That is how it started. Proposition 215 written by Dennis Peron in 1995-1996 was, in fact, originally the Compassionate Use Act of California.
An intense statewide signature drive then ensued to get it on the ballot for the November election of 1996. Never before had any measure generated such interest, dedication, and zeal. Even non-users of cannabis dedicated time, money and energy to this righteous cause.
They did so for a variety of reasons. Some had family members who would benefit. Some were facing a last resort effort to save loved ones. Others just plainly felt that no one should be incarcerated for an herbal remedy.
Proposition 215 united the citizens of this state to a common cause, which is a California consciousness, to make positive changes for the better. It showed that laws ought to protect people, not oppress them. Legislators, though, had their doubts.
On the first Tuesday in November in 1996, the fears and the doubts were put to the test. The ballot results confirmed by a remarkable tabulation that it was in the public's interest to repeal Cannabis Prohibition by decriminalizing marijuana for medical use. This was in complete compliance with the Code of Federal Regulations 21 USCS 823a.
But let's set aside the argument of politics, as we have the finest government money can buy. Instead, let's focus on the humanity of this issue, which is so often overlooked in today's world of spiritual and moral decay.
The Compassionate Use Act of California is probably the most descriptive title that could be applied to what we as a group have accomplished so far. The word for "moved with pity" has been called one of the strongest words in the Greek language for the feeling of compassion. One reference work notes that this word indicates "not only pained feeling at the sight of suffering, but in addition, a strong desire to relieve and to remove the suffering." Compassion, therefore, is not a passive quality, but rather an active one. Compassion has moved us to take appropriate initiative to assist, as our circumstances allow. Let us not forget that a simple act of kindness or a few words of comfort spoken from the heart can be powerful expressions of compassion.
While the atrocities perpetrated by the DEA towards us may inspire righteous anger, it is our responsibility to prevent our brothers and sisters from acting inappropriately and lowering our standards to theirs. No matter how disgusting the federal government becomes, we must not play into their corruption. We must focus our hearts and minds on the needs of others, conducting all of our activities in a constructive, compassionate endeavor to utilize what few tools we have left to make the changes that are needed.
While those we have entrusted to "protect and serve" execute their authority by assault and terror against unarmed citizens of below average medical condition...while law enforcement chooses to enforce only laws that they want... while police protection responds to the highest bidder in the auction of political agenda, financed by pharmaceutical and firearms corporations... we come under the blight of incarceration, rubber bullets, tear gas, and even death. It is imperative we conduct ourselves publicly and privately in a manner that illustrates the word compassion, so that in the public eye we are not seen as rebellious drug addicts or losers. That is the foundation of the authorities' propaganda machine for the last 75 years!
Like the Berlin Wall, it is time to undermine that foundation and crumble the stigma fabricated by Harry Anslinger, Philip DuPont and Randolph Hearst so many decades ago. They have all met their just rewards, becoming rotting corpses in their graves, and the monuments to their lifetime achievements to humanity are no more than their tombstones.
The authorities are now suppressing the use of a God-given plant (Genesis 1:29, from the first book of the Bible) by the injured and infirm. They are doing so by terrorist activities and the use of weapons of mass destruction -- firearms, defoliants and incineration -- which is, in itself, a violation of our mission statement currently in effect in Iraq.
Is it not the first priority of our elected officials to preserve a standard of life for the citizens who empowered them? Or does the warranty of their oath of office expire after the votes are counted? Those that represent us need to do just that: represent us, our needs and intentions. That is the basis of the word "represent" -- to present our issues before the governing bodies. Somewhere along the line, that concept was put aside so that they could pursue the endeavors of their private agendas. For one reason or another, our system of government has devolved into a conglomeration of for-profit agencies. The DEA is the most powerful of all these agencies, when you consider their holdings and activities in foreign countries.
This conglomeration may be an asset to U.S. citizens, as long as there is an equal playing field for all lobbyists. There must also be public disclosure of profits and distribution, so that the officers of the agencies are held accountable.
It is vital to our national economy to demand the rescheduling of Cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III or IV, which is where it fits into the descriptive regulations of the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. This would provide a means to regulate the production and distribution. It would also provide revenue through the issuing of permits, sales tax and income taxes. This revenue would directly benefit American citizens through current tax-supported programs, rather than lining of the pockets of politicians. The funds could not be diverted from the treasury, unlike the current policies that are in effect at the time that I'm writing this.
The Bible says that "we must be in subjugation to superior authorities," that we must "render unto Caesar that which belongs to Caesar." It is appropriate then to support the established government that supplies us with so many desirable programs, roads, highways and bridges, protection and regulations. Without much of the infrastructure that we so often take for granted, our lives would be chaotic.
Let our efforts now be diverted to positive change, and focus a unified voting block in agreement with a common goal. That goal is the rescheduling of Cannabis. As we all gathered together to pass our state law, let us petition our elected officials, our electoral voters, to direct Congress to demand the reformation of the DEA and its policies, to "rein in the savage beast that is devouring our confidence in the powers that be."
The tools to readjust the machine of authority are: the support of elected candidates and ultimately, the vote that put them there. Accountability is another tool. If an elected official or public servant does not serve the people, we are obligated to remove him. Would we not do the same for any piece of machinery that is malfunctioning? We would, of course, repair the machine, if not replace it.
Other tools are our university graduates, who must be reassured that they are the source of change for the better. While they may be novices in their fields of expertise, they also possess the latest intelligence, the cutting edge of theory, but, even more, the vigor of youth. And they have all of that at their disposal long before they can be enticed by corruption.
The two most precious resources we have in America are our land and our children. Let us preserve them. Let us utilize them. But, more importantly, let us love and respect them, for they are the key to our future.
--Robert G. Schmidt
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