Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

« Saying Goodbye to Mr. Spot's Chai H… | Hacking Books to Pieces for Money »

Friday, January 29, 2010

News CA to Legalize Pot?

Posted by Dominic Holden on Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 3:15 PM

Supporters of legalized marijuana announced today that they have gathered about 700,000 signatures for their initiative, virtually guaranteeing voters will see it on the November ballot.

They plan to turn in the petitions today to elections officials in some of the state's major counties, including Los Angeles. Supporters need 433,971 valid signatures to qualify the measure. ...

Polls have shown growing support nationwide for legalization. In California, a majority favors it. A Field Poll taken last April found that 56% of voters in the state and 60% in Los Angeles County want to make pot legal and tax it. That margin, though, is not enough to assure victory.

Washington activists also filed an initiative that would legalize marijuana. But unlike California's ringleader who "bankrolled a professional signature-gathering effort," the campaign leaders in this state are planning an all-volunteer campaign and having a hard time even accepting online contributions.

Comments (14) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

Yay, go California! This is so nice to see. My husband is one of those signatures! Unfortunately, I'm not eligible to sign (not a citizen).
Even if this particular initiative goes nowhere, I like to think it still helps. But, I'm an optimist (must be the weed, dude).

Posted by Dee on January 29, 2010 at 3:37 PM

Yeah, right. But first we need to get the fucking DEA off everybody's back. Oh, I know what Obama has said; unfortunately, his actions don't match the words. (We just had a lab busted by the DEA Wednesday. Their only crime was to analyze the THC content of plants submitted by "legal" medical marijuana dispensaries.)

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty

on January 29, 2010 at 3:48 PM

Man, this is good news.

Add that to the new income taxes on the Rich and Big Corporations in Oregon and Washington State, plus the legalizing in Washington and ... I'm feeling a West Coast WIN!

P.S.: Mr. DEA Man - we have 40 percent of the US military. Don't tread on us.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on January 29, 2010 at 4:10 PM

oh and the guys doing it here are at Sensible Washington ... amazing how the news media always link Eyman but never anyone else.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on January 29, 2010 at 4:12 PM

I was reading some comments on the subject written by libertarian types in California. They are really pissed that it will be taxed as well as legalized. They are envisioning total government control of the pot market, the resulting high prices, and then of course a black market for untaxed pot that will nearly equal today's illegal trade.

But if PERSONAL consumption and cultivation for PERSONAL use is legal and not taxed, who the hell is going to have to buy commercial pot? This shit will grow on even the most un-green thumbed person's balcony.

ie, you don't even need to have a yard to grow more than enough for personal use. or skillz.

Posted by onion on January 29, 2010 at 4:54 PM

I signed the California petition - if Washington wants theirs to succeed, maybe they should advertise it on Facebook the way the guy in California did.

Posted by bigg

on January 29, 2010 at 5:44 PM

Of course this makes sense and is good, but tricky part isn't up to California.

Posted by Dougsf on January 29, 2010 at 5:49 PM

I am totally supportive of this bill. However there is valid research that shows smoking marijuana causes brain damage.

Posted by Lava on January 30, 2010 at 6:56 PM

I don't think there is any conclusive evidence of brain damage resulting from pot, and if there were, I seriously doubt it could be worse than what happens after years of alcoholism.

Posted by mylesleo on January 31, 2010 at 2:10 AM

I totally agree about alcohol. I am not even against someone choosing to smoke pot. But I personally wouldn't smoke it (anymore). The most interesting research to me is in brain scan imaging. Check out SPECT and other imaging scans on marijuana users.

Posted by Lava on January 31, 2010 at 5:07 PM

Lava, that's not common knowledge. Cite your source, please.

Posted by Phil M

on January 31, 2010 at 8:27 PM

#11 The most interesting pictures are on the website listed below. This doctor (Dr Amen) is selling products and programs at his clinics so this isn't a peer reviewed article. It also isn't clear if the deficits would clear up years after abstinence in the marijuana users or not. But the pictures are really interesting. I still think pot should be legal. Alcohol doesn't look any better.

http://www.amenclinics.com/brain-science…

Posted by Lava on January 31, 2010 at 11:12 PM

Lava, Dr. Amen comes across on his Web site more as snake oil salesman than researcher.

See also:

Neuropsychological Performance in Long-term Cannabis Users

Harrison G. Pope, Jr, MD; Amanda J. Gruber, MD; James I. Hudson, MD, SM; Marilyn A. Huestis, PhD; Deborah Yurgelun-Todd, PhD

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2001;58:909-915.

[...]

Conclusion: Some cognitive deficits appear detectable at least 7 days after heavy cannabis use but appear reversible and related to recent cannabis exposure rather than irreversible and related to cumulative lifetime use

Neuroimaging in cannabis use: a systematic review of the literature

Martín-Santos R, Fagundo AB, Crippa JA, Atakan Z, Bhattacharyya S, Allen P, Fusar-Poli P, Borgwardt S, Seal M, Busatto GF, McGuire P.

Section of Neuroimaging, PO67 Division of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK. rmsantos@clinic.ub.es

[...]

CONCLUSIONS: Functional neuroimaging studies suggest a modulation of global and prefrontal metabolism both during the resting state and after the administration of THC/marijuana cigarettes. Minimal evidence of major effects of cannabis on brain structure has been reported.