Tickets for discussion on marijuana reform on Jan 29 going fast! (Community Voices)

Published on Saturday, January 22, 2011
Last updated on 09:45AM, Monday, January 24, 2011
Photo credit: swifteconomics.com

Despite its loss last November, Proposition 19 was a positive litmus test for legalization. 

With less than five percentage points short of passing, close analysis of exit poll data indicates that many of those who voted against Prop. 19 actually favor legalization.  They objected to some aspect of the proposition, not the larger goal of realistic drug law reform. 

Building upon experience from the last election, the marijuana/cannabis law reform movement is already focusing on 2012 when a number of states, including California, will have legalization initiatives on the ballot. Armed with a solid understanding of the challenges that overcame Prop. 19, supporters of legalization are committed to discovering common ground between the deep concerns of this diverse constituency. 

On Saturday, Jan. 29, at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, California NORML is hosting a conference entitled, "Marijuana Reform: Next Steps for California." Evenly divided between issues related to medical and recreational cannabis, the event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and will include expert speakers, panel discussions and public comment. The affordable $30 admission price also covers lunch. 

For more information or to register for the conference, visit the CANORML website. It is selling out fast, so don't hesitate to register if you hope to attend.  This promises to be a pivotal event in the history of Cannabis law reform. 

About Cindy Gaffney
Leonard Krivitsky... commented at Tue, 25 Jan at 5:10am
In this society of ever-increasing stress levels, how can anyone possibly justify keeping the substance that promotes violence (alcohol) "legal", while insisting that the substance that suppresses violence (Cannabis) should be kept "illegal"! Total absence of logic. Cannabis is not physically addictive as it has no documented physical  withdrawal syndrome associated with its use; smoking Cannabis has been shown to have NO connection with increased risk of lung cancer, the so-called "gateway drug" theory is a non-existent entity altogether, and Marinol is a synthetic THC analogue, which is not at all the same thing as Medicinal Cannabis. This is together with the remarkable medicinal properties of the Cannabis plant, the denial of which is not even a "rational" thing to do! It is as pointed out in the prestigious "Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook" that states clearly that "Cannabis use suppresses violent behavior and only the unsophisticated think otherwise". Cannabis prohibition is doing more harm to this society than many people realize, as the (young) people are pushed to "experiment" with alcohol/hard drugs or dangerous, physically addictive prescription drugs, many of which promoting violent behavior instead of suppressing it as Cannabis does. CA Prop. 19 directly challenged the DEA "dogmas", and it was the reason why it infuriated the "powers that be" the way it did! Unfortunately, many lawmakers are still swayed by the DEA disinformation in all these respects, but one thing is clear: just like KGB before it, the DEA will not be able to defend its mindless "dogmas" by repression alone; sooner or later the American people will clearly see this nonsense, and they will not tolerate it indefinitely!