Pot decriminalized in CA-Even the Nazi forced to bend to the will of the people

[charrington]

California is the latest state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the bill today that converts possession of an ounce or less of marijuana a civil infraction instead of a misdemeanor.

The law doesn’t actually go into effect until January 1, 2011, and it’s a minor difference from the law currently on the books. Right now, if you’re caught with an ounce of pot on you, it’s a misdemeanor that will cost you an arrest, an appearance in court and a $100 fine. After January 1st, it will still cost you $100 but you’ll simply pay the fine at the courthouse without having to appear in court. There’ll be nothing on your record and....

http://www.current-movie-reviews.com/politics/2010/10/01/arnold-schwarzenegger-decriminalizes-marijuana-in-california/

[Jon W]

Dude....!!!!

Totally!!!!

cough....

[simpletruths19]

California voters have the ability to legalize marijuana in a November ballot.  Legalizing marijuana will be beneficial to the state of California. 

The state will be able to get more sales tax revenue through legal sales of marijuana. 

The state will have an influx or new residents who will want to live in California from other states, which will give California more tax revenue (separate from sales tax revenue gained from marijuana sales).

The new residents will also bring in new businesses, since new residents who owned previous businesses in other states will bring with them those businesses.  They will also create new businesses  in the area.

The state will lessen the costs incurred by prisons because they will no longer have to lock away nonviolent offenders who are in prison because of marijuana.  The state spends an average of $40,000 a year for each person in prison.  This means less money spent on locking people up, and more money spent on things like education.   

The police can spend more time on going after real criminals like “rapists and murderers” instead of wasting time on marijuana smokers.

Families will not be broken apart when one of their family members goes to prison for smoking marijuana.  This will cause a decrease in the welfare system since instead of being in prison a person can be holding a job and supporting their family while still being able to smoke marijuana.

Street violence will go down because marijuana prices will go down.  This will be caused by regulated companies being able to compete with each other to bring marijuana to the people.  When is the last time you ever saw gang members fighting for “legal cigarettes.”

Since smoking marijuana will not be illegal if this ballot passes, fewer people will have to check “have you ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor box on an application.  This will be beneficial to the economy because more people will be able to get a job instead of depending on the welfare system.

The new regulated marijuana industry will by itself create more new jobs.

More people will be able to go to college because they will not have any record of drug charges for being caught smoking marijuana as a youth.  Really messing up their life and ability to apply for student financial aid in college.

Legalizing marijuana does not mean that you have to legalize harder drugs like cocaine or heroine.  Maybe Californians could legalize “shrooms” or “hashish” like they do in Amsterdam.

Anyway legalizing marijuana sounds like a good idea.  Lower taxes, more revenue, more job growth, less welfare, less crime, less nonviolent people in prison.  And no, legalizing marijuana is not a slippery slope into legalizing harder drugs. 

I encourage you to tell your relatives in California to get up an vote on the November ballot and legalize marijuana.

I wonder if you could ever get a similar “voter initiative” put on the ballot in your state

[lamourlady]

Yes, Simple T, it will still collect the fine, but get rid of the costly court appearance and jail time.  One small step to common sense thinking. 

[kushfiend]

Yezzir, and in CO you can legally grow marijuana.  I can't wait to leave Fla forever! I can't believe I got arrested for possesing under 1 gram of horrible weed to this day!

[agentbluescreen]

Yes, Simple T, it will still collect the fine, but get rid of the costly court appearance and jail time.  One small step to common sense thinking. 

Actually you can still go to court, it's like a parking ticket. Curious matter is what about those who already still are in jail or who were "convicted"?

Otherwise, I can still hear them grumbling and muttering now..

"damn nazi-communist law still violates the first amendment..."

"do you have to grow your pot on scales?"

"this is inflationary, now I need 28 people to deliver a pound!"

Arrrgghhh

[chris jones]

Agreed, this is a make sence proposition in every way, I'd like to see this go on to a national agenda.

Bush, Clint, Oby, and Arny, they all used. What gets me is they admitted to this yet continued their war on the little people.
Can you imagine what the results would be if  every one of our ellected officials were drug tested!!

The war on drugs, I could rant on this issue. Despite the fact Arny rubber stamped this bill, I still can stomach this sold out, would be dictator.

[usefulidiot,uselesseater]

Ahnold smoking w33d in the bodybuilding docu movie Pumping Iron 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqep14L2f7k

Yeah, even nazis like their w33d LOL

[Kilika]

“hashish” IS cannabis, just a special processing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashish

[Scribble]

Ahnold smoking w33d in the bodybuilding docu movie Pumping Iron 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqep14L2f7k

Yeah, even nazis like their w33d LOL

Hmmmm... I wonder why it didn't take.

[Kakumei]

Yezzir, and in CO you can legally grow marijuana.  I can't wait to leave Fla forever! I can't believe I got arrested for possesing under 1 gram of horrible weed to this day!

Not quite. If you are a medical marijuana patient, you can have up to 6 plants at a time. If you do not possess that license, it is still illegal. Someone was busted just the other day in Denver for thinking just the same. He even went on TV with his plants! >.<