The truth of the matter is that toxic chemicals are now found at low
levels in countless applications, in everything from personal care
products and cooking pots and pans to electronics, furniture, clothing,
building materials and children’s toys. They make their way into our
bodies through our food, air and water. From the moment we get up from a
good night’s sleep under wrinkle resistant sheets (which are treated
with the known carcinogen formaldehyde) to the time we go to bed at
night after a snack of microwave popcorn (the interior of the bag being
coated with an indestructible chemical that builds up in our bodies),
pollution surrounds us.
Far from escaping it when we shut our front door at night, we’ve
unwittingly welcomed these toxins into our homes in countless ways. In a
particularly graphic example, it’s been estimated that by the time the
average woman grabs her morning coffee, she has applied 126 different
chemicals in 12 different products to her face, body and hair.
And the result? Not surprisingly, a large and growing body of
scientific research links exposure to toxic chemicals to many ailments
that plague people, including several forms of cancer,reproductive
problems and birth defects, respiratory illnesses such as asthma and
neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD).
We have all become guinea pigs in a vast and uncontrolled experiment.
At this moment in history, the image conjured up by the word
“pollution” is just as properly an innocent rubber duck as it is a giant
smoke stack.
-From the book Slow Death by Rubber Duck
Table of Contents
Foreword by Theo Colborn, Co-Author of “Our Stolen Future”
Acknowledgments
Introduction
one: Pollution Then and Now
two: Rubber Duck Wars
three: The World’s Slipperiest Substance
four: The New PCBs
five: Quicksilver, Slow Death
six: Germophobia
seven: Risky Business: , 4-D and the Sound of Science
eight: Mother Knows Best
nine: Detox
Resource Guide/Further Reading
There is an important difference between legalization and
decriminalization; decriminalization means that a state repealed or
amended its laws and removed any monetary penalties and jail sentences
for marijuana possession. Decriminalization decreases the potential
consequences of being caught in possession of small quantities to a
violation, instead of being charged of criminal offense that would go
onto someone’s record.
However, selling or trafficking marijuana would still get you
arrested as you would not be following state laws on license and
taxation.
What are the benefits of marijuana decriminalization?
Saving money
Marijuana decriminalization would alleviate a heavy burden on
taxpayers. According to a 2013 report performed by ACLU United States is
spending around $3.6 billion a year to enforce cannabis laws. For its
study, the ACLU examined FBI data and revealed that between 2001 and
2010, there were over 8 million marijuana related arrests in the U.S.
This means one person has been arrested every 37 seconds and hundreds of
thousands of dollars have been spent in the criminal justice system.
A study done nearly 10 years ago, before cannabis decriminalization was even taken into consideration, found that decriminalizing illicit drugs would save taxpayers around $20 billion per year and reduce the prison population by more than 50 percent. In the United States the average prisoner costs more than $31,000 per taxpayer, per year.
2. Medical Benefits
Decriminalization also brings various potential medical benefits.
According to an article published in The Lancet has alcohol and tobacco
are more dangerous than marijuana. According to their analysis, alcohol
and tobacco have been rated as more dangerous than cannabis, LSD and
ecstasy. Tobacco causes 40 percent of all hospital illnesses, while
alcohol is the cause for more than 50 percent of all visits to hospital
emergency rooms.
Research has shown that it may be able to help with other diseases
such as irritable bowel syndrome, seizure disorders, glaucoma,
arthritis, migraine, cancer growth, abnormal heart rhythms, epilepsy,
Alzheimer’s disease, fibromyalgia, incontinence, bacterial infections,
asthma, osteoporosis, intense itching, Tourette’s syndrome and sleep
apnea.
Weight loss caused by chronic illness, like HIV, or nerve pain
Crohn’s disease
Senator Elizabeth Warren, has expressed her support for medical
marijuana legalization during a radio interview with Boston’s WTKK-FM:
“You know, I held my father’s hand while he died of cancer, and it’s
really painful when you do something like that up close and personal. …
And it puts me in a position of saying, if there’s something a physician
can prescribe that can help someone who’s suffering, I’m in favor of
that”
In the United States lawmakers from 23 states are considering
promoting a legislation that would legalize and regulate recreational
marijuana while in 16 states medical marijuana programs have been
established. In addition West Virginia has become this year the 30th
state to legalize medical marijuana.
More and more politicians endorse decriminalization or legalization
of marijuana to varying degrees and voice their incremental support.
Gavin Newsom, lieutenant governor of California and former mayor of
San Francisco has told New York Times that “These [recreational
marijuana users] are incredibly upstanding citizens: leaders in our
community, and exceptional people. Increasingly, people are willing to
share how they use it and not be ashamed of it. … These laws just don’t
make sense anymore. It’s time for politicians to come out of the closet
on this.”
Courtesy: ediblesmagazine.com
Rep. Barney Frank former Representative for Massachusetts’s
4th District for more than three decades, has never been afraid to back
marijuana reform. He considers that “Whether you want to do these things
or not ought to be your own choice.”
Senator Bernie Sanders has expressed his support of cannabis reform.
He stated: “In my view, the time is long overdue for us to remove the
federal prohibition on marijuana.”
It’s no secret that a large number of celebrities have expressed
their views on cannabis. From Rihanna to Whoopi Goldberg and Arnold
Schwarzenegger, there are numerous stars that are doing their part to
let the world know the benefits of marijuana.
Whoopi Goldberg has funded and also lend her name to a new line of medical marijuana infused products designed specifically for women. The company is a joint partnership with the edibles maker Maya Elisabeth and is named Whoopi & Maya.
Whoopi told The Daily Best that “I’m really proud of our work in the
cannabis industry, and I really feel like we’re making a difference in
people’s lives,” Goldberg
Actor and marijuana advocate Woody Harrelson has opened one of Hawaii’s first medical marijuana dispensaries.
Rihanna is another star that has launched her own marijuana products with the line called “MaRihanna.”
Kirsten Dunst confessed she likes smoking marijuana. Her own words
are “America’s view on weed is ridiculous” and the world would be a
better place if “everyone smoked weed.” While according to Arnold
Schwarzenegger “That is not a drug, it’s a leaf.”
The famous actress Jennifer Aniston has also recognized she enjoys
smoking marijuana and sees ‘nothing wrong’ in it. ‘I enjoy it once in a
while,’ she told Rolling Stone magazine.
3. Who supports it?
Support for legalization has risen among all age groups. Three in
four Millennials (18- to 35-year-olds) show their strongest support,
while six in ten American Baby Boomers (52- to 70-year-olds) support
legalization. Seniors remain the one age group for whom a majority still
think marijuana use should be against the law.
Courtesy: chicagotribune.com
Bernie Sanders, Senator from Vermont and former democratic presidential candidate has tried to legalize cannabis. He has introduced a legislation in 2015 that would have ended the federal prohibition of marijuana. “In my view, states should have the right to regulate marijuana the same way that state and local laws now govern sales of alcohol and tobacco.” he said. You may check his speech here. Unfortunately for Sanders, his bill did not receive enough support.
Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act (HR 1227)
Similar to the legislation introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders, a
new bill has been introduced by a New Jersey Democrat, Senator Cory
Booker. Booker’s bill seeks to remove it from the group of drugs
included in the U.S. Controlled Substances Act, where marijuana is
currently listed as a Schedule I drug alongside heroin and LSD.
Remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, ending federal prohibition of marijuana
Withhold federal money for state law enforcement and prison
construction if from states that disproportionately arrests and/or
incarcerates minorities
would allow individuals to sue the state over bias in marijuana enforcement
Prevent deportations of individuals for marijuana offenses
Provide for a process of expungement for marijuana offenses at federal level
allow people serving time for marijuana-related offenses to be resentenced
It would create “a community reinvestment fund” of $500 million that
would go toward job training, reentry services, and community centers,
among other programs.
“Not only is it imperative we end our failed experiment of marijuana
prohibition, we must also ensure justice for those who suffered most
under these draconian policies,” the NORML Executive Director Erik
Altieri said.
The Drug Policy Alliance, an advocacy group whose honorary board includes former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders and former Secretary of State George Shultz supports Booker’s legislation. The late CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite is also one of the honorary board members.
“The question is no longer ‘should we legalize marijuana?’ it is ‘how
do we legalize marijuana?’ We must do so in a way that recognizes that
the people who suffered most under prohibition are the same people who
should benefit most under legalization,” said Queen Adesuyi, policy
associate at the Drug Policy Alliance.
Booker’s legalization bill reflects the America’s changing views on cannabis. A CBS News poll from April revealed that 61% of Americans believe marijuana should be legal, while 71% of respondents consider that the federal government shouldn’t intervene with states that have legalized it on their own. Furthermore an astonishing 88% support marijuana’s medical use.
Who are the co-sponsors of the bill?
The bill, also known under the name of Small Business Tax Equity Act of 2017, has been introduced at the end of March by Rep. Carlos Curbelo. It is meant to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 so companies would be able to deduct any expenditures that have been mate in relation to cannabis sales that are in compliance with state law.
Tulsi Gabbard on Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition
There’s limited but overwhelming evidence that shows that marijuana is effective in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, cancer, epilepsy, chronic pain, and addiction as stated by female veteran Tulsi Gabbard.
Lots of members from our veteran community haven’t hesitated to share their stories of the struggles they had with depression and opioid addiction, Former Hawaii National major Tulsi Gabbard further added that they have remained vocal about the need for the VA to allow doctors discuss medical marijuana with their patients. In Congress, a committed Tulsi Gabbard is joining hands with a bipartisan group with members on both sides of the aisle to pass the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act (HR 1227).
Representative Tulsi Gabbard said, If we succeed at removing
marijuana from the Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, we can
get rid of those things that hinder small businesses so they can have
access to bank loans that expand their potential. Tulsi Gabbard further
said, medical researchers who are currently limited by rigid federal
regulations can be free to explore other treatment options, and patients
can get the best prescription from their doctors.
Courtesy: votetulsi.com
Well known for her strong reformist steps, Tulsi Gabbard justified –
this bill is critically set to revamp our criminal justice system. Many
individuals and families have benefitted from the much publicized “War
on Drugs,” which has favored the private prison industry but haven’t
helped our communities. We have cases of non-violent offenders being
detained for several years, prisons become congested, and our courts
have had to deal with a backlog of non-violent cases of drug offenses.
When we talk of strong female visionaries, Tulsi Gabbard’s name comes first. In relation of above issue, the racial disparity that comes into play in the arrest of marijuana-related offenders, despite the existence of similar usage habits across demographics, only further points to the systematic inequality that needs to be addressed. Gone are the days when the use of marijuana was criminalized; it’s ludicrous to place marijuana in the same class as methamphetamines or heroin.
Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard said, the use of marijuana should be handled in a similar way to that of tobacco or alcohol. Having the “Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act” in place means we can correct years of errors and concentrate on solutions. We can work for healthcare advocates veteran instead of lobbyists who keep pushing harmful and addictive painkillers. Tulsi reinstated “Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition” represents the best direction for our criminal justice and healthcare systems going forward.
Mark Sanford, the Republican representative from South Carolina, is co-sponsoring the legislation. He explains:
“The principle here is simple, if a state makes something legal…it
ought to be treated on par and equally with other legal businesses in
the state….In just the last year alone, 28 states passed laws allowing
for the legal use of medical marijuana, but because marijuana is
classified as a Schedule I substance, small businesses in the states
that sell marijuana legally are not allowed to deduct business
expenses.”
