Medical Marijuana

[SmokeDog420]

"Backing for law on medical pot climbs in poll," Jan. 30: Thanks for reporting on the poll showing 74 percent of California's registered voters support medical marijuana, and 63 percent have smoked pot. We are clearly fed up with vengeful drug war policies. Regardless of state law, the federal government, led by Attorney General John Ashcroft and President Bush, continues to come in to California and arrest otherwise law-abiding citizens for using medical marijuana - a medicine deemed legal by California voters and supported by a wide majority. The feds' overzealous prosecution of marijuana users ( medical or not ) is destroying more lives than the drug itself.

Times are changing. Nearly all of the Democratic presidential candidates support medical marijuana. Also, most of the top gubernatorial candidates during the recall supported it, including Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Californians need to stand up against the DEA's Gestapo tactics. We also need to tell our governor to do the right thing - protect medical marijuana users from out-of-control federal agents.

Pubdate: Mon, 23 Feb 2004
Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)
Copyright: 2004 The Sacramento Bee
Contact: opinion@sacbee.com
Website: Northern California Breaking News, Sports & Crime | The Sacramento Bee

 

[Tennessee Tim]

I like and agree with most of what you stated! But the political statements inferred democrats were not involved in suppressing cannabis and the DEA is ran by republicans ,both of which are not true. The police state we currently find ourselves living in largely began with "progressive democrats" way back at the beginning of the drug wars, strengthened by FDR and Truman and Former president Clinton(who probably inhaled) did nothing but continue it, before the second Bush administration! The former president Obama, did very little to stop the abuse, and indeed under his administration, the feds raided dispensaries and persecuted individuals with vigor, including within California! The nod to allow states more leeway had already gained momentum in mainstream America as had the political advantages of supporting medical cannabis, at the least. As usual lip service, strategy and double talk was the political reality. Goose stepping Gestapo tactics are the way democrats and republican politicians suppress the people, while spilling useless rhetoric and doing nothing. Wealthy people and big business, in control of both parties, are far more concerned in maintaining cheap labor, and increasing their wealth and/or power than in aiding freedom or supporting the Constitution as written and that was clearly intended to insure freedom from Unwarranted governmental intrusions in our lives and our gardens! Talk is cheap, partisans are bigoted and the comfortable and the wealthy lie ,even to themselves! I and millions like me, despise the democratic machine politics that insure corruption, even as much or more, than we despise the wealthy republican party leadership, that ,at least, more openly supports corporations and the wealthy elite! Both are the enemies of freedom. We (the non partisans)are not fooled by tokens or empty rhetoric as easily. Yes, I might vote for almost anyone who promises to openly fight for freedom and restitution of the rights of Americans for self determination and basic freedom, such as the right to grow and consume any God given plant we want in our homes and gardens. But , the vote would not be because of party affiliation, but of desperation to restore these stolen rights! "Let not he who lives in a glass house cast the first stone" I hope the democrat partisans, acknowledge their parties duplicity in creating the police state and move faster than the slothly republicans do, to rectify the mistakes. That would be good for all of us, rather than the perpetuation of lies and obstructionism both parties are so good at! I for one, will forgive the thoroughly corrupt democratic party when they correct their errors, end machine politics and stop attacking our Constitution and Bill Of Rights to further their agenda. I will accept the republican party as a reputable defender of freedom when they help restore it! Until then the partisans of both are too loud and obnoxious for me! Separate politics involving partisanship from the effort to legalize and concentrate on the real enemies, politicians/judges seeking money/power to consolidate their power and hold on to wealth! That makes them partners of the wealthy, organized special interest lobbies and big corporate entities, not servants of the people. Here, in 2018, many republican politicians are supporting , at least, legalizing medical marijuana at their state and also at the federal level. Too little and too late, for sure, but the voters who voted republican in the last national elections contain many millions like me, who defy the "Polls" and we may also defy the republican party, just as we rejected the democratic party's last play for globalization bull. I owe no party loyalty! I despise wealthy politicians and especially the traitors who become wealthy while serving us. I may lay with the dog, for a while to gain relief from the cold, but that doesn't mean I am going to kiss the dog! I will defend the bill of rights , USA right to borders, Judeo/Christian principals that clearly was accepted by our founder's(including religious tolerance) and included in all founding documents, as well as the Federal Union that preserved us. If we face destruction from within or from outside entities, who would continue to weaken the constitutional rights we sought when forming this nation or attack our right of self determination within a federal structure, I will fight. States do not have the right to ignore federal law, the civil war was proof of that. We must change the law of the land at the federal level and perhaps avoid civil war. While we can influence change beginning with states seeking federal cooperation, we can not countenance rebellion by rogue states, either that be South Carolina or California, 1860 or 2018! I also would bear arms against any rogue state that sought to defy our union based on ignoring laws rather than changing them. I urge all lovers of freedom and cannabis legalization to help other states to see their way to ending the drug wars with education and by example.Expose the hypocrisy of politicians who are wealthy or especially get rich in office, while doing token rhetoric and not supporting the back bone of freedom, the integrity of the constitution. Very soon, we will tip the scales, when a majority of states support legalization. Then united by law, we can begin to seek justice to punish the real criminals. The judges, lawyers, police officials and etc. that abused the constitution, along with every living former and present president and all their attorney generals, for their roles in perpetuating crimes against their own citizens. They are almost exclusively rich or comfortable party partisans and from both parties! I may vote democrat on occasion to get the benefit their pandering ways may offer, but no trust or loyalty would be forth coming to them and the same to the republican dogs. My loyalty is with the working class, especially the working poor and lower middle class, who are the pawns in the games the wealthy play along with their activist judges who began to" reinterpret" the meanings to suit their personal partisan agendas. I may begin to trust a political party when they help bring to justice their own members/partisans who foisted the drug wars on us and continued it til this day, with their deep state operatives in the DEA, CIA, FBI, Department of Justice and the State Department, suppressing us. All the while, enabling the powerful and wealthy while, reducing the standards of living and wages for us workers. Food stamps programs grew , as wages were allowed to slip behind real inflation.The biggest single administration hit on Workers and SS retirees wages/ benefits was under Democrat Jimmy Carter's race to the bottom. Wild inflation' led to cooking the book's as to how inflation was measured to reduce the government's responsibilities to increase wages and SS benefits. Every president since, of both parties kept that game plan, so now working families and poor retirees are far worse off than in 1973! True inflation has reduced the buying power of the minimum wage and SS payments to less than about a third of what it should be! $7.35 per hour minimum wage in 2018? Either party could of changed the inflation adjustments, with an honest effort, while their guys held the White House. Either party could of slowed illegal immigration, that further stifled private wage increases , with the massive waves of illegal job hungry immigrants, flooding our system.The truth is they hid behind crafted facades of public faces that hid their true agendas, to keep labor cost down and make them and their wealthy associates richer,all the while claiming some moral reason for illegal immigration to be largely left status quo! Truth is the rich and comfortable like to be able to afford servants,to cook for them, mow their grass, clean, staff the warehouses , meat packing plants.etc and they don''t want to pay much for it! Cannabis , the minimum wage, SS benefits(shorted and mishandled by congress) are all tied together in the big picture. The rich and powerful want to maintain control over us workers, black ,white, red or yellow it "ain't" no difference- It's about the money stupid! Money and control of our lifestyles! Wow , what a rant!