2012 has been quite an amazing year for drug policy reform and events are accelerating at breakneck pace after the historic marijuana legalization victories in Colorado and Washington. State lawmakers across New England are preparing legislation to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Rhode Island and Maine announced on November 15th their intentions to introduce marijuana legalization bills to their legislatures next year. Vermont and Massachusetts are expected to follow soon. Meanwhile, public opinion is shifting rapidly. According to a Rasmussen poll released Tuesday, a stunning 82% of the US population now believes that the War on Drugs is failing.
On the international scene, Latin American countries are clamoring for a UN debate about legalization and Colombian President Santos is asking Mexican President Pena Nieto to lead the region out of the devastating War on Drugs as soon as he takes office on December 1st. In another historic move, the ruling party in Uruguay presented on November 15th, the project of law for the legalization of marijuana. Vote is scheduled for early December. If it passes, Uruguay would become the first country in the world to legalize marijuana.
“World War-D” has become the reference book to make sense of the rapidly evolving global drug policy debate, bringing common sense and sanity to an issue often shrouded in misconceptions, preconceptions and taboos. My readers routinely comment that it should be required reading for politicians and lawmakers and strongly recommend it to those who want to understand all the facets of the issue and grasp its global complexity. No matter where you stand on drug prohibition, you will get a much clearer understanding of the issue in all of its multi-faceted complexity and with a global perspective. As prohibitionism is starting to crumble at the edges, no other book offers such depth and breadth of understanding.
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November 6 was a momentous day for drug policy reform; now we must make sure that the Federal Government doesn’t block the initiatives approved by a large majority of the voters of Colorado and Washington.
Ask President Obama to respect the right of the states of Washington, Colorado and all the states that have legalized medical marijuana
[emailpetition id=”3″]
As the drug policy debate moves to the US congress after the historic approval of marijuana legalization in the States of Colorado and Washington, we must keep the pressure. Stand firm for the defense of the newly gained right of the people of Colorado and Washington, as well as those of all the medical marijuana states. Add your name to this petition and it will be delivered to the White House.
Tweet the following message: @BarackObama we urge you to respect the will + rights of the people of WA + CO! http://ow.ly/f9KKx pic.twitter.com/r0AwewgP
Last but not least, help us promote this petition. Share this message with your email connections, share the link to the petition http://www.world-war-d.com/petition-wa-co/ on social networks, blogs, groups, etc.
Tomorrow two states are poised to legalize marijuana, and the War on Drugs will be dealt a severe blow. I invite you to witness history in the making with KOP productions in Massachusetts, a state expected to deliver a landslide medical Marijuana victory.
KOP-productions has lined up an impressive roster of prestigious guests speakers to comment live on the polls results as they come out. Guests include:
Neil Franklin, Executive Director of LEAP (Law Enforcement against Prohibition), an Organization started in MA by former undercover DEA agent Jack A. Cole;
Maine Representative Diane Russell;
Paul Stanford, President of The Hemp & Cannabis Foundation
Yours truly, Jeffrey Dhywood. I will be giving away signed copies of my book “World War D – The Case against prohibitionism, roadmap to controlled re-legalization” during the show.
Also direct from California, the 420 Nurses and The 420 Comic;
In-studio Guest, BOBBY NUGZ from Releaf Magazine in Rhode Island.
There will be plenty of giveaways: T-shirts, books, and special prizes from sponsors to lucky callers when KOP open their Studio lines during the evening. 1-401-626-4420.
Get ready for surprise announcements and calls to action during the show. Even if we get the expected two victories, the war on drugs will not end tomorrow; but tomorrow can mark a major tide-reversal if we are ready to intensify the fight against ignorance, misconceptions, preconceptions and deeply-entrenched taboos fueled by the 100-years prohibitionist propaganda machine. The war is far from over; only through our joint efforts will common sense and sanity prevail at long last.
Tune in at 7:00 pm EST (that’s East Coast time) and be part of history!
Invite your friends and contacts! Share on social networks! We expect a great show tomorrow!
The reference book on the War on Drugs and prohibitionism
A guide to psychoactive substances and substance abuse
A blueprint for global drug policy reform and controlled legalization
(Click here to order “World War-D” from Amazon) If you agree with our views, please share this post to support our cause. Send it to at least 5 of your friends, post it on social networks, on your blogs, etc.
10 days before election-day, the marijuana legalization initiatives are slipping in the polls; Washington I502 is still ahead, but support is softening; Colorado 64 is in dangerous zone; Oregon Measure 80 is trailing badly. We need a general mobilization of the drug policy reform activists. We need unity, not internal infighting.
I urge the marijuana activists who are OPPOSING the marijuana legalization initiatives in Washington or Colorado to reconsider their position.
Will these initiatives grant all the policies on the activists’ wish list? No, they won’t! But it will be a vast improvement over the existing regulations, which are medical marijuana in both states, just like medical marijuana is an awkward compromise, but that is vastly preferable to prohibition. With the Washington and Colorado initiatives, the medical marijuana will lose the tax-free easy profits it has been enjoying in the legal grey-zone where it has been operating for the past few years. On the other hand, it will reduce the fear of the Feds, the raids in the wee hours of the day, the drug squads knocking down your door in your sleep. It won’t eliminate the threats from the fed, but instead on fighting on your own, the state will fight for the industry, which makes a huge difference.
Yes, the initiatives on the ballot have restrictions that are questionable within the activists’ community. Could the initiatives be less restrictive? For an answer, let’s look at the polls: I502 in Washington is the most restrictive of the three initiatives on the ballot. It is the one with highest polling and the only one with a very good chance of passing. Amendment 64 in Colorado is not as restrictive but is in a thigh race and sagging support as we get closer to election-day. Measure 80 in Oregon, which is the closest to the marijuana activists’ wish-list is trailing badly in the polls and stands little chance of winning. It is quite clear that with all their flaws, the initiatives are already pushing the limits of what voters are willing to accept.
The lessons we can draw here are quite clear: the general public might be ready for some restrictive form of marijuana legalization under tight control, but is not ready for more lax policies. In particular, the public wants reassurances on protection of minors and driving under the influence. The public wants to make sure that we do not replace bad policies with even worse policies. Last but not least, drug prohibition has been going on for over 100 years, marijuana prohibition for 75 years. For all that time, the public has been bombarded by a constant and sustained barrage of propaganda, depicting drugs in general and marijuana in particular as evil and worse. It will take a long time to undo the effects of a century-long propaganda machine. We need incremental steps to reassure the public that the sky will not fall after marijuana legalization. The public has legitimate concerns about the children and youths and will not accept alternatives that do not restrict underage access. The current medical marijuana laws in California for instance, have provoked serious backlash as dispensaries were popping up all over the place, especially around schools, with hawkers peddling marijuana cards on street corners.
Finally, legislations are not written in stone; they change and evolve, as we are currently witnessing. Alcohol regulations were quite restrictive when prohibition was first lifted, and have become increasingly lenient as time goes by. The same will happen with marijuana regulations if we ever get to end prohibition.
Bottom line: Do you prefer to fight from a purist, principled position that doesn’t stand the slightest chance of ever winning enough support, or are you ready to settle on a reasonable compromise that can move the debate to the next step?
I will be available for book-signing on October 24th at the sneak preview presentation of “Legalize It – the movie”
On October 24, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), in conjunction with Willie Nelson’s Luck Films and award-winning filmmakers Dan Katzir and Ravit Markus, will host a special screening and discussion panel of the film at the Art Theatre of Long Beach.
• Legalize It, a documentary about the Prop. 19 campaign
• Wednesday, October 24, 2012 7-10pm
• Art Theatre of Long Beach, 2025 E. 4th Street, Long Beach
• Tickets are available online and start at $10. There are also a number of sponsorship packages available. Please see the website www.leap.cc/california-benefit/ or contact Diane Goldstein (diane.goldstein@leap.cc or 714.232.3722) for more info.
For the documentary, filmmakers followed members of the campaign for eight months, documenting the unlikely alliances that developed and the minor victories and setbacks of the first serious effort to legalize marijuana in the United States. Legalize It is a sensitive and humorous behind-the-scenes look at a colorful campaign, the unlikely people running it and the disparate groups who both opposed and endorsed it. Several LEAP speakers appear in the film.
“In any battle, the people who go in first are going to take one hell of a beating. In the fight to legalize marijuana, the Prop. 19 campaign folks were those people. If and when ballot measures in other states succeed, it will be because these folks cleared the way.”
– LEAP Executive Director Neill Franklin
After the film, a discussion panel including a former LAPD deputy chief who appears in the documentary, drug policy reform advocates, local dignitaries and one of the film’s producers will discuss the Prop. 19 campaign as well as the current political outlook for similar efforts at reform.
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) represents police, prosecutors, judges, corrections officials and others who, after fighting on the front lines of the “war on drugs,” came to believe that prohibition only serves to worsen substance abuse and violence. More info at www.CopsSayLegalizeMarijuana.com.
See you there, and do not miss this opportunity to get your signed copy of “World War D – The Case against prohibitionism, roadmap to controlled re-legalization” while meeting all the great people at LEAP and Willie Nelson’s Luck Films.
El gobierno uruguayo anunció el 20 de junio que enviaría una iniciativa de ley para la legalización de la venta de la mariguana (la posesión y uso ya son legales en este país). Si se aprueba esta ley, Uruguay sería el primer país en el mundo en establecer un mercado legal para la mariguana; esto sería un cambio paradigmático mayor ya que rompería el tabú, cuestionaría leyes internacionales existentes y sentaría un precedente único. En el últimos año, Uruguay también ha estado debatiendo la posibilidad del cultivo de la mariguana para uso personal. Si ambas medidas se aprueban esto sería un gran paso adelante.
Sabemos que vendrá mucha presión en contra del gobierno uruguayo para que abandone este proyecto de legalización, tal como se hizo contra Guatemala y sus vecinos en febrero de este año. No podemos correr el riesgo de que Uruguay abandone la iniciativa por la presión de quienes no desean hacer un cambio.
Al firmar la carta por debajo, se la enviará con su firma al Presidente José Mujica y los dos principales partidos de oposición.
Recuerde: En este momento, la iniciativa es sólo una propuesta que requiere la discusión y aprobación parlamentaria. Para aquellos quienes opinen que la iniciativa no va lo suficientemente lejos o que le da demasiado control al gobierno, piensen que el Presidente Mujica y su gobierno están enfrentando una batalla cuesta arriba con el muy seguro linchamiento por parte del gobierno norteamericano. No hay en este momento, ninguna seguridad de que la iniciativa sea aprobada por lo que debemos apoyarla.
Nosotros podemos hacer la diferencia.
Por favor comparte con tus conocidos y amistades este blog en Facebook, Twitter , otros medios sociales y por correo electrónico
También puedes twittear a:
• Presidencia de Uruguay: @SCpresidenciauy
• Senador Jorge Larrañaga, @guapolarranaga, líder de Alianza Nacional
• Pedro Bordaberry @PedroBordaberry, presidente del CEN Colorado y quien fuera ministro de Industria y Turismo en el gobierno de Jorge Batlle, primer jefe de estado en proponer la legalización de las drogas en 2000
Para leer más sobre la iniciativa de ley: http://www.presidencia.gub.uy/wps/wcm/connect/Presidencia/PortalPresidencia/Comunicacion/comunicacionNoticias/gabinete-seguridad-presento-paquete-15-medidas-promover-convivencia-ciudadana
La declaración a medios de la presidencia uruguaya: http://medios.presidencia.gub.uy/jm_portal/2012/noticias/NO_E582/Estrategia.pdf
Para leer más sobre el Presidente Mujica: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mujica
On November 15, the government of Uruguay submitted to its parliament a proposal for the legalization of the sale of marijuana under state control (possession and use of marijuana is already legal in Uruguay). The project would also legalize the cultivation for personal use of up to 6 plants of cannabis. If adopted, Uruguay would become the first country in the world to establish a controlled marketplace for marijuana.
The project has already been approved by the Officialista Party, who holds a majority in the lower chamber, and is not submitted for comments to the opposition party. It is noteworthy that the major opposition parties have themselves asked for legalization of cultivation for personal use in the past.
President Mujica has scheduled a month-long national debate on his proposal. We cannot afford to drop the ball on Uruguay.
When you sign the letter underneath, it will be sent with your signature to President José Mujica and the two major opposition parties. Please share this blog post on Facebook, on Twitter and other social medias or by email.
Remember: This is just a proposal for the time being, and it needs to go thru parliamentary approval. For those you who think that it doesn’t go far enough, that it gives too much control to the government, just think about the uphill battle President José Mujica and his government are facing, and the expected US government’s stonewalling. There is absolutely no guarantee that this proposal will go thru, which is why we need to show our support.
For more impact, you can also tweet to the following:
Presidency of Uruguay: @SCpresidenciauy
Senator Jorge Larrañaga, @guapolarranaga, leader of Alianza Nacional
Pedro Bordaberry, @PedroBordaberry, President of the CEN colorado, was minister of Tourism and Industry in the Government of Jorge Batlle, the first head of state in the world to call for the legalization of all drugs in 2000, shortly after taking office.
The likely victory of marijuana legalization in Washington and Colorado will transform the global drug policy debate
A landmark victory of marijuana legalization in Washington and Colorado will put internal & external pressure for drug policy reform on the US and weaken its hand with its restive Latin American allies.
A likely marijuana legalization victory will transform the global drug policy debate
After declaring in 1971 “We must wage total war against public enemy number one in the United State, the problem of dangerous drugs”, President Richard Nixon prematurely claimed victory On September 11, 1973, “We turned the corner on drug addiction in the United states. Drug addiction is under control.” Almost 40 years later, we might indeed be turning a corner in the war on drugs, though not quite the corner envisioned by Nixon, as 2012 is poised to enter the history books as a turning point in the failed war on drugs, and will hopefully signal the beginning of its unfolding.
Discontent about the failed war on drugs policies has been brewing for quite a while, especially in Latin America, but outside of that region, the debate rarely reached much beyond academic and activist circles. Things changed in June 2011 when drug policy reform grabbed the headlines across the world for the very first time with the publication of the Global Commission on Drug Policy Report. The report was signed by an impressive slate of prestigious individuals including seven former heads of state and the former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and was a seminal event for drug policy reform. Another seminal event, The Merida Declaration on December 6, 2011, went virtually unnoticed by the media and drug policy experts alike. Issued at the Tuxtla Dialogue and Agreement Mechanism in Yucatan, Mexico, the declaration was signed by eleven heads of state and high-level representatives of Central America and the Caribbean, including Mexico, Colombia and Chile, and asked “consuming countries … to explore possible alternatives …, including regulatory or market oriented options.”
2012 started with a bang when retired right-wing general Otto Perez Molina, newly elected president of impoverished Guatemala, rattled the world and instantly placed his country on the map by declaring the war on drugs a failure and forcefully advocating legalization. Guatemala is one of the world’s worst-hit countries by narco-violence, together with its unfortunate neighbors, Honduras and Salvador, and recently emerged from a decades-long brutal civil war.
Perez Molina has been unwavering ever since. He brought the drug legalization debate to the April Summit of the Americas, a gathering of all heads of state across the continent, from Canada to Tierra del Fuego, except Cuba (banned by the US). More recently, he brought the debate to the UN general Assembly and was joined by Mexico and Colombia, the two major US allies in the War on Drugs, for a call to revise the international treaties on illicit drugs.
As Perez Molina is actively trying to build a coalition for drug policy reform, he announced on Thursday a planned meeting with newly re-elected Hugo Chavez with legalization on the agenda. Venezuela is a major entry-point on the transit route of cocaine to the US through its extremely porous frontier with Colombia, and has often been a safe haven for Colombian narco-traffickers. However, the relationship between the Chavez regime and his cumbersome guests seems to be turning sour as violence has escalated dramatically in the country. Leftish Chavez joining right-wing Perez Molina in a coalition for drug policy reform might mollify the other members of the leftish Latin American coalition that includes Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. Left-leaning Argentina president Kirchner might join as well. Uruguay announced in June its intention to legalize marijuana under state control and the proposal is currently churning through the legislative process.
The US being by far, the largest market for illegal drugs in the world, the marijuana legalization initiatives on the ballot in Colorado, Washington and Oregon take special significance in such a context. It is noteworthy that the US Justice Department has so far refrained from taking a position on these initiatives despite being urged by legalization opponents.
November 6 is likely to be a watershed moment for marijuana legalization and drug policy reform with the marijuana legalization initiatives standing very good chances in Colorado and Washington. Both initiatives enjoy wide support across the political spectrum ranging from the state democratic party to the GOP US Senate Candidate for Washington, Michael Baumgartner, or former GOP Congressman Tom Tancredo in Colorado. Sponsored by former US attorney John McKay and current City Attorney Peter Holmes, and with backing from the mayor and the entire city council of Seattle as well as the Seattle Times, the Washington initiative lines up the most impressive slate of main-stream backing and enjoys double digit margins in the polls. Curiously, in Washington and Colorado, the staunchest opposition is coming from the medical marijuana communities. The Oregon initiative, placing no restrictions on cultivation for personal use, is generally considered too radical and faces an uphill battle. A medical marijuana initiative, currently polling at a whopping 69%, could provide the icing on the cake with a landslide victory in Massachusetts.
A victory for marijuana legalization initiatives in the US would have momentous implications for Latin America and would place the federal government in an awkward position, caught between internal and external pressure for reform. It would certainly weaken its hands in its negotiations with its increasingly restive allies in the war on drugs. It might also give the needed impetus for the crystallization of a coalition of the willing and rally the support of the countries such as Costa Rica that have prudently stayed on the sideline until now.
The 22nd Ibero-American Summit, held on November 16 – 17 2012 in Cadiz, hosted by Spain and attended by Portugal and most Latin American countries will provide a good test of the effects of a marijuana legalization victory. Portugal and Spain having some of the most liberal drug policies in the world, this summit should offer a favorable environment for an open debate on drug policy reform. Scheduled 10 days after the November US election, it might embolden Colombia and Mexico to take more assertive positions. It may also present an opportunity for the budding coalition to grow some offshoots or support on the old continent.
Unknown is the potential reaction of the federal government to state legalization. While a lot depends on who will be the next host of the White House, the next president’s options might be limited, especially as a likely solid victory in Washington and a landslide medical marijuana victory in Massachusetts might diametrically reverse the political risk of marijuana legalization, with opposition to the issue becoming increasingly politically risky.
If the federal government chooses confrontation, it can expect a vigorous fight from the states. Already, the City of Oakland became on October 11, the first known jurisdiction to sue the federal government to protect its medical marijuana industry. Lawsuits are being brought in San Diego to reverse federal convictions in medical marijuana cases. There is no doubt that victory in November will embolden the states to resist federal interference with their marijuana policies. A corner will most likely be turned in the War on Drugs on November 6, 2012, a corner towards legalization.
In a significant development in the rapidly evolving drug policy debate, the governments of Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico issued on Monday October 1 a joint declaration demanding the UN revision of drug policy. In their declaration, the three countries denounce the failure of the current prohibitionist drug policies and request “That the United Nations [] exercise it´s leadership … to analyze all available options, including regulatory or market measures, in order to establish a new paradigm that prevents the flow of resources to organized crime organizations.” The three governments “invite Member States of the Organization of the United Nations to undertake very soon a consultation process” and call for “an international conference to allow the necessary decisions in order to achieve more effective strategies and tools with which the global community faces the challenge of drugs and their consequences.”
In another development, the Mexican businessman Ricardo Salinas, head of the Grupo Salinas and of TV Azteca, advocated drug legalization at the annual meeting of the Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America in Washington DC. This is quite significant because Salinas is one of the major backers of President elect Pena Nieto, who will take office on December 1.
It seems that we are witnessing the emergence of a Latin American coalition for drug policy reform led by Guatemala, Colombia and Mexico. The active support of Colombia and Mexico would undoubtedly change the balance of power and turn the tables on the US.
In this context, a victory for one or more of the marijuana legalization initiatives in November could be game changer, especially as the number of medical marijuana states keeps growing, most of them solidly democrats or democrat-leaning. If reelected, Obama and the Democratic Party might finally realize that they have more to lose than to gain in pursuing their current hard-line policies. Meanwhile, an internal challenge to the prohibitionist drug policy would seriously weaken the US hands in the drug policy debate with its Latin American allies.
Success is definitively within reach in Colorado and Washington, but you support is urgently needed. First, if you live in Colorado, Oregon or Washington, you must of course go to the poll. But if you don’t there are many ways to support, starting with donations.
If you order “World War-D” on our website http://www.world-war-d.com/ before November 1st, 2012, we will donate $5.00 to the campaign of your choice. Just follow the instruction in your order confirmation email to select the campaign you wish to support.
