The Legality of Cannabis
From Planet Ecology Advancing Conscious Economics
(P.E.A.C.E. )
From The Hawai'i Tribune Herald
by Gloria Baraquio
I thought I was tired of all this marijuana talk, and really, I was done writing about it. But then I checked my e-mail this week, and my inbox was filled with letters from people all over the world. I'm talking the Netherlands, Singapore, Canada, Washington, Texas and Louisiana. I don't even know how these readers found my column, but they were encouraged that somebody out there was talking about it.
As I opened one e-mail after another, it hit me that this marijuana thing is no small-town Hilo issue. It's a global debate that's really not about marijuana. It has to do with a much bigger picture that involves money and power, health and freedom.
By Gloria Baraquio
Hawaii Tribune Herald
September 12, 2007
When I first moved here, I thought marijuana was illegal. And then after living here a few years, I realized that everyone and their mom either smokes it, buys it, grows it, or sells it. So then I thought weed wasn't illegal. But then in the past few weeks, I've been hearing about these drug busts and house raids and farms getting shut down, which has made me start to think, once again, that marijuana is in fact illegal.
I grew up thinking weed was BAD. Just say no to drugs. Marijuana is a gateway drug. It's addictive, and it'll get you hooked on harder drugs like ice and cocaine. Somewhere, somehow this was ingrained in me.
By Gloria Baraquio
Hawaii Tribune Hilo
September 19, 2007
Will the marijuana war end?
I think the only thing anyone ever talked to me about this week was marijuana. Since last week's column printed, I haven't been able to get away from the topic.
Should cannabis be legal?
Why is it illegal?
Why are people being criminalized?
Why are we being invaded?
Can weed actually heal you?
WARNING: marijuana is a very emotional subject to discuss. Please don't bring it up at any fun, lighthearted gatherings -- unless you don't mind people getting not so fun and lighthearted.
****Note from Aunt Brenda**** This is a story that ran on TownHall.com a few weeks ago. It is a good overview of the problems caused by the so-called War on Drugs.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Two weeks ago, U.S. drug agents launched raids on 11 medical-marijuana centers in Los Angeles County. The U.S. attorney's office says they violated the laws against cultivation and distribution of marijuana.
Whatever happened to America's federal system, which recognized the states as "laboratories of democracy"?
According to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, 11 states (Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington) have eliminated the penalties for physician-approved possession of marijuana by seriously ill patients. In those states people with AIDS and other catastrophic diseases may either grow their own marijuana or get it from registered dispensaries.
This is a great source for information on the "real costs" of the Drug War.
These law enforcement officers, judges, and attorneys have seen first-hand the ineffectiveness of prohibition in this country.
Remember alcohol? Do you hear of alcohol black market crime today?
No, you don't. Wanna' know why?
It's actually quite simple. The criminal element will "go away" when the demand on the black market dries up. Because people have legal access without having to go through the criminals, supply will outnumber demand, prices drop sharply, and the risk of imprisonment of trafficking (which will still be illegal without a permit) won't be worth the meager living the criminals will "earn". Viola! The crime element is gone!
Now, on the addiction side of the coin...People who have any type of addiction need help, not jail or prison. The threat of prison time hasn't stopped addicts from being addicted. Only professional help can do that.
Watch this short video. You may learn something. I did.
The law of the land prior to 1969 was the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. It required that an "occupational tax" be imposed on all those who deal in the drug and provided that the taxpayer must register his or her name and place of business with the Internal Revenue Service. The act required that a transfer tax be imposed on all transfers of marijuana and required the transfer to be "effected" with a written order form. The forms, executed by the transferee must show the transferor's name and address and the amount of marijuana involved. A copy was "preserved" by the IRS and this information was made available to law enforcement agencies.
