The Marijuana war is slowly grinding to an
end. Even political law enforcement
types can see the end is coming and the science has also been emerging in useable
form that contradicts the lies told to suppress the product for decades.
I am certainly no fan of recreational use, but
then I am no fan of recreational drinking either and for that I have an even
better case. Opinion has never stopped
either however and the abuse must be managed in order for society to function
optimally. Prohibition has only allowed organized
crime to profit immensely on the backs of unsupported victims.
Here we see the emergence of a legal lobbing
group that will be able to organize political support and provide cover so politicians
are able to finally do the right thing. Half
a century of failed prohibition is quite enough.
Big Marijuana is here
Sunday, December 12th, 2010 -- 4:19 pm
Legalization 'looking
inevitable,' spokesman says
If
there's one group of people who get their way in Washington
Now,
advocates of marijuana legalization may have a reason to cheer that political
reality: They're getting their own marijuana lobby group.
And just
Big Pharma and Big Oil lobby for greater leeway for their businesses, so too
will Big Marijuana push for their industry to be given the freedom to succeed.
Aaron
Smith, executive director of the newly formed National Cannabis Industry
Association, says that marijuana legalization is "looking
inevitable."
Smith told McClatchy news service: "It's pretty
clear that the medical marijuana industry is becoming recognized more and more
by the mainstream as a fully legitimate part of the economy."
Legalization
"didn't happen in 2010, but it's likely to happen in 2012," he added.
"It's going to be relatively soon we're going to see states move from
medical marijuana into broader legal markets. And the federal government needs
to catch up. Frequently the American people are ahead of the Congress."
The NCIA notes that 15 states have now legalized
medical marijuana, providing the lobby group with a legal base from which to
operate and collect funding. And just as Big Pharma and Big Oil frame their
demands through the prism of American jobs, so too will the National Cannabis
Industry Association argue that legalizing marijuana will put thousands of
Americans to work.
“The
ever-expanding list of state-sanctioned medical cannabis providers and
ancillary businesses have easily become a multi-billion dollar industry in the
United States, generating thousands of good jobs and paying tens – if not
hundreds – of millions in taxes,” Smith said in a statement last month. “These
businesses have clearly earned the right to strong representation on the
national stage and recognition as a true force for economic growth.”
According
to McClatchy, the lobby group's first target will be a federal law that upholds
marijuana prohibition in states that have legalized it. But the news service
notes it could be an uphill battle: By a margin of 400 to 4, House
representatives recently voted in favor of a resolution calling for tougher
laws against those who grow pot on federal land.
And the
US's most high-profile political battle for marijuana legalization -- California
Smith
sounded an ambivalent note about his lobby group's prospects in the coming
Republican-dominated House, suggesting that framing the argument as a states'
rights issue -- each state should decide its own pot policies -- should appeal
to federalist Republicans.
"I
can't say that I'm super optimistic, but we'll definitely be pushing the
message of federalism, which the Republicans should listen to," he told
McClatchy. "All we're really asking for is to allow the states to
essentially make up their own minds on marijuana policy."
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