No Fear

Dear Congressman Nunes (R-22^nd District, California) and your colleagues,

We have this stunt before with your memo. And we have seen how it turns out. Please watch and learn a little bit of history of this great country.

Signed
An Informed Citizen.

Murrow on McCarthy, no fear, 1954

Weed

Weed is now legal in California. Before I get deeper in to this rant, full disclosure is required. I am opposed to pot legalization. Seen too many high school buddies suffer from it.

Now that I have said that, I understand the want to legalize it. It is a nature product. Hemp is a strong material. Heck, even the fore fathers grow it. There are a number of claims about its use curing cancer and other terrible diseases. (None of which have been proven in scientific peer-reviewed papers.) I have personally seen it aid people on lemon and with AIDS. (Killed the nausea and allowed them to eat.)

Now there are 29 states that have legalized it for Recreation or medical use. For those that are bad at math, that is a majority of the states. There are more looking to do the same.

Now under Obama, the DOJ (Department of Justice) took a hands off approach. I am sure that there are number of reasons why. None of which I am privy too. However, the belief that Obama administration was a bunch of weed smoking hippies is not it.

Now, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has inform the offices of the U.S. Attorneys that they can prosecute for the maximum terms. And this has brought about a number cries of anguish and gnashing of teeth. The voices from both side of the aisle is interesting. Their reasons are what is the most interesting.

Conservatives are upset because this is yet another promise broke by the Trump administration. The gist of this is the promise to respect state's rights (the 10th Amendment to the Constitution.) The liberals are upset for the obvious reasons. Talk about big Pharma being behind it. Seasons has a big investments in private prisons. (Social Media has even crazier reasons.)

Trump, Seasons, prohibitionists, and I are on the wrong side of history here. Marijuana will be legalized. The reason has nothing to do with feel good you get from smoking/ingesting it. The reason is simple economics.

The States are getting over a billion dollars in tax revenue. They are not going to walk away from that. Conservative estimates are close to 120,000 jobs will be created. (Twice that of the coal industry.) And then there are the jobs created in support of it. Finance, Insurance, construction, and transportation are all thing that will generate more money and jobs.

Now, the downside has to be addressed. In the last 30 years, the strength of pot (THC) has dramatically increased in intensity. The reasons are obvious. The dealers needed stronger weed. The stronger it is, less you need. Smaller amounts are less to smuggle and bigger profits. Do we want every Tom, Dick, and Harry to growing and selling weed? (You can make booze, but you can't sell it unless you are licensed.)

History is marching on. Pot will be legalized. Nothing can be done to stop it. The tipping point has passed. But some common sense safe guards can and should be put in place. I hope all sides can agree to this.

When this was first published on my Facebook page, there were some responses. Here are the two most thought provoking:

David Gerrold: Medical use of marijuana has not been extensively researched ... yet.
However, I know a number of people who have benefited enormously from CBD oil and other forms of marijuana. The anecdotal evidence is starting to pile up and it's my feeling that the whole subject merits significant study. (I'm not going to cite all the different stories I've heard from reputable people about how their use of medical grade grass has helped them. Much of the medical pot does not get you stoned, it's pain relieving. But I will cite my own experience — that CBD oil is effective on sore muscles, especially a torn rotator cuff.)
But there's another argument for legalization that merits consideration. When this nation prohibited the use of alcohol in the twenties, and into the thirties, the result was a nation of scofflaws, and the creation of organized criminal smuggling and distribution operations — i.e. the creation of the mafia.
Eventually, prohibition was abandoned.
Keeping marijuana illegal is another prohibition. The black market for pot funnels millions of dollars into Mexican cartels, who spend that money on weapons, and have destabilized not only the Mexican economy, but the government as well.
Legalization of pot cuts off that flow of money to Mexican cartels. Taxation of legal pot puts millions of dollars into state and local coffers.
The evidence of Colorado and other states is that the use of pot does not significantly increase with legalization.
Yes, there are issues with legalization, but they will likely prove less disruptive than the continuation of an ineffective war on drugs, which has been enforced unfairly against minorities.

Janice Dallas: Pot/cannabis is not all THC. More and more strains that are higher in CBD than THC are being developed. They do not make one stoned, but do give relief of chronic pain, (which I use it for instead of opioids). I agree that research on all its good properties is desired, but that can't be done while it's considered a class 1 drug with no redeeming qualities. It needs to be changed to class 2, because it does have medical properties.

Fire and Fury

Dear Mr. President,

Today, a book that is highly critical of you will be released. It says a number of highly negative things about you, you family, and your Administration.

Yesterday, your lawyers tried to serve a cease and desist letter to the publisher of the book. The basis being defamation, libel, and "full of lies." You claim that you never authorized the book. And that it is full of lies.

It appears that your lawyers have not told you the truth. Let me educate you in somethings since they appear to have not done their jobs. You are a public figure. People are allow to talk about public figures. Yes, there are laws protecting them. But you, sir, are the President. The most public of public figures.

As a government figure, you are open to unfettered criticism and scrutiny. That is the nature of the office you chose to run for. If you did not want this scrutiny, this criticism of you, then you should have stayed a private citizen.

By sending this letter and complaining loudly about this book, you have turned it into an international best seller.

You are threatening to sue. So again, let me educate you because your lawyers are not. The Publishing Company (a German company) is a multi-national corporation. They have more money and more lawyers than you do. You will lose in court with even the most conservative judges.

You and your Administration allowed this reporter into your midst. You gave him unprecedented access, even to the Oval Office. This is the unintended consequences and results of you and the amateur hour staff that you have surrounded yourself with. Time to be a president and accept criticism that you are going to get. The country is watching and will make a judgment soon.

Signed,
An Informed Citizen.