Asking For Answers From Elected Officials

Josh — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:15:37 +0000

In my last post I expressed my concern about the lack of real, serious answers from anti-marijuana folk. I provided a few examples of the rebuttals we often provide, and the deafening silence that follows. So I thought to myself “let’s see if we can get some real answers.”

I give to you my open letter to our politicians requesting a real discussion.

If you aren’t living in Florida you’re lucky enough to be in a state that isn’t so far behind the times that you often wonder if the rest of the country even takes you seriously (”CHADS” anyone?).

We have some of the harshest laws in regard to marijuana use and possession and it’s mostly thanks too the politicians in our state.

The Laws

In Florida, possessing anything over 20 grams is a felony. Admittedly, I am not too sure how much that is in regard to amount of smokeable substance, but I did okay in Math and Science, and the hair on my head weighs more than 20 grams (I’m bald).

House Bill 173

During the 2008 Legislative Session, a law sponsored by Senator Steve Oelrich from Gainseville and Representative Nick Thompson from Ft. Myers was passed as House Bill 173. It was officially signed into law by Governor Charlie Crist soon after.

Now, to be fair the law targets the cultivation of 25 or more plants with the intention of distribution. 25 plants is a lot (at least to me) if you’re talking personal use. That being said, it does carry a felony charge and jail time.

I don’t have as much of a problem with the law itself because I know we will eventually fight through it (you can indeed cure stupid, it just takes time). The problem I have is a lot of the reasoning behind the law provided by Rep. Thompson and Senator Oelrich. The usual mis-information and poor logic.

So, though I think 25 plants is a lot for personal use, it does show that these are the guys that make decisions. And from them, I want real answers. More specifically, because Charlie Crist signed it into law, I really want answers from him.So I sent the questions to him via email.

Give Them To Me

What I want are real answers. No double talk, no political speak, no dodging/deflecting, etc. Just real answers as to why such a law was created which pulls us further from the future. I want real answers to the followup points. I direct my letter to Governor Crist specifically, but if anyone would like to take part in the discussion, I would be more than happy to open it to them as well.

I wouldn’t mind doing so via email, which would allow for time to think about answers and questions as the conversation grows.

My Expectations

Admittedly, I am not well educated in the realm of politics. I’m not sure if I’m even barking up the appropriate tree. I can’t actually tell you the difference between a governor and a senator. But, I am a resident of Florida and more importantly America. I have opinions on a matter that I feel is important enough to warrant attention. I have kids that I would like to raise in an America not governed by fear or ignorance. I’m just a regular guy who wants answers.

So, I would be amazed if I get a response. I would be blown away if he actually agrees to answer questions. I am 100% sure that I won’t actually get any real answers. I would really love to hear them, but I’ve been lucky (unfortunate) enough to deal with this state before, and the odds of something coming from this are very low.

However, I hope that this will at least get others to think about these things when voting time comes. I hope that perhaps somewhere there is a politician that can help lead Florida to a better position.

No offense to Governor Crist, but maybe we can get someone into office who thinks for the future with an educated stance as opposed to the perpetuation of mis-information.

If anyon in the anti-legalization crowd is interested in taking part in this discussion, please feel free to do so.

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Dictionaries for the Drug Czar

Josh — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:48:28 +0000

I first saw this video on NORML.org, one of the leaders in our little fight. Basically, a very valid question was asked of Gil Kerilikowske, and not only did he completely blow it off, he stated that:

We’re a country of free speech, and so I think the last thing anyone in the administration would do would be to supress free speech and that discussion. As regards to “legalization,” it’s not in the president’s vocabulary, and it’s not in mine.

So what does NORML think we should do? Well, what any friend would do, help Gil out. Let’s send him a dictionary.

You have a couple options, but I think the first would have the bigger impact.

Go to your local discount store and buy a cheap pocket dictionary.
Find legalization inside and mark it with a yellow highlighter and a Post-It® or paper-clip on that page
Mail that dictionary to the Drug Czar at:

Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
Executive Office of the President (EOP)
Attn: Director Gil Kerlikowske
Washington, DC 20503

The other options are a good choice too, simply send a postcard, or donate directly to NORML (a good idea even if not for dictionaries) as noted on their page on the subject.

Again, I want to stress the impact I think a truck full of dictionaries would have. At the least, it would make for a good news story, and perhaps force Gil to seriously answer the question.