{"id":12868,"date":"2016-11-19T14:25:00","date_gmt":"2016-11-19T14:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=12868"},"modified":"2017-01-19T15:00:25","modified_gmt":"2017-01-19T15:00:25","slug":"pew-research-poll-reflects-views-on-pot-decriminalisation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2016\/11\/pew-research-poll-reflects-views-on-pot-decriminalisation\/","title":{"rendered":"Pew Research Poll Reflects Views on Pot Decriminalisation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Please share this post with every concerned parent you know! Spread the Word about Pop Pot!<\/p>\n

Pew Research released a new poll from late August and early September that shows 57% of American voters favor marijuana legalization.\u00a0 Based on the question and the article, the poll probably means that 57% of the voters favor marijuana decriminalization.\u00a0\u00a0 Next time the poll should be more specific in its meaning.\u00a0 The same day this poll was released, a headline from the Cape Cod News in supposedly \u201cliberal\u201d Massachusetts read Support Scarce for Legal Pot.\u00a0\u00a0 There could not be a bigger difference in meaning\u00a0 between these headlines.\u00a0 Why the difference?<\/p>\n

Despite this poll, all 5 states with ballots for marijuana legalization this November poll at less than 57% in favor of legalization.\u00a0 There is a disparity between the survey question and legalization in practice. Legalization creates a new industry expected to make a lot of money for investors.\u00a0\u00a0 It is the reason that Weed Maps, ArcView group\u00a0 and Soros-funded groups contribute to the ballots.\u00a0 There\u2019s a big difference between legalization and decriminalization.\u00a0 Did those conducting the survey explain what legalization means?<\/p>\n

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Since the Sacramento Bee made this chart, at least $10 million more has been raised by\u00a0 California\u2019s Yes on 64 campaign. With the business Weed Maps, MJ Freeway and George Soros funding so much, it\u2019s obviously a good business venture.\u00a0 George Soros gave at least $4 million.<\/p>\n

Legalization creates commercial marijuana stores regulated by the state .\u00a0\u00a0 Administering and implementing it is very difficult to do.\u00a0\u00a0 Pot sales are taxed at various levels and earn some money.\u00a0 But as Colorado marijuana director, Andrew Freedman said, it\u2019s not worth legalizing for the benefit of tax revenues.<\/p>\n

When presented with facts, voters are\u00a0 sceptical of commercialization and don\u2019t want more impaired drivers.\u00a0 The cost of regulation is\u00a0 high.\u00a0\u00a0 On October 1 in Colorado, new rules began,\u00a0 and the packaging must make it more difficult for children to access. Gummy candies in the shape of animals are now forbidden. The number of hospitalizations and overdose deaths from marijuana edibles which make up nearly 50% of the market necessitated these changes.<\/p>\n

Opting out of commercial pot is very tough, too.\u00a0 Dealing with inconsiderate neighbors who grow a lot of pot plants is difficult.\u00a0 In Colorado, city governments are often greedy for tax money while residents say no to pot.\u00a0 When voters want to ban dispensaries, other forces such as the marijuana industry fight them.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s one of the reasons Colorado now has buyer\u2019s remorse<\/p>\n

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Why Marijuana Decriminalization ?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Decriminalization means that marijuana is not treated as a crime but as a mistake; offenders are charged with a small fine, like a speeding ticket.\u00a0\u00a0 In legal terms, it\u2019s the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony.\u00a0 The marijuana lobbyists have successfully convinced Americans that large numbers of people go to jail for marijuana possession only.<\/p>\n

The only people who go to jail for marijuana possession charges have committed other crimes and have plea bargained to get convicted of lesser charges.\u00a0\u00a0 Other crimes include drug dealing, transportation of drugs or possession of a large amount of drugs that indicates intent to sell.\u00a0 Selling drugs is not a victimless crime.<\/p>\n

Marijuana lobbyists omit information about drug courts which allows users an alternative and provides addiction treatment.<\/p>\n

The reason that marijuana possession is a felony crime in some states is so that it can be used as evidence to convict when there are more serious crimes.\u00a0 Drugs and drug paraphernalia become supporting evidence when other crimes may be harder to prove.<\/p>\n

How are Minorities Really Affected by Drug Laws?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Minorities have the most to lose by using marijuana.\u00a0 Daily or near daily use of marijuana by teens nearly doubles the risk of dropping out of high school.\u00a0\u00a0 Dropping out of high school makes future education and job prospects dim.\u00a0 Furthermore, a study of long-term marijuana users in New Zealand over a 25-year period found an average 7-point drop in IQ by age 38.\u00a0\u00a0 People who complain that this study did not adjust for IQ differences as reflected by socio-economic class should realize that IQ differences resulting from socio-economic factors are in play seen before age 13, when participants first entered the study.<\/p>\n

A recent study from UC Davis showed how chronic marijuana users faced more downward mobility than chronic alcohol users.\u00a0 In the US, the disproportionate arrest of minorities may reflect concern about dropping out of school and what that means for the future. The higher conviction rate for minorities is probably a reflection of income disparity and poverty.\u00a0 A disproportionate number of black and Hispanic drug dealers go to jail.\u00a0\u00a0 Minorities are less likely to be able to afford the legal fees that allow wealthy white drug dealers to get less time in jail or wiggle their way out of going to jail.\u00a0 Justice reform should not be centered on legalizing drugs, but on giving minorities better legal representation. Retired Judge Arthur Burnett, National Executive Director of the\u00a0 National African-American Drug Policy Coalition, says that\u00a0 African-American communities already suffer from a liquor store on every corner. Black voters know commercial marijuana would prey on their communities at a much higher rate.\u00a0 \u201cDo we really want to substitute mass incapacitation for mass incarceration?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a strong misconception that people go to jail just for having a joint.\u00a0\u00a0 (The threat of jail is not the reason to tell kids not to use pot, but defense of your brain is!)\u00a0\u00a0 There\u2019s also a misconception that inequities in the justice system would be solved by legalization.<\/p>\n

Maybe next time Pew Research present the polls with a bunch of different options between decriminalization, allowing home grows only or commercialization.\u00a0\u00a0 Or Pew Research should a better job at explaining what they mean by legalization.<\/p>\n

Source:\u00a0 http:\/\/www.poppot.org\/2016\/10\/13\/pew-research-poll-actually-reflects-pot-decriminalization\u00a0\u00a0 OCTOBER 13, 2016 EDITOR<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Please share this post with every concerned parent you know! Spread the Word about Pop Pot! Pew Research released a new poll from late August and early September that shows 57% of American voters favor marijuana legalization.\u00a0 Based on the question and the article, the poll probably means that 57% of the voters favor marijuana […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104,27,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-political-sector","category-social-affairs-papers","category-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12868\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}