California's Prop 19

[Solon]

If California's Proposition 19, a proposal to legalize and regulate small amounts of personal-use marijuana, passes in November, would you legally partake (as a resident of or visitor to California)?

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/marijuana/
http://www.economist.com/node/17258818
http://yeson19.com/

(Poll is anonymous. I don't want anyone ratting him/herself out.)

[SoCalCoug]

No, although I like brownies. What if someone puts some in a brownie and doesn't tell me? Please? Anyone?

[creekster]

THe feds have already said they dont care what stinking propsition California has, it will still be illegal. SO you will not be able to partake legally whether it passes or not.

[SoCalCoug]

THe feds have already said they dont care what stinking propsition California has, it will still be illegal. SO you will not be able to partake legally whether it passes or not.

So, you're not really a fan of state sovereignty.

[Solon]

THe feds have already said they dont care what stinking propsition California has, it will still be illegal. SO you will not be able to partake legally whether it passes or not.

That's for the courts to determine. In the meantime, I'd imagine that it would be much like the dispensaries, where the feds (generally) have orders to look the other way.

Besides, my question was hypothetical.

[creekster]

So, you're not really a fan of state sovereignty.

I am, but Obamer and the feds arent, apparently. I was just responding to the question.

[old_gregg]

If California's Proposition 19, a proposal to legalize and regulate small amounts of personal-use marijuana, passes in November, would you legally partake (as a resident of or visitor to California)?

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/marijuana/
http://www.economist.com/node/17258818
http://yeson19.com/

(Poll is anonymous. I don't want anyone ratting him/herself out.)

If it was legal, I don't understand why any individual that can rationalize alcohol or tobacco would have any ground on which to decline.

[SoCalCoug]

I am, but Obamer and the feds arent, apparently. I was just responding to the question.

That was the Bush feds. My understanding is that the Obama administration has eased up on enforcing the federal marijuana laws now with respect to medical marijuana. It also seems that much of the pressure on the Obama administration to take action against the proposition would be coming from the right.

[RobinFinderson]

Oddly enough, the pot dispensary industry is mostly against prop 19. Right now, dispensaries aren't being taxed for selling 'medicine,' but as soon pot is legal, people will have a choice to buy 'recreational' weed and 'medicinal' weed. The medicine, for the time being, will remain untaxed, but with recreational weed available in stores, the dispensaries may soon cease to be a viable distribution model. The current situation has created a very mom-and-pop-friendly marketplace for marijuana, which is essentially legal (widely available, hardly policed). Legalization will shift things from a highly local speakeasy culture to a more commercial situation. A lot of people like the current situation, and so many of the people we would all think should be most support of prop 19 are actually its strongest opponents.

Eric Holder's crying fit may be just the thing to push prop 19 over the top. Even after the Tea Party elects a bunch of wackos, the legalization of marijuana in California may turn out to be the most interesting way the public thumbs its noses at this administration.

[Coach McGuirk]

I say nope to dope and ugh to drugs!

[marsupial]

No because pot gives you the munchies and the munchies make you fat.

[creekster]

That was the Bush feds. My understanding is that the Obama administration has eased up on enforcing the federal marijuana laws now with respect to medical marijuana. It also seems that much of the pressure on the Obama administration to take action against the proposition would be coming from the right.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct...older-20101016

[wally]

I voted "no", but the poll has no options for involvement in this new hypothetical pot industry that would undoubtably spring up.

The LA times article states that the stipulation for growing would be 25 square feet for pot growing per residence or parcel. In my mind I'm thinking about the first guy that subdivides his 10 acres of land into small parcels and starts a pot farm for commercial purposes.

[Jacob]

That's for the courts to determine. In the meantime, I'd imagine that it would be much like the dispensaries, where the feds (generally) have orders to look the other way.

Besides, my question was hypothetical.

This is not an open question. The courts have already determined the issue. The fact is that there is a federal law that prohibits its use. And the supreme court has recently ruled that the federal law trumps local and state marijuana law in California.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzales_v._Raich

I disagree with the result in that case. As usual Thomas and O'Connor (at least with respect to federalism) got it right. But we don't have to wait for the courts to sort it out--its been sorted.

[SteelBlue]

Oddly enough, the pot dispensary industry is mostly against prop 19. Right now, dispensaries aren't being taxed for selling 'medicine,' but as soon pot is legal, people will have a choice to buy 'recreational' weed and 'medicinal' weed. The medicine, for the time being, will remain untaxed, but with recreational weed available in stores, the dispensaries may soon cease to be a viable distribution model. The current situation has created a very mom-and-pop-friendly marketplace for marijuana, which is essentially legal (widely available, hardly policed). Legalization will shift things from a highly local speakeasy culture to a more commercial situation. A lot of people like the current situation, and so many of the people we would all think should be most support of prop 19 are actually its strongest opponents.

Eric Holder's crying fit may be just the thing to push prop 19 over the top. Even after the Tea Party elects a bunch of wackos, the legalization of marijuana in California may turn out to be the most interesting way the public thumbs its noses at this administration.

I was reading a couple of weeks ago that two of the biggest donors in the anti-campaign are the dispensaries and alcohol producers. Nobody wants more competition in the war to be the provider of your buzz.