Thanks, Jon, for the update. It’s good to know. I won’t hold my breath, though. As has been said many times before, the PTB aren’t interested in legalizing MJ bc I guess they make more money – via various activities – with it being illegal.

Who cares what “we the people” think or want? Clearly our nation is run by the 1%. The 99% can believe or want all they want. We’re only gonna get what the 1% deigns to “provide.” JMHO, of course.

I’ll be surprised if this ever passes in my lifetime, and I’m not that old (yet).

There are so many angles that might be successfully pushed now that we’re over the 50% hump. Economic, medicinal, non-criminalization of responsible adults, moral (God made it!), 3-4 new industries, taking away one of the avenues of profit and $ laundering by druglords and shady banks, etc. Although I would strongly oppose it being only “sold in pharmacies” for a myriad of reasons, I would have no problem with medicinal patients purchasing theirs there.

I think our strongest argument has to be economic; regulated and taxed to adults over 21, retailers, growers, paraphernalia makers and stores, cafes/smoke clubs, etc. would provide Billions of dollars of income and tax revenue and jobs. And that’s before we even mention the real economic kicker; allowing the textile/clothing/paper industries to finally be allowed to grow and research hemp (another casualty by way of association) to make the USA the world leader of cutting edge use and development of hemp, the plant with the longest fibers.

Continuing to deconstruct the distortions and moralistic alarmism of the naysayers should be another top priority. We’ve had 60 years of lies and ‘sin’ and ‘gateway drug’ etc thrown at cannabis and hemp that will take a little longer to undo. When the moralists and faux constitutional conservatives are forced to recall what the actual constitution and warship rigging and Victory Gardens etc. consisted of, it’ll be a double bonus.

Hopefully, legalization will be only the first step.

The second step is people coming to realize that recreational use far outperforms and outclasses recreational use of alcohol.

The third step is making alcohol illegal. Leaving us with happier recreation, far less violence, much fewer roadkills, much less health risks and costs, great reduction in crime by removal of a profit motive and scarcity (anyone can grow it on their windowsill), etc. etc.

I agree with every word that you type out. And I am getting along in years – I thought that with Bill Clinton assuming the Presidency, that marijuana would be legalized once he was in office. But he hid from the issue.

Like you say, the PTB are fully in line with each other on this one. Companies like Monsanto want it kept illegal till they have destroyed every last ounce of non-GM marijuana.

For certain, Big Pharma wants it kept illegal, as Big Pharma is patenting the cannibinoids inside the plant on a weekly basis.They don’t want to endanger one cent of their profit margin by allowing people to grow it freely.

Then you have the Big Prison industry – one of the few growing American industries. They love keeping drugs illegal. So do the banks – the Bigger Banks make tens of billions of dollars a year on account of laundering illegal drug monies. (This is one major reason that the Financial Firms do not want to be audited, and claim they must ensure the “privacy” of their participants’ accounts!)

“I think our strongest argument has to be economic;…”

I would start with the cost of putting and keeping marijuana users into the criminal justice system. Ask the question “what would you rather spend your existing tax dollars for: putting your neighbors kid in jail for smoking pot or better teachers for your kid.” This is a real choice a lot of states are making.

I read recently about the extensive research big pharma is doing on the active ingredients in cannabis. They are likely the most influential opponents to any change in the law and are probably the principal reason behind Obama’s intransigence on the issue

Putting aside the medical and recreational uses for the moment. Holding up two huge industries for moral?reasons or greed-the prison industry,to me is insane. The textile and paper industries could be up and running in a few short years. Much needed jobs are being lost in some of the most depressed corners of our country. Dare i guess millions of jobs in a few years of setup.

Much needed jobs are being lost in some of the most depressed corners of our country. Dare i guess millions of jobs in a few years of setup.

Too true.

The answer back from the 1%ers, like Monsanto, BigPharma, BigPrison, ATF, DEA: SO????? What’s your point???

Don’t get me wrong. I’m just as frustrated as you are, and you make good sense.

Doesn’t matter. The PTB have spoken, and they no-likey the idea of legal MJ bc it cuts into their profits. Creating jobs for the 99%???? Who gives a shit about that in the 1%???? That’s utterly irrelevant as far as the 1% is concerned. They only care about the money, honey. Some paper-making businesses from MJ just ain’t gonna make ‘em enough money to make it worth their while. The end.

Here’s what I think. Of course, total speculation…

IMO, the writing is on the wall and the powers that be know it. The problem they have is that the state-level legal commercial infrastructure has been built by small businesses and is not controlled by corporate interests (and we’re talking significantly the largest cash crop in America here). If things legalized now, it seems that it would place the “wrong sort” of people at the helm of the most lucrative source of agriculture income that is likely to exist in the near term.

I think what we’re seeing is the Feds trying to clear out the established competition before legalizing and handing the business over to big Agro. It increasingly looks like they did a similar thing to destroy Kim Dotcom’s file locker service (and create massive FUD among users of other established services) just weeks before Google launched their competing “cloud” file locker (conveniently, with their biggest potential competitor totally knocked offline).

Free enterprise in America has increasingly become like Putin’s Russia – with the Feds using their power to ensure the “correct” people always capture the bulk of any significant potential revenue generation.

Sigh. I know they could care less that anyone have a job. So who is going to buy their gm crap and with what money. Hell in a few years we may not be able to grow jack shit anyway what with droughts,extreme storms,Fuckashima.

Well, you realize they didn’t give a hoot about drug testing until they had a test for cannabis.

Now that Monsanto can own patents for organisms, pot won’t be legal until Monsanto owns the seed banks.

I agree with your analysis. The so-called “feds” are just racketeers for the 1%. Again: it’s all about the money, honey.

Mom & Pop’ll be allowed to “grow their own” pot, but even that’ll be strictly regulated to X number of plants.

The big-business side of it will be in the hands of BigPharma, BigAg, BigWhatever.

In CA, there was substantial work done already on organizing business ventures to handle pot production, manufacturing, distribution, etc, in anticipation of the Prop passing. Once it didn’t pass, the Feds stepped in really FAST to shut those puppies DOWN.

The Big Boyz don’t want the competition.

It’s all a myth about how America is supposedly all about “small business owners.” Most emphatically NOT.

It’s the giant corporations who get all the tax breaks & incentives & enjoy the most loopholes, etc. Truly small business owners ARE often over-taxed bc they don’t get to “enjoy” all the “benefits” that the giant corporations do.

This is a lesson that more US citizens need to learn and to “get.”

You are quite right that the criminal racketeers called the “feds” are doing whatever they can behind the scenes to set up the show so that legal MJ inures almost solely and only to the benefit of the 1%.