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Lothar121

Amendment 44: The Marijuana-Alcohol Equalization Amendment
Editorial | Boulder Weekly | 10/14/2006

Yes

Amendment 44 asks Colorado voters to decide whether or not to legalize possession of less than one ounce of marijuana for adults 21 years and older. If passed it would still be illegal to consume marijuana in public, drive while under the influence, grow marijuana, sell it or possess it if you are under 21.

This is an expansion of the initiative that was passed last year in Denver. Currently, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana is a petty offense in Colorado and carries a $100 fine.

Proponents of Amendment 44 say that marijuana is a safer alternative drug than alcohol and that Colorado citizens should be allowed to consume it in the privacy of their homes if they so choose. Every year, there are thousands of injuries and deaths, in addition to violence, that occur as a direct result of alcohol, yet alcohol is legal. Marijuana, on the other hand, does not cause a persistent threat to public safety and carries no risk of overdose. Marijuana users are far less likely to engage in violence or erratic behavior than those who imbibe alcohol. Furthermore, supporters of Amendment 44 say that many studies have shown marijuana to be less addictive than other illegal and legal drugs.

Amendment 44 will also save taxpayers money. Currently, it costs Colorado thousands of dollars every year to track down, apprehend and prosecute marijuana users. This is money that could be better spent capturing violent criminals and fighting drugs that are more harmful to the public, like crack and meth. Supporters say that arresting marijuana users for such a minor offense needlessly destroys thousands of lives and eats up taxpayer revenue.

Opponents of Amendment 44 say there is no scientific evidence that conclusively demonstrates marijuana is safer than alcohol. Since marijuana is illegal, it is impossible to study the long-term effects of cannabis on the human body. However, studies have shown that THC can certainly be addictive to some people, and smoke inhalation of any kind is detrimental to the lungs, they say. Today's marijuana is as much as 10 times stronger than the pot used in the 1970s, and the effects of that heightened potency vary depending on the individual.

Opponents also claim that marijuana is a "gateway" drug that introduces young people to the drug culture and encourages them to try other truly harmful drugs. They say prohibition works and it is the only viable option in the drug war. There is also the concern that legalizing pot will attract drug users to Colorado, raising crime rates throughout the state.

Finally, those opposed to Amendment 44 argue that legalizing pot will not save money in the long run. The costs of enforcement are minimal when compared to the costs of addiction treatment and the drug counseling centers that the state would be forced to pay for.

BW position: Opponents are full of bull, and a large percentage of Boulder County readers knows it. Why? Because they smoke pot and lead healthy, functional lives. The war on pot is a waste of money and a waste of lives. Prohibition has never worked and never will. If alcohol and cigarettes, which are demonstrably more costly and harmful to human beings and to society, are legal, then ganja should be legal, too.

End the hypocrisy. Vote YES on Amendment 44.

 

xxdr_zombiexx

This is just distracting, meaningless bullshit.

How many people argue that smoking cigarettes does NOT lead to or even cause tobacco cancers?

It is common knowledge backed up by endless studies that show tobacco causes cancer, emphysema, COPD, low birth weight, etc...

If nothing else, coroner's reports would have long ago shown systematic detriment from cannabis use. They tell when death is due to other illegal drugs, so if cannabis was REALLY a health problem, we'd already know. We wouldn't need a billion-dollar-per-year propaganda campaign to tell us the sky is yellow and the sun is blue.

However, that's exactly what we have.

The debate has been framed by the prohibitionists - those with the finacial and political clout to influence all forms of American media. Media control is a large part of perpetuating reefer madness and long beofre Team Bush's manipulation of said media to plant false beliefs in the minds of Americans, the prohibitionists were already long-used to a super-compliant lapdog media who will give them panoramic media ccess and numerous "free rides" to spread the "message".

Cannabis reformers do not enjoy any sort of media access remotely similar to the prohibitionist. We don't have our own TV stations or newspapers or blocks of local radio stations.

We do, however, pretty much rule the internet and this is how we will impact and change the framing of the debate.

The following is from another comment made elsewhere but is about the same thing: we can make even more use of the internet to spread OUR message by focusing on the most highly trafficked sites. I have elected to focus mainly on Daily Kos because of how big it is and the act it is influencing reality in the elections at this point.

Cannabis reformers need to be making use of this: read on - Reformers need to set up accounts at such sites and hammer away like you do here.

There you will NOT be preaching exclusively to the choir.

__________________
Alien Space Signal

There's no money for your issue so long as we're squandering $50 billion a year on the DrugWar. Ben Masel

Fear became the ultimate tool of this government - V.

xxdr_zombiexx

From hereThis is very typical of the attitude Democrats have in unbelievably large numbers.

(By the way, "peteyboy" is generally an ok guy but he is just reflecting the ignorance that still pervades the public discourse on this issue.)

Reefer madness propaganda has worked wonders on mainstream America and it shows out when one keeps at this issue on those websites.

This article at Daily Kos got 34 supportive comments and a nice batch of recommendations.

My goal is to get at least one cannabis reform article (mine or somebody elses) blasted up into the recommended list at Kos. There, huge numbers of people see it throughout the day. Kos gets about 600000 visits per day and over the next 4 weeks that will easily break a million - per DAY.

A million voters per day NEED to see cannabis reform articles.