On a Cloud, In “The Cloud”

By: Maurice Goins

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/06/amendment-64-passes-in-co_n_2079899.html

On Tuesday, November 6, 2012, registered Colorado state voters passed the legislation Amendment 64, effectively legalizing the use of marijuana for recreational use by adults. The official passing of this unprecedented law has created quite the commotion and will create a model for the highly predictable wave of inquiring political leaders worldwide. This proclamation comes as an insurmountable victory for the effort to legalize the personal usage of marijuana on a federal basis.

Marijuana, or “Cannabis” (as it is often referred to worldwide) is a preparation of the Cannabis Sativa plant used as a psychoactive drug and, more commonly, as a medicine. Colorado Governor, John Hickenlooper remarked, “The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will. This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through.” With the already massive and steadily growing support system behind the “pro-pot” campaign, the endorsement of this legislation from political correspondents seems almost inevitable. For decades, American branches of government on all levels have fought a clearly overwhelming war on drugs, resulting in the ruined lives of many. In this past Presidential election, I was honestly a bit shocked at the lack of attention to this overall dilemma. Candidates such as the Green Party’s Jill Stein and the Libertarian Party’s Gary Johnson advocated for said cause but received little critical acclaim due to the lack of their affiliation with one of the two main parties. Though much attention was not brought to the forefront throughout the election, with the passing of this law, I would definitely predict some sort of federal response sometime in the distant future. If the bravery of Colorado isn’t enough to convince someone of the need to address this situation, than the clear benefit to the current economic situation plays even more of a pivotal role in the argument today than ever before.

The Associated Press reported that the same night that Colorado passed Amendment 64; the state of Washington approved the Initiative 502, regulating and taxing the sale of tiny amounts of “cheeba” for adults. Amendment 64 mandates that marijuana is to be taxed and treated similarly to tobacco and alcohol. Local and state governments are to control the distribution and taxation of specific amounts of marijuana to adults age 21 and older. Analysts predict tax revenue from the sale of marijuana to generate anywhere between $5 million to $22 million per year within the state of Colorado. Funded by a pro-pot group, one economic study projects as much as a $60 million increase by 2017. With numbers like that a blog post of this nature seems even more ridiculous. Beyond the monetary advantages to legalization, many citizens debate that the allowance of other substances and the opposition of marijuana is simply due to the chicanery of early attempts of the US government to frighten and deter citizens from the use of marijuana. Ringleader Harry J. Anslinger lead the incessant onslaught on the plant with a hoard of slanderous movies and campaigns and effectively created the common perception of marijuana as the “Devil Weed Plant” it was typically portrayed as during the early 30’s. This clip provides a brief glimpse into the extent of the lies used in order to persuade the American public to advocate for Anslinger’s legislation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1jB7RBGVGk

"Over the past eight years in Colorado, we have argued that it is irrational to punish adults for choosing to use a product that is far less harmful than alcohol," Mason Tvert, co-director of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol, the organization behind Amendment 64, said in a statement. It would truly devastate many if the Obama administration decided to enforce federal prohibition in regards to the states freshly adopted Amendment.

                  The true question now, is whether the federal government will in fact enact a prohibition effort in opposition of cannabis. Many seated political figureheads known for openly opposing the legalization of marijuana have gone silent in this time of uproar. California Attorney General Eric Holder who was an avid opposer of the law has remained silent. In a letter to Holder obtained by Reuters, 9 former heads of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) urged Holder’s response stating, "To continue to remain silent conveys to the American public and the global community a tacit acceptance of these dangerous initiatives.” These 9 are completely right. The lack of a timely response to this law demonstrate the apparent change in times since the days of Harry J. Anslinger and the clear maturation of America’s understanding of the soothing herb.

Although Colorado has stamped their seal of approval on law, it will still be months to at least a year before adults are able to fully indulge in the luxury that is legalization. As reported by the Colorado Independent, the references in the law to individual behavior will go into effect as soon as Governor Hickenlooper signs off which, as law requires, he is obligated to do within 30 days. With such a progressive mandate being adopted, we will soon begin to witness an acceptance the likes of which America has never before seen. We are living in a generation of innovation and change. Acceptance and understanding proves key in all aspects of all that we do. With such a groundbreaking occurrence in action, one can only imagine what the next world-changing law will be.