Wow! This guy gets it! Washington State Rep. Roger Goodman (D)

[RainDog]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/05/washington-dem-we-will-end-the-drug-war/

The BEST and most intelligent political talk about the WoD from a legislator that I've seen in a LONG time.

“When I make my presentations, I talk about prohibitions throughout history as all having failed, going way back to the 16th century prohibitions of coffee and tobacco in Europe, which were punishable by death at that time,” he told Raw Story in an exclusive interview.

“There are five major reasons to do this work,” Goodman explained. “Drug policy is not an esoteric matter. It is strategically linked to so many other important issues, and in no particular order, the reasons we need to repeal prohibition are: to improve public safety, because we’ve yielded the criminal markets to violent enterprises; to provide better health care; to protect families and children; to save one heck of a lot of money, because it’d be much more fiscally responsible; and to celebrate our civil rights, including the right to choose your own state of mind.”

“I’ve been going around the country meeting with legislators in a lot of states who are keen on reforming the drug laws just on the fiscal point of view,” he said. “If that’s how we’re going to get it done, fine.”

“Most of my colleagues, Democrat and Republican, get it, yet they don’t understand how to frame the issue to make it a winning issue for them. So, when I’m at the salad bar, or in the hallways just talking to my colleagues, I’m teaching them how not to be afraid of this issue and to frame it as I do… And those efforts are already bearing fruit.”

I agree that it's the libertarian/fiscal issues point that conservatives can hear - and eventually the evidence from research will be such public knowledge that even Congress will find it too embarrassing to continue the law THEY keep in place. This issue is local for everyone. It's at the level of state representative that we vote to change bad laws.

[RainDog]

1. From a biologist's perspective

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/RainDog/71


Robert Melamede
Biology Department, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, 80918, USA
Bioenergetics Institute, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs,

This article examines harm reduction from a novel perspective. Its central thesis is that harm reduction is not only a social concept, but also a biological one. More specifically, evolution does not make moral distinctions in the selection process, but utilizes a cannabis-based approach to harm reduction in order to promote survival of the fittest. Evidence will be provided from peer-reviewed scientific literature that supports the hypothesis that humans, and all animals, make and use internally produced cannabis-like products (endocannabinoids) as part of the evolutionary harm reduction program. More specifically, endocannabinoids homeostatically regulate all body systems (cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, excretory, immune, nervous, musculo-skeletal, reproductive). Therefore, the health of each individual is dependant on this system working appropriately.

A little explored question is what does harm reduction specifically mean with respect to cannabis consumption? This article will address cannabis harm reduction from a biological perspective. Two directions will be examined: what are the biological effects of cannabis use and what are the social effects that emerge from the biological foundation.

[gateley]

2. I had to look him up -- never heard of him before. He's a

rep for a district in Kirkland. It's more of an upscale area (becoming more so) and I'd guess pretty progressive.

He presents this very well!

[RainDog]

3. I'm not from his part of the country

But I welcome people to the legislature who can talk sense about this issue.

He, Barney Frank, Steve Cohen - we need these voices to counter the resistance to evidence that is seemingly strengthened by being financially renumerated to ignore it.

He also talks about moving the entire issue of drug addiction from one of crime to one of health care and prevention. Things like needle exchange are controversial to some ppl, still, because they want to punish rather than heal the sick. I know where I'd rather have my govt. put their focus.

People who have problems with alcohol should esp. be able to relate to the social costs issue in terms of prohibition. Treatment programs have improved the lives of families who have a family member who cannot consume alcohol moderately far more than stigma or letting families fall apart or watch as one of them dies from a problem that is responsive to treatment.

His remarks about legislatures realizing the issue needs to change but don't know how to get past the drug warrior mindset were also the experience of Ryan Grimm when he wrote about his time as a lobbyist for mmj. The legislators routinely knew cannabis was not a dangerous drug and should be legalized, most of them recognized the racism that continues to be a part of this prohibition, but assumed their constituents would turn on them if they voted to do the right thing. Grimm also noted the reality was that 70% of the American public supported legal mmj at that time (the latest poll put that number at 81%) but the legislators assumed only 30% of them did. I think that's because most of us who support legalization don't tell our legislators - it's just assumed that they don't care about putting themselves "out there" on an issue that has been stigmatized for decades within the Ronald Raygun WoD AllWarAlltheTime pseudo-cowboy Rick Perrying political theater.

Maybe the recent poll showing more people support legalization than oppose will help them get past their fear of doing the right thing if there is any potential political cost to them.

[kenichol]

4. I saw him today at the International Drug Policy Reform Conference

Along with Reps from NM, Indiana, Florida, Texas and California. Amazingly courageous representatives.

[RainDog]

5. I'd love to hear some of the highlights n/t