More reasons to re-think CA Prop. 19 - It may make things worse.

Divide and conquer is an old oppression tool. Instead of 'We The People' demanding that the president end hemp prohibition by Jack Herer Executive Order 420, we continue to participate in state fights over how much oppression we can stand.

Case in point is California's Prop. 19.  I don't live in California so I have no vote in Prop 19, the most shattering thing to hit the hemp movement in at least 50 years. People who have sacrificed everything for decades are being trashed for speaking out.  That's just wrong, wrong, wrong. It's time to get the devil out of the mix. The division and other forms of infighting are the opposite of what the Hemp Peace Pipe is suppose to accomplish, unity.


While listening to my favorite on line radio show Time4Hemp which broadcasts on the American Freedom Radio Network Casper Leitch had on my friend Richard M. Davis, founder and curator of the USA Hemp Museum . Richard rocked my world with his analysis of Prop. 19 to the point I posted in an effort to understand why.

Richard wrote in a series of blog entries on his HEMP FOR VICTORY NOW:

"Nowhere in Prop. 19 is the word legalization mentioned, not in the Purpose Section, not in the Intent Section, not at all. Look at the title of Prop 19: The Regulation, Control and Taxation of Cannabis Act of 2010. Regulation, Control and Taxation are the opposite of legalization...Any law such as Prop. 19 which does not give ironclad protection to our medical marijuana rights should be voted down. Prop. 19 in the Intent Section (c) says: “This Act is intended to limit the application and enforcement of state (Prop 215 and S.B. 420) and local laws (all of them) relating to possession, transportation, cultivation, consumption and sale of cannabis…” In Prop. 19 Section 11301: Commercial Regulation and Controls gives total control (“Notwithstanding any other provision of state or local law…) to 538 different local governments in California. Think about how unequal that makes our rights!"

I've been advocating a fair tax on most hemp and a recreational grade tax of 20% since the 1980's, so I agree that, like anything else purchased, it should be taxed.

So here's my questions for when I visit CA.

If Prop. 19 is passed, will we be free to smoke a joint when we want to?

Can we still go to jail for interacting with nature?

Will the folks in prison be free if Prop. 19 makes hemp legal?

How will we keep all the different laws straight as we travel through the state?

For more information Richard's blog entries are posted:

http://h4v.blogspot.com/2010/09/dont-be-propositioned-vote-no-on.html

http://h4v.blogspot.com/2010/09/vote-no-on-proposition-19-by-richard-m.html

http://h4v.blogspot.com/2010/09/no-on-prop-19-by-richard-m-davis-usa.html

Of course, you're always welcome to come by the USA Hemp Museum,  and expand your hempucation.

Is Prop. 19 A Trojan Horse?

Especially if you’ve made your mind up about California’s Prop. 19, whichever side you are on, please think again.  What was a debate on ending hemp prohibition has turned into nasty name calling and pointless flaming, a sign of divide and conquer in play.  The real questions are:

1.  Is Prop. 19 a freedom or oppression tool?

2.  Is it for the good of the people? 

3.  Is it unifying or empowering divide and conquer? 

4.  Why was Prop. 215 never properly enforced?

Consider the impact that arguing among ourselves, rather than focusing attention where it needs to go…to the President of the United States, has kept the legalization process more than a year behind.  There is insufficient pressure put on the president regarding this hemp issue because we are arguing over how to live with oppression rather than get to the business of using hemp to help us solve our problems.  It is time to throw off the tin gods and simply end hemp prohibition by the Jack Herer Executive Order 420 that should also empower family and other small business farming.

I heard an interesting conversation on TIME 4 HEMP with Casper Leitch, a radio show that covers almost 20 years of the cutting edge of the hemp movement and shows no evidence of slowing down, only expanding its reach.  You can catch Time 4 Hemp on American Freedom Radio at 11P.M. central time Monday through Friday.  A grant from KDK Distributors is sponsoring both Time 4 Hemp and American Freedom Radio.

On Thursday, August 26, 2010, Leitch had as a return guest, Richard M. Davis, the founder and curator of the USA Hemp Museum, talking about the history of hemp and of course the conversation expanded into the future as affected by Prop.19. 

Hemp is already legal in California by virtue of Prop. 215 and it was intended to profit the people, not the government or business.

Is Prop 19  designed to give the hemp industry to big business?  Does it allow the government the right to throw us in prison for having more than an ounce, hemping in public or growing too much? Or is it simply the next step in the legalization process with amendments to fix problems later?

To look into the future Leitch and Davis first provided a historical context, covering how hemp is a plant that has given humanity a real edge, yet prohibited by governments and even the Catholic Church.  King George made it mandatory that the colonies grow hemp.  Hemp and tobacco were key colony exports.  Davis spoke of the Hemp For Victory program where after prohibition farmers were allowed to grow hemp to win the war.  Davis has a HEMP FOR VICTORY book series which includes A GLOBAL WARMING SOLUTION, THE WONDER HERB and THE TRILLION DOLLAR CROP, all on how to use this miracle plant to solve many of our problems.  Free ebook editions and a study guide are on the museum’s blog.

On the show they discussed how the war on drugs is really just racism and other forms of oppression in disguise. Based on results, they are right, as demonstrated in the webeo below by the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy .

Davis said the first US law pertaining to marijuana was in El Paso Texas – racism against Mexicans. The drama was made up, probably by the yellow journalism publisher William Randolph Hearst who was racist, to say the least. (Maybe he just hated everyone who was not rich – starting with the dark skinned people.)  The AMA only got a few days notice on the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act that had folks jump through impossible hoops to take away our freedom. Though the tax stamp act was declared unconstitutional in 1969, hemp is still a controlled substance and that needs to be changed.

Of course the conversation took an unexpected turn to California’s controversial Prop. 19.  These men are known for taking controversial turns if that’s what is required to upgrade a situation. 

Davis pointed out that with Prop. 19, California will have different sets of rules on hemp farming, transportation, sales, tax and consumption. Hemp is still a felony if Prop. 19 passes and counties will tax based on need (greed). 

Respected hemp activist Dr. Jeri Rose posted on her Facebook page a detailed analysis of Prop. 19 written by a lawyer – She also confirmed that Rancho Cordova is planning a tax on home grown hemp.

Davis recommends we use what he calls “Brenda’s Tomato Model For Hemp.”  Treat hemp like every other crop, i.e. a tomato. The person hurt most by prohibition is the farmers. Most farmers want hemp. Farm organizations (i.e. Willie Nelson’s Farm Aid ) are pro hemp. We don’t produce anything in the US.  Here’s something we can produce, hemp. 

He recommend that we stand up for our rights.  We have rights like nobody else.  Prop. 19 changes the constitution, changes local control from statewide uniformity to county chaos.  Come on by the USA Hemp Museum, www.hempmuseum.org to expand your hempucation on how hemp can make over 50,000 products including effective medicine, beautiful and strong fabrics and building materials, clean energy, low cost high nutrition foods, long lasting paper, and a whole lot more.

The second guest on this program is the great hempster, High Times contributor  Ed “Ask Ed” Rosenthal . Rosenthal talks about his journey from early hemp activist to respected author.  He is pro Prop. 19.  Both Davis and Rosenthal are long time hemp activist who have served time as political prisoners for hemp (not the same thing as criminals). You will find many other Prop. 19 guests on other shows too, i.e. the hemp heroes at  L.E.A.P. (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition).

Be HempUcated! Study, read, listen and teach hemp.  Over the last 5,000 years the delicious hemp plant may be the most studied crop on the planet because it is the most versatile. Visit the USA Hemp Museum to see the many ways this plant can be used for the enrichment of mankind. Listen to the radio show and visit the site www.time4hemp.com to check out the extensive catalogue of past, live and a calendar of future shows.

As Tony Robbins says in in book AWAKEN THE GIANT WITHIN, "knowledge is the commodity of kings."  Wisely using the information available from the many great sources on the web, at events and other gatherings is key to our thriving in this, the Promised Land.  Despite rumors, the American Dream is not dead, just in the process of transformation.  We are overcoming now.

Which ever way you vote, consider we must stay on point, unconditionally ending hemp prohibition so we can be free.  Put pressure on the White House to implement Jack Herer Executive Order 420 .  We’ll all be glad you did.

Happy Hemp.