BREAKING NEWS: Tell Gov. Schwarzenegger to Sign Marijuana Infraction Measure

On Monday, August 30, members of the California Assembly approved Senate Bill 1449 by a vote of 43-33. The marijuana infraction bill now goes to the Governor’s desk for his approval.

Under present law, minor marijuana possession for non-medical purposes is classified as a criminal misdemeanor. While the offense is not punishable by jail time, defendants charged under the law must appear in court, pay court costs, and attend a court-ordered diversion program. Offenders who refuse to attend the program may retain a criminal record for up to two years.

Senate Bill 1449 amends the California Health and Safety Code so that the adult possession of up to 28.5 grams of marijuana is classified as an infraction, punishable by no more than a $100 fine — no court appearance, no court costs, and no criminal record.

Passage of bill would save the state millions of dollars in court costs by keeping minor marijuana offenders out of court. The number of misdemeanor pot arrests has surged in recent years, reaching 61,388 in 2008. Adults who consume marijuana responsibly are not part of the crime problem, and the state should stop treating them like criminals.

Please write or call Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and urge him to sign SB 1449 into law. For your convenience, a pre-written letter will be e-mailed to the Governor when you enter your contact information below.

Thank you for supporting NORML's marijuana law reform efforts in California.

Imagine it. Grownup Californians making a choice that should never have been denied them in the first place.

Proposition 19, the Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 would allow adults in that state to possess up to an ounce of marijuana for personal consumption; to use marijuana in a non-public place; and to grow the weed at a private residence in an area not to exceed 25 square feet.

Whether you live in New Jersey or Tennessee, Texas or Oregon, there are compelling reasons for you and residents of all the other states to actively support this campaign in California.

Who should favor, and therefore work for the passage of Proposition 19? An abbreviated list, including both overlapping and contradictory stakeholders:

Law enforcement whose members face on the one hand the prospect of sudden, violent death at the hands of drug cartels and street gangs, and on the other the hostility they encounter when enforcing draconian, everybody-loses prohibition laws;

Members of the medical community who understand that marijuana is far less harmful to individuals and to society than alcohol and tobacco;

The scientific community whose research findings on both medical and recreational uses of marijuana have been widely ignored or distorted by drug war fanatics;

Politicians who could and should have moved years ago to legalize, tax, and control cannabis, and who now have an opportunity to show some real civic leadership;

Teachers, preachers, coaches, and counselors who, under a controlled and regulated system, would theoretically be able to make a more reasoned and persuasive anti-drug use appeal to children;

Parents who would finally be able to look their kids in the eye and tell them, "Yes, I use it. And, no, you cannot. Not until you're 21";

Conservatives who believe in states' rights;

Libertarians who believe in limited government;

Liberals and progressives who believe in nondiscriminatory policing, freedom of choice, and social justice;

Editorialists in both old and new media who, as opinion shapers, can make up for years of blind acceptance of the "This is your brain on drugs" lies and distortions of drug war propagandists;

Civil libertarians who are rightly offended by the erosion of Americans' civil liberties, particularly those embodied in the Fourth Amendment;

Ethnic minorities who for decades have been targeted, arrested, jailed, convicted, and sentenced to much longer prison terms in stunningly disproportionate numbers;

Students, workers, residents of public housing who have lost loans, jobs and career prospects, and/or the roofs over their heads because of a drug bust;

Families of the busted who've seen their loved ones -- breadwinners, fathers, mothers -- incarcerated for nonviolent offenses;

Law-abiding consumers of alcohol who, despite personal struggles with "adult beverages," have rejected use of the safer but forbidden cannabis;

Terminally ill or chronically pain-tormented patients who stand to benefit from freer access to a drug that, for many, has proven advantages over opioids in managing pain, enhancing appetite, and improving quality of life;

Abusers of marijuana who because of the risk and stigma attached to possession, have not had the courage or the wherewithal to get professional help;

Taxpayers who have been losing billions in tax revenues because of the myopic, moralistic attitudes implicit in prohibition;

Current, responsible consumers who would no longer be considered "criminals."

I was born and raised in California, spending the first 48 years of my life in San Diego. For the past 16 years I've called Washington State home. I love the Pacific Northwest, but for the next two months I'm a Californian again. My head and heart belong to a massive social movement that aims to restore human dignity, civil liberties, and common sense in the Golden State.

It's been said before but bears repeating: For better or worse, what germinates and blossoms in California often finds itself being lifted by prevailing winds of change and deposited in the other 49 states.

Californians have an opportunity to do what no other state has done, indeed, what no other country has accomplished. (No, pot is not legal in Amsterdam or anywhere else; it has been allowed, controlled, and regulated, not legalized).

Every American has a stake in the passage of Proposition 19.

The Legalize It Tour makes a stop in Baltimore at Pier Six July 29th. Sen Dog from Cypress Hill and C-money and RyMo of Slightly Stoopid talk legalization.

Marijuana smokers and non-smokers agree: legalize the sale of cannabis.

52% of California voters support Proposition 19 that would legalize, regulate and tax the purchase and sale of marijuana in the State of California. 36% of voters oppose the proposition.

38% of Californians say they’ve smoked marijuana. Still, 44% of those who claim they’ve never tried marijuana support its legalization. Prop 19 supporters aren't all smokers, suggesting that many Californian's believe the legalization of marijuana is about more than smoking pot and could be the solution to some of California's bigger problems.

Democrats are more likely to throw their support behind the prop than Republicans. 62% of Democrats, 37% of Republicans and 55% of Independents support Prop 19.

African-Americans are the strongest supporters of Prop 19; 68:32, followed by Whites, who support it 53:37. The black community’s strong support for Prop 19 may be closely related to the disproportionate number of African Americans in prison on marijuana charges. Despite representing 7% of CA’s population, African Americans represent 50% of prisoners in California on marijuana charges.

There is little discrepancy between generations. 65+ is the only age group that opposes the legalization of marijuana; 39:47.

While I am a little skeptical that everyone responded truthfully when asked if they smoked, those who were willing seem to have been truthful about their smoking behavior. 66% of those who said they’ve smoked marijuana said it was always recreational, 11% said it was for medical proposes and 23% said it was for both.

Legalizing marijuana has favor in the public eye and finding an effective way to control and tax the drug may be good news for the California budget in more than one way. With increased income from taxes the budget will get a boost. The state will save millions, from prisons to resources spent on stopping marijuana trafficking. This poll reaffirms that isn't about wanting access to marijuana its a much deeper political issue that Californians understand-- marijuana is tied to immigration, prisons, the economy and much more.

Full results here

We celebrated our 1 year aniversary at the Legalize it Tour featuring Slightly Stoopid, Collie Buddz, & Cypress Hill at the Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre in San Diego, California on July 17, 2010. We had a booth and met a lot of our readers as well as gave away tons of prizes! We hope everyone enjoyed the event as much as we did!

California voters have a chance on this November's ballot to bring common sense to law enforcement by legalizing marijuana for adults. As San Jose's retired chief of police and a cop with 35 years experience on the front lines in the war on marijuana, I'm voting yes.

I've seen the prohibition's terrible impact at close range.

Like an increasing number of law enforcers, I have learned that most bad things about marijuana - especially the violence made inevitable by an obscenely profitable black market - are caused by the prohibition, not by the plant. Legal marijuana is long overdue, but leading up to November, wrongheaded opponents will implore Californians with the same old mistaken arguments to stay the course. Prohibition advocates will promote fear, and they will ignore the vast bulk of law enforcement and medical experience on marijuana. People should not be fooled by cannabis opponents' appeal to prejudices and emotions when they argue:

The stage was complete with three rugs and a banner of their name behind the drummer.Then they began their musical quest to trip out everyone in the crowd. When I saw these guys at the Coachella festival in 08' it was in the day time, and boy did I miss out. The visuals on the screens were insane! Panoramic visions of them on stage, and multi colored, never ending and forever moving tunnels put you in a trance. If you weren't on drugs, they made damn sure that you felt like you were. Just imagine being stoned! Im sure that every single stoned person thought that Dr. Green Thumb dropped a little bit of D.C.B.A-25 in their pot. It's obvious that Slightly Stoopid is well seasoned in not only perfecting a musically stimulating set, but also by taking their show to the next level with electrifying visuals. All the songs were performed with the vocals set with strong reverb and a slight hint of echoing. The psychedelics were comparable, if not surpassing, a Pink Floyd show. The only thing that was absent from their performance was their lack of activity on stage. I'm sure this just aided them in perfecting each song even better than they did on their albums. And to be honest, the visuals were entertaining enough. With the feel of the old sixties psychedelics in the air, the audience that stood up top, took it upon themselves to turn the grass area into a mini Woodstock.

I'm sure the audience below thought that us in the way back, were having the biggest smoke session ever, by the amount of smoke that rose up from the crowd, but it wasn't the weed that was intoxicating the sky, it was the bonfire made out of shirts and blankets that had the crowd rejoicing in savage ways. The pure savagery that I witnessed made me extremely happy to have made the decision to move up to the grass area during the end of Cypress Hill's set. As I climbed up the most haphazard and inconveniently placed hill that lead to the bonfire pit, I noticed that their was a man with a fire poi, where he got that long of a stick, I don't know, but it was great basking in the talent of a fire poi while sluggish stoners jumped across the fire receiving cheers from the crowd around them. Even the steep incline of the grass area didn't stop those who defied the fire by jumping over it, or the others who danced around the pit. Not only that but a huge mosh-pit was created during the set. After an hour of madness and debauchery Slightly Stoopid left the stage, leaving the whole crowd cheering at the empty stage for good 10 minutes. Then as if it was planned, they came back out with B-Real rapping on the mic, while Slightly Stoopid helped aid him with their musical abilities. They graced our ears with "Collie Man," and reprise of "Closer to the Sun," and finally "World Goes Round."

How’s that for an unforgettable show?

I'm telling you! The video/lighting was phenomenal. In our circle of friends involved with Silverback everyone was commenting how amazing it was. Later while talking with DR. Jon, the guy in charge of said psychedelia, I learned that he's the guy who does all the video effects for Radiohead's tours (at which point I shook his hand).

This weekend, the California Democratic Party's Executive Board will meet in San Jose to make endorsement decisions on the November ballot propositions. Courage Campaign's Public Policy Director, Robert Cruickshank, is a member of the E-Board and will be there to organize the delegates to vote to endorse Proposition 19, the initiative to control and tax cannabis. Although polls show California Democratic voters support Prop 19, some Democrats are trying to block the party from endorsing it. Senator Dianne Feinstein released a statement on Monday opposing Prop 19, timed to influence the E-Board to vote against endorsing Prop 19. We can win a victory for Prop 19 this weekend in San Jose -- if we can show the delegates that Californians want them to endorse Prop 19. That's why the Courage Campaign is going to bring a petition in support of Prop 19 to the meeting this weekend. Will you sign our petition? Help convince the California Democratic Party to endorse Prop 19! We, the undersigned, urge the California Democratic Party Executive Board to reform our prisons, help fix the budget mess, and make our communities safer by endorsing Proposition 19. We reject the arguments of Senator Dianne Feinstein and others who oppose Prop 19. Prop 19 will provide for more effective regulation of cannabis, including prohibitions on its sale to people under age 21. It will help reduce drug crime by legalizing the growth, sale, and possession of small, reasonable amounts of cannabis. And it allows local governments to generate badly needed revenue by taxing cannabis. We urge the Executive Board to follow the lead of the majority of California Democrats who support Prop 19 by endorsing it at this weekend's meeting in San Jose. It is time to bring sensible, rational reform of cannabis laws to California. Sign here to tell the California Democratic Party to endorse Prop 19: Email: * First Name: Last Name: Zip / Postal Code: *

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California’s senior senator, has lent her support to the campaign to defeat Proposition 19, the marijuana legalization measure on the state’s November ballot.

The prominent Democrat, first elected to the Senate in 1992, signed the ballot argument against the initiative. On Monday, she issued a statement through the opposition campaign calling the measure “a jumbled legal nightmare that will make our highways, our workplaces and our communities less safe.”

Roger Salazar, spokesman for Public Safety First, said the opposition committee sought Feinstein’s support.

“She’s one of the most respected figures in California,” he said. “She has a great history with law enforcement and dealing with this type of issue. We’re looking at a bipartisan effort.”

Proposition 19 would allow adults 21 and older to possess, grow and transport marijuana, and would allow cities and counties to regulate and tax commercial sales. Most of the state’s top elected officials and candidates for statewide office — from both major parties — are against the initiative.

Dale Sky Clare, a spokesman for Tax Cannabis 2010, the committee behind the measure, said it was not surprising that Feinstein and other statewide politicians opposed it.

“I’m just not putting a lot of faith in politicians to lead,” she said. “The voters have always led on this issue.”

-- John Hoeffel

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