Did you hear? The pot legalization bill in the California Senate, AB 390 Passed the public safety committee this week!

(Now for the anti-climax: It was passed on to the Health Committee where it will die because they will not hear it before the deadline for bills introduced last year...)

At best it's passing the comittee was a bittersweet victory despite the "historical" value of it getting this far. Watching the politicians on the video of this historic vote and the opposition was highly educational on why and how legalization efforts have been stalled, stymied and so drawn over the last 35 years that I can remember. And why we are in this mess in the first place.

Dr. Andrea Barthwell especially, was so seemingly sincere, that if you weren't paying attention to what she was saying, you would hardly know she was lying when she claims prohibition of marijuana is working, and that legalization and regulation would lead to increased usage by youth as it does in tobacco and alcohol use Such a dedicated prohibitionist, I guess she didn't have the time to review the latest statistics.. Dr. Barthwell, it is with a heavy heart that I think of all the people you have helped to put in jail in your career, and all the sick people who you have denied the use of medical cannabis to relieve their suffering with your lies and propaganda.

But really, all in all the rebuttals were almost to a tee, identical and repetitive of Reefer Madness to, dare I say it?, a maddening level. Did you know if we legalize pot that marijuana addicts will be committing property crimes to pay for their habits? That marijuana today is over a 150% more potent that it was back in the day? WOW. Not to say it isn't better now, but 150% more potent? How can they say these things with a straight face? Also, I would respectively like to point out to Chief Manheimer that California is a decriminalized state, and we don't really need to ask Alaska about the effects of decriminalization, we already know how lucky we are, and that it really doesn't have an effect on usage from the many studies that have reached that conclusion...

Thankfully, after all this testimony and pleading to "think of the children" Tom Ammiano does manage to hit the nails on the head with his level headed rebuttal, which helped my bile level considerably. And I have to give him credit for his courage to stand up for ending this nightmare of pot prohibition which has cost us so much.

But, at the end of the day, all of this is a moot point because this bill may have made it out of this committee, but as I mentioned, it will not be heard by the last committee that it needs to pass before going to the floor for a vote in time to meet the deadline. And if you listen to the pol's talk it is clear that it is just too hot and controversial of an issue for them to want to tackle this close to an election year. There are, of course, several initiatives looming on the ballot, and maybe, just maybe, the people of California will be enlightened enough to pass one, and Assemblyman Ammiano will be re-introducing the bill this year... hope.

I picked this song, performed by TommyG, to accompany this edition because it reflected my mood after watching the vote. So many years of hope that the mistake would be rectified, and we could once more, move forward to being by for the people, by the people.

The time is now to change these laws, the time is now to stop the madness, the cruelty and the miserable waste of the Drug War. The time is now to call your elected official and let them know that you will not support them if they support the drug war..


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Politicians who support Marijuana Prohibition I will not vote for you!