CO&WA Legalize

By Shanti-Baba

During the last USA presidential elections history was made. It had little to do with the candidates or political   parties   however   it   effects   Democrats, Republicans and the Undecided, equally. It is even reverberating around the world like waves from a tsunami.

No one has ever legalised Marijuana in the history of the world! In Colorado (CO) and Washington State (WA), 2 states of the USA, people over the age of 21 years old can legally buy and use marijuana for recreational use without breaking State Law. Federal Law still disallows Cannabis use for both medical and recreational users. A similar ballot issue for Oregon did not pass. In Massachusetts, voters approved legalisation of Cannabis for medicinal reasons, now making it 17 states of the USA who allow medical marijuana. Arkansas rejected the medical use of marijuana and Montana tightened its regulations but continues to allow medical users.

A poll found that 50% of Americans were in favour of Cannabis legalisation up from only 12% in 1969! Medical marijuana has even a greater support despite ongoing controversy over how recreational users some-times masquerade as medical users.

Since the ballots passed were Referendums, the people have given a clear signal. The scent of change is in the air as a result of these historic votes. CO and WA have sent a message that arresting 835,000 people per year for marijuana offences is a waste of resources and a ridiculous infringement on individual’s personal freedom. Prosecutors in both states have announced they are drop-ping cases effective immediately against people for cannabis possession. Within a few years it is predictable that Maine and Iowa will follow CO and WA, and with-in a few years it seems 12 or more states will do likewise!

Motivation for legalisation in both CO and WA have been to raise significant tax revenue from the sales and growing of Cannabis, as well as to regulate the use for adults over the age of 21.

WA involves licensing regime to be controlled by the State Liquor Control Board for growers and sellers. The initiative I-502 bans sale to those people less than 21yr old and sets a 25% tax on both wholesale and retail sales. These taxes will be used to fund drug prevention, education, schools and health insurance. A legal limit on THC blood levels for driving has been set. It bans the growing for personal use or non medical use. The I-502 initiative gained 55% of the voters support in the election.

CO Amendment 64 allows for personal growing for one’s own use or to give away. Taxes of up to 15% will be on sales of cannabis and regulated by the Department of Revenue (State) by way of licensing. Estimates of many millions per year for direct taxes raised by sales of cannabis have been discussed by the Department of Revenue. Amendment 64 gained 53% of the voters support.

The Obama administration, according to the Huffington Post, has authorized 170 raids on medical dispensaries and issued more than 61 federal indictments. So it is clear that Federal and State law are not well aligned on this issue so far. There remains a disparity in the US legal sys-tem between State and Federal, no matter what anyone says.

There has been no science that has shown any association between the amount of money governments spend on drug law enforcement and the rates of drugs use. The USA spends the most on the war on drugs and has one of the highest rates of drug use!

Whether marijuana’s status as a legal or illegal drug influ-ences how it is used remains unclear. Studies conducted in Holland, which have come the closest to full legalization of cannabis, and Portugal, which decriminalized posses-sion of all drugs, so far do not show negative effects on either addiction rates or misuse by young people.

The Obama administration knows that racial minorities are disproportionately jailed for cannabis related crimes. The USA has about 5% of the world`s popula-tion and about 25% of prisoners of the world! Almost 500 000 prisoners are drug related and each costs up to 60 000 dollars a year, making this one of the most ridiculously expensive projects by any government in the world!

In most corners of the world there seems to be a similar trend beginning and gaining momentum, first, that the war on drugs has failed the past 50 years and secondly that a shift towards legalisation is the only real practical solution. Countries in South America like Uruguay, Chile, Argentina and Brazil are fast drawing closer to decriminalisation and legalisation of Cannabis. Medical researchers are advancing forward in places like Israel, Czech Republic and Spain not to mention think tanks and committees are being set up in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK and are appraising the questions of medical use and implementation of Cannabis as a medicine. The world is in motion on this issue just as CO and WA have displayed in the USA.

From a personal stand point I have been actively partici-pating for legalisation of Cannabis most of my life. It is a plant in Mother Nature and only due to profit, or com-petition it was side lined for almost 80 years. It has a longer documented use in Man`s world than most any-thing else as a fibre, seed crop and a medicine. So logic must prevail in the end as profit can only be taken until it is used up! Making sensible decisions is a legacy for our children so at least we can be part of a solution for them than anything else.

The domino effects are enormous and gaining momen-tum with epic proportion. It makes me feel very positive reading all that has been taking place recently to gain support to legalise Cannabis. Even with disparity between State and Federal Law, it seems the proverbial rock is gaining pace and growing in size as it rolls down the States of the USA.

Everyone who voted to create this historic event in CO and WA, I say, thank you! For all the sick people I see turning to Cannabis for relief and for all those victimless crimes committed by consenting adults that hurt no one, I say thank you once again CO and WS for leading the way to common sense!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Posts

This menu shows the most recently posted content for a quick update since you last checked-in.

How to Sober Up from Being High?

Cannabis consumption brings different effects, depending on the person’s level of smoking tolerance. After an extreme euphoric effect, what comes...

From the Family Vault of Shanti-Baba

"Seems more than strange to grow up as a child and see how important my parents and their peers viewed...

Why Get Pines Wheatgrass

Wheatgrass might just be a typical plant growing in your backyard, but few people know that it has a lot...

How to Make Your Own Canna-Caps

by Old Hippie BeyondChronic.com What do you do when you need cannabis medicine and you can’t or don’t want to...

Database Search

Are you researching marijuana as medicine? Use the simple form below to search any condition. Read personal stories from patients just...

Cannabinoid Receptors in the Body and Their Importance

David B. Allen M.D. By legal Democratic Vote; Cannabis Is Medicine To get CBD from top verified sources, click here....

The True Origins of Haze

By Big Herb It all began in 1969, In Santa Cruz, California. At the time, there was Thai Oaxacan and...

Top 5 Health Benefits of Hemp Seeds

Hemp seeds are those seeds that are formed from Cannabis Sativa, a hemp plant. They are different from marijuana but...

Cannabis and Working Out

If you're wondering how cannabis can help you with your workout regime, then you probably need to read this article....

How Companies Are Creating Innovative New CBD Products

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis and hemp that may deliver unique health benefits. CBD is just...

5 Marijuana Compounds That Could Help Combat Cancer, Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s

by Paul Armentano Deputy Director of NORML (the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) This commentary was initially...

Living with Osteogenesis Imperfecta

By Michael Morrow My name is Michael Morrow, I'm 37  years  old and I have Osteogenesis Imperfecta. OI is a...

Gifts from Mother Nature

By Dianna Donnelly - "The couch activist” Aspirin, otherwise known as Acetylsalicylic Acid, is one of the most commonly ingested preventative medicines...

Paradise Seeds Allkush; More Than Just Kush

One of the new feminised strains from Paradise Seeds is named “Allkush”. So nothing but Kush? Taken genetically literally, no...

28ft… The John Berfelo Story

By John Berfelo "Medical marijuana saved me from a life on pharmaceutical drugs..." My name is John Berfelo and this...

My Grinspoon Moment

By Carl Hedberg Sometimes a single meeting can change your life. Such was the case for me when, in the...

The Science Behind Cannabis Safety

David B. Allen M.D. By legal Democratic Vote; Cannabis Is Medicine. Drug safety is on the minds of most all...

Heavenly Hash: The Art, Science and Industry of Cooking with Cannabis Extracts

by Samuel Wells Samuel Wells is an Assistant Professor of English in Denver, CO An Edible Enigma As scientific and...

Living High with HIV

How Medical Marijuana Rivals Mainstream HIV Medicine By BenBot In 2011, I was diagnosed with HIV. An unmarked van was...

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

With Veterans at Risk, Change is Necessary, but Progress is Slow By Mary Lou Smart In 1933, the repeal of...

Milagro Oil for Lung Cancer

By Mary Lou Smart www.medicalcannabisart.com Compassionate care advocates Michelle and Michael Aldrich at Patients Out of Time’s Seventh National Clinical...

Living and Dealing with ADHD

by Patricia Allen It was back in 1974 that I first became familiar with the term Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder...

Inflammatory Comments

by Bill Drake As a long-time TY reader I’ve noticed what seems to me to be a rather over- whelming...

How Cannabis Might Keep Coronary Stents Open Longer

By David B. Allen M.D.Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon, Member ICRS. And Prisoner of the Drug War Cali215doc@gmail.com First the set...

Unlocking the Secrets, Advanced Tissue Culture

Tissue Culture is a process of isolating cells from plant tissue (explants) which are cultured (grown artificially), in a nutrient...

Anxiety Panic Disorder and Cannabis

By Hal Lubinsky My name is Hal Lubinsky. I'm in my forties, a husband, a father, a grandfather, a U.S....

Can Cannabis Cure Schizophrenia?

By Richard Shrubb, Freelance sailing, health and social affairs journalist ould cannabis treat or even cure schizophrenia? Things look promising...

Multiple Sclerosis: Regaining the Good Life with Whole Plant Therapy

By Mary Lou Smart© 2012 www.medicalcannabisart.com A trial attorney, Jim Dyer practiced law in Tucson, Arizona for 34 years before...

The Science of Cannabis Leads in Many Directions

The Evolution of a Sense of Well-Being By Mary Lou Smart www.medicalcannabisart.com While speaking at Patients Out of Time’s Seventh...

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

By Shantibaba It is evident for all people who wish to listen that doing all things within moderation is better...

Post Traumatic Stress

Psychology and Medication at its Best By Jeff Kundert OTR Jeff works as a Wellness and Fitness Educator. He has...

The Ripper Effect

By Subcool Some really interesting information has come to my attention, and I am very excited to tell everyone in...

Auto-flowering Plants

By Shantibaba The discreet evolution of Auto-flowering cannabis plants is a recent occurrence, one that is in mode at present...

Uncovering the Original Sacrament: Chris Bennett’s Cannabis and the Soma Solution

Review by Samuel Wells When asked to name an author crucial to the growing mainstream understanding of the uses of...

Cornerstone of Individualized Phytogenetics ACDC 22:1 @ CB3

Alternative Cannabinoid Dietary Cannabis 22%CBDA:1%THCA acting at GPR55 Alias CB3 by William L. Courtney, MD, AACM American Academy of Cannabinoid...

Mr. Magoo

By Ron Hudson My birthdays: I woke that birthday morning, in October of 1966, knowing it would begin like the...

Medical Cannabis University

By Reverend Philip H Hoff - Chancellor, MedicalCannabisUniversity.org ( MCU, Inc. ), a 501 c(3) nonprofit school. The school focused...

Storm’s Story

By Georgia Peschel WHEW! Delivering this kid was like delivering a hurricane!” When our son was born, those were our...

Soil Pests & Diseases

By Lazystrain Soil is a living organism made up of billions of microbes and bacteria. The cosmology of soil life...

A Tragedy Felt Around the World

by Jonny Appleweed On Oct. 27, 1970, President Richard M. Nixon signed into law the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and...

Autism & Cannabis

Prohibition Makes it Tough on Parents by Mary Lou Smart Jeremy Patrone (not his real name) has a goal. He...

Vaporization of Cannabis: Are there benefits over combustion?

By William Eckhardt Although vaporization is a relatively recent development for the delivery of cannabinoids the proliferation of vast numbers...

Bedrocan

By Harry Resin Generally when you think of Amsterdam, you think of the coffee shops, but that’s not all that’s...

How Does Wattage Affect Your Vape? Beginners Guide to Wattage

Many vape devices available on the market allow you to adjust the wattage so that it suits your personal preferences....

9 Healthy Ways of Coping With PTSD

PTSD can affect many individuals and isn’t something that only happens to folks who have served in the army and...

Secrets To A Good Night’s Sleep

After a night spent turning and tossing, you will wake up feeling tired, grumpy, and sleepy. As we get older,...

4 Things To Keep In Mind Before Starting Your Cannabis Journey

Cannabis has recently become legal for medical usage in multiple parts across the U.S and several other countries for recreational...