California Rejects Marijuana Legalization

[slimvictor]

OAKLAND — California voters rejected a ballot initiative on Tuesday that would have legalized marijuana for recreational use, but disappointed supporters of the measure lighted up anyway outside their campaign headquarters here and vowed to continue pushing for a day when cannabis is treated like tobacco and alcohol, not heroin and cocaine.

(...)

Legalizing marijuana, advocates had argued, would have had the added benefit of generating tax revenue and helping reduce the violence caused by Mexican organizations that traffic in illegal drugs. “When was the last time Coors Lite did a drive-by shooting on Budweiser because they didn’t like their marketing?” asked Nate Bradley, a former police officer who supported the measure. But opponents carried the day with their argument that lifting the ban on marijuana would translate into increased usage of the drug. Already, a recent change in the law categorizes possession of small amounts as an infraction, the lowest level of offense.

And even some marijuana smokers did not like the idea of cannabis, long a symbol of the counterculture, being regulated. “I don’t want Anheuser-Busch handling pot or to have to buy Marlboro marijuana,” said Shaun Ramos, 29, who spent Tuesday morning sticking “No on Prop 19” posters on light posts in downtown Oakland, only to see them quickly removed by supporters of legalization. “This is all about corporate control.”

By MARC LACEY
Published: November 3, 2010

continued at
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/us/politics/03ballot.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

 

[slimvictor]

Thanks, people like Shaun Ramos, 29, who argue that it is all about corporate control.
Let's just continue to allow the government to control it instead.

It almost makes sense... if you are stoned enough. (At least for a few seconds.)

 

[evilthree]

thank you for proving democracy is a complete and utter failure, CA. Thanks for proving voters are a closed minded, idiotic bunch who can't see the forest from the trees, and will continue to pursue your right to drink until you have alcohol poisoning, yet shudder at the idea of a plant with usage dating back to ancient times and not a single recorded fatality from its usage being legal thanks to racial hysteria combined with idiocy and blind faith in a big government

This "free" country makes me sick to my stomach, I just can't wait until this failure of a government of ours goes bankrupt on every level; city, state, and federal

 

[In_A_Transit]

I don't like it, but we'll have to keep walking!

 

[7ca5p]

so, what happens now? When will the next similar oppertunity for somthing like this come about?

 

[ugly]

We got it on the ballot. We got a lot of good discussions about substances going. We have people in the mainstream talking about how bad alcohol is for us in comparison. I think we will get there but the younger generation (I'm 51, I am talking about the 21 year olds who voted on this. They are the people who need to run for office, take control of the situation, and fix this from the inside out.)

My generation failed. The next one won't... I see my kids and how they are struggling upstream in this economy, and I know it's the people in their 20s today that are going to be able to gather the reins and get us there.

 

[stevein7]

Hardly anyone understands how bad the situation is.

All that is possible is some sort of harsh barbaric regime or communism.

The 3rd way has gone.

The US is going to grow up fast because it is going too get worse.

Hanging on to the past, drug war etc will only last so long as the economy inevitably goes down shit creek, whoever is in govt.

 

[ugly]

Hardly anyone understands how bad the situation is.

All that is possible is some sort of harsh barbaric regime or communism.

The 3rd way has gone.

I certainly agree with this. Not today or tomorrow but it will come to this.

 

[Mehm]

on the bright side, this funds the counter-culture for at least 2 more years.......

 

[nopipesdfw]

“This is all about corporate control.”]

It's really more related to convenience for normal people who want to walk to the gas station to buy weed and convenience of expense of human rights for federal control.

Of course big business will hop in, it is the only incentive that could hit state or larger legislation that could pull out such a taboo topic quite obviously, imo.

You can still grow, just not a relative shitload (which you still can), you aspiring criminal businessman.

thank you for proving democracy is a complete and utter failure, CA. Thanks for proving voters are a closed minded, idiotic bunch who can't see the forest from the trees, and will continue to pursue your right to drink until you have alcohol poisoning, yet shudder at the idea of a plant with usage dating back to ancient times and not a single recorded fatality from its usage being legal thanks to racial hysteria combined with idiocy and blind faith in a big government

This "free" country makes me sick to my stomach, I just can't wait until this failure of a government of ours goes bankrupt on every level; city, state, and federal

That first paragraph was nice!

I think it's obvious if you aren't a deluded patriot that we are sliding quite a bit from a superpower into a country that has to belong to something bigger... planet earth. We will collapse if we are dicks to new goliath countries just because we had a big economical head start right after WWII. Everybody else s shit was seriously destroyed to some extent, our nation was left with a pretty clean mark and was ready to industrialize like crazy. We won't fare the same after WWIII if we start it.

 

[Equal Observer]

Really quite disappointing. The voting system is obviously all wrong if 46% of people aren't allowed to smoke weed because 54% don't want them to. I think if even 1% of the population desire to do something harmless then they should be able to, we're talking about personal freedom here.. fucking plants.. what's wrong with us?

 

[ugly]

Really quite disappointing. The voting system is obviously all wrong if 46% of people aren't allowed to smoke weed because 54% don't want them to. I think if even 1% of the population desire to do something harmless then they should be able to, we're talking about personal freedom here.. fucking plants.. what's wrong with us?

We are fucked, that's what's wrong with us. The two party system does not work. It's a sham for big business who runs everything. (Don't know this for a fact but it seems very likely.)

I always vote for the Peace and Freedom party. They never advertise and they never win but that is always my stance. Maybe somehow, someday, things will change.

I can tell you in California today we are hanging our heads in woe. Jerry Brown again? No weed yet?

Are we going backwards in time?

 

[stevein7]

Remember
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW8UlY8eXCk

 

[ugly]

so good I reposted it.

Right Stevein. Thanks for that.

Remember
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW8UlY8eXCk

 

[citizen cained]

no matter.. i still firmly believe that in my lifetime (i'm 20) i will see legal cannabis in the u.k

it was a close vote 54% no 46% yes so wasn't a big majority, in fact it only just got voted against

I will still keep smoking cannabis legal or illegal as will many others like me because in the end, all that matters is that every time we light up.. we are making a stand for our freedom, our desire to be free and we will do anything to get it, even if that is to suffer prosecution and oppression at the hands of the political elite and the blind ignorant.

People in the legal world will look back at us and think, if it wasn't for the average pot smoker back then, we wouldn't be able to smoke legally, because of them making a stand for what they believe they proved that the war on drugs is not working.

 

[seep]

so, what happens now? When will the next similar oppertunity for somthing like this come about?

Hopefully a revised version will come out in Florida. Not "Legalize, Regulate and Tax" but simply "Legalize"

Hopefully also horses will learn Swedish

 

[MynameisnotDeja]

Sad, but I didn't really expect anything different.

 

[phenethylo J]

Hopefully a revised version will come out in Florida. Not "Legalize, Regulate and Tax" but simply "Legalize"

Hopefully also horses will learn Swedish

I also hope that legalization happens here in Florida. Even just medical would be nice since it would help me and allot of other people. I sadly can't see that happening considering the fact that it's FUCKING Florida.

I failed a drug test from my doctor for weed and now have to put up with random ones. Since not being able to smoke regulary I have had to increase my opiete dosages as well being put on multiple new medications includeing benzos. Weed helps me a vairity of things; including pain, anxiety, and insomnia. It's bad enough that I can't get a script for weed here in Florida but even worse my doctor in denying my the right to smoke, thus forceing me to take way more harmfull medications.

 

[fryingsquirrel]

Relax, this will be back on the ballet next time, and the time after that if nessecary. There are still a lot of people from the generation that was horrified by pot. And they vote. But they're dying like fucking flies.

 

[Herbal~Jah]

The US gov't will never allow pot or any other drug to be legalized, they already make a killing in the trafficking of schedule I narcotics. They probably see pot being legalized as a threat to their profits.