rialtonow

So while you were looking at Gas Taxes the Governor, Senate & Assembly were working a back door deal to push further Marijuana legalization in a last minute vote on the last day of the legislative session. this effort comes on the heels of the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s report showing a rise in Marijuana use in teens 12-25 years of age. National Data showed the following:

“Overall, the use of illicit drugs – including marijuana – among Americans aged 12 and older increased from 9.4 percent in 2013 to 10.2 percent in 2014. This was driven particularly by the increase in adult marijuana use.“

So why would the State Legislative Body push last minute regulations when this evidence shows that young people are suffering at the hands of lies from Big Marijuana and the Pro Drug Legalization Movement? The bills in question are SB 643 & AB 266 both had last minute deals struck to change the wording and regulations of both bills to better suit Big Marijuana yet as of 10am this morning the language has yet to be updated according to Scott Chipman the Southern California Chair of CALMca (Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana).

David Phillips the Executive Director of Inland Valley Drug Free Coalition said that one of the bills sponsors Assemblyman Tom Lackey’s office said Friday that the text would be updated by noon Friday for public review. Mr. Phillips has heard about the changes and isn’t buying it. Mr. Phillips said “One of the biggest issues is the lack of criminal penalties if the new Law isn’t obeyed. Without criminal penalties this effort only further hurts today’s youth and our communities. Even doctors and pharmacy’s can face jail & or prison time for not following regular drug laws and policies what makes Big Marijuana any different.”  Mr. Phillips is referring to the shops that are shutdown then reopened days later. Drug dealers don’t care about business licenses or monetary fines and or penalties the profit for selling Marijuana makes it worth it. You have seen it in the Southern California media LA, Costa Mesa, San Diego & San Bernardino are just a few of the cites that have been dealing with the revolving door of Marijuana Drug stores.

Now is the time to once again lean on our elected official’s to speak for children and communities rather than Big Marijuana & Drug Dealers. Call your elected official’s and tell them to vote no one bills SB 643 * AB 266

Assembly Member Tom Lackey 916-319-2036

Assembly Member Cheryl Brown 916-319-2047

Assembly Member Catharine Baker 916-319-2016

Assembly Member Autumn Burke 916-319-2062

Assembly Member Ian Calderon 916-319-2057

Assembly Member Chris Holden 916-319-2041

Assembly Member Eric Linder 916-319-2060

Assembly Member Jose Medina 916-319-2061

Assembly Member Jay Olbernote 916-319-2033

Assembly Member Marc Stienorth 916-319-2040

Find your Assembly Member here

DATE:         September 11, 2015

Contact:      Southern California, Scott Chipman                619 990 7480      scott@chipman.info

                        Northern California, Carla Lowe                       916 708 4111      carladlowe@aol.com
After nearly 20 years, at the last minute of the last day of the legislative session, Californians will see the “deal” lawmakers have made regarding regulation of the multibillion dollar “medi pot” industry. The obvious reason this regulation is difficult is because THERE SHOULD NOT BE a “medical” marijuana industry.

In 1996 Prop 215 voters did not vote for a big marijuana industry. They didn’t vote for drug dealers operating behind glass doors in local business districts. They did not vote for hash oil labs or the hash oil laced candies, cookies and sodas that provide dangerously high levels of THC. They did not vote for drug culture advertising to youth and young adults.

The fact that California is now the largest supplier of marijuana to the rest of the country is tribute to a legislature that has been unwilling to address the reality that “medical marijuana” is a rues in support of just plain drug trafficking and dealing. With the “Emerald Triangle” providing 60% of all the marijuana in the country we now are the drug cartel for the US.

Through inaction and tacit and institutional approval, elected local, federal and state officials have created a huge illicit drug industry, drug addicted population, and drug harmed society. Now the answer to the public health and safety hemorrhage created by government is a government band aid?

What is needed would be to get back to what the voters approved in Prop 215 only. If a band aid is all that can be applied then a proper band aid would at least include:

1. Local control maintained – of course! This has already been upheld by the CA Supreme Court. It is not a real concession to allow local control to continue. It must be considered a given.
2. Raise age of use/purchase to 21! – The science would argue for 25 when the brain is fully developed! How can there be a big concern about under 21 tobacco smoking and not marijuana smoking? More kids and college students are smoking pot than cigarettes.
3. If this is “medicine” treat it like medicine – use the CURES system like every other pharmaceutical This would include limiting the THC level to the levels of FDA approved cannabis based drugs such as Dronabinol (marinol).
4. Limit the number of recommendations a doctor can make for marijuana and a proven connection between the ailment and the marijuana being recommended. Require a second opinion from a specialist in that medical area.
5. Eliminate advertizing especially to youth, including product placement in print and onscreen use in film and television. NO PORN STAR SPOKESPEOPLE PLEASE!
6. Eliminate packaging mimicking well known products like candies/cookies/sodas and other well known edible products.
7. Require full compliance with the Sherman Food and Cosmetic Act. All other industries must, so why not the pot industry?
8. Include tracking from seed to sale. Where is it coming from and where is it going? Every “patient” must be registered and have purchase records kept. That is a pharmaceutical industry standard.
9. Eliminate all private grows and sales. These are just drug dealers operating for a profit. Establish state run grows and distribution in each county. At least require full non-profit status. Anything less is drug dealing pure and simple.
10. Enforcement must be real and not left up to localities. The feds have said they won’t interfere in a state that has strong effective pot regulations. Well, if state regulations are not being followed the state should ask for federal enforcement help. This would be real enforcement with real consequences. The state ABC is an example of an agency with almost no enforcement (or investigations). We have no confidence that local enforcement will materialize.
11. Eliminate illicit deliveries that don’t come from a properly regulated (all of the above) establishment. Call for federal enforcement against unregulated delivery services.
12. Eliminate the sale of hash oil products – BHO explosions are epidemic now. Where does the BHO come from? Illegal labs of course. And nearly 50% of sales are high strength BHO infused products
13. Create a drugged driving test and track and publish the negative impacts such as child fatalities related to marijuana (Arizona does it) and fatality crashes where marijuana is involved, and arrest percentage numbers of those testing positive for marijuana. Don’t allow permits until these tests and tracking procedures are in place and functioning.
14. Establish an education system for parents, kids and teens on the science behind the harms of marijuana. (This could be dangerous as the PC anti drug war crowd would likely be assigned by Gavin Newsom to create and control the curriculum.)

Does this sound like a lot of regulation? Yes it is and yes it all should be done. There is nothing required above that is not already in place for other industries that have the potential to negatively impact public health and safety. If the goal is to protect health and safety there can be no half measures.

Some will say, “Finally, we got something!” But what we will likely have is another institutionalization of a drug dealing “big marijuana” industry. Some will say, “We have to do this to protect against the potential of legalization in 2016.” This band aid is a great argument for why, from now to November 8th, 2016, the voters of California should speak out in opposition and then vote against the further institutionalization and legalization of marijuana.