The local Leon County Democratic Executive Committee issued a press release today urging the legalization of marijuana in Leon County.
The press release notes that on February 27, 2023 at a meeting of the Leon County Democratic Executive Committee, the full body of the Party voted unanimously to petition the Leon County Commission to decriminalize marijuana possession in Leon County, FL.
This issue is expected to be taken up by the Leon County Commission in the near future.
The motion, as passed, reads: “The Leon County Democratic Party urges the Leon County Commission to support marijuana decriminalization and to right historic wrongs caused by marijuana criminalization.”
“I’m proud of our Leon County Democratic Party for taking a stand on the right side of history on this pressing issue of major significance,” said Chair Ryan Ray. “In many ways, it’s surprising we have not already joined 15 Florida localities representing nearly eight million people in taking this common-sense step forward, given the broad support for decriminalization across our community.
“We’re looking forward to being active on this issue and organizing to help get it done!” continued Ray.
“Together with our resolution condemning Governor DeSantis for his actions hindering the teaching of African-American history in Florida, our local party stands as a bulwark in favor of the public interest — and against Republican extremism,” said Ray.
Already weakened by joblessness or low wages and drug addiction, our community has watched in horror as our newly militarized city police have turned weapons of war—helicopters, armored vehicles, and machine guns—on us. People have been locked up in record numbers, leading to an incarceration crisis that eventually turned the United States into the world’s incarceration capital.
Police hostility and brutality are not uncommon. Black and brown men in particular are routinely harassed, arrested, and treated brutally by police. Daryl Gates, the former Los Angeles Police Department chief, openly opined in a U.S. Senate hearing that casual drug users ‘ought to be taken out and shot.'”
I sincerely request that the whole cannabis plant be descheduled. Certainly there is potential for abuse that I have read about regarding cannabis, however, after traveling around the world and seeing literally millions of people (sometimes witnessing over ½ a million at a time in large festivals) use cannabis without any noticeable harm (can you imagine if they were all drunk?), I can categorically state from what I have seen and from what thousands of my friends have seen, that there is little harm in cannabis compared to even commonly available substances like alcohol, or cigarettes, or even aspirin, or sugar. I have seen many people devastated by these substances . There is inherent danger in any substance or object, even necessary substances for life like water or sunlight can kill you. Try drinking a couple of gallons of water too quickly.
Few unbiased scientists looking at the data would see alcohol as less dangerous than cannabis. The WHO estimates alcohol related deaths at over 3 million a year worldwide. And the medical use data for alcohol is almost nonexistent compared to cannabis. If the prohibition of cannabis is really a public heath concern, then why is not alcohol, a universally agreed upon public health hazard, not scheduled? Or aspirin that kills about 15,000 Americans a year?
On top of that the prohibition of cannabis has been by all accounts – unsuccessful.
In the US we have been told that drug prohibition means controlling drugs. However, we can safely say that drugs are out of control. Even with the US having the largest prison population in the world, (at our high point, we had as many prisoners as #2 (China) and #3 (Russia) combined).
Science and widespread experience have shown cannabis has no significant harms. So, it should be regulated no more strictly than is very harmful alcohol. Plus, the preponderance of the research shows cannabis is not a significant cause of auto accidents.
Every person who chooses near harmless cannabis over addictive, very harmful alcohol, improves their health significantly - as well as the lives of their family and community.
this will absolutely help improve the vagrant situation all over town! it will definitely reduce the amount of high vagrants passed out on sidewalks; I am confident after this passes we will see societal & economical improvements! thank you local libs for saving our beautiful home!
Let's get marijuana fully legalized & move on. We really have much more important & pressing issues going on in our country right now that need our attention & pardon the pun, but this issue is becoming a smoke screen to other issues.
Sounds like some folks still stuck on Reefer Madness? So many States have legalized the herb already and the Feds are not far behind!
Really? The environment and crime are going down the crapper, plus an accomplished nothing city commissioner up for re-election and legalizing pot is the best this group can do?
I am gonna need some reparations.
The hypocrisy is astounding. After decades of waging an anti-smoking jihad the filthy Demonrats and their Rethuglican lap dogs now want to legalize smoking weed. Smoking is smoking. Inhaling any smoke is just not smart. And you pro-weed folks need to wake the heck up. This ain't the weed you smoked in the 60s, 70s, 80s and even into the 90s. Today's weed is extremely more powerful causing psychotic breakdowns of folks especially young folks without fully developed brains. Check out cities like Denver, CO and on the left coast. Out of control mental illness, homelessness, drug addiction and young people stoned out of their mind and in some cases deaths from smoking too much weed. Banks will not allow legal weed businesses to bank with them because of liability. So weed businesses work on a cash basis and experience a significant amount of armed robberies. And these are all Demonrat controlled cities just like Florida's Crapital District. And you folks support this?
@Deepsix -- It's not just the lawmakers that are responsible for your "sky high homeowners ins. premium", there's a now well-known law firm that brags about recovering over $15,000,000,000 for their clients (and somehow forgets to mention that their cut is $6B), every penny of which was paid for from our premiums. All of the ambulance chasers in this country have given the other lawyer a bad name!
The libertarian in me (who doesn't even smoke pot), supports this.
Just decriminalize it and shut up about "historic wrongs". It was illegal!
If you got busted with marijuana when it was illegal that's on you, I don't know anyone that didn't know you could get arrested for having a sack of reefer in the truck. So just stop it with the "historic wrongs", decriminalize reefer and move on to a real problem, like my sky high homeowners ins. premium! Democrats only create problems, they fix nothing, so I'm sure nothing will happen unless it's bad for everyone.
~ The motion, as passed, reads: “The Leon County Democratic Party urges the Leon County Commission to support marijuana decriminalization and to right historic wrongs caused by marijuana criminalization.”
As always, the devil is in the details... to wit: "... and to right historic wrongs caused by marijuana criminalization.” Also know as, a path to reparations of some form or another. It is/was NOT a "historic wrong", and any elected body that mirrors this nonsense and puts it to a formal vote of the official body would be engaging in an egregious violation of their duty and Oath of Office.
I am OK with decriminalizing marijuana, as long as you smoke it at HOME. If you are caught outside and it is on your person, and it is of Personal Use amount, you should be made to destroy it where you stand. Release all those in Jail / Prison who were arrested for having personal use amounts, that will free up space for other Criminals. BUT, mark my words, after this, they will be going after Cocaine next to make it Legal.