A state panel heard from a parade of experts Thursday as it began studying whether to legalize marijuana in Indiana or reduce
criminal penalties on small amounts of the drug.
The experts shared a common message: The prohibition against marijuana use in the United States has failed, and Indiana and
its citizens stand to benefit from changing the law.
"The public recognizes that our marijuana laws have done more harm than good," Daniel Abrahamson of the Drug Policy
Alliance told the Indiana Legislature's Criminal Law and Sentencing Policy Study Committee.
Lawmakers have approved medical marijuana in 16 states and the District of Columbia. They have eliminated penalties on small
amounts of marijuana in 13 other states.
Abrahamson said those changes have not met with negative consequences such as an uptick in marijuana use. And he said there
is nothing standing in the way of Indiana changing its law as other states have.
"The federal government cannot require states to make marijuana illegal," he said. In no instance, he said, has
a state changed its mind and "re-criminalized" marijuana after decriminalizing personal use.
Noah Member of the Marijuana Policy Project said marijuana use is widespread despite being illegal and that laws against
possession ruin people's lives by sending them to prison for using a substance he said is safer than alcohol.
Member suggested marijuana should be regulated by the state much like alcohol. He said states that have legalized medical
marijuana have seen no increase in teen use of the drug.
Abrahamson estimated Indiana could raise $44 million a year in sales taxes alone if it regulated and taxed marijuana.
Democratic state Sen. Karen Tallian of Ogden Dunes successfully pushed lawmakers to study the issue. She says the state has
"draconian" marijuana laws.
Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels has said he would like to wait and see what the panel finds before taking a position.
Indiana lawmakers this year banned the sale and possession of synthetic marijuana, also called spice, which sometimes has
dangerous side effects.
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Experts tell state panel marijuana prohibition has failed
Associated Press
July 28, 2011
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liek the rest of America
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These quaint,obsessed musings by the stalkers are certainly entertaining, but I'm trying to figure out what, if anything, all the yelping below has to do with Zak Brown.
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It's evident that Moffett was pushing the right buttons and corporate America is now trying to squash him. He just wanted to withdraw the free pilot services provided to the company by the pilots to try and put some pressure on a company that has not been interested in negotiating a contract in over 5 years. The company does not provide a contract because not having one has saved them a bundle of money. Shame on any Republic pilots not standing behind their union leader just because things are getting tough, can you not see such strategic moves by the company as putting the last union president in a corporate position and into THEIR pocket. Do you really believe the last union president is so appalled at the attempts by Moffett, do you not remember his oppositions to the company? We stood behind him. It has been proven over and over again for thousands of years without fail, a man cannot serve two masters. Anyone that believes people vote contrary to their paycheck and livelihood deserve to be taken advantage of, the recent statements by the former union president are laughable as he denounces the current union president from his new corporate position. Have you ever seen a drafted sports player score points for his previous team, it cannot be done, he is not on the pilots side anymore, he gets his money a different way now than you and I do, and he should not be allowed to remain on the seniority list. A drafted player brings strength, credibility, tactical knowledge, and a strategic advantage to his NEW team, he would not be drafted or paid were it otherwise. We are all forced to choose only one side to play for and support, not doing so has many references in life such as insider trading and shaving points, all illegal for good reason. This basic fact is why corporate moguls, scientist, and engineers all sign non-discloser agreements and non-compete clauses, as protection in case they are lured into switching sides as our former union president has done. No NFL coach ever drafted a player so that both teams could benefit and better understand each other, they are recruited to win the game against that former team, period. Likewise the company does not recruit the former union president by accident or mutual understanding, its strategy. Don't confuse playing the game with good sportsman-like conduct in support of common business and prosperity goals, with the requirement to only play for one side. Good men we all love and favor fall subject to this manipulation, often without their knowledge, and it is not a betrayal of their friendship to oppose them when they switch sides. If we did not love and trust them, they would not have been chosen and lured to the other side in the first place. The deception by the drafted player is not made at a conscious level, it's just human nature and it's all about money and power which corrupts our ability to be objective and loyal to two masters. This is why our court system created the defense attorney, and why our military created counter intelligence. Its strategy and its propaganda, and it works, and that's why the "powers to be" manipulate the chess pieces by sometimes changing their colors. Some players know they are being manipulated when their color is changed, but it brings them more money and power so they do not care. The rest have good intentions but do not even realize they are being manipulated. This tactic is also known by another name, Divide and Conquer. In battle sending an imperfect message with an imperfect team is obviously not ideal, but it's still being sent by YOUR team, your union leader, a leader that has common goals and common rewards with you, they are the best, because we have elected them to do a job for us. If you are not backing Moffett but believing the spin by those that have recently switched sides, you are taking food out of your own mouth. Showing unity and backing an imperfect situation still results in taking just as much ground, it's about unity and bargaining power. It's not necessary to wait around for that perfect attack because it will never come, the company will spin and attempt to destroy anyone that gets in their way. Ultimately it's not about any specific attack anyway, ASAP or whatever it makes no difference, it is and always has been only about power. If this company cared about safety it would not build pairings with 8 hour overnights, come on, are you that naive? Besides, do you really think Hoffa cares, no, he got a call from corporate America and was squeezed into denouncing Moffett. If he didn't they would spin the safety card against him and the Teamsters National with implication for truckers, future contracts, insurance rates etc...saying something like the Teamsters use safety as a bargaining chip, blah blah blah... Do you really think any pilot is going to do something unsafe for the contract, absolutely not, the only ones threatening safety here is the company with reduced rest, fatigue, and poverty. Do you not find it odd that Hoffa and the Teamsters are opposing a Teamster president publicly? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and work with one of their own? Why did they not sit down and help him strategize, correct any mistakes, and charge ahead? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and leverage a contract for all those pilots that have been paying Teamster dues, isn't that why we have all been paying Teamster dues in the first place? I sure haven't been paying dues so that the Teamsters National could come along and write this kind of an article undercutting our union leader and our unity. Whose side is the Teamsters National really on, it's obviously not the Republic pilots side.
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No matter what Moffatt does the company is going to spin it like he is the terrorist and brainwash people like you into believing it, wake up, back your players that are trying to change things for you and your livelihood. Where has Hoffa been for the last 6 years, except collecting our dues. Seriously, do you really think an FO going for upgrade, signed off by a checkairman ready for the upgrade, who then fails, is not even capable of returning as a First Officer.
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whoa!
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As for Bob's comment about finding inner peace in Jesus not drugs -- It's not too much of a stretch to theorize that Jesus might have smoked a little weed. After all, his Dad put it here. And we know he made and drank wine, made from grapes that his Dad also put here. There's a passage in Genesis about it.
One last point: Our public safety people have more important things to do than arresting and jailing kids for posession of small amounts.
And don't quote the old slippery slope fallacy. The debate here is about the legalization of marijuana, nothing else. Just because one product is legalized doesn't mean we have to legalize anything else for the same reasons.