Marijuana legalization advocates organize to put new measure on California ballot

The campaign behind a failed initiative to legalize marijuana in California announced Friday it had formed a new committee to put another measure on the ballot.

The Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform 2012 aims to build on the unusual support that coalesced around Proposition 19, which would have allowed adults to grow and possess marijuana and authorized cities and counties to legalize and tax sales.

That campaign drew backing from the California NAACP and the Latino Voters League, which saw it as a way to end disproportionate arrests of African Americans and Latinos for marijuana crimes. Labor leaders in the Bay Area also got behind it, bringing endorsements from some major unions, which saw a legal pot industry as a potential source of union jobs.

The committee announced Friday included Alice Huffman, who heads the California NAACP; Antonio Gonzalez, who formed the Latino Voters League; and Dan Rush, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union official who worked during the campaign to build labor support. It also includes several key players behind Proposition 19, including Dale Sky Jones, who was the campaign's spokeswoman and will be the chairwoman of the new coalition.

"The purpose of our organization is to learn from our experiences in 2010 and take the lead toward victory in 2012," Jones wrote to supporters in an e-mail sent Friday. "We will expand our coalition, raise the necessary funds to move toward a possible 2012 campaign, and conduct polling and other opinion research that will guide the drafting of a new initiative."

Proposition 19 lost 46%-54% in November, but it drew worldwide media attention and stimulated a vigorous debate over the nation's drug policies. Polls have shown growing support for marijuana legalization nationwide, and a post-election poll in California suggested the measure might have passed if proponents had had the money for a campaign to reach swing voters.

Many activists are convinced that, with more money and broader support, a similar initiative could pass during a presidential election year when the turnout tends to be more liberal. The coalition includes several representatives who will be critical to raising money, including Stephen Gutwillig, the California director of the Drug Policy Alliance, which has close ties to the major donors who have supported past medical-marijuana and legalization initiatives.

Proposition 19, the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act, was the brainchild of Richard Lee, an Oakland medical-marijuana entrepreneur who led the effort to draft it, paid for a signature-gathering effort to qualify it and footed the bill for most of the campaign. He and Jeff Jones, an Oakland activist who co-sponsored the measure, are on the coalition's board.

Lee's singular role in the campaign led some drug-policy-reform activists to keep their distance initially, but as the initiative sparked a nationwide conversation, they decided to embrace it. Although still involved, Lee has stayed behind the scenes as the new effort gets underway.

The Proposition 19 campaign struggled to win support among medical-marijuana activists, growers and dispensary owners, many of whom worried it would disrupt their lucrative business. Marijuana legalization activists held a conference in Berkeley recently to reach out to medical-marijuana activists and will host a second one Saturday in Los Angeles.

The new campaign plans to hold a series of meetings to draft a new initiative and expects to launch a new website soon. "What many thought was an unlikely dream in 2010 is poised to become reality in 2012," Jones wrote to supporters of the previous initiative. "We will need your ideas, your passion and your support going forward."

Members of the new organization are:

Executive director: Mauricio Garzon, Proposition 19 campaign manager

Board of directors: Tom Angell, media director, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition; Graham Boyd (honorary), visiting fellow, Stanford Criminal Justice Center; David Bronner, president, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps; Antonio Gonzalez, president, William C. Velasquez Institute; Stephen Gutwillig (honorary), California director, Drug Policy Alliance; Alice Huffman, president, California NAACP; Dale Sky Jones, Proposition 19 spokeswoman; Jeff Jones, Proposition 19 proponent; Richard Lee, Proposition 19 proponent; Jim O'Neill, managing director, Clarium Capital Management; Perry Rosenstein, consultant, Trilogy Interactive; Dan Rush, special operations director, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5.

Key advisers:

Doug Linney, president, the Next Generation; Chris Lehane, Fabiani and Lehane; Dan Newman, partner, SCN Strategies; Dave Fratello, Coast Campaign Group; Marjan Philhour, fundraising consultant, California Group; Anna Greenberg, pollster, Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner Research; Ruth Bernstein, principal, EMC Research; Ethan Nadelmann, founder and executive director, Drug Policy Alliance.

RELATED:

2 West Hollywood medical marijuana dispensaries raided by federal agents

Once-popular Venice-area medical marijuana dispensary is barred from reopening

-- John Hoeffel

Photo: A worker shows a marijuana bud for sale at a dispensary. Credit: Ed Andrieski / Associated Press

Comments

[LAmedicalMarijuana]

it is a shame that the LA Times does not report on the corruption that is occurring in the LA City Council

The LA City Council routinely tooks moneys from the larger dispensaries to draft the new medical marijuana ordinance that severly limits the amount of dispensaries to 100.

Now in LA we will have mega dispesnsaries just like they have in Oakland , berkeely etc

Except when the laws stop new dispensaries from opening, and the 100 remaining have a monopoly the mexican drug cartels will come in and strong arm the operators .....

there is a real valid reason why LA City did not want a free market for medical marijuana

the cartels , the police unions have a racket on marijuana that they aren't willing to give up so easily.

[Authentic Angeleno]

Let's do this.

It's taken far too long for Americans to have access to this natural, medicinal and plentiful plant.

Do not allow old and closed minds to dictate the future. They've had their run, now let the new generations decide their own fates.

[Paul von Hartmann]

Are all of you people crazy? We don't have two more growing seasons to waste!

End prohibition in Spring 2011 by "essential civilian demand."
Cannabis isn't illegal, it's unique and essential. We have nothing to fear but the atmosphere itself.

All of the "legalization Props" are misdirections of the grassroots energy, political obfuscation in an obvious waste of time and money.

Read:

Cannabis vs. "Global Broiling" : An Inconvenient Solution
by Paul J. von Hartmann

Humankind's disregard for the ancient operating systems of the Natural Order have imposed fundamental imbalances on Earth's environment over a very brief span of evolutionary time. In just half a century, critically destabilizing insults inflicted on our life-sustaining atmosphere have allowed increasing levels of midrange ultraviolet solar radiation (UV-B) to penetrate through to the surface of the planet. I trust this brief introduction to the problem and a realistic strategy for resolution, will serve to initiate the timely, requisite, purposeful, coordinated polar shift in values needed, in proportionate response to a fundamental threat to people, plants and animals in every corner of the world.

UV-B exposure causes genetic mutation, impaired immune response and abnormal cell growth in plants and animals. Increasing incidence of cancers, cataracts, falling agricultural production, declining forest health and a catastrophic decline in the world's "indicator species" including krill, bees, bats, birds, coral reefs, and amphibians, consistently indicate profound systemic imbalance. Much of what is out-of-balance can be profoundly attributed to increasing UV-B radiation.

[Nunya]

To: LAmedicalMarijuana

Proof?

[Joe]

Idiots! This is a federal matter. Not States!!!!!!

[Richard P Steeb]

The prohibition of Earth's most beneficial plant species is a crime against humanity and the planet itself. We SHALL overgrow.

[James Wood]

All this effort to tax, regulate and control a harmless plant that ought to be free. Meanwhile no effort to defund the narcs, stop CAMP (helicopter based pot plant search and destroy missions) or reschedule pot under federal law. Pot should be immediately put on schedule five so it could be effectively used in every corner of this nation, legally and cheaply produced and sold in drugstores by normal people for reasonable prices instead of in boutiques at $20 a gram. Then we could proceed to legalize it internationally as in rescind UN Resolution 232. But no, these guys are gonna stick us with the $20 dollar a gram plan forever more "'cause it generates so much tax revenue that way." Right. Sure. Maybe if you ingest enough speed that point of view seems logical but for the rest of us it is hard to stomach.
With Marijuana Activists like these, who needs the Prohibitionists?!?

[Ydogg]

Marijuana should be taken out of the same drug level as heroin and cocaine. All of the overcrowding of jails and money spent on "criminals" charged with marijuana possession is ridiculous. Too much concrete scientific evidence has proven it's medicinal value. I'm not the type that usually blames or points out goverment involvment but this even to me is blatant. There is more money for the gov to keep marijuana illegal. Through the jails, policing, judicial systems, and the pharmacudical companies that the gov or somebody is making money from this. There's been proven studies showing drug usage actually dropping from legalization. Until then the criminals are the ones who have cancer, aids, seizures , anxiety, sleep problems, etc. Etc.

[Nick]

Marijuana is the most effective anti-depressant I've ever used. It calms me and allows me to reflect on things in a more fruitful way. It's a real wonder drug and has significantly improved my quality of life. Alcoholism runs in my family so I stay off the booze, but nothing helps me unwind like marijuana.

[Duncan20903]

Joe, why in the world would you insist on posting what you see when you have your hands over your eyes?

For crying out loud Prop 215 has been to the SCOTUS 3 times, 2001, 2005, and 2009. How could anyone in their right mind conclude that States medical cannabis laws are dictated by the Feds at this late date? Prop 215 is in its 15th year without even a peep out of the Federal government.

Take your hands away from in front of your eyes, take the earplugs out of your ears, and stop singing "lalalalalalalalalalalalalalala I can't heeeeeee-ear you" at the top of your lungs and you might have a chance of figuring this issue.

[Leonard Krivitsky, MD]

We mist be on a continuous "offense" against prohibitionists and their ignorance and repression! American policies on drug issues, especially marijuana, show that the dangerous philosophies of "radical pragmatism", shared by both Marxists and Nazis, are well and alive in contemporary America! The extremists currently in charge of the DEA will stop at nothing to derail the medicinal cannabis program and the Will of Voters who voted for it. I wish I could see the day when the senseless and shameful witch-hunts against citizens over a natural medicinal plant cannabis finally end, and they will! I predicted a long time ago that anti-cannabis repression will lead to increased hard drug and alcohol abuse because they are not "easily" detected in random drug screens, especially when it comes to the "window" of their detection. All these so-called "random drug screens" unfairly target the users of the safest substance of them all - cannabis! I can’t wait to see the day when these shameful and senseless witch-hunts against citizens in connection with cannabis medicinal plant will stop altogether. I stressed many times already that no system, no matter of how repressive, can survive on a series of "un-realities". Current undisguised assault by the "radical pragmatists" from the DEA on the will of the people of Montana (and now also Hollywood) demonstrate their delusional thinking their attempts in suppression science (and people’s will) will be more successful than those of Inquisition, Gestapo, or KGB! I wish I could live to see these people’s miserable and disgraceful failure! Everything that the DEA and its allies use to intimidate citizens (and politicians) about the remarkable cannabis plant is based on unreality: cannabis is NOT physically addictive, the so-called "gateway drug theory" is NOT scientifically valid, smoking cannabis does NOT lead to increase in the risk of lung cancer, legalization in other countries did NOT lead to increased cannabis use, and in addition it is proven that cannabis use suppresses violent behavior. Cannabis is immeasurably safer than alcohol, (and most currently used prescription drugs - do we even notice their devastating potential side effects at their TV commercials?), and be so ignorant as to say that cannabis plant does not have medicinal value is to be out of touch with "reality" altogether. Legalization of medicinal cannabis is non-partisan because all of us can get sick and be able to take advantage of its remarkable medicinal properties. Let’s reject the prohibitionist fear-tactics as they have no substance to them, and legalize cannabis in all 50 States without further delay!

[Ernst]

Strong Support for prop 19? Like the very people who were pro-cannabis and hated prop 19 don't matter once again.

Here we go with the Gold rush and damn the Indians again.

I just did my own poll and 90% of those who answered favor a Just for the People legalization Initiative in 2012.

We see a "All in One" Initiative as a waste of another voting cycle.

This is the way people see the Prop-19 type of effort.

It will be a Sweetheart deal for Canna-business that the people are supposed to vote for because it throws a small canna-bone to the people while Canna-millionaires get the majority of benefit.
The big question is why vote for some to be rich when we as people cannot practice full horticulture rights with the cannabis plant

Oh we are going to be fed Business-Fertilizer of how a 5x5 mindset is the right one. Where buying our cannabis is better than seeds saving, heirloom variety growing and growing all we want for our selves and our friends and family, is wrong.
Prop 19 depended on Law Enforcement to once again spend multi-millions of dollars to enforce prohibition on the people so business could profit at prohibition prices.

Prop 19 was aimed as selling you the idea of Legalization not Legalization itself.

So I ask you. If we cannot legalize just for the people in 2012 as a safe first step we can all agree on how in the hell are we to pass an all in one initiative that favours Millionaires and still sends people to prison?

It's time for industry to step back and support a solid effort to clearly grant rights to the people.. Not some half assed decriminalization that millionaires want.
To those who are resurrecting the prop 19 party ; you got your hat handed to you in 2010 you will get it handed to you again in 2012.. But then again that is just fine with them because they are still in business and we still go to jail.

[Jane in Fresno]

Its nice to see these pot dealer types teaming up with Bill Zimmerman to rewrite Prop 215 so they can perpetuate their monopolies on medical pot sales. They make millions of dollars off $20 dollar a gram marijuana and Zimmerman will take Soros et al for another million or two. The party is on but unfortunately for those few remaining marijuana consumers the joke is on them. Tiny itty bitty gardens, stringent rules on how much you can have and bans on public use of cannabis. Draconian age restrictions. All enacted by the public trying to "legalize marijuana." Right!! Meanwhile the narcs keep all their funding, CAMP continues to have record breaking years and pot stays so expensive that everyone starts using speed and alcohol and cigarettes because they simply cannot afford marijuana and its a bust anyway. Oh and did I mention taxes... speaking of which I guess these guys can just start new and bigger dealerships when the six million dollar bill for back taxes arrives. Nice. I guess I'd be pro taxes too if I didn'y have to pay the state and the IRS wasn't auditing pot dealers so aggressively. Of course these guys don't care that neither plants nor medicine are taxed in California, they just want to sell this medical plant for big bucks and need a legal system that keeps the competition to a minimum. (Never mind that the only way to get the price down so the consumers can afford the product is by introducing lots and lots of competition and totally unfettered production.) So long medical marijuana -- Hello monetary marijuana!!!

[corruptedgov]

why don't the voters get rid of these morons in the city council and the rest of our state.

[Stress Related Condition]

This is the same crew that just tried to destroy Prop 215.

Thats right, today we can grow and possess any amount and the state cannot legally stop us. But these guys want to limit us to 25 square feet (too small to be useful!) and one ounce possession. Today we have no age limits for medical cannabis. These guys want to make it 21 or older to use marijuana for everyone.

This is the "It's just like alcohol" crowd. NEWSFLASH: Alcohol kills some 85,000 people a year, marijuana has never killed anyone. Marijuana is NOT like alcohol and should not be regulated as stringently.

'Nuff said!

[Richard P Steeb]

That's the whole point, Stress. It isn't yet regulated like alcohol, it is PROHIBITED. When it is as available as beer for anyone with proof of adulthood, then you can argue for "less stringent", okay?

[Leonard Krivitsky, MD]

I believe it is a matter for the majority of people to see that the whole cannabis prohibition, the whole DEA "dogma" that "marijuana is a dangerous drug without accepted medical use" be exposed in its anti-scientific, deceptive nature. Cannabis is not physically addictive as it lacks the recognizable "physical withdrawal syndrome" (like opiates, or alcohol, for example); the so-called "gateway drug theory" has been proven to be nonsense by a scientific research, and was even declared "half-baked" by a recent study; Drug Marinol, much touted by the DEA, is not at all the same as medicinal cannabis which, as opposed to Marinol, has over 70 active compounds interacting in therapeutic ways. Cannabis decriminalization is followed by a decrease (not an increase) in "teenage use", as the example of Portugal clearly shows, and (with another major scare-tactic disintegrating), smoking cannabis does not increase one's risk of lung cancer; combine all this with the violence-suppressing qualities of cannabis use, its propensity to be a "safe alternative" to alcohol/hard drugs, its remarkable medicinal properties, and then see if the DEA "dogmas" have any factual foundation and not just an empty talk that is being enforced by a version of philosophical "radical pragmatism" which basically "allows" its followers to disregard the truth in favor of, let's say, DEA "dogma", with such a dogma being constantly "reinforced" by a consciousness of "guilt" and "fear". What we (and I mean, all of us) need to do is spread this scientific knowledge (along with the refutation of "dogma"), so that even for the politicians this becomes a question of either siding with fear and ignorance (which will assure one kind or "legacy"), or with science, progress and compassion, which will bring a totally different "legacy" altogether; let's not forget to ask our politicians as well as to why they are "crying broke" and yet, at the same time keep financing the so-called "marijuana enforcement" while most of the country wants this rather harmless natural substance decriminalized altogether, and definitely legalized when it comes to its many remarkable medicinal uses.

[yonnie]

@Stress Related Condition

Prop 19 specifically stated that it would have absolutely NO effect on Prop 215/ SB 420 laws. Prop 19 wouldnt have had any effect on patients rights. You didnt read the bill at all, you just fell for the illegal dealers/medical marijuana cartel's false propaganda. People like you are destroying this movement.

LEGALIZE 2012

[BritishColumbiaEd]

Early US settlers were required by a 1619 law to grow hemp cannabis. George Washington grew hemp cannabis for fiber production in 1797. Pioneer wagons were covered with hemp canvas. The word 'canvas' is derived from 'cannabis'.

Then came along Harry J. Anslinger, who was appointed by a Secretary of State (and future father-in-law) head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. He held office for 32 years, from 1930 until 1962.

During that time, Anslinger confused the public by changing the familiar name of hemp cannabis to the unknown word marijuana and then used themes of racism and violence to draw national attention to a problem he wanted to create.

In 1944, the LaGuardia Commission study refuted Anslinger’s testimony that marijuana caused addiction, madness, overt sexuality and violence, but the report was rejected.

Learn more:

Wikipedia - Legal History of cannabis in the US
Wikipedia - Harry J. Anslinger
Wikipedia - William Randolph Hearst
drugwarrant.com

[EyemNotFree]

List a link on how the representatives voted. Too many times these issues are hidden.

[EyemNotFree]

banned again

[teddyinjapan]

@Stress Related Condition

Oh not more of you guys boo hoo hoo Richard Lee wants to take away are medicine and our rights !!!

Its pretty sad now we have to fight the Pot-Head Haters,Drug Warriors,Cops, Politicians and now the Medical Marijuana Crew!!

Why don't you guys just admit it you don't want to see Marijuana legalized for all uses.. You want to continue downward spiral and downright mockery be played on the legitimate Medical Marijuana industry. Some people are starting to really take advantage of this ... And to some outside of the cannabis scene its really starting to look like a joke.

You have not even seen a rough draft of the bill and the medical crew is here to talk bad about it ... Get real !

[Paul Pot]

Yes guys legalize it and go all the way this time cause this time it's going to happen so you might as well go for full legalization. And not so you have to buy it in a liquor store. Yuck! Alcohol is not fully legal either. You have to be a big corporation to make and sell alcohol and that's fascism but don't tell anyone they won't believe you.

[JB GOODE]

Legalize it already! I'm tired of being a Medical Marijuna user and having people treat us all like second-class citizens. Get on board in 2012 and make it happen for all citizens who believe in freedom and the healing properties of this wonderous, natural plant. YES IN 2012! (and drop the prices too!)