which trends heavily Democratic. But the difference is that the GOP fully embraced intolerance toward gay marriage, whereas California Dems have a looser relationship with pot. That could lead pot-focused voters to turn out but cast third-party votes instead. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) faces a tough race that could be decided by a few votes either way; a new poll has her up by a mere three points.

At the state Democratic Party convention in April, Party Chair John Burton was asked how to re-energize Obama voters from 2008. "Pot," he said, according to Greg Lucas.

The state Democratic Party's executive board meets next weekend to consider whether to endorse Prop 19, but gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown has already come out against it. A number of unions may weigh in as well. The United Food and Commercial Workers union is organizing medical "bud tenders" and the more legal workers there are to organize, the better it is for unions. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees may also endorse. State workers, facing mass layoffs and wage cuts, would benefit from the billion-plus in revenue taxing marijuana could bring in.

Lucia Graves contributed reporting.



Source: The Huffington Post
Author: Ryan Grim
Contact: The Huffington Post
Copyright: 2010 The Huffington Post
Website: California Dems Endorse Pot Legalization, Proposition 19