Full site / Mobile. To Top or End. See News & 2022 & Categories.
| CNN. Europe is facing 700,000 more Covid deaths by March 1, 2022, WHO says.. [19]. "If 95% of people wore masks, WHO estimated that more than 160,000 fatalities [in Europe] would be avoided by spring." See map and table of world vaccination rates by country. Click tabs below map. Packed, maskless rallies and marches are Covid super-spreader events. Any mask helps slow the spread. And: Nearly half a million Europeans aged 60 and over saved by Covid-19 jabs – study. And: USA. Republican sheep most likely to die. Pro-Trump counties now have far higher COVID death rates. Misinformation is to blame. "Counties that went heavily for Donald Trump have seen much lower vaccination rates and much higher death rates from COVID ... The vast majority of deaths since May [2021], around 150,000, have occurred among the unvaccinated". US Republican sheep are also most likely to support cannabis prohibition. |
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News. Sources. GMM Facebook. US Republicans. Their cannabis war! [24]. Ballotpedia: marijuana and minimum wage. US minimum wage has 35% less buying power than in 1969. [25]. Global billionaires gained $5.5 trillion during pandemic. [26]. Hunger. [27][28]. $70 billion to end global pandemic. [29]. Tax the rich! End drug war! 28 Nov 2021: Around 9% of towns, villages have opted out of recreational marijuana law in New York. "It appears there is not a major wave of opt-outs sweeping across the state".   Philippines. Proposed bill to produce and export medical cannabis.  Tax the rich! End drug war! The drug war is a control tool of the Republican Party. Nov 2021: 40 under 40 Outstanding BIPOC leaders in Drug Policy - SSDP. BIPOC stands for "Black, Indigenous, and People of Color". SSDP = Students for Sensible Drug Policy.   Putin's prisons in Russia. Almost as bad as Syria's torture death camps.  
10 Nov 2021: Senator Warren presses Biden on pardons for nonviolent cannabis convictions. Article: The letter cites the Democratic primary debate in November 2019, during which Biden laid out his views on marijuana reform. "Number one, I think we should decriminalize marijuana, period," Biden said at the time. "And I think everyone — anyone who has a record should be let out of jail, their records expunged, be completely zeroed out."
5 Nov 2021: Australia. Mathias Cormann calls for fossil fuel subsidies to be abolished. And: World spends $423 billion a year to subsidize fossil fuels.
4 Nov: 5 more drug convictions tied to corrupt Chicago cop vacated. 110 convictions vacated so far. Ongoing investigation into more cops. Prison terms already served by some cops.
2 Nov 2021: Judge throws out man’s guilty plea after bodycam footage reveals New York City cop planting cannabis in cupholder of car of a couple of color. Racist prosecutors delayed releasing footage. Cop had done this before. Calls for prosecuting the cop.   28 Oct: Here’s how Biden’s Build Back Better framework would tax the rich. [40]. "The IRS would hire enforcement agents trained to pursue wealthy tax evaders, ... It estimates these measures would raise $400 billion over 10 years."
25 Oct 2021: BBC UK. Minimum wage for 23 and above to rise to £9.50 an hour ($13 an hour). [46]. "Independent experts maintain there has been little or no evidence of job losses as a result of rising minimum wage levels."  
 21 Oct 2021: New York employers are banned from testing most workers for marijuana.
 
20 Oct 2021: Costa Rica congress approves legalization of marijuana for medicinal use. [52].  
13 Oct 2021: Inside The Digital Campaign That May Allow Italy To Decriminalize Cannabis.
  He is a con man for the rich. Repeal Trump's tax cuts for the rich.
2 Oct 2021: "I Am Not A Baby-Making Machine": Thousands March For Abortion Rights In Protest Of Texas's New Law. [59][60]. The many photos and hundreds of rallies across the nation are great. Makes me miss having hundreds of global cannabis marches. Taliban Republicans may be crushed in the 2022 midterm elections due to this. That would be great for cannabis reform, too. 
13 Sep: Inside Italy’s Push To Decriminalize Recreational Cannabis. [64]. 8 Sep: Selfie of a couple Italian legislators making progress on cannabis. [65]. Wikipedia: Cannabis in Italy.  7 Sep: Poll: Republican Voters Support Florida's Governor DeSantis, But Overall Popularity Declines. Another science-hating, prohibitionist Taliban Republican sinks below 50% approval in the polls.
3 Sep 2021: Malaysia. Sentenced to death on Sep 3, 2021 for 299 grams of cannabis.
  25 Aug 2021: Snoop Dogg Advocates For Marijuana Use In Sports On Jimmy Kimmel Live! Special Edition Hosted By Stephen A. Smith.
17 Aug 2021: Nearly Half of U.S. Adults Have Tried Marijuana. "The percentage of U.S. adults who say they have tried marijuana has ticked up to 49%, the highest Gallup has measured to date. More than 50 years ago, just 4% said they had tried the drug".   Wikipedia: United States drug overdose death rates and totals over time. US drug overdose numbers: Over 99,000 died in 12 month period ending Mar 31, 2021. Contrast with Portugal at around 30 to 50 deaths per year. [73][74]. Portugal decriminalized all drugs in 2001. [75].
 8 Aug 2021: Study suggests cannabis can induce a psychedelic-like “oceanic” experience. Further study needed to see if this helps relieve depression. 30 July: This article may be premature in saying it helps depression. See: Actual study.  Debt in America: An Interactive Map. 29% of all adults. 24% of whites. 39% of people of color. See the map there, and above. See the astonishing percentages of adults with debt in collection. By county. Especially in the South. The South has been greatly impoverished by low Republican minimum wages, lack of expanded Medicaid, unfair bankruptcy laws, massive evictions (past and upcoming).
27 July 2021: Ohio. Legalized recreational marijuana could return to 2022 ballot.
  See source and comments. 19 July 2021: Marijuana no longer seized at airport checkpoints in New York state. 7 July 2021: Nevada Declares Marijuana Not Performance Enhancing—Legalizes Cannabis Use For MMA Athletes. "The Nevada state Athletic Commission voted Wednesday to lift its longtime ban on athletes using marijuana, opening the door for boxers and mixed-martial artists competing on the sport’s biggest stage to freely and openly use cannabis."   2 July: Seth Rogen, Other Celebrities Denounce Sha’Carri Richardson’s Olympics Suspension: ‘If Weed Made You Fast, I’d Be FloJo’. Thinking that’s rooted in hatred. [77][78][79].   22 and 29 May 2021: Grenoble and Paris, France. CannaParade and Marche Mondiale du Cannabis. World Cannabis March. [80][81][82][83][84].   14 May 2021: Billionaires worldwide gained $5 trillion in one year. Wealth inequality at levels not seen since just before the Great Depression. Republican tax cuts for the rich. Record low inflation-adjusted US federal minimum wage.
1 May 2021: Shoutwiki: New York City. See 2021 section. Cannabis Parade and Rally. 420 links too. 29 Apr 2021: He Fought for Decades to Make Marijuana Legal. Now What?. By Colin Moynihan. About Dana Beal. From New York Times.   April 20. AOC and Earl Blumenauer wore pot leaf masks at the Capitol.
23 Apr 2021: Five States Where Republicans Are Trying to Block Marijuana Legalization.   15 Apr 2021: Nationwide Poll: More Americans Than Ever Before (69%) Say That Marijuana Should Be Legal.
  9 Apr 2021: Nikki Fried: Florida Republicans declare war on medical marijuana | Opinion. "House Bill 1455, put forward by [Republican] Representative Roach (ironic, right?), declares war on Florida’s medical marijuana program and patients."
New York City. Looks like we legalized marijuana just in time:   US Republicans Voted Often to Kill Coverage of Pre-Existing Conditions. [92][93][94]. Medicare spends less than 2 percent on bureaucracy. 1.4% to be exact. See chart. We need Medicare for All. Nearly a third of our health care dollars go for something other than health care. Health insurance companies, for example. See also: See: More News. And: Cannabis is safer. CannabisVoter.info - Click your state to see which anti-cannabis Republicans to vote out.
The drug war is a control tool of the Republican Party. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Henrik Vanger: "Isn't it interesting how fascists always steal the word 'freedom'?" Real democracy is ranked-choice voting (instant-runoff). And: Remove Presidential veto power. 2022 Global Cannabis March and 420 map. Event links: 2022 talk. & Main talk. This news feed may have long lapses. Full site / Mobile. To Top or End. See News & 2022 & Categories. |
Top
Contents
- 1 Table top
- 2 Top
- 3 Holy war
- 4 1968, 1971. Nixon's racist drug war
- 5 1980. Reagan presidential campaign
- 6 1982. Reagan's drug war escalation
- 7 1989. Papa Bush's escalation of drug war
- 8 Republicans like wars and crusades
- 9 Incarcerated for drug-related crime
- 10 Reagan, Drug War, and Trickle Down
- 11 1/3 of Americans have a criminal record
- 12 News
- 13 2016
- 14 2014 election
- 15 2012 election
- 16 Some more 2012 news
- 17 2012 Republican presidential candidates
- 18 Romney on marijuana and medical pot
- 19 Newt Gingrich calls medical pot a joke
- 20 Gingrich's 1995 death penalty bill for pot
- 21 Gary Johnson rips Gingrich about pot
- 22 Gatewood Galbraith on Newt Gingrich
- 23 Music video. Death Penalty for Pot
- 24 2011. Senate. 60 to 38 for indefinite
- 25 Military detention of Americans
- 26 U.S. marijuana history
- 27 Reagan and incarceration nations
- 28 National Rifle Association history of
- 29 Pushing for mandatory sentencing
- 30 The Reagans and Just Say No
- 31 Cannabis is safer
- 32 Categories
- Share links: gop - republicans - holywar. See also:
Vote out most Republicans and their cannabis war. See also: Under Trump, inflation-adjusted real wages are flat. And: Happy alternatives to Republican-led poverty, mass incarceration, food insecurity, debt, ill health, intense concentration of wealth, endless wars.
It's not just American Republicans who lead the Reefer-Madness war on cannabis. See:
UK: Prime Minister Theresa May Claimed Cannabis Leads To Heroin And Suicide. By Steve Elliott. May 18, 2017. She is in the Conservative Party (UK).
These Cannabis Growing Nuns Answer To A Higher Power. [96][97][98]. Facebook. Video. [99][100].
Denver's International Church of Cannabis.
Marijuana on Religious Grounds? A Cannabis Church Opens in Denver. April 20, 2017. New York Times. [102][103].
 |
| Trillions of dollars spent on this Republican holy war. Jesus' first miracle was allegedly changing water into wine. |
Holy war
Jeff Sessions and Granny [17].
- This article was written by Timeshifter. See also: Drug war causes high U.S. incarceration rate. And: Drug War, mandatory minimum sentencing, handguns. And: Number of cannabis arrests and prisoners in the USA.
| A or F? How Congress scores on marijuana. 2. By Danielle Keane, NORML political director. 2016. "Of the 233 Democrats in Congress, 208 members (89.3 percent) received a passing grade of a 'C' or higher. Of the 302 Republicans in Congress, 102 members (33.8 percent) received a passing grade of a 'C' or higher." For your state see: Congressional Scorecard. NORML. Grading was based upon members' voting records. |
Why is everything a "war" or a "crusade" to Republicans? Like the war on drugs. We need cures, not wars.
See: Cost of Republican-led U.S. drug war.
"After a 40 year trillion dollar war against a plant, The Plant Is Winning". Trenton, New Jersey.
| The drug war is a religious war against a spiritual plant. That old-time religion. Religion imposed by law or force. Republican Holy War against the Evil Infidels, drug users. |
Wikipedia: Tree of Life. A common motif in world mythologies and philosophies.
Nancy and Ronald Reagan
Total U.S. incarceration peaked in 2008. Obama helped turn it around. He became President in January 2009.
| Nov. 18, 2016. New Attorney General. Republican 'Drug War Dinosaur' Jeff Sessions. Existential Threat to Cannabis Reform.2. Most Americans want legalized recreational marijuana, a higher minimum wage(2)(3), and an end to mass incarceration. All blocked mainly by Republican politicians in state and federal legislatures. |
| Ronald (6) Wilson (6) Reagan (6). In 1986, President Reagan called for a "nationwide crusade against drugs, a sustained, relentless effort to rid America of this scourge." 1. |
1968, 1971. Nixon's racist drug war
See: Race, ethnicity, and drug war.
- June 17, 1971. President Richard Nixon: "America's public enemy number one in the United States is drug abuse. In order to fight and defeat this enemy, it is necessary to wage a new, all-out offensive."
See: more info. The quote from Nixon aide John Ehrlichman (in 1994) is from an April 2016 Dan Baum article in Harper's Magazine: Legalize It All. How to win the war on drugs. Quote: "The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I’m saying? We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did."
See: Nixon's drug war against blacks and hippies.
Black lives matter.
1980. Reagan presidential campaign
Return to top. See: Reagan's war on cannabis.
The American Drug Panic of the 1980s. Chapter 12 of Moral Panics: The Social Construction of Deviance.
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"Nashville ... on the cusp of joining the long roster of American cities, including New York, that have decriminalized the stuff. ... The fear in Nashville was palpable once. In October 1980, the city’s police chief, Joe Casey, declared in a front-page article in The Tennessean that marijuana caused people to rob and kill. Anyone caught growing or selling marijuana three times, Mr. Casey said, or selling it to minors once, should be executed." - From this article: Following Its Country Music, Nashville May Loosen Up on Marijuana. By Richard Faussetsept. Sept. 18, 2016. New York Times.
Some Congressmen and police who prosecuted the War on Drugs believe it caused a large increase in the United States incarceration rate. See Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, and large chart with sources.
- "I Was Wrong About the War on Drugs – It's a Failure". By Bob Barr (former Republican, former federal prosecutor, and former Congressman). June 11, 2008. AlterNet.
- "The solution to the failed drug war". By Jack A. Cole of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). Sept. 13, 2008. Boston Globe.
1982. Reagan's drug war escalation
- Reagan declares 'War on Drugs,' October 14, 1982. By Andrew Glass. And: Ronald Reagan's War on Drugs. And: The Drug War as Race War.
- October 2, 1982: Ronald Reagan: Radio Address to the Nation on Federal Drug Policy. Quote (emphasis added):
| "Each was fighting its own separate battle against drugs. Now, for the very first time, the Federal Government is waging a planned, concerted campaign. ... We're making no excuses for drugs—hard, soft, or otherwise. Drugs are bad, and we're going after them. As I've said before, we've taken down the surrender flag and run up the battle flag. And we're going to win the war on drugs." |
Chart below covers prison inmates only. See also: timeline combining prison and jail inmates.
The U.S. incarceration rate peaked in 2008.
1986. The "crusade against drugs"
| Ronald (6) Wilson (6) Reagan (6). In 1986, President Reagan called for a " nationwide crusade against drugs, a sustained, relentless effort to rid America of this scourge." 1. |
- See Wikipedia: Crack cocaine and Wikipedia: Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 and Wikipedia: CIA involvement in Contra cocaine trafficking.
See cannabis polls.
See Reagan's war on cannabis. Above timeline is adapted from one of the charts in this article:
| Latest Gallup Poll Shows Only 2-in-5 Americans Oppose Marijuana Legalization. By Russ Belville. October 21, 2015. |
1989. Papa Bush's escalation of drug war
- Share link: Papa Bush.
- 2nd nationwide televised Bush speech on drugs on September 12, 1989: Quote from speech:
Some think there won't be room for them in jail. We'll make room. We're almost doubling prison space. Some think there aren't enough prosecutors. We'll hire them, with the largest increase in Federal prosecutors in history.
- Life sentence for buying weed? 25th anniversary of Papa Bush's War on Drugs escalation speech on September 5, 1989. The first prime time address of his presidency. Result: Life for pot.
Republicans like wars and crusades
George Carlin: Youtube: George Carlin: "We Like War!" 1992. "Especially if your country's full of brown people." (1 min 20 sec in. Direct link there). Bush's "crusade".
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See also: Race, ethnicity, and drug war.
- See main article: People in prisons and jails in the USA for drug-related crime.
- And: Number of marijuana prisoners in the USA.
The Drug war is the cause of the high U.S. incarceration rate.
| Federal mandatory minimum sentencing charts. |
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First mandatory minimums chart below is from an older FAMM report, "Correcting Course: Lessons from the 1970s Repeal of Mandatory Minimum Sentences". FAMM is Families Against Mandatory Minimums. [104]. See Wikipedia: Mandatory minimums. The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 increased the amounts of crack cocaine required to trigger 5 and 10 year sentences. [105]. See revised charts since then. Share link to this page. For charts of all federal mandatory minimums (not just for drug offenses), go here. Later chart with revisions, such as the amount of crack cocaine required for various sentences: |
| The majority of people incarcerated in prisons and jails in the USA are in due to drug-related offenses, crimes to get money for drugs, or drug-related parole or probation violations. Wikipedia: Drug-related crime. The number of inmates in the USA has increased almost 5 times over since 1980. It peaked in 2008. Obama's Democrat landslide in 2008 turned the incarceration rate around. But the USA still has the highest incarceration rate of any nation (b c). The cost of the U.S. drug war is at least 1.5 trillion dollars. Cannabis is safer! Share link. |
Reagan, Drug War, and Trickle Down
Return to top. See: Drug war, control, and Republican-led income inequality.
The drug war causes the high U.S. incarceration rate, and is part of the Republican war on the poor and middle class.
1/3 of Americans have a criminal record
"The FBI currently has 77.7 million individuals on file in its master criminal database—or nearly one out of every three American adults." - Wall Street Journal.
- As Arrest Records Rise, Americans Find Consequences Can Last a Lifetime. Aug. 18, 2014. Wall Street Journal.
The Republican Party is controlled by the 1%. They need the prison-industrial complex, and a permanent lower class of one third of adult Americans with a criminal record to keep wages low, and to keep people in line.
See Wikipedia: Comparison of United States incarceration rate with other countries. And: List of countries and U.S. states by incarceration rate.
News
See: Current events and news.
2016
Articles written before the November 8, 2016 election in the USA:
| Republicans are busy filing retrograde drug bills across the land. Jan. 20, 2016. And: Supreme Court rejects conservative challenge to Colorado marijuana law from Republican states. 2. March 21, 2016. |
USA Today: 11 states least likely to legalize marijuana. Republican states across the nation.
| Marijuana in the South: A State-by-State Guide. Republicans created a THC-free south. |
2014 election
See: Cannabis and 2014 U.S. election.
2012 election
- Vermont Marijuana Decriminalization Law Goes Into Effect. July 1, 2013.
Democrat Peter Shumlin wins big
in 2012 Vermont governor race
Peter Shumlin, making his acceptance speech after winning the 2010 Vermont gubernatorial election, at the Hilton Hotel in Burlington, Vermont.
- Share link: shumlin
- Wikipedia: Peter Shumlin and 2012 Vermont gubernatorial election. Result: Shumlin 58.0%. Brock 37.7%.
- Vermont Update: Pro-Reform Candidate Gov. Shumlin Holds Massive Lead. By Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Coordinator. August 25, 2012.
- When A Governor Calls And Asks For Support To Reform Marijuana Laws…. By Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director. August 3, 2012.
- His website: Peter Shumlin for Vermont Governor | Leadership for a strong Vermont.
- Google site search of his website for "marijuana".
- Shumlin coasts to victory; 70% of Burlington voters call for ending marijuana prohibition! November 7, 2012 article by Marijuana Policy Project.
The American states of Colorado and Washington voted to legalize cannabis, and Massachusetts became the eighteenth state to approve cannabis for medical use. See 2012 vote for cannabis. Prohibition, your days are numbered!
  Mitt Romney, July 2012, New Hampshire. See video and full quote. The initial question was about medical marijuana. It takes a 2/3 majority in Congress to override a Presidential veto. The U.S. is unique in this among Western democracies. So it is good that Romney was crushed by Obama in the 2012 election. In his presidency Obama said that marijuana is safer than alcohol. Share this graphic. See Wikipedia: Mitt Romney. |
Why did U.S. Republicans get their asses handed to them in 2012? Well, besides their idiotic rape comments, maybe it is because their support for "freedom" was a sham. For example; at the time of the election very few Republicans had cosponsored H.R. 6335 (see section on cosponsors). That bill would not have done anything more to legalize marijuana or medical marijuana; it would simply have allowed medical marijuana centers operating legally under state law to continue to do so. It would have amended the Controlled Substances Act so as to exempt real property from civil forfeiture due to medical-marijuana-related conduct that was authorized by State law.
Colorado, Washington Legalize Marijuana! By Phillip Smith, November 7, 2012. More Drug-Related Election Results, Good and Bad. By Phillip Smith.
| It's on! Drug Policy in the 2012 Elections: The Initiatives. By Phillip Smith. See: NORML page on November 2012 election issues. See: Vote Medical Marijuana. A Record-Based Voter Guide. See: Steph Sherer: Medical Marijuana Is on Your Ballot. See: Election 2012 Resource Page. See: Florida Election Guide 2012 by Florida Cannabis Action Network. See: 2012: I-502 (Marijuana). Fact Check Washington. See: Make Phone Calls To Pass Marijuana Legalization Now! See: 7 Simple Ways YOU Can Help Legalize Marijuana. See: Mitt Romney strongly opposes marijuana for any use, and will fight it "tooth and nail". Share link. |
Some more 2012 news
Richard Posner, Federal Judge, Slams 'Absurd' Laws Against Marijuana, Other Drugs. By Nick Wing. Posted: Sept. 11, 2012. The Huffington Post. From the article:
He recently expressed displeasure with the current direction of the GOP, telling National Public Radio that he has become "less conservative" as the Republican "crowd of lunatics" became increasingly "goofy."
Republicans leading the drug war:
- Senate Republicans Kill Marijuana Reform In New York. By Steve Elliott. June 19, 2012. Toke of the Town.
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Of course there are some clueless Democrat incumbents too that need the boot:
- New Hampshire Medical Marijuana Veto Upheld. By Steve Elliott. June 27, 2012.
Fortunately, it looks like some Democrats are pulling their heads out of Republican asses.
- Iowa Democrats Add Medical Cannabis and Industrial Hemp to Party Platform. By Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Coordinator, June 20, 2012. NORML Blog. From the article:
"Earlier this year, the Colorado Democrats announced their support for marijuana legalization in their 2012 party platform. On June 9th, the Texas Democrats endorsed marijuana decriminalization. Last weekend, the North Carolina Democratic Party added resolutions supporting medical cannabis and industrial hemp. ... Also worth noting, on June 2nd, the Washington State Democratic Party built upon their earlier endorsement of their state’s legalization initiative, I-502, by adding support for full marijuana legalization and medical cannabis as planks in their party platform."
2012 Republican presidential candidates
Romney on marijuana and medical pot
- Share links: mitt, romney, mittromney, MittRomney.
- See also: 2012 vote for cannabis. See: Cannabis and the illusion of democracy in the USA. See: The U.S. Drug War. Republicans lead.
Mitt Romney will fight marijuana "tooth and nail".
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Mitt Romney, July 2012, New Hampshire. See video and full quote. The initial question was about medical marijuana. It takes a 2/3 majority in Congress to override a Presidential veto. The U.S. is unique in this among Western democracies. So it is good that Romney was crushed by Obama in the 2012 election. In his presidency Obama said that marijuana is safer than alcohol. Share this graphic. See Wikipedia: Mitt Romney. |
Romney is a wimp and a fanatic at the same time. He said he would fight marijuana "tooth and nail". He means it. Most people grow out of early religious militancy, and moderate their views. Not Romney. From the article, The Wrath of Grapes, April 21, 2012 by Timothy Egan of the New York Times:
From Mormon.org: Why don’t Mormons drink coffee, tea, or alcohol? What is the Mormon Church’s law of health and proper diet? |
| Video. July 2012. |
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Quote from the New Hampshire event in late July 2012 (emphasis added): "The idea of medical marijuana is designed to help get marijuana out in the public marketplace and ultimately lead to legalization of marijuana overall. And in my view that's the wrong way to go. ... I'm opposed to it, and if you elect me president you're not going to see legalized marijuana. I'm going to fight it tooth and nail."
- See: more on Romney and medical marijuana, Reddit link, and graphic.
| July 2012. Full quote |
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| "I would not legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes, and the reasons are straightforward: As I talk to people in my state and at the federal government level about marijuana and its role in society, they are convinced that the entry way into a drug culture for our young people is marijuana. That marijuana is the starter drug, and that the idea of medical marijuana is designed to help get marijuana out in the public marketplace and ultimately lead to legalization of marijuana overall. And in my view, that's the wrong way to go. And I know that other people have differing views. And if you'd like to get someone who is in favor of marijuana, I know there are some on the Democratic side of the aisle who will be happy to get in your campaign. But I'm opposed to it, and if you elect me president, you're not going to see legalized marijuana. I'm going to fight it tooth and nail." |
| Video with commentary. May 2012 |
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Romney Really Doesn’t Want to Talk About Medical Marijuana. Article and video. By Jon Walker. May 11, 2012. Just Say Now. "While in Colorado, local CBS Denver reporter Shaun Boyd asked Mitt Romney about his position on medical marijuana and the candidate was not happy. Romney became visibly upset about the question. He repeatedly interrupted the reporter and chided her for even asking him about it. ... When Romney did finally get around to answering the question he said that he does think marijuana shouldn’t be legal in this country and that he believes it is a gateway drug. ... With 77 percent of the country believing medical marijuana should be allowed Romney is in a tiny minority on this issue. If I were a politician and my position on a particular issue was extremely unpopular, I, too, would hate being asked about it."
| Video. October 2007 in New Hampshire |
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"I'm not in favor of medical marijuana being legal". Oct. 6, 2007. In New Hampshire Mitt Romney responds to a man in a wheelchair with muscular dystrophy. Romney refuses to answer the man when asked if he would arrest the man and his doctors. Youtube link. See here for closed-caption version. Don't forget to hit the [CC] button to activate them if you don't have them enabled by default (or click the button for interactive transcripts - it's to the right of the flag button).
Media on Romney and marijuana
Mitt Romney: Marijuana 'For Recreational Use' Is Bad, But I Also Oppose It For All Purposes. By Nick Wing. October 2, 2012. The Huffington Post. A spokesperson said. "He [Romney] opposes legalizing drugs, including marijuana for medicinal purposes. He will fully enforce the nation’s drug laws, and he will oppose any attempts at legalization."
Creepy Romney
Mitt Romney confronts a cannabis user in the summer of 2011 on the beach in La Jolla, California. See Gothamist article. Romney impersonates police officers in high school and college. Romney leads a pack that forcibly cuts off the long hair of a bullied classmate in high school. See ABC News article, and Washington Post article. See 2007 and 2012 videos from New Hampshire where Romney discusses and opposes medical marijuana.
Newt Gingrich calls medical pot a joke
- Newt Gingrich Rips Marijuana Use, Shows Historical Ignorance. Submitted by NORML on Jan 4, 2012. On "Opposing Views".
- Presidential Hopeful Gingrich Calls Medical Marijuana A 'Joke'. Toke of the Town. By Steve Elliott. November 28, 2011.
- Newt Gingrich Hates Medical Marijuana And Would Expand The Failed War On Drugs. November 28, 2011. THE Weed Blog.
- Newt Gingrich: Medical Marijuana Is a Convenience That Must Be Stopped. By Andrew Belonsky. November 28 2011. Cannabis Culture Magazine.
- Newt Gingrich on drug laws, entitlements and campaigning: The Yahoo News interview. By Chris Moody. Nov. 28, 2011.
| Videos. Newt Gingrich on medical marijuana | ||
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Gingrich's 1995 death penalty bill for pot
See Newt Gingrich. In contrast, see: Lowest enforcement priority for cannabis offenses.
Newt Gingrich, 1970 ?. Image info. Largest size.
Mike Myers as Austin Powers.
Newt Gingrich (see his Wikipedia article) as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives proposed a bill in 1995 to give the death penalty for importing 2 ounces of cannabis. He introduced it in 1996 as H.R. 4170 (Drug Importer Death Penalty Act of 1996) to the House of Representatives.
- Gingrich on Marijuana - See the discussion of H.R. 4170 and importing "100 usual dosage amounts." Life imprisonment without parole for the first offense, and the death penalty for the second offense.
- Gingrich Urges Death Penalty For Illegal Drug Smugglers. Aug. 27, 1995. Washington Post.
- House Speaker Gingrich Proposes Increased Death Penalties for Drug Dealers. October 1995. National Drug Strategy Network.
- H.R. 4170: Drug Importer Death Penalty Act of 1996. GovTrack.us.
Photo to the top right: Newt Gingrich at West Georgia College (which later became the University of West Georgia). According to his Wikipedia article Gingrich was professor there from 1970 to 1978. He left when he was denied tenure. The image source says: "That's not Austin Powers dressed for a job interview... it is Newt Gingrich as a young professor at the University of Georgia." Lol. A comment says: "Short sleeved shirt (?) and a suit : not a good look....."
Newt Gingrich on August 12, 2011 at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, ahead of the Ames Straw Poll.
Million Marijuana March, now known as Global Marijuana March and Worldwide Marijuana March, was the Fifth Avenue Pot Parade expanded worldwide by Dana Beal and Cures-Not-Wars. May 2, 1998 was "Phase 1" with no other known cities (yet) except New York City. See image info and larger version.
Gary Johnson rips Gingrich about pot
Gary Johnson rips Newt Gingrich about Marijuana Death Penalty Idea.
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YouTube link.
Gatewood Galbraith on Newt Gingrich
Gatewood Galbraith. January 23, 1947 – January 4, 2012. See more about Gatewood here.
- Marijuana Activist Legend Gatewood Galbraith Dies. By Steve Elliott. Jan 4, 2012.
- Gatewood Galbraith: The People's Champion (1947-2012). By Michael Bachara, Special to Salem-News.com - Jan. 5, 2012.
- Galbraith: Have joint, will travel. By Rob Kaiser. May 12, 1996. The Kentucky Enquirer.
He reserved special ire for Republicans, most recently calling former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell "aliens, not conservatives. They never met a bloated police state they didn't like."
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  A younger Gatewood Galbraith. Enlarge image. |
See: Template:Gatewood Galbraith on Newt Gingrich. And: Newt Gingrich's deadly Drug War.
Music video. Death Penalty for Pot
Music video cartoon about our dynamic duo, Dana Beal and Aron "pieman" Kay. Video was created in 2003 (see notice at end of video). The music is by Benedict Arnold & The Traitors. The song "Death penalty for pot" was written in 1981, and recorded around 2002 according to the info on the Youtube page.
2011. Senate. 60 to 38 for indefinite
Military detention of Americans
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See also: Newt Gingrich's deadly Drug War, extraordinary rendition, and Brutality and the Drug War. Also, "Night and Fog", the Nazi Germany program of disappearances, and indefinite military detention. Also, follow the money: Private prisons and private power.
- Senate Votes To Let Military Detain Americans Indefinitely, White House Threatens Veto. Nov. 29, 2011. Huffington Post.
- 60 senators betrayed you today, they authorized the indefinite suspension of habeus corpus (updated). WeAreChangeTV.us - Nov. 29, 2011.
- Bill Summary & Status - 112th Congress (2011 - 2012) - S.AMDT.1107. See list of Senators voting for and against. THOMAS (Library of Congress).
See: Template:Senate votes for indefinite military detention of Americans.
U.S. marijuana history
Reagan and incarceration nations
- Reagan's war on cannabis is where the U.S. incarceration nation began. Number of marijuana prisoners in the USA: 40,000+ in 2011. All drug offenses: 489,000 in 2013.
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Ronald Reagan, 1980 campaign speech: "Leading medical researchers are coming to the conclusion that marijuana, pot, grass whatever you want to call it, is probably the most dangerous drug in the United States, and we haven't begun to find out all of the ill effects, but they are permanent ill effects. The loss of memory for example." -
Obama helped turn around the Reagan-Bush War on Pot, mandatory minimums, mass incarceration. See: US incarceration peaked in 2008.
Propaganda of incarceration nations. Reaganism is about drug war, code-word racism, hate radio, mass incarceration, and above all, trickle-down economics (Reaganomics).
| Drug war + Trickle-down Reaganomics, = mass incarceration and mass control. |
| See article: Trickle-down economics plus drug war. |
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Nancy Reagan and Ronald Reagan of the USA. The "Just Say No" campaign.
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Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union.
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See Wikimedia Commons: Category:Government propaganda. Note the "glorious mission" or "glorious war" nature of much propaganda. Like the Republican-led Holy War, the "War on Drugs". See Wikipedia: War on Drugs. It is really a war on some drug users. This particular glorious war was reinvigorated by the cult leaders, Ronald and Nancy Reagan. The B-movie actor Ronald (6) Wilson (6) Reagan (6) is still worshiped like a God (or idol) by some segments of the Republican Party.
National Rifle Association history of
Pushing for mandatory sentencing
| Federal mandatory minimum sentencing charts. |
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First mandatory minimums chart below is from an older FAMM report, "Correcting Course: Lessons from the 1970s Repeal of Mandatory Minimum Sentences". FAMM is Families Against Mandatory Minimums. [106]. See Wikipedia: Mandatory minimums. The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 increased the amounts of crack cocaine required to trigger 5 and 10 year sentences. [107]. See revised charts since then. Share link to this page. For charts of all federal mandatory minimums (not just for drug offenses), go here. Later chart with revisions, such as the amount of crack cocaine required for various sentences: |
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The Reagans and Just Say No
The elephant is the mascot of the Republican Brownshirts. See: Holy War on Drugs, Republican-led mass incarceration. Share link.
November 1980 election to now. The Reagan Revolution. "Just Say No" and massive U.S. incarceration increase. U.S.-aided, government-sanctioned, drug-war death squads in Colombia, Mexico, Thailand, etc.. Reaganomics 101: Lower taxes on the 1%. Tax the poor and middle class. Especially by regressive taxes and fees. Such as sales taxes, and non-means-tested property taxes, and user fees. Spend exorbitant amounts on "freedom" (doublespeak for more prisons and jails). See Wikipedia: Ronald Wilson Reagan, Nancy Reagan, and the War on Drugs. See also: commons:Category:Just Say No.
- Remember D.A.R.E.? It Was A Bigger Failure Than You Realized. By Rachel Souerbry. Ranker.
Cannabis is safer
Return to top. See article: Cannabis is safer.
- Obama correctly said that cannabis is safer than alcohol. See: Cannabis is safer. He also said marijuana should be treated more as a public health issue than a criminal one. And: Obama signals support for legalizing medical marijuana. [108]. See video.
- USA. 1 in 10 deaths of working-age adults are alcohol-related (disease, overdose, car crashes, falls, violence, etc). 87,798 per year, 2006 to 2010. [109][110][111][112][113].
See longer article: Cannabis is safer.
- Imagine if Mitt Romney had been elected President in 2012 instead of Obama.
- Obama on marijuana legalization. [114]. "My suspicion is that you’re gonna see other states start looking at this". The Washington Post. Jan. 22, 2015.
Above quote is from Sanjay Gupta interview of Obama on April 15, 2015. Interview aired on CNN on April 19, 2015. [115][116][117].
- Obama administration asks Supreme Court to reject lawsuit filed by Republican governments in Oklahoma and Nebraska to stop legal marijuana in Colorado [118]. December 2015.
 Obama helped turn around the Reagan-Bush War on Pot, mandatory minimums, mass incarceration. See: US incarceration peaked in 2008. |
- Holder's Legacy: Steering Away From the Drug War and Mass Incarceration. [119]. Attorney General Eric Holder (2009-2015) under President Obama.
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