Marijuana Arrests Skyrocket in California

In fact the U.S. government health care programs into is not low, the annual total expenditure in GDP is about 15% in GDP, according to the world the first high value calculation, link:http://www.louboutinshoesuksale.co.uk/

Let's look at this through a "separation of church and state" lens: The 1st page & chapter of the Bible: Genesis 1:29 ...And God said "Behold I have given you(us) every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth..".. Now who other than Satan would want to criminalize or regulate God's 1st gift to us? Maybe that's why actual Bible reading on ones own is frowned upon by "authorities". For a historical account of how Biblical knowledge has been repressed, a must read is Foxes book of Martyrs: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22400/22400-h/22400-h.htm

Why don't the cops try going after "real" criminals, who commit real crimes, you know, the kind with "victims". Wasting all this time trying to fight a harmless plant...

Jesus said to do unto others as we would have them to do unto us. None of us would want our child or grandchild thrown in jail with the sexual predators over marijuana. None of us would want to see an older family member’s home confiscated and sold by the police for growing a couple of marijuana plants for their aches and pains. It’s time to stop putting our own family members in jail over marijuana. If ordinary Americans could grow a little marijuana in their own back yards, it would be about as valuable as home-grown tomatoes. Let's put the criminals out of business and get them out of our neighborhoods. It's time to let ordinary Americans grow a little marijuana in their own back yards.

We can email our Congressperson and Senators at http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml to discuss HR 2306, the proposed Federal law that will get the Federal government out of the marijuana business and let states make their own laws. And a big THANK YOU to the courageous, freedom loving legislators, governors, and countless others who are working so hard to bring this through! You’re doing a great patriotic service for all of America!

Its time for people to stop saying they're using it for medical reasons when they're really just trying to get high. And don't smoke illegal pot and you won't get arrested?

~GOD DOESN'T BELIEVE IN ATHEISTS~

It’s time to legalize the cultivation of pot By Rick Zemanek - Red Deer Advocate Newspaper

Marijuana growers and sellers are deadly serious about their business. An arsenal of firearms, swords and crossbows seized by Red Deer, Alberta, Canada RCMP in an Oct. 27 marijuana bust clearly illustrates that. Numerous marijuana busts in Central Alberta in recent years have uncovered a frightening array of illegal weapons. And they weren’t meant for shooting gophers. These are sophisticated operations closely guarded by a criminal element that is apparently prepared to kill, injure or use the threat of violence. With their trade flourishing in normally quiet neighbourhoods, perhaps its time to explore other options to end a dangerous, lucrative trade that is raking in billions of dollars annually. A coalition of B.C. police officers, health professionals, and legal experts and academics last week said they have the solution: legalize marijuana. They propose that we remove the criminal element in the marijuana trade by regulating its sale and imposing taxes much the same as we do for cigarettes and alcohol. They argue that drug-related violence will decline, making communities safer, and governments will benefit from the taxes. In Canada, it’s estimated that the pot market generates $20 billion annually. That kind of market could represent $11.8 billion in tax revenue. The B.C. coalition Stop the Violence, which includes former B.C. Supreme Court justice Ross Lander and B.C.’s former chief coroner Vince Cain, has launched a high-profile political campaign to “end the cannabis cash cow of organized crime.” There may be merit in this approach. Marijuana prohibition is fuelling gang warfare, and school kids can now access it more easily than cigarettes and booze because of the reach of organized crime, warned a member of the coalition, Dr. Evan Wood of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. “Instead of having a regulated market, we’ve turned things over to this extremely violent, unregulated market controlled by organized crime,” said Wood. Former justice Lander said in his 34 years on the bench, he’s learned marijuana prohibition isn’t working. “The whole exercise is futile. (Marijuana) is being used prominently everywhere . . . throughout North America.” He said pot laws are not a deterrent. Victoria police officer David Bratzer agrees. “I’ve investigated situations where people have been stabbed in drug deals gone bad over something as small as a simple ($10) bag of marijuana. . . . I think a public health approach to this issue would be more effective than a criminal justice approach.” It’s long been argued marijuana is a “gateway drug,” opening doors to drugs like heroin and crack cocaine. That premise is central in the American drug policies in particular. But numerous studies say the “gateway” theory has not been proven. “No widely accepted study has ever demonstrated a cause-and-effect relationship between the use of cannabis and the later use of harder drugs . . .” said one. In fact, some studies have shown that tobacco and alcohol are “a better predictor of concurrent illicit hard drug use than smoking cannabis.” Other studies conclude that given marijuana’s illegal status, “cannabis users are more likely to be in situations which allow them be become acquainted with people who use and sell other illegal drugs.” Marijuana’s medicinal values have long been recognized. According to the United Nations, it’s the most widely used illicit substance in the world. Documented cases of its use go back as far as 3000 BC. It became illegal in most parts of the world in the early 20th century. But it’s an effective anti-inflammatory and is legally used today by people suffering from various ailments. It has been used to treat patients suffering from glaucoma, arthritis (which cost the Canadian economy $33 billion last year) and inflammatory bowel disease. It’s also used by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Earlier this year, an Ontario Superior Court judge ruled that Canada’s pot laws are unconstitutional, depriving those inflicted with medical conditions easy access to its medicinal values. Legalization could also ease backlogged courts, saving taxpayers money. A recent study by the Canadian Justice Department found only about one of every six people convicted in marijuana grow-op cases go to jail. But that could soon change. Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s get-tough-on-crime Bill C-10 will force judges to impose a minimum jail term of six months for anyone growing between six to 200 plants. The prison population will grow as will the expense to taxpayers. It’s time to legalize the cultivation and sale of marijuana. Rick Zemanek is editor of the Red Deer Advocate newspaper in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.

I agree that it's pointless to have laws that arrest people who have it. They should fine them. Fine them the tax that they didn't pay for that stuff. Then send them on their merry way. Also...medical is a cover to do it. If someone has a problem, then they should have a doctor's note with said problem on it. It's not that difficult.