Strange Political Bedfellows

I have always heard that politics makes strange bedfellows.   That certainly seems to be true in California in this election year.   California is voting in November on Proposition 19 .   This proposition would legalize the possession of small amounts (under 4 ounces) of marijuana by people in the state.   It would also allow citizens to grow marijuana legally in a plot no bigger than 25 square feet, and would allow city and county governments to control and tax the transport and sale of marijuana.

It has been known by many Americans (and Californians) for many years that marijuana is not a dangerous drug.   Many legal drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, are far more dangerous than marijuana.   Both alcohol and tobacco kill many people across the country every year, while marijuana kills no one.   It does though have medicinal, psychological and recreational uses for millions of Americans.   It is definitely time to start legalizing this gentle herb in America.

All polls taken so far of the good citizens of California show that a clear majority of them are in favor of legalizing marijuana.   That is the good news.   But whether this happens or not will depend on who shows up at the polls, and whether those voters know the truth or just the propaganda our national government has been spreading about marijuana for many years.

There are groups that are making a last ditch effort to convince the voters that the government propaganda is true.   These groups have combined under an umbrella organization called Public Safety First (a misnomer if I've ever heard one).   They want people to believe marijuana is a dangerous drug, even though repeated studies that show this just isn't true (including studies showing drivers under the influence of marijuana are no more dangerous than drivers under no influence of any drug -- which certainly can't be said of alcohol).

Two of the groups that are involved with and have donated money to Public Safety First are groups that seldom agree on much -- the liquor industry and some police organizations.   The California Beer and Beverage Distributors have donated $10,000, while the California Police Chiefs Association has donated $30,000 and the California Narcotics Officers' Association has donated $20,500.   

We must remember that both the alcohol lobby and law enforcement have a vested interest in keeping marijuana illegal.   The liquor industry simply doesn't want any competition -- especially from a safer drug than the one they are selling.   They are afraid their sales will drop if marijuana is legalized.   The same is true of law enforcement.   The War on Drugs has provided them with huge amounts of both money and jobs (and they don't want to lose even a little bit of either one).

Here is how Steve Fox, director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project, has to say about these strange bedfellows:

“Unless the beer distributors in California have suddenly developed a philosophical opposition to the use of intoxicating substances, the motivation behind this contribution is clear. Plain and simple, the alcohol industry is trying to kill the competition. They know that marijuana is less addictive, less toxic and less likely to be associated with violent behavior than alcohol. So they don’t want adults to have the option of using marijuana legally instead of alcohol. Their mission is to drive people to drink.”

“Members of law enforcement have argued against Proposition 19 by asserting, ‘We have enough problems with alcohol, we don’t need to add another intoxicating substance to the mix,’ implying that marijuana is just as bad as alcohol. But the truth is that a legal marijuana market would not add another dangerous intoxicant to the mix; rather it would provide adults with a less harmful legal alternative to alcohol.”

“In their campaign to defeat Proposition 19, members of law enforcement and the alcohol industry have joined together under an umbrella group calling themselves ‘Public Safety First.’ Sadly, by fighting to keep marijuana illegal and steering adults toward alcohol instead, they are putting public safety last."