What Child Is This?

/
What Child Is This?

How is it that we have, collectively, forgotten to keep watch over those entrusted to our watch – especially from high office?  Last year, 47,055 Americans, most of them young, were lost to drug abuse – just statistics now.  Why?   

In part, because so many Americans have heard a mixed message from their leaders – with devastating effects. Led to believe drugs are “recreation,” something not different from beer or wine, kids try and soon die.  Synthetic opioids, heroin, cocaine, high potency marijuana – and then a trip to the ER, or not even, on the way to a mortuary.  Numbers do not lie. 

Read More

Proposition 64: New law should be cause for broad alarm

/
Proposition 64: New law should be cause for broad alarm

It is clear that California is no longer the Golden State. California does poorly in education and in measures of children’s well-being. With only 12 percent of the nation’s population, California has 33 percent of those on the nation’s welfare rolls. Homelessness and drug use are skyrocketing and the two are connected. None of these issues will be improved with more pot commercialization and use. Other problems of the state will be made worse as well.

Read More

7 things to know now that Prop 64 is law→

/
7 things to know now that Prop 64 is law

Just as in the case of medical marijuana, local governments can ban commercial marijuana transactions by ordinance and if they decide to OK marijuana businesses, the local authorities can regulate them through zoning laws. Some communities in San Diego County dropped the hammer before Tuesday’s election. Poway’s city council on Nov. 1 banned the commercial sale and outdoor cultivation of marijuana, joining Santee, San Marcos, Lemon Grove and National City. But while communities can nix cultivation, they cannot ban the provision allowing up to six plants in a person’s home. “They can have regulations to prevent nuisance to neighbors and protect safety and things like that, but they can’t ban it across the board,” Todd said.

Read More

Prop 64 Wins - Public Health, Safety and California Kids Lose

/
Prop 64 Wins - Public Health, Safety and California Kids Lose

“This is the worst possible message we could send to our citizens, children and other states,” warns Scott Chipman, Southern California Chair of CALM. “For at least a generation California like Colorado will be burdening their communities and children with the scourge that is marijuana. The negative impacts of legalization and commercialization will be regular headlines in the news and in the lives of Californians.” 

Read More

5 Former DEA Administrators urge Governor Brown to Oppose Prop 64

/
5 Former DEA Administrators urge Governor Brown to Oppose Prop 64

As former heads of the Drug Enforcement Administration, we write to ask you, the State’s highest level and most visible political leader, to take a position on Proposition 64 before the election next Tuesday. For the reasons set out below, we urge you to oppose Prop 64. Your voice, Governor, is critical.

Read More

Californians Call on Governor Brown To take An Oppose Position on Prop 64

/
Californians Call on Governor Brown To take An Oppose Position on Prop 64

It is curious that Governor Brown said while being interviewed by “Meet the Press,” March 2, 2014, “The problem with anything, a certain amount is OK.  But there is a tendency to go to extremes, and all of a sudden, if there is advertising and legitimacy, how many people can get stoned and still have a great State.”  Carla Lowe, Founder, Co-chair, Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana (CALM)said, “He then turned his back on Californians 4 days later and accepted over $108,000 from Sean Parker and his wife, both financial backers of Prop 64.  We believe he further put California in jeopardy, maybe forever, by allowing it to become the world’s largest producer of marijuana by not demanding enforcement of federal law.

Read More

Why Legalizing Marijuana Would Be a Big Mistake

/
Why Legalizing Marijuana Would Be a Big Mistake

The marijuana of today comes in numerous forms; smoked, vaporized, butters, waxes, oils, and edibles.  What they all have in common is their THC potency (THC is the psychoactive, intoxicating and addictive cannabinoid in marijuana)  which is 10-40x greater than the marijuana of the 1960’s.  Today’s marijuana has been genetically engineered to maximize THC and minimize CBD (the non-psychoactive, non-intoxicating, non-addictive; cannabinoid with potentially therapeutic value).   

Read More

Pueblo, Colorado : A Cautionary Tale

/
Pueblo, Colorado : A Cautionary Tale

“Those living in the rural areas are scared,” reports Paula McPheeters of the Citizens for a Healthy Pueblo. “The marijuana grows are despoiling the land and draining the water aquifers.  Squatters are growing marijuana and crime is increasing.” McPheeters says the community is being overwhelmed by outsiders moving in and taking over. Gang activity is increasing, drive by shootings, petty crime, auto theft are now big problems in a once peaceful community.

Read More

When A Lie Travels: Comparing Alcohol To Marijuana→

/
When A Lie Travels: Comparing Alcohol To Marijuana

This November, several states will vote on whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use, and the proponents of legalization have seized on a seemingly clever argument: marijuana is safer than alcohol.  The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, an effort of the Marijuana Policy Project (or MPP), has taken this argument across the country.  Their latest strategy is labeled Marijuana vs. Alcohol.  It is a very misleading, even dangerous, message, based on bad social science and sophistic public deception.

Read More

The American Automobile Association Opposes Prop 64

/
The American Automobile Association Opposes Prop 64

We have a genuine traffic-safety concern related to the legalization of recreation marijuana use, including marijuana candies, foods, and concentrates. It has taken generations to educate the driving public about drinking and driving and to strengthen laws to reduce drunk driving. Proposition 64 would create new traffic- safety issues and increase the problem of impaired driving.

Read More

Marijuana Mass Poisonings on the Rise

/
Marijuana Mass Poisonings on the Rise

"While many would have you believe marijuana is a harmless drug, those of us in the public safety arena have seen increases in medical emergencies from marijuana ingestion," he said in the report. "It is noteworthy that our system of emergency medical transport was completely tapped in order to handle this event. Thankfully, no other medical emergencies occurred simultaneously (sic), otherwise someone might not have received timely emergency help."

Read More

The pro-pot crowd claims that legalization will eliminate the black market. This is a lie.

/
The pro-pot crowd claims that legalization will eliminate the black market. This is a lie.

The legalization of marijuana allows the pot industry to aggressively advertise and market a crude street drug as well as hundreds of additional products containing extremely high levels of THC. The marketing of these products along with easy access to unlimited supplies expands the customer base for marijuana and normalizes its use. As a result, the pot industry is free to openly advertise, manufacture, process, transport, and distribute massive quantities of drugs. This gives other "unlicensed" drug dealers the ability to blend in - to literally "hide in plain sight."

Read More

Legalizing recreational marijuana hurts youth, families→

/
Legalizing recreational marijuana hurts youth, families

As a longtime San Diegan, parent and local school board member, I have deep concerns about Proposition 64, the measure that could permit the large-scale production, advertising and retail sales of recreational marijuana in California. What we know from other states, like Colorado and Washington, that have gone down this road is that usage goes up. In fact, Colorado leads the nation in teen use of marijuana; and with this increased use comes obvious negative repercussions.

Read More