CWA Endorses CA's Control and Tax Ballot Initiative

I do not typically think too much of endorsements, but this one is an exception:

COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA, LOCAL 9415 ENDORSES CALIFORNIA INITIATIVE TO CONTROL AND TAX CANNABIS

Initiative could create tens of thousands of new jobs, billions in wages in California

(Oakland, CA) Today, the Communications Workers of America (CWA), Local 9415 announced its support for the California initiative to control and tax cannabis.

“The labor movement is coming together behind this initiative,” said Sally Venable, President of CWA, Local 9415. “With California’s state budget in disarray, and people out of work, it’s time to harness this incredible revenue stream and create tens of thousands of high quality, union jobs, by controlling and taxing cannabis in California.”

According to a study by the California Chapter of NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), a controlled and taxed cannabis market could create between 60,000 and 110,000 new jobs, and $2.5 – $3.5 billion in new wages for workers each year.

Last month, almost 100 workers in Oakland’s medical cannabis industry voted to unionize and joined United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Local 5.

UFCW Local 5’s Dan Rush, who oversees statewide ballots matters for the Union and who has been assigned by Local 5 to work full time on the campaign, said controlling and taxing cannabis could help save thousands of public sector jobs which are currently on the chopping block. “California is laying off teachers, firefighters, and nurses left and right,” Rush said. “Controlling and taxing cannabis will generate billions in revenue to help us save these vital services and jobs.”

Rush and CWA, Local 9415 join a broad and growing coalition supporting the Initiative, including medical professionals, law enforcement professionals, faith leaders, economists, and elected officials.

Similar to current alcohol and tobacco laws, the Initiative will give local governments the ability to control and tax the sale of small amounts of cannabis to adults age 21 and older. The Initiative includes significant safeguards and controls: it will increase the penalty for providing marijuana to a minor, expressly prohibit the consumption of marijuana in public, forbid smoking marijuana while minors are present, ban possession on school grounds, and maintain the current law against driving under the influence.

California’s tax regulator, the Board of Equalization, estimates that marijuana taxes could generate $1.4 billion in revenue each year. www.boe.ca.gov/legdiv/pdf/ab0390-1dw.pdf

The California Legislative Analyst's Office states that in addition to generating new revenue, the Initiative would allow correctional and law enforcement resources to be redirected to more pressing needs. The LAO says that in addition to generating “a few hundred millions of dollars annually” it could also save “several tens of millions of dollars annually” and permit the “redirection of court and law enforcement resources.” http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2009/090512.aspx

A summary of the Initiative’s fiscal benefits is available at: http://www.taxcannabis2010.org/index.php/pages/fiscal-benefits-fact-sheet

A summary of the Initiative’s public safety benefits is available at: http://www.taxcannabis2010.org/index.php/pages/public-safety-benefits-fact-sheet

This Union endorsement is sure to reinforce the message that we can create jobs in a time of economic turmoil with sensible regulations and a legal cannabis market along the lines of alcohol.

Interview with Neil Franklin of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

cross-posted from Sum of Change

On Friday, May 14th 2010, I got the chance to sit down with Neill Franklin, the Executive Director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). (Full interview at the bottom)

Neill Franklin, LEAP's incoming executive director, is a 32-year law enforcement veteran who spent more than two decades with the Maryland State Police (leading the drug division's education and training) and then moved to Baltimore PD. Like a character from HBO's "The Wire," Neill could tell you stories of colleagues being gunned down in the line of fire, as he did in this Washington Post op-ed.

--Neill Franklin Shares His Story

To sum up: Mr Franklin is a 32-year law enforcement veteran. Many things he experienced doing that work led him to speak out against drug prohibition, but there were two events that really changed him. First off, he served on Mayor Kurt Schmoke's Board for Needle Exchange in Baltimore. Mayor Schmoke was an advocate for rethinking our policies regarding the war on drugs. But it was not until 2000 when he lost a good friend named Edward Totely. Mr Totely was assassinated while making an undercover drug buy. That is when Mr Franklin began to examine the negative consequences of the war on drugs.

--On the Obama Administration's Drug Policy

To sum up: Mr Franklin feels that President Obama's "balanced new approach" is balanced in rhetoric only because two thirds of the money goes to enforcement (not including the costs of incarceration).

--On the Gateway Drug Theory

To sum up: Mr Franklin feels it is a fallacy and that cigarettes and alcohol are greater gateway drugs yet remain legal.

--Drug Laws and the Fourth Amendment

To sum up: Mr Franklin argues that the laws surrounding drugs create an environment where police are under pressure to search for drugs, which leads many officers to unintentionally push the limits of the law.

--The CA Ballot Initiative and the Federal Response

To sum up: Mr Franklin congratulates the people of California for putting this issue on the ballot, and encourages people to get involved with that campaign. As for the federal response, he has some concern that the federal government may try to "flex their muscles and go into California and start arresting people." He says the federal government should allow that state to go ahead with control and regulation. "They should be bringing smart people together to figure out what the future policies will look like."

--Law Enforcement Reaction to Franklin's Work

To sum up: Mr Franklin finds that most law enforcement officials respond positively to his position.

Full, Unedited Interview