1. Results of CaDEM Eboard meeting
2. Implementing Prop. 64 resolution passes
3. Feinstein Out-of-Touch and Too Old? Some people think so
4. Endorsing Candidates
5. CaDEM State Convention Feb. 23 – 25 in San Diego
6. Making Changes to Make Prop. 64 Better
7. Marijuana in the Bible Belt

The California Democratic Party (CaDEM) Eboard meeting on Nov. 17 – 19 in Millbrae was awesome- well maybe that’s a bit hyperbolic, but it was a very worthwhile three days.  Excellent information and even more excellent networking.

One thing for certain is that there is a lot of excitement and enthusiasm in CaDEM – it seems that Eric Bauman has successfully navigated the schism that developed over the contested Chair’s election between him and Kimberly Ellis.

Attended several caucus meeting as well as the hospitality suites. The general sessions of the Eboard laid out the plans for the Party in the upcoming primary and general elections in 2018. There were speakers from the Party as well as numerous elected officials on federal, state and local levels.

As for the resolution that BMD-CA introduced against cities and counties banning and urging them to implement the commercial provisions of Prop. 64, it passed unanimously after a minor change in the wording

I have written a newsletter entitled The Magic Bullets of Prop. 64 about the resolution and how it can be used in cities and counties that have enacted bans. To read it CLICK HERE.

While there my partner and I met and spoke with several elected officials including Senate President Kevin DeLeon who is challenging Sen. Diane Feinstein in the June 2018 primaries for U.S. Senate.

As I am sure you are all aware, Feinstein is a disaster on drug policy reform and marijuana legalization. She is deficient in other areas as well and I guess DeLeon believes she can be defeated because so many Democrats are fed up with her.

Also she is 85 years old and her chance of living long enough to complete her term in 2024 in actuarial terms is around 50/50.  There comes a point when a rational person should recognize that it is time for them to step aside and let younger people take over. So between dissatisfaction with her position and polices and concern about her advanced age, DeLeon certainly has a good chance in the primary election.

Of course there is rumors that Tom Steyer is seriously considering running, but although Steyer did speak at one of the general Eboard sessions, he did not mention anything about running for the U.S. Senate or Governor which is another office he is rumored to be considering. When you are a billionaire – anything is possible – as if Trump isn’t proof enough of that.

When I was at the Eboard meeting, I visited the tables of many candidates in the exhibit area. They all want the endorsement of the Brownie Mary Democrats so we will have to figure out who we want to endorse. We be discussing that at the next BMD-CA Eboard teleconference which all members of BMD-CA are invited to join. Plus all members of BMD-CA will be able to participate in the endorsement process. If you wold like to become a member of BMD-CA, CLICK HERE.

I would think that quite a number of marijuana consumers would pay attention to our endorsements and I think a lot of candidates are aware of that. At our next BMD-CA Eboard teleconference we will discuss getting our endorsements out to these people.

CaDEM’s State Convention Feb. 23 – 25 in San Diego is going to be really something with many of the candidates seeking the party's endorsement. At the 2016 convention it was beyond exciting seeing Harris and Sanchez battling for the Party's endorsement for the U.S Senate. It will be an electrifying cliffhanger to see if the Party does endorses Feinstein or chooses to endorse someone else. The endorsement for Governor is also going to a real horse race as well, so the State Convention is going to a barn burner.

I know for many of you it is quite a drive to get to San Diego - but this convention will be worth it. If you have never attended a California Democratic State Party convention, it is not to be missed. It is the true grass roots of the party with over 3,000 delegates and close to 1,000 state party officials, elected office holders, candidates for office and political gadflies. To say that it is exciting and fun would be an understatement.

At past CaDEM State Conventions there have been big name speakers, including Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi and every top state elected official from the Governor on down. There is a large exhibit area with Democratic organizations and candidates, activist groups and businesses where you can speak with  the movers and shakers of California politics as well as walk away with a bagful of information, souvenirs and chotskies.

Plus there are a dozen or more Hospitality Suites where you can schmooze with Democrats from all over the state while elected officials, candidates, organizations and businesses ply you with drink and food. Of course the networking opportunities are beyond description.

CaDEM has not posted any info on the convention yet, but it is just around the corner. To keep informed go to: www.cadem.org and scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Calendar and look for the Convention listing.

Prop. 64 will kick in big time on Jan. 1, 2018 when commercial sales, manufacture and cultivation becomes legal and the state starts issuing licenses. Prop. 64 is not perfect and even more flaws are sure to show up during its commercial implementation. Prop. 64 allows the legislature to make needed changes and BMD-CA will be working with Democratic state legislators to make the needed changes and to make sure that these changes improve Prop. 64 and do not hinder or impede California’s marijuana legalization initiative.

You can be part of this exciting time and being a member of BMD-CA gives you a front row seat. If you are not a member, please consider joining BMD-CA now. It is very inexpensive – only $10 for regular memberships and just $5 for seniors, veterans, students, unemployed and low income. Plus join now and your membership is good to the end of 2018. To join CLICK HERE.

GEORGIA
ON MY MIND

Marijuana in the Bible Belt

When it comes to marijuana, living in the south can be very dangerous. Georgia reflects that danger but change is afoot as Atlanta GA decriminalized marijuana possession in October 2017. Leading the charge to reform Georgia's draconian marijuana laws is Peachtree NORML battling for common sense marijuana laws where few dare to tread.

Dean Sines is the fearless Deputy Director of Peachtree NORML and has been involved for years working to end marijuana prohibition. On this special segment of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense, Dean speaks out about the current law in GA today, the political environment regarding changing the law, NORML's role in Atlanta's recent decriminalization of marijuana, the ease of finding and the quality of marijuana in Georgia, what is being done to change the law, what Peachtree NORML is up to and a few more intriguing tidbits about life in the deep south.

Listen to the award winning podcast of Marijuana Compassion and Common Sense at www.blogtalkradio.com/marijuananews and find out how marijuana legalization is changing the political landscape in the south and is helping bridge the cultural gap between north and south. It’s on right now –  CLICK HERE to listen.

To read my blog on Marijuana & World Peace CLICK HERE.
To subscribe to my free Marijuana Newsletter CLICK HERE.

The Opioid Epidemic
vs. The Crack Epidemic
As Different as Black & White - Literally

I was very fortunate to be given a scholarship to attend the 2017 International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Atlanta GA Oct. 11 – 14. The biennial conference attracts over 1,500 drug policy scholars, researchers professionals, victims and reformers from over 80 countries for three days of plenary sessions and seminars. It is a treasure house of knowledge and an orgy of networking.

Racial justice has always been a topic at previous Drug Policy Reform conferences, but this conference put it front and center making it the focal point of multiple breakout sessions, rallies and exhibits. Featuring keynote speaker Michelle Alexander, author of the acclaimed bestseller The New Jim Crow – Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, the centrality of race and the drug war was paramount.

That the Drug War has always been about race can be traced to 1972 and the beginnings of President Richard Nixon’s declaration of a War on Drugs. In 1994, John Ehrlichman, White House counsel and Chief Domestic Policy Advisor to President Nixon told Harper's magazine journalist Dan Baum:

“The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I’m saying? We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”

The hippies may be mainly a thing of the past, but the black community is not. That our country's new AG Jeff Sessions, who was denied a federal judgeship in 1986 by the Senate Judiciary Committee because of racist statements, is reinvigorating the War on Drugs with all its racist implications and underpinnings is to be expected. Ms. Alexander’s keynote address centered on the need to understand that emphasizing “We must be committed to placing race and racial justice at the very center of the drug policy reform movement.”

Asking “how drug policy fits into the bigger picture of American Democracy,” Ms. Alexander’s address was as disturbing as it was empowering. Upon hearing it some people will jump to their feet applauding her every word while others may feel scapegoated and put upon, but it is an address that needs to be heard and judged by all. Fortunately, her spellbinding presentation was videotaped and you can see and hear it now – CLICK HERE.

The first few minutes are perfunctory acknowledgements but soon she comes to a comparison of the current opioid epidemic to the crack epidemic of the 90s and the presentation becomes spellbinding, riveting and illuminating beyond measure.If you haven't already started seeing and hearing Ms. Alexander's presentation, and you probably haven't since you are still reading this, then stop reading this now and CLICK HERE.