Garfunkel & Oates - Weed Card

Released in honor of today's date.

(Via - Dan Savage)

Pat Robertson: It's Time To Legalize Pot

Wait, WHAT?

CALIFORNIA: Legalized Pot Bill Fails

California's Prop 19, which would have decriminalized the possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, has failed by a wide margin.

The initiative would have eliminated all criminal penalties for adults 21 and older who planted marijuana in a plot of up to 25 square feet or possessed up to an ounce for personal use. It also would have allowed city councils and county supervisors to authorize commercial cultivation and retail sales. But the opposition was broad, according to the poll conducted by Edison Research for the National Voter Pool, a consortium of the major television news networks and the Associated Press. Men and women opposed it. Voters of every race opposed it. The campaign had hoped black and Latino voters would see the measure as a way to end disproportionate arrests of minorities caught with marijuana. The measure drew intense interest. Foreign leaders weighed in. All the top statewide candidates opposed it. The federal drug czar denounced it. And the U.S. attorney general pledged to "vigorously enforce" federal narcotics laws whatever California did.

Prop 19 had been strongly opposed by a consortium of beer distributors.

Marijuana Laws By State

As California prepares to vote on Proposition 19, which would decriminalize the possession of one ounce or less of marijuana to the level of a parking ticket, NORML (the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) provides this snapshot of pot laws around the country.

(Via - Andrew Sullivan)

Eric Holder: The Feds Will Still Prosecute Pot Crimes In CA If Prop 19 Passes

Attorney General Eric Holder says that even if California voters legalize marijuana via Proposition 19, the federal government will continue to prosecute pot cases there.

On Friday, US Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Obama administration would “vigorously enforce” federal drug laws against people who sell, distribute or grow marijuana for recreational use. Holder sent a letter to nine former chiefs of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, saying in part: "Let me state clearly that the Department of Justice strongly opposes Proposition 19. If passed, this legislation will greatly complicate federal drug enforcement efforts to the detriment of our citizens." Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca hosted a news conference Friday morning to draw attention to the letter. Prop. 19 would allow Californians 21 and older to grow up to 25 square feet of cannabis plants, and to possess up to an ounce of marijuana. It would also empower cities and counties to regulate marijuana cultivation and sales. Several municipalities are poised to do so if the law passes, with initiatives concerning taxation and regulation on the same ballot as Prop. 19.

The Tenthers are surely salivating at the prospect of this potential clash between state and federal laws. However many have pointed out that the feds simply don't have the manpower to launch any significant campaign against home-grown pot in California.

CALIFORNIA: Polling Favors Legal Pot

Dominic Holden assesses the bill's supporters:

That's 48 percent yes, 41 percent no, and 11 percent undecided—which is pretty good. The crosstabs are over here. Groups with over 50 percent support for Prop 19 are men, people under 50, white, moderate to liberal, dislike the Tea Party, make over $80,000, and live in the Bay Area. In other words, rich smart hippies.

The big question should the bill pass, of course, is what the feds would do about it.

California Decriminalizes Marijuana

The Governator just signed a bill decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana down to the level of a parking ticket.

Those caught with less than an ounce of marijuana will still receive a maximum penalty of $100. However, Senate Bill 1449 reduces the legal categorization of marijuana possession from a misdemeanor to a civil infraction. This means that those caught will not have to appear in court, pay court fees or receive a criminal record. Schwarzenegger opposes Proposition 19, a pending referendum that will provide a legal framework for the sale, cultivation and taxation of marijuana. However, despite this opposition, Schwarzenegger signed the bill into law.

Schwarzenegger says the state simply cannot afford the expense of prosecuting those found with less than an ounce of weed.

CALIFORNIA: Beer Sellers Oppose Marijuana Legalization Bill

A coalition of beer distributors is opposing California's Proposition 19, the attempt to legalize and tax the sale of marijuana.

On Sept. 7, the California Beer & Beverage Distributors gave $10,000 to a committee opposing Proposition 19, the measure that would change state law to legalize pot and allow it to be taxed and regulated. The California Police Chiefs Association has given the most to the Proposition 19 opposition with a contribution of $30,000, according to Cal-Access, a website operated by the secretary of state’s office. Rhonda Stevenson, the California Beer & Beverage Distributors political action committee’s coordinator, was out of the office on Wednesday. Nobody else from the group was available to comment. “Unless the beer distributors in California have suddenly developed a philosophical opposition to the use of intoxicating substances, the motivation behind this contribution is clear,” Steve Fox, director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project, said in statement. “Plain and simple, the alcohol industry is trying to kill the competition. Their mission is to drive people to drink.”

Some beer manufacturers have disavowed their own distributors. Sierra Nevada has demanded that their name be removed from the membership list of the above-cited group.

First Medical Marijuana Ad Airs In CA