Why Marijuana Consumers
Should Vote
Against the 2010 Initiatives in CA and AZ
Jack Herer (Author, "Emperor Wears No Clothes") and Bruce Cain (Author
of the "MERP" Model) at the "Earth Community House"
in Detroit, Michigan. Photo taken in the early 1990's..
=======================================
Many prominent members of the Marijuana Re-Legalization Movement believe
that we are being sold out by the moneyed drug reform organizations and
the billionaires that fund them. To that end we are encouraging
all activists to sign our
Petition for the Immediate Re-Legalization of Marijuana. By signing the petition you will
also be sending a message to Congress and President Obama to convene a
Special Session of Congress to Immediately Re-Legalize the "Self
Cultivation" of Cannabis (e.g., Marijuana) by all adults over the age of
18. =======================================
Some Historic Background
about the Marijuana Reform Movement
I first smoked Marijuana as a 14
year old "hippie" in 1968. It was a year before the famous
Woodstock Festival (1969) and there was truly a sense of empowerment
pulsing through the bloodstream of America's youth. At the time we
were fighting for two major goals: to get out of Viet Nam and to have
the "right" to grow our own Marijuana. The obvious implication of
"growing our own" was that it would be untaxed and unregulated: just
like growing tomatoes in your present day garden. It took us
another 7 years to get out of Viet Nam (1975) and unfortunately the
right to "grow our own" has eluded us to this very day.
In 1970 an organization called
NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) was
formed. Unfortunately what we hoped to be a advocate, for us
hippies, turned out to be a front for attorneys that profit from
representing innocent Marijuana consumers. Looking back it is
apparent that NORML has never given a damn about truly legalizing the
untaxed, unregulated "self cultivation" of Marijuana. And today
the number of Marijuana consumers getting busted each year is
approaching a million per year. The following article will give
you a much more comprehensive view of National NORML:
Fortunately the local chapters of
NORML are no longer paying as much attention to National NORML these
days. In the decades that followed Ethan Nadleman's Drug
Policy Alliance (DPA) and Robby Kampia's "Marijuana Policy Project" were
formed. As you can read in the following articles they turned out
to be "sell outs" just like NORML.
Here is some damning background on
the Drug Policy Alliance:
In the late 1980's Jack Herer
began touring the country: spreading the truth about the Agricultural,
Industrial, Medicinal and Recreational uses of Marijuana. His
vehicle was a book titled "The Emperor Wears No Clothes." To this
day there has never been a more effective speaker for the right of all
of us to be allowed to "grow our own" Marijuana. And his book has
sold millions of copies and has been translated into many languages
since the first edition was released in the late 1980's. I met him
first at the Hash Bash in Ann Arbor Michigan. I believe that was
in 1988. A year later I began publishing my own magazine on Drug
Policy Issues: "New Age Patriot."
In 1996 the first Medical
Marijuana Initiative was passed in California with the considerable help
of Jack Herer, Dennis Peron and a gaggle of activists and attorneys.
In November 2008 my state of Michigan became the 13th state to pass a
Medical Marijuana Initiative. I collected over 1,000 of those
signatures: or about one in 400 of the 420,000 that were collected.
This ends my extremely brief
review of the Marijuana Reform Movement from 1968 to 2010. That is
42 years of struggle since 1968 and about 72 years since the Marijuana
Tax Act (1937) first made Marijuana Illegal on a Federal Level.
The War Between the "Beer"
and "Hard Liquor" Models for Marijuana Re-Legalization
I can fully understand any
neophyte activist that believes Marijuana Re-Legalization is "just
around the corner." This is speciously true if your only
information is coming from the Mainstream Media. But since the
late 1960's there has always been a war going on within the Marijuana
Re-Legalization Community. It can be easily defined as a war
between those that want "untaxed, unregulated, unlimited" self
cultivation -- and those that want a highly controlled "tax and
regulate" model.
Another useful way of looking at
this dichotomy is by comparing the 'beer model" to the "hard liquor
model."
My own MERP Model, for Marijuana
Re-Legalization, is essentially like the way we treat the home brewing
of beer in the United States.
You can basically brew all of the
beer you want and you don't have to worry about any taxation or
regulation. This is also consistent with a true free market.
Because while most people buy beer through commercial outlets, they
always have the option of brewing their own should the producers of beer
get too greedy. Truth be told Marijuana is not a hard plant to
grow. That's why they call it "weed." But in the current
climate of Marijuana prohibition, Marijuana is selling for between $300
and $600 dollars an ounce. Yet if you could invest your own labor
you could essentially grow it for free outdoors or for about $30 an
ounce indoors under lights.
On the other side of the divide
are the "tax and regulate" proponents. These scumbags want
Marijuana treated like "hard liquor." You will be able to buy it
commercially at highly inflated prices in order to fill the tax coffers
of government and the bank accounts of the elite. And it will be a
small elite that will monopolize production and distribution. And
to insure the profits for the elite and the government you will either
be prohibited or completely restricted from "growing your own."
Try it and go to jail just like the moonshiners that dare to produce
their own hard liquor through a self made still. There is no "free
market" in the "hard liquor" model. It is a monopoly that will
only benefit greedy governments and the elite that will gain control of
production and distribution.
The Great Betrayal of 2010
While there are many initiatives
and bills that deserve my criticism I am going to focus on what I think
are the two most important. It is extremely important that
activists spread the word to vote NO on both of these initiatives.
(1) The "Oaksterdam" Initiative in
California
(2) The MPP Initiative in Arizona
Both inititatives represent a
"hard liquor" model where personal cultivation would either be
restricted or fully prohibited.
The "Oaksterdam" Initiative
in California
The
"Oaksterdam" Initiative is slated to appear on the November 2010 ballot.
It was funded largely by Richard Lee of "Oaksterdam University."
It is becoming increasingly apparent that Lee is a greedy little
monopolist that has absolutely no real interest in Marijuana consumers
from simply growing their own. In the fall of 2009 Jack Herer
attempted to launch a competing initiative, CCHH, but lack of money and
a heart attack in October 2009 derailed his plans. Jack Herer was
vehemently opposed to the "Oaksterdam" Initiative and any "tax and
regulate" initiative for that matter. Just consider what he said
minutes before succumbing to a heart attack, during his speech on
September 12th, 2009 at Oregon's HempStalk Festival.
"I don't want to f**king give
the United States government one f**king dollar of taxes. I think that
they should go to f**king jail for getting you and me and 20 million
people getting arrested for pot. It is the safest thing you can do in
the universe. And that is what we are going to do in California. Okay?
Come over to my booth, over there, and I will see you next time."
In this video
Jack Herer vehemently denounced the attempts by the Cannabusiness
community to push for the government taxation and regulation of our
Marijuana during his speech at the HempStalk Festival in Oregon (09/12/2009).
Unfortunately he suffered a heart attack shortly after delivering what
could become his most important speech.
Dennis Peron, one of the primary authors of the
first Medical Marijuana Initiatives (California, Prop 215), has
already come out against the Oaksterdam Initiative on September 15th,
2009. Richard Lee immediately fired Dennis, from Oaksterdam, upon
hearing that Dennis was opposed to the "Oaksterdam" Initiative.
Dennis Peron condemns
Richard Lee's the "Regulate, Control and Tax cannabis Act of 2010."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLpHwDJDR-s
According to journalist Craig Canada,
his firing was the result of Peron's opposition to his employer's state
wide initiative to "tax and regulate" Marijuana.
Dennis Peron announced on
Tuesday (09/15/2009) that he returned from Burning Man to discover he
had been fired from Oaksterdam University because of his opposition to
taxing and regulating medical marijuana. Oaksterdam University has
announced it intends to spend a million dollars to promote an initiative
that would tax, regulate and control marijuana by city and county, as
well as at the state level.
What both Herer and Peron are
reacting to is the great "bait and switch" on Marijuana policy by the
Cannabusiness community and our very own government. In a nutshell
what is going on is a reaction to the fact that a majority of American
Citizens -- 52% according to a 2009 Zogby poll -- now support the
complete Legalization of Marijuana for all citizens: not just the sick
and dying.
What should also be made clear is
that both Jack Herer and Dennis Peron are two of the most important and
respected members of the Marijuana Re-Legalization movement. And
despite this they have been demonized by groups that purport to support
Marijuana Re-Legalization for many years: NORML, DPA and MPP.
Journalist Canada lists Peron's
specific problems with the "Oaksterdam" Initiative in his article "Peron
announces opposition to Oakland's marijuana initiative:"
Peron, co-author of Proposition
215, cites three "fatal flaws" in the Oaksterdamn U initiative . These
can be described as limits, taxes, and penalties regarding minors.
Regarding the limits of one ounce and 25 square feet for personal
cultivation:
"Imagine a law to “tax and regulate” alcohol that only allows for
possession of up to one bottle of wine imprisoning those who exceed that
amount, be it two bottles or a small collection of choice vintages.
These limits guarantee confusion, harassment and black marketeering
forevermore. We don’t control alcohol by imposing a 25 sq. foot limit on
grape vines. But one extra gram or sq. foot of pot means jail and even
worse; this initiative specifies that if accused of having too much
cannabis the burden of proof is on you, not the state."
Regarding taxes:
"Singling out those who want to use marijuana for a huge excise tax is
just plain unfair. It maintains cannabis as the most expensive,
blatantly overpriced product on the market thus forcing most people to
choose cheaper, more dangerous drugs with huge externalized costs to
society as a whole."
Regarding minors:
"Sending teenagers to state prison for three years for pot is evil. This
initiative mandates that 18, 19, and twenty year old minors serve three
to seven year terms in California state prison for the crime of passing
each other a joint or selling one another a small amount. Under this law
if a 21 year old person passes a joint to a 20 year old he or she goes
to county jail for six months. Likewise this measure has no exceptions
for parents in their own homes from the “smoking cannabis in any space
while minors are present” prohibition. We don’t lock up parents for
having a glass of wine with dinner and we certainly don’t tell the kids
to leave the house for the purpose of consuming any other substance so
why start with cannabis?"
Peron vows that if the proponents "buy" enough signatures to get the
initiative on the ballot he will campaign against it:
"This initiative is bad for parents, students and, ultimately, the
effort to get the state to stop ruining lives enforcing these draconian
pot laws. Initiatives create permanent statutes. This one with its petty
restrictions for personal users, prohibitive unfair taxes, and mandatory
state prison sentences for teen agers need be nipped in the bud. We will
campaign and vote against it should its proponents succeed in purchasing
the necessary number of signatures to put it on the 2010 ballot. The tax
revenue it will supposedly generate is a mere smokescreen for the kids
it will regulate into three, five and seven year state prison
sentences."
Now for my "two cents" on Richard Lee and the
Oaksterdam Initiative. Not a lot is known about Richard Lee's
background. Here is what Wiki has to report on Mr. Lee:
Richard Lee is a
47-year-old marijuana activist who runs various medical marijuana
programs and cannabis-related educational projects throughout the
"Oaksterdam" area of downtown Oakland, California. He operates a coffee
shop and marijuana dispensary.[1]
He has been active in working to end cannabis prohibition since 1992. He
is the chief promoter of a petition drive to legalize marijuana in
California, which on December 14, 2009 it was announced to have enough
signatures to qualify for the November 2010 ballot.[2]
Lee founded Oaksterdam University, the United States' first
cannabis-oriented "college", in 2007.[3] The unaccredited "university"
has three campuses and offers classes on politics and legal issues
related to marijuana as well as horticulture, cooking with cannabis,
business management, and entrepreneurship.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lee_%28activist%29
However, a fellow activist gave the following
account:of Richard Lee which I have no way of verifying:
"the source of
Richard Lee's dough is a matter of inheritance (an old TX wildcatter
granddaddy's oil $$ or so I'm told) to begin w/ and a serious business
savvy to turn that into a lot more. He ran a hemp store in Houston
before moving to CA and making a mint on the original Oaksterdam, the 17
dispensaries/clubs near the current school before they got shut down by
cops & community, reducing the name to his school& a trademark, whereas
it used to refer to a four block area of Oakland. He owns Blue Sky, a
fairly busy dispensary, one of only four allowed in the city now, plus
the school, the Bulldog coffee shop and a fair amount of real estate
downtown, once again so I'm told by solid sources. $20 mil is a lot
though & probably comes from some "men behind the curtain" more than
tricky dick lee himself."
I would be very interested in anyone that can
provide additional information on the finances behind Oaksterdam, NORML,
MPP or DPA. We already know that many of these organizations are
backed by multi-billionaires, including George Soros who I consider to
be one of the most dangerous globalists on the planet today.
Basically I agree with all of Peron's criticisms
of the "Oaksterdam" Initiative and I implore every Californian voters to
vote against it in November 2010. In more general terms the
"Oaksterdam" initiative will divide and destroy much of what was
accomplished under Prop 215 in 1996. Not only will it restrict
cultivation to a 5' by 5' area (25 square feet): it will also allow each
city and country to impose their own rules and limits. This is a
"hard liquor" model that will ultimately demonize those that want to
"grow our own."
The MPP Initiative in
Arizona
Rob Kampia is the head of MPP
which is responsible for most of the Medical Marijuana Initiatives that
have passed in the 13 states so far. So in 2009 they announced the
14th initiative for Arizona. But unlike any of the previous
initiatives this one comes with a "poison pill" for Medical Marijuana
Patients. Because, unless you live more than 25 miles from a
"dispensary" you will be prohibited from any "self cultivation."
Obviously this departure, from the earlier 13 MPP sponsored Medical
Marijuana Initiatives, is an attempt to prohibit any self cultivation. And if you ignore the warning you will probably not be going to a clinic
but rather to jail. Ironically Kampia got busted with nearly 100
Marijuana plants in the early 1990's but now doesn't want you to be able
to grow your own. What a hypocrite.
I was personally involved,
gathering signatures for the Michigan Medical Marijuana Initiative.
MPP ran the operation through a front organization rather than through
their own name. They ran the operation efficiently and with
draconian efficiency. I recall that fellow activist Tim Beck was
harshly admonished for merely sharing information on MPP's involvement.
As I recall they even threatened legal sanctions if he said another word
about MPP's involvement. To me this is interesting but not really
important.
What is interesting is the alleged
sexual misconduct that Kampia was responsible for in August of 2009.
Here is the Wikipedia account:
In
August 2009, seven MPP staffers quit over an alleged incident of sexual
misconduct[9] by Kampia involving a female subordinate after an office
happy hour. According to former employees, department heads at the
organization unanimously asked Kampia to resign over the incident.[10]
Following his statement that he was "hypersexualized," [11], Kampia was
"encouraged" by the MPP Board of Directors to take a three-month leave
of absence and his return is subject to "convincing the board he has
dealt with his issues."[12] This reportedly resulted in a cancellation
of the MPP's annual fundraiser at the Playboy Mansion, with MPP's acting
director indicating that "the PR ramifications of holding the event
right now are probably obvious"[13]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Kampia
Here is an earlier video of Kampia
being interviewed by Glenn Beck in February of 2009. Notice the
huge cold sore he keeps licking throughout the interview. Could
that be a present from his last trip to the Playboy Mansion? On a
serious note, how many other company managers would survive after being
citied for sexual harassment of an employee, where seven employees quit
in outrage?
Rob Kampia of MPP on Glenn Beck 2/25/09
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=674AciDeu-4
Frankly, I don't' want to obsess on his sexual
proclivities. But if he is willing to "screw" his own employees
why would you think he wouldn't screw the Marijuana reform activists he
is supposed to represent? Actually he pretty much does this at the
end of the Beck interview.
Beck basically says the only reason California is
looking to tax Marijuana is to raise revenue.
Kampia replies:
"If someone really believes that Marijuana
really is bad for you why would you want that product not regulated. It
seems that that is exactly the kind of thing that should be regulated."
This should anger every Marijuana activist and
consumer. Marijuana is neither bad for you, nor is it dangerous.
Yet all these "tax and regulate" fools at MPP, DPA and NORML keep saying
it in order to justify their preference for a "hard liquor," "tax and
regulate," model.
Let me elaborate. Many gardeners grow
"Angels Trumpet," which is a form of Datura. It is perfectly legal
to grow in any garden. Yet, as this excerpt on Datura's from the
Wikipedia states, it can be down right deadly:
All
Datura plants contain tropane alkaloids such as scopolamine, hyoscyamine,
and atropine, primarily in their seeds and flowers. Because of the
presence of these substances, Datura has been used for centuries in some
cultures as a poison and hallucinogen.[2][3] There can be a 5:1 toxin
variation across plants, and a given plant's toxicity depends on its
age, where it is growing, and the local weather conditions. This
variation makes Datura exceptionally hazardous as a drug. In traditional
cultures, a great deal of experience with, and detailed knowledge of,
Datura was critical in order to minimize harm.[2] Many tragic incidents
result from modern recreational users ingesting Datura.
For example, in the 1990s and
2000s, the United States media contained stories of adolescents and
young adults dying or becoming seriously ill from intentionally
ingesting Datura.[4][5] There are also several reports in the
medical literature of deaths from Datura stramonium and Datura ferox
intoxication.[6][7][8] Children are especially vulnerable to atropine
poisoning, and their prognosis is likely to be fatal.[9][10] In some
parts of Europe and India, Datura has been a popular poison for suicide
and murder. From 1950–1965, the State Chemical Laboratories in Agra,
India investigated 2,778 deaths that were caused by ingesting Datura.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura
Here is a picture of the spiny capsule, or fruit,
of the Datura plant. All you have to do is eat a few of the
tiny seeds, within this capsule, and the odds are you will either be
dead or in the Emergency Room within the next few hours. This is
just a single example of hundreds of poisonous plants that American's
currently have growing in their gardens. Yes, they are dangerous,
but also perfectly legal.
Marijuana, on the other hand, is not dangerous
unless someone drops a thousand pound bale of it on your head.
So tell me Rob Kampia (MPP), Ethan Nadleman (DPA) and Kevin Stroup
(NORML): Why shouldn't I be able to grow Marijuana in my backyard,
given the fact that it is NOT dangerous?
Could it be because your attorneys, and the
billionaires that finance your organizations, want a "hard liquor" model
so they can ultimately profit from legalization? Could it be the
government wants a "hard liquor" model so they can continue to feed
their attorneys, police and the prisons that profit from Marijuana
Prohibition?
Concluding Remarks
I hope that I have convinced the Marijuana
Patients and Consumers that the Arizona and California initiatives are
not worthy of your support. Please don't vote for either of these
initiatives if you happen to live in Californian or Arizona.
But let us not stop there.
If you live in California insist that Richard Lee
(Oaksterdam University) dump their initiative and put their time and
effort behind Jack Here's initiative instead:
The CCHH initiative meets most of the criteria of my
own MERP Model and I fully endorse it. I quite sure Dennis Peron
will also endorse CCHH.
If you live anywhere in the United States please
consider signing the petition calling for a Special Session of Congress
in order to enact MERP immediately. Should enough activists come
together this could actually happen this year.
The following video contains my November address at
the Dearborn Michigan City Hall. In this video I explain exactly
how we can attain our right to "grow our own" as early as this year.
J. Craig Canada:Santa
Cruz County Drug Policy Examiner
I highly recommend that you regularly access this page to
read Canada's latest articles. I consider him to be
one of the most articulate writers on the issue of Medical
Marijuana Policy in the United States
http://www.examiner.com/x-14883-Santa-Cruz-County-Drug-Policy-Examiner
Please send the link to
activists throughout the planet. The translation bar should allow
this to be read in any language. The 5-Point Strategy for
Marijuana Re-Legalization should be easy to implement in any country
throughout the planet. I encourage all groups celebrating the
Global Marijuana March to make the immediate implementation of the MERP
Model a primary focus of the event.
Call President Obama and your Representatives and demand:
(1) Immediate clemency for Marc Emery and
(2) Immediate implementation of the MERP Model through an Emergency
Session of Congress, similar to what was used to pass the TARP Bailout
on October 3rd, 2008
President:
U.S. Senate switchboard:
202-224-3121
U.S. House switchboard:
(202) 225-3121
The President:
Comments: 202-456-1111.
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
Share
your views on whether Lou Dobbs should support Marijuana Re-Legalization at our
new discussion group
Anything purchased,
through the links in this column, generate revenue for New Age Citizen
and will help us achieve the policy goals discussed at this website.
In addition to the book links is the "New Age Emporium" link below.
This will take you to our comprehensive digital storefront where you can
purchase anything from books, to DVD's, to computers. This allows
you to purchase things you actually need, while helping New Age Citizen
achieve needed social change. We appreciate your support.
The
"Oaksterdam" Initiative is slated to appear on the November 2010 ballot.
It was funded largely by Richard Lee of "Oaksterdam University."
It is becoming increasingly apparent that Lee is a greedy little
monopolist that has absolutely no real interest in Marijuana consumers
from simply growing their own. In the fall of 2009 Jack Herer
attempted to launch a competing initiative, CCHH, but lack of money and
a heart attack in October 2009 derailed his plans. Jack Herer was
vehemently opposed to the "Oaksterdam" Initiative and any "tax and
regulate" initiative for that matter. Just consider what he said
minutes before succumbing to a heart attack, during his speech on
September 12th, 2009 at Oregon's HempStalk Festival.
All
Datura plants contain tropane alkaloids such as scopolamine, hyoscyamine,
and atropine, primarily in their seeds and flowers. Because of the
presence of these substances, Datura has been used for centuries in some
cultures as a poison and hallucinogen.[2][3] There can be a 5:1 toxin
variation across plants, and a given plant's toxicity depends on its
age, where it is growing, and the local weather conditions. This
variation makes Datura exceptionally hazardous as a drug. In traditional
cultures, a great deal of experience with, and detailed knowledge of,
Datura was critical in order to minimize harm.[2] Many tragic incidents
result from modern recreational users ingesting Datura.
