Stigma Fading, Marijuana Common

New York Times:
“It’s shocking, from my perspective, the number of people that we all know who are recreational marijuana users,” said Gavin Newsom, the lieutenant governor. “These are incredibly upstanding citizens: Leaders in our community, and exceptional people. Increasingly, people are willing to share how they use it and not be ashamed of it.”

Google This: The War On Drugs Has Failed

Via Big Think:
"Consider the example of Baltimore, one of the cities mentioned in Jarecki’s film, thanks to the participation of "The Wire" creator David Simon, himself a veteran of the War on Drugs. After years on the Baltimore drug beat, Simon found that all of the tactics used so far – such as Three Strikes and You’re Out and minimum sentencing laws – lead to only one outcome: an all-out war on our city’s poorest communities and the demonization of individuals from lower-income brackets. As Simon pointed out in an interview with NPR earlier this year:" "We are the jailingest country on the planet, beyond Saudi Arabia, North Korea and China. Nobody jails the population like we do. And yet, drugs are pure than ever before. They're more available. There are younger and younger kids willing to sell them. It'd be one thing if it's draconian and it worked. But it's draconian, and it doesn't work, and it just leads to war" (BigThink).

“It goes in the category of parking tickets; not even a petty offense" - Criminal Court Judge Bolan

Rahm says pot plan isn’t ‘decriminalization’ — ex-federal drug czar disagrees - Chicago Sun-Times

Former Criminal Court Judge Michael Bolan said he used to have to waste too much time and resources on cases involving small amounts of drugs and the cases often were tossed. “This is an absolute waste of our taxpayers’ money: You criminalize a whole segment of our society unnecessarily, same as at the turn of the century for alcohol,” Bolan said. “It goes in the category of parking tickets. It’s quasi-criminal. This is not even a petty offense. He doesn’t want that word [decriminalize] attached to it. He’s looking to save money and make money.”

G.O.P. Senators in New York Oppose Cuomo’s Marijuana Plan

Senator Dean G. Skelos, who is the majority leader, suggested that the proposal, which would reduce the open possession of 25 grams or less of marijuana to a violation from a misdemeanor, was overly broad and would effectively condone the practice of carrying around marijuana.
Acts 9:3-6 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Gen 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

Hence, thou shalt obey the Lord your God and immediately cease arresting His people for communing with Him, opening their hearts, minds, and souls to His Spirit, His Word, and His Way through His herb yielding seed.

NYC to Chill out on Under 25 Grams. After hypocrisy of Oaksterdam raids, will believe it when we see it.

Bloomberg Backs Plan to Limit Arrests for Marijuana - NYTimes.com

The New York Police Department, the mayor and the city’s top prosecutors on Monday endorsed a proposal to decriminalize the open possession of small amounts of marijuana, giving an unexpected lift to an effort by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to cut down on the number of people arrested as a result of police stops.