SpiralArchitect

Soros behind Mass. effort to decriminalize pot
8/28/08|The Associated Press|Steve LeBlanc

A measure that would decriminalize minor marijuana-possession cases is on the ballot in Massachusetts largely because of one man: billionaire financier and liberal activist George Soros.

Of the $429,000 collected last year by the group advancing the measure, $400,000 came from Soros, who has championed similar efforts in several states and spent $24 million to fight President Bush's 2004 re-election bid. The Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy needed about $315,000 of that just to collect the more than 100,000 signatures that secured a spot on the ballot, according to campaign finance reports reviewed by The Associated Press.

"All of us owe George Soros a great deal of gratitude," said Keith Stroup, founder of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

If the measure is approved in November, Massachusetts would become the 13th state to lift or ease criminal penalties on marijuana possession. The proposal would make having an ounce or less of the drug a civil offense punishable by a $100 fine.

A spokesman for Soros referred questions to Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the New York-based Drug Policy Alliance. Soros' efforts to ease penalties for drug crimes have come through the alliance, where he is a member of the board of directors.

Nadelmann said Soros feels the war on drugs is draining money and resources that could be better spent.

"He thinks the (ballot question) is a responsible initiative to reduce the overreliance on criminal justice sanctions in dealing with marijuana," Nadelmann said. "Marijuana should not be a priority of the criminal justice system."

Soros is credited with putting financial muscle behind many of the state initiatives easing marijuana laws — beginning with a 1996 California ballot question to allow marijuana use for medical purposes. From 1996 to 2000, Soros backed medical marijuana questions there and in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Nevada and Maine.

More recently he has focused on criminal justice reform efforts including pushing a proposal in California this year that would prohibit sending drug offenders back to prison for parole violations unless they commit a new felony, have a violent or serious record, or are considered high risk by prison officials. He has also contributed to Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Joe Biden and has helped support a group running ads opposing Republican John McCain.

Soros's wealth was estimated at $8.8 billion by Forbes magazine last year. He was also the second-highest-paid hedge fund manager last year at $2.9 billion.

Critics say marijuana decriminalization sends the wrong message to young people — that using drugs carries few consequences. Not only are there health risks associated with marijuana, they say, but users often end up moving on to more dangerous illegal drugs.

Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone said the marijuana being sold on the street these days is more potent than that sold three decades ago.

"Decriminalizing marijuana is a slippery slope and sends the wrong message," he said. "Compounding this is the fact that users of marijuana are 10 times more likely to be injured, or injure others, in automobile crashes."

Leone said marijuana possession is already treated less stringently in the courts than other drugs.

The question has been criticized by others in law enforcement and drug education groups like DARE-Massachusetts — but according to the secretary of state's office, opponents haven't created a group to raise money to fight the question.

A whopping 72 percent of Massachusetts' voters favored the ballot question and 22 percent opposed it according to a WHDH-TV/Suffolk University poll of 400 registered conducted from July 31-Aug. 3. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Whitney Taylor of the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy said the question would help unclog the courts, save the state millions and spare thousands of residents the burden of a criminal record.

The question requires parental notification and the completion of a drug awareness program for anyone under 18 caught with an ounce or less of the drug. It bars the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana from being used to deny financial aid, public housing or other public assistance, drivers' licenses or the ability to be a foster or adoptive parent.

"They can move on and get a student loan and get their first apartment and move on with their lives," Taylor said. "People recognize that there are a lot better things we could be doing with our police resources."

Currently, possession of small amounts of marijuana in the state is punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a $500 fine. Taylor said offenders commonly get probation, but even in those cases the criminal convictions stay on their records.

The only other statewide vote this year on marijuana laws will be in Michigan, where voters are weighing an initiative to allow patients to grow and use small amounts of marijuana for relief from pain associated with cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other diseases.

If Massachusetts voters approve the ballot question, according to NORML, the state would join a dozen others which have to some extent decriminalized first-time possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use: Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon.

[News Note: Wow, I hadn't even heard about this guy until now. Way to go Soros, this bowl is for you. Hopefully Massachusetts can move forwards with marijuana law reform like so many other states.]

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Mike

What a mensch, I'd love for this to pass...

Buzzby

How did we get from marijuana to "drugs"? The government doesn't seem to care that using their favorite drugs - alcohol & tobacco - have deadly consequences for hundreds of thousands of Americans every year.

I wonder what message the fact that alcohol and tobacco are legal and marijuana is not sends to young people? "Our government is totally arbitrary in making dangerous drugs legal while locking people up for the mere possession of a much less dangerous drug. They would rather go on collecting a lot of money from pharmaceutical and liquor lobbyists than do what best for the American people."

Is 1% "often"? In most situations, when 1 out of a hundred people do something it would be considered "rarely".

Oops! Someone accidentally told the truth!

I would love to see the scientific basis for this bizarre statement.

Soros had been very generous with the movement, but the fact that the public contributes so little has been used against it. Commentators on the Right use this to say that the people don't want marijuana law reform, but are being pushed to accept it by this billionaire's paid-for propaganda. It's unfortunate that the very people for whom marijuana law reform would do the most good are too cheap to put their money where their self-interest is.

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SpiralArchitect

I totally agree.
Couldn't have put it better myself. And everyone knows, stoners have money, afterall weed ain't cheap.

Mike C

My response to the MA DA Gerry Leone's quotes in this article.

Pompo

Soros behind Mass. effort to decriminalize pot
8/27/08|Associated Press| by Steve LeBlanc - Associated Press Writer

A measure that would decriminalize minor marijuana-possession cases is on the ballot in Massachusetts largely because of one man: billionaire financier and liberal activist George Soros.


------------------------------Photo courtesy of Google Images
Billionaire financier and liberal activist George Soros

Of the $429,000 collected last year by the group advancing the measure, $400,000 came from Soros, who has championed similar efforts in several states and spent $24 million to fight President Bush's 2004 re-election bid. The Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy needed about $315,000 of that just to collect the more than 100,000 signatures that secured a spot on the ballot, according to campaign finance reports reviewed by The Associated Press.

"All of us owe George Soros a great deal of gratitude," said Keith Stroup, founder of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

If the measure is approved in November, Massachusetts would become the 13th state to lift or ease criminal penalties on marijuana possession. The proposal would make having an ounce or less of the drug a civil offense punishable by a $100 fine.

A spokesman for Soros referred questions to Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the New York-based Drug Policy Alliance. Soros' efforts to ease penalties for drug crimes have come through the alliance, where he is a member of the board of directors.

Nadelmann said Soros feels the war on drugs is draining money and resources that could be better spent.

"He thinks the (ballot question) is a responsible initiative to reduce the overreliance on criminal justice sanctions in dealing with marijuana," Nadelmann said. "Marijuana should not be a priority of the criminal justice system."

Soros is credited with putting financial muscle behind many of the state initiatives easing marijuana laws - beginning with a 1996 California ballot question to allow marijuana use for medical purposes. From 1996 to 2000, Soros backed medical marijuana questions there and in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Nevada and Maine.

More recently he has focused on criminal justice reform efforts including pushing a proposal in California this year that would prohibit sending drug offenders back to prison for parole violations unless they commit a new felony, have a violent or serious record, or are considered high risk by prison officials. He has also contributed to Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Joe Biden and has helped support a group running ads opposing Republican John McCain.

Soros's wealth was estimated at $8.8 billion by Forbes magazine last year. He was also the second-highest-paid hedge fund manager last year at $2.9 billion.

Critics say marijuana decriminalization sends the wrong message to young people - that using drugs carries few consequences. Not only are there health risks associated with marijuana, they say, but users often end up moving on to more dangerous illegal drugs.

Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone said the marijuana being sold on the street these days is more potent than that sold three decades ago.

"Decriminalizing marijuana is a slippery slope and sends the wrong message," he said. "Compounding this is the fact that users of marijuana are 10 times more likely to be injured, or injure others, in automobile crashes."

Leone said marijuana possession is already treated less stringently in the courts than other drugs.

The question has been criticized by others in law enforcement and drug education groups like DARE-Massachusetts - but according to the secretary of state's office, opponents haven't created a group to raise money to fight the question.

A whopping 72 percent of Massachusetts' voters favored the ballot question and 22 percent opposed it according to a WHDH-TV/Suffolk University poll of 400 registered conducted from July 31-Aug. 3. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Whitney Taylor of the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy said the question would help unclog the courts, save the state millions and spare thousands of residents the burden of a criminal record.

The question requires parental notification and the completion of a drug awareness program for anyone under 18 caught with an ounce or less of the drug. It bars the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana from being used to deny financial aid, public housing or other public assistance, drivers' licenses or the ability to be a foster or adoptive parent.

"They can move on and get a student loan and get their first apartment and move on with their lives," Taylor said. "People recognize that there are a lot better things we could be doing with our police resources."

Currently, possession of small amounts of marijuana in the state is punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a $500 fine. Taylor said offenders commonly get probation, but even in those cases the criminal convictions stay on their records.

The only other statewide vote this year on marijuana laws will be in Michigan, where voters are weighing an initiative to allow patients to grow and use small amounts of marijuana for relief from pain associated with cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other diseases.

If Massachusetts voters approve the ballot question, according to NORML, the state would join a dozen others which have to some extent decriminalized first-time possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use: Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon.

SpiralArchitect

Another thread on the same article....

This guy sure is generous hopefully all his endeavors make an impact on marijuana reform in MA.

Buzzby

It's sad that in a state where 72% of the electorate favors marijuana reform, they were only able to raise $29,000. I'm becoming convinced that marijuana users are the biggest tightwads in America.

Why Biden? USA: Joe Biden, Drug Warrior

Do ads for Bayer Aspirin send the message that using drugs carries few consequences? How about ads for Coors Beer? This is a typical piece of drug warrior illogic:

1. Using any drug is bad.
2. Marijuana is a drug.
3. Therefore, using marijuana is bad. QED

It falls apart when you notice that the first premise is bullshit. Pharmaceuticals, OTC drugs, alcohol, and tobacco constitute a huge part of the American economy. We live in a culture where medical and recreational drugs are everywhere you look.

Around 1% move on to more dangerous drugs. How does that constitute "often"? Milk is the real gateway drug. 100% of heroin addicts started off on "the white stuff".

This comes from a study in New Zealand (the heaviest marijuana users on the planet) and the the actual statement is "Heavy cannabis users are 10 times more likely to be injured, or to injure others, in car accidents, researchers have found." On the other hand, alcohol users are 10 times as likely to get into an accident than marijuana users. Other research has shown that marijuana use has very little impact on driving ability: Pot's Impact on Driving Negligible, Two More Studies Say. Right next door to New Zealand, in Australia: Marijuana Plays No Significant Role In Automotive Crashes, Australian Study Finds.

With 72% of the electorate approving the measure and no white knight like Mr. Soros, this doesn't surprise me at all. Maybe they should have gone begging at Big Pharma?

GREENFOODGAMES

It's sad that in a state where 72% of the electorate favors marijuana reform, they were only able to raise $29,000. I'm becoming convinced that marijuana users are the biggest tightwads in America. ~ Buzzby

I am right there with ya man, granted Soros is super rich and $400,000 is something he can do, it is still a shitload of cash and he did not have to do it, but I'm glad he did.

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"Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes crimes out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." Lincoln