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bate commented on the blog post Obama Doesn’t Need Congress to Change Federal Law Regarding Marijuana
Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, we have, “’We’re losing the war on drugs’: Nick Clegg looks within himself and unexpectedly finds a spine”
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bate commented on the blog post Majority of New York Voters Want Marijuana Legalization
Oakland cites surprise medical pot backer
Bob Egelko
Updated 10:41 pm, Wednesday, December 12, 2012http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-cites-surprise-medical-pot-backer-4113767.php#src=fb
“In papers filed late Tuesday with the magistrate who is considering the fate of the Harborside Health Center, lawyers for Oakland said patent and research records reveal that ‘the government believes in the medical efficacy of cannabis’ – contrary to the Justice Department’s insistence that marijuana is a dangerous drug with no legitimate use.
Cedric Chao, a lawyer for the city, cited a 2003 patent application by the U.S. government that said cannabis compounds are ‘useful in the treatment and prophylaxis (prevention) of a wide variety of oxidation-associated diseases,’ including certain types of strokes and immune-system disorders.
Chao quoted another patent application, by two government scientists in 2009, that referred to the ‘healing properties of Cannabis sativa,’ or marijuana, that have been ‘known throughout documented history.’
‘How can the government credibly deny the benefits of medical cannabis when the government itself is funding cutting-edge research proving the medical benefits of cannabis and seeking patents based on such research?’ Chao wrote.”
So tell me again how the DEA can argue, in front of the DC Court of Appeals, that marijuana has no medical benefits? It’s obvious that their schedule decision was arbitrary and capricious. And that they lied to the court.
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bate commented on the blog post Medical Marijuana May Serve as a Preview for Fed’s Response to Legal Marijuana
Just thinking about my last post. So here is a “back of the envelope” estimate of the jobs that a marijuana industry might create . . .
3 years ago, the US alcoholic beverage industry accounted for almost 2 million direct jobs and $167B in direct sales.
http://www.discus.org/assets/1/7/2009-Economic-Contribution-Report.pdf
Annual marijuana sales in the US were estimated to be somewhere around $40B in 2010.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/36179677
Keep in mind that the actual number may be substantially higher. Also, this figure would probably increase once prohibition is discarded. So, if you did a simple ratio of employment to sales using a similar industry (alcoholic beverages), you get:
$40B/$167B = 24% * 2M employees or approximately 480,000 employees for a marijuana industry.
Like I said, this is just a back of the envelope calculation. If these numbers were refined and proved to be credible, it seems like one campaign strategy would be to stress that ending marijuana prohibition could create “thousands of new jobs in our state.”
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bate commented on the blog post Medical Marijuana May Serve as a Preview for Fed’s Response to Legal Marijuana
This article nails the biggest challenge to legalization measures; you’ve got to be able to attract women voters.
http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=10723
It was lack of female support that killed Oregon’s Measure 80. Win over this group and you win the vote. So the question becomes – how can the goal of ending marijuana prohibition be framed such that women will support it? The answer should consider that, according to recent polling, the number one issue with this group is jobs and the economy.
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bate commented on the blog post Medical Marijuana May Serve as a Preview for Fed’s Response to Legal Marijuana
“What we know from our decades of experience with medical marijuana is that the federal government has neither the resources, desire or ability to go after regular users.” With that thought in mind, you may find this interesting.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/eousa/foia_reading_room/usam/title9/27mcrm.htm
Go to 9-27.230, Initiating and Declining Charges—Substantial Federal Interest, Part B, Comment.
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