Whatever happened to Barack Obama, the community organizer? That's who I voted for to be my president - someone who cared about social justice and human rights. Why does it take Republican Debra J. Saunders to remind Obama to keep his pledge and do something about oppressive federal mandatory minimum sentences that continue to mete out excessive punishments to first-time, low-level, nonviolent drug offenders, destroying so many lives and filling our prisons ("When will Obama reform presidential pardons?" Insight, May 27)? [continues 134 words]
Though I don't agree with Debra J. Saunders on many issues, her writing consistently shows that she truly understands that the drug war and marijuana prohibition have failed and that these policies lead to real-life, devastating consequences. Saunders pokes holes in the opposition's arguments (including this newspaper's) that fear change, and she points out the hypocrisy and harm of keeping in place laws that don't work. She gets that Prop. 19 is the way out of this mess. It's the way to stop wasting tax dollars and resources on ineffective policies and to reduce the threat to public safety posed by cartels that the current prohibition enriches and empowers. [continues 86 words]
No matter where you stand in the marijuana legalization debate, the matter of equal rights is critical to the discussion. Why should people who choose to use alcohol responsibly enjoy all the benefits of society without shame or fear of arrest, prosecution and incarceration, while adults who use cannabis responsibly are subjected to those kind of harsh consequences plus loss of employment, custody of children and benefits? We responsible adult cannabis consumers do not deserve to be treated like criminals. We are good, productive citizens who are entitled to the same rights as everyone else. Hold us to the same societal standards and obligations. Educate the public about personal responsibility, safety practices and avoiding problems with every substance they consume. [continues 53 words]
Let's face it. The marijuana market is here to stay. This means we have an important choice to make. Do we want commercial marijuana growers and sellers to be licensed, taxed and regulated in controlled settings with accountable business practices and an age of consent for consumers? Or do we prefer illegal growers setting up camp in our hills and public lands, diverting water from creeks, degrading the environment, having shootouts with police that threaten community safety and selling to anyone of any age who has the money, devoid of any oversight? The choice is ours. Prohibition didn't work before. It doesn't work now. Choose taxation and regulation for a safer future. Mikki Norris El Cerrito [end]
Editor -- Here's the answer to the ranger's concerns regarding the growing problem and danger of marijuana cultivation sites on public lands to wildlife, the environment and hikers: legalize, tax and regulate the sales of marijuana. As long as marijuana prohibition exists, an excessive profit motive to grow in areas that are not subject to asset forfeiture laws will remain. Controlling marijuana's distribution through legal avenues that regulates legitimate farmers and businesses and taxes the sales to adult customers will end this problem. [continues 60 words]
OAKLAND VOTERS got it right when they passed Measure Z by 65 percent in November -- making private, adult marijuana offenses law enforcement's lowest priority and asking the city to tax and regulate adult sales of cannabis as soon as possible. When this policy is adopted at the state level, it will enable local law enforcement agencies to concentrate their limited funds against violent and serious crime at an annual savings of $150 million. When we finally begin to tax and regulate the market for marijuana like alcohol, it will drastically cut street dealing and generate about $2 billion of new tax revenue. Oakland voters are smart, and they deserve smart policies and leadership in Sacramento. It's time to put the taxation and regulation of marijuana on the table in this state budget debate. Mikki Norris El Cerrito [end]
I have seen too many lives destroyed by this country's drug policies to feel much compassion for Rush Limbaugh ("Rush's World of Pain," Oct. 20). Either Limbaugh should go to prison like the rest of the people he advocated sending "up the river" or they should all have the opportunity to go to treatment programs. Let's pray that this drug war ends soon so that Limbaugh and other drug addicts will get the help they need. Prison shouldn't be the answer, but until that changes, I say send Rush off to jail. Doesn't he deserve a dose of the justice he has advocated for others for so many years? Mikki Norris El Cerrito, Calif. [end]
I had the fortune to attend some of Ed Rosenthal's hearings, trial and yesterday's sentencing hearing. For those of us who witnessed the proceedings, we can say that we were extremely happy with the results. I see Breyer's ruling as a real victory for our issue. "No jail for pot" prevailed in this case. First of all, I must give the Rosenthals a lot of credit for displaying the courage and taking the gamble of really fighting for justice in their case. Ed had no intention of becoming a "martyr" and he did everything in his power not to become one. It proves that giving your all to this fight can produce good results. It shows that standing up for yourself can pay off. Many of us understand the great pressure there is to take a deal, or play along with "their rules," compromise, or "cooperate with the government." But, he refused to relent and challenged the government every step of the way, and pushed the envelope. [continues 1130 words]
By making news items and opinion pieces easily available to us that we would otherwise miss, MAP has increased public awareness tremendously about the many goings on in the world related to drug policy. It has empowered untold thousands of people, transforming them into frontline activists, by alerting and encouraging them to write letters to the editor to news outlets around the world. This puts us in the ballgame, so to speak, enabling us to confront policy and opinion makers who have ready access to news media. [continues 113 words]
As we prepare to go to war with Iraq and continue fighting terrorism at home, it is appalling that the federal Drug Enforcement Administration has chosen to step up the attacks on businesspeople by going after pipe- and bong-makers and sellers ("U.S. raids firms selling items used by pot smokers," Feb. 25). Where are the government's priorities? Let's waste some more resources on "Operation Pipe Dreams"! The message the DEA and Office of National Drug Control Policy send by going after "paraphernalia" (pipe) sellers is that the drug warriors have too much time on their hands and too much money to spend. [continues 585 words]
Hooray for George W. Bush for standing up for the right to privacy and the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution (against self-incrimination). Drug use, either former or current, really is nobody's business unless someone actually harms another. Bush took the moral high ground against the media's bloodlust for an answer to the questions of when and if he ever used cocaine. Now he must have the courage and strength of character to extend this self-stated right to the rest of society. Ban drug testing that discriminates and incriminates people to take away their jobs, student loans, children and housing, and excludes them from sports activities, among other serious repercussions. [continues 79 words]
