[420 Girl]

On November 2, 2010, the most populous U.S. state may make possession of one ounce of marijuana legal.

Some in government, like the progressive and cash-strapped Oakland City Council, see the passage of The California Marijuana Initiative as a billion dollar tax windfall, plus a jobs creation bill. Three members of Congress from the Bay Area enthusiastically endorse it: Reps. George Miller, Barbara Lee and Pete Stark. Law enforcement is divided: some rank and file are quietly in favor while most brass officially stand shoulder to shoulder against. The California NAACP supports the proposal as a civil rights issue because blacks are disproportionately arrested for possession.

Despite state inmates being released by court orders for overcrowding, the prison industry appears to reject anything that might reduce its clientele. Major opposition and probably funding is coming from illicit pot farmers, who fear a drop in demand and prices for their harvests. According to some reports, the liquor industry is discretely funneling money to groups pushing for a “no” vote.

Marijuana use first became rampant on college campuses. At the University of Michigan in the early 1970s, we had our own marijuana initiative, called a Hash Bash. Every few months, hundreds of students would crowd into the main plaza at noon. Out came the joints and bongs. Ringing the event was the Ann Arbor police who watched silently, staying calm, and growing calmer as the event unfolded.

The chants went up. “What do we want?! Legal Pot! When do we want it?! Now!” The smoke was thick enough to obscure the crowd.

In 1971, local radical politico and music promoter John Sinclair was sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession of two joints. John Lennon threw his famous "Free John Now Rally” concert that featured Stevie Wonder, Phil Ochs, and Bob Seger. Three days later the state Supreme Court declared marijuana laws unconstitutional. It was Sinclair’s Get Out of Jail Card Free. Michigan reduced pot to a misdemeanor and left enforcement to local jurisdictions. In Ann Arbor, it was a $5 slap on the wrist, about the cost of half an ounce of mid-grade Mexican product.

The Hash Bash has turned into an annual University ritual practiced to this day, officially touted as a rally to make marijuana legal.


NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: Technorati
Author: Terry Hamburg
Contact: Technorati
Copyright: 2010 Technorati, Inc
Website: Is California Going to Pot?


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