During 2006 the total Federal, State, and local adult correctional population — incarcerated or in the community – grew by 159,500 persons to over 7.2 million! The growth of 2.3% during the year was about the same as the average annual increase in the correctional population since 1995 (2.5%). About 3.2% of the U.S. adult population, or 1 in every 31 adults, were incarcerated or on probation or parole at year end 2006.

I believe authoritarians are manufacturing and manipulating public fears about drug use in order to create a police state where a much broader agenda of social control can be implemented, using government power to determine what movies we may watch, determine who we may love and how we may love them, determine whether we may or must pray to a deity. I believe the war on drug users masks a war on democracy.

After all, what is the vision of a Drug-Free America? Millions in prison or slave labor, and only enthusiastic supporters of government policy allowed to hold jobs, attend school, have children, drive cars, own property. This is the combined vision of utopia held forth by thousands of drug warriors. News media and “public interest” advertising tell us this is the America for which all good citizens yearn.

The drug war is reminiscent of Nazi Germany. Do as the state tells you or be imprisoned. Remember, the punishment does not stop after release, the charge(s) brought against you will haunt the rest of your life. Jobs and housing will be denied. You will be relegated to a lower “caste” in society.

Future History will paint a bleak picture of this type of fanaticism. It is no crime (yet) to speak out against these types of policy. We should do so while we still can. We are dealing with fanatics and the only thing a fanatic understands is opposition to the party line.

Petition to the President has 10,000 signatures. Add yours today!

http://criminaljustice.change.org/actions/view/legalize_marijuana

Thanks.

If anyone else is interested, you can go to this link to follow the progress (or lack there of) on HB 902– http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB902

and HB 164— http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/BillStages.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB164

To: the President of the United States, Members of the U.S. Senate and Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, see more…your Governor, Members of your State Senate, Members of your State House, the President of the United States, Members of the U.S. Senate and Members of the U.S. House of Representatives

Started by: Phillip Cornwell

The responsible use of alcohol was ended by the 18th Amendment on January 29, 1919. This amendment was repealed by the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933 when the state of Utah ratified it. The reason for the repeal of the 18th Amendment was because the U.S. Government realized that prohibition only created more problems than it solved. Drinking rates grew higher, crime increased. Millions of dollars were made by bootleggers and moonshiners who didn’t care if they were following the law or not. The most dangerous part about drinking was the criminal element involved with it’s manufacture and/or sale.

Today we have a similar situation. In 1937 the U.S. passed the “Marihuana Tax Act of 1937″. ‘The Act did not itself criminalize the possession or usage of hemp, marijuana or cannabis, but levied a tax equaling roughly one dollar on anyone who dealt commercially in cannabis, hemp or marijuana. It did, however, include penalty provisions and a complex Regulation 1 codifying the elaborate rules of enforcement marijuana cannabis or hemp handlers were subject to. Violation of these procedures could result in a fine of up to $2000 and five years imprisonment. The net effect was to make it too risky for anyone to deal in the substance until World War II required the United States Department of Agriculture to make its 1942 movie “Hemp for Victory”.’ – from the Wikipedia Article Marihuana Tax Act of 1937.

This act was later deemed unconstitional by the Supreme Court in 1969 during the case Leary v. United States because it violated the 5th Amendment since a person would have to incriminate him or herself to obtain the tax stamp required by law.

The government then passed the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in 1970 and placed Marijuana on the List of Schedule I drugs. This means that it meets the following requirements:

(A) The drug or other substance has high potential for abuse.
(B) The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
(C) There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.

If this were true then why is Marinol, a synthetic version of THC, the main active ingredient in Marijuana, only on the List of Schedule III drugs? To be on that list it meets these requirements:

(A) The drug or other substance has a potential for abuse less than the drugs or other substances in schedules I and II.
(B) The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
(C) Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence.

This list also includes drugs like Tylenol 3 and Anabolic Steroids. So why is Marijuana illegal because of THC and Marinol is legal even though it’s synthetic THC?

End the Prohibition of Marijuana in the United States.

1.

This petition ends on Apr 20, 2010.

Members of the Democratic Caucus spent the last several days holding the Local and Consent calendar hostage in order to avoid consideration of the Voter Identification bill. Tuesday night was the deadline to hear bills on the major or general state calendars. This means that every bill that was not heard by Tuesday is effectively dead. In order to revive bills, representatives could amend the proposals to a related bill on the local and consent calendar, or 2/3rds of the Representatives could vote to suspend the rules to consider a bill.

Before the stalling began, every bill that was set on the calendar moved through the process in the proper fashion and deserved consideration. Unfortunately, members of the Democratic Caucus decided to use parliamentary maneuvers to bring business on the House floor to a standstill for five days straight. The intent was to ensure that the voter identification did not make it to the floor for consideration. They succeeded in preventing consideration of the Voter ID bill, but the result was the death of hundreds of great bills that were not even considered.

Does this apply to HB 3680?