by Cannabis Polish

As Maine lurches from 1 legislative session to yet another, it becomes typical for the media to sit in trade and influence which payment is valid and which a dissipate of time. Obtaining been all a legislator and editorial writer, I have an appreciation of the urgings that drive both.

In a word, all are seeking for that Hegelian moment that will shed light on the wisdom or foolishness of the status quo.

Building Criminals Out of Pot Smokers:

The status quo of our prison technique in the US is 1 of making criminals out of drug offenders. Pot smokers who go on to new and privileged experiences usually find out themselves on the incorrect side of the law. As soon as they get into the penal system, they are honestly considerably ruined for life.

As a result, with five% of the world’s populace, we figure 25% of the world’s prisoners, a huge percentage of whom started their journey downhill by self-medicating their mental illnesses with cannabis.

Legalize the Material!

Rep. Dianne Russell (D-Portland) addresses the prison growth business with a payment that would legalize and tax the recreational development and use of cannabis. The confirmed objective is to raise revenue and minimize the fee of law enforcement and corrections. The payment has the help of ACLU-ME.

On cue, the press declares such a payment a colossal dissipate of time on the grounds that pot, getting a proscribed substance, is regulated by the centralized regime.

Debate a Colossal Dissipate of Time?

Is there no earn in raising debate on prison overcrowding in Maine? All and every “dissipate-of-time” payment that focuses on a key social conundrum helps educate the public on the unintended consequences of both the status quo and adjust.

I can consider of a amount of such “dissipate-of-time” legislative measures in the past. In 2003, the Maine administration passed a non-binding resolution that questioned the President of the United States to exhaust all earnings of skill before going into Iraq on the grounds that there might, God forbid, be no WMD’s in Iraq. What emerged was exposure of stinkin thinkin on all sides of the aisle.

Gay marriage was yet another “dissipate-of-time” initiative. Maine could legalize gay marriage, but handful of of the proposed civil civil rights rewards would flow to gay couples cultivate the centralized regime complied. But, devoid of the debate forced by a payment, we would lumber on in our ignorance. With the debate, the ignorance or wisdom of everyone on both sides of the concern emerges.

The War on Drugs is a War on Us!

Rep. Russell has sneaked into the legislative approach a payment that ought to alarm Mainers – not about legalizing pot, but about our prison polish. The war on crime and drugs has turned us into a control state. Our prisons are full to overflowing with non-violent would-be sons and daughters of liberty being turned into rebels by our largest growth market – corrections.

Austerely since Maine holds the largest proportion of white, housing, employed and passive (peaceful) citizens in the nation, targets to feed the prison growth sector are moving closer and closer to home.

LD 1095 a Gateway Drug:

LD 1095 is the gateway drug destined to partner Maine with such states as Arizona in tucking away undesirables with out adverse publicity. Passage will allocate Corrections Corporation of America to make a private prison in rural Maine to residence illegal immigrants.

Inhabitant Public Radio’s Laura Sullivan reported in October, 2010, that Arizona’s infamous alien law, SB 1070, originated from and was heavily lobbied by the private prison market. A release of the essential players in that drama was Corrections Corporation of America, the driving force behind Maine’s LD 1095.

In brief, CCA will develop a centralized prison in Maine if the Corrections Commissioner, Joseph Ponte, a ex- employee of CCA, will be offered flexible authority to ship prisoners out of state. It would be incredibly less costly and quieter to send our chronic pot smokers to CCA facilities than to flounder around with an ole boy network that is 100 being out of date.

We could protect locking ‘em up devoid of showing our dirty laundry!

Rep. Russell delivers an chance for debate more than our wisdom or foolishness in locking up our rebellious neighbors. As a radical in my own genteel, I am for commence debate, even for pot smoking and whoopie pies.

With out the debate, the men and women perish in their ignorance.