WA Residents: Here is a Pro-Legalization Form Letter to Send to Your District Reps

It has dawned on me that not everyone has the time type up there own letter to send to there district reps, so I went ahead and typed up a form letter that you can copy and paste, and send to your district rep.  If you don't know how to find your district rep, go here.

To use this letter, simply copy and paste it into an email, and send it to your respective district representatives.

Dear _________ ((or) District Representative),

My name is ____________, I am __ years old, I am a_______(state occupation), and I am a resident of Washington State in your district. I am writing to you because it has been recently announced that State Representative's Mary Lou Dickerson and Roger Goodman have introduced a bill that would potentially make cannabis or marijuana a legal and taxable commodity. I would like you to know that I am in full support of this bill and the legalization of cannabis in our state. As you are my representative, I expect you to support this bill and do whatever is necessary to ensure that this legislation is meaningful and effective. By doing so, you will ensure my continued support of your political career.

If economic recovery is your goal, than surely you must support the

legalization and taxation of cannabis, as it will generate a generous amount of revenue that the state of Washington desperately needs. Not only would the legalization of cannabis generate revenue, it would also prevent revenue from being wasted on the investigations, arrests, prosecutions, and imprisonments of the plethora of citizens within our state who choose to indulge in this remarkably inert

substance (when compared with alcohol or tobacco).

Furthermore, if ensuring that our school system remains one of the best in the state and the nation is your goal, you must also support this bill for the revenue it will generate will pay for better educations for our children. Not only that, the extra revenue will also allow for intensive drug education programs that explain dangers of more dangerous and lethal drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin/opiates, and alcohol, while emphasizing why cannabis is a substance that requires the experience and discipline that is acquired through becoming an adult in order to be enjoyed responsibly.

Finally, if generating new jobs is your goal, than surely you must see the benefit of allowing for a new industry to bloom within our state. There are thousands of uses for hemp and cannabis as a medicinal substance, a recreational substance, and as an industrial resource. Citizens from all walks of life and from all areas of our state would benefit significantly by the new jobs that would doubtlessly be created by legalizing cannabis. We need jobs.

In conclusion I would just like to note that I voted for you because I felt that you had within you the capacity to make intelligent, informed, and level headed decisions that would benefit everyone in our state. This is your opportunity to prove that you are in fact capable of this not only to me, but also to everyone in our state. Please do not let us down. I await your reply.

Sincerely,

__________

Cannabis Legalization My Be Closer Than We Think

After much ado, it seems that the relatively harmless nature of cannabis, and the inanity of its criminalization has finally started to dawn on lawmakers across the country. The now concluded year 2009 is appearing to be one of the best years for publicity that the cannabis legalization movement has ever seen. It seems as though every day, another state is considering medical marijuana legislation, decriminalization, and even legalization. Even the federal government has started to change its attitude toward the highly controversial plant after President Obama issued a memorandum to the Department of Justice requesting that the organization not pursue medical marijuana recipients and their suppliers who operate legally under state law. However, it seems that the biggest news occurred as the decade drew to a close; our very own state of Washington is now considering cannabis legalization.

State representatives Roger Goodman and Mary Lou Dickerson have introduced the bill, and it aims to reclassify cannabis from an illegal drug to a licit and taxable substance. This bill differs from other bills such as decriminalization and deprioritization bills, which still treat cannabis possession and cultivation as a crime. The legalization bill would treat cannabis like alcohol, as a substance that would be sold through the state, with a hefty tax attached. Whether or not cannabis would be sold in liquor stores is up in the air as for one, the bill hasn’t passed yet, and secondly, Goodman has suggested that he would like a provision that would prevent cannabis from being sold were alcohol is sold.

The tax revenue from the bill would not go into the Washington state general fund, but rather it would be used specifically to fund drug treatment and mental health services. These services have been on the chopping block since our state’s budget woes began. It is unclear how much tax revenue could be earned from cannabis, however estimates place the figures in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Regardless, the monetary figures generated from cannabis tax would doubtfully be small potatoes, and the added tax revenue could make a serious difference in our state.

In addition to earning our state money by taxing cannabis, the legalization of cannabis could potentially save our state untold and gargantuan sums of money. As of right now our state prosecutes citizens for cannabis possession and cultivation, and even simple possession of cannabis in amounts of less than forty grams is considered a gross misdemeanor and can warrant jail sentences of up to a year. If cannabis were made legal, we could literally fill swimming pools with the money that we would save by not investigating, arresting, prosecuting and incarcerating cannabis offenders, and that is just the start.

In addition to money earned and money saved by the state, our very own citizens would also be saving and earning money if cannabis were made legal. Convictions for cannabis possession can cost an individual thousands of dollars in legal fees and fines, and in addition it can prevent that individual from gaining employment, finding a place to live, and even getting money to go to school. Cannabis legalization could once and for all end the viscous circle of tragedy that follows a drug which has negligibly harmful effects that don’t even begin to compare with the very harmful effects of alcohol, which is currently legal.

Finally, in addition to our own citizens saving money, among many other things, legalizing cannabis would increase personal opportunity by opening the doors to new industries and economies. It is important to remember that cannabis is not simply a recreational drug. When grown as hemp, it is a valuable and environmentally friendly industrial resource. There are over 25,000 uses for industrial hemp, and much of our farmland is prime real estate for hemp cultivation. Industrial hemp could provide our state with a bio-fuel source, while simultaneously reducing our use of pesticides and fertilizers on farmland.

There are countless and untold benefits to cannabis legalization, and it is important to insure that this bill succeeds. This means that all of us must do our part by encouraging our representatives to support this legislation.

If you live in Washington, please contact you're legislators and tell them that if they expect your continued support for their political careers, that you expect their support of this bill in return. Remember, they are employed by your tax dollars, so make them work for you

If you don't know who your legislator is, go here.

I have already contacted my district reps, and they so far one has replied and showed interest, which just goes to show you that if you want your legislators to support or not support a bill, you have to let them know.

Quake Live Kicks Ass!

Who wants to play TheGanjaGuru?

If you weren't aware, I'm a pretty big Mac fan and I despise Windows OS.  The only trouble with Macs is that for reason x, y or z, there just aren't that many games ported to the Mac OS and FPS games are slim picken's.  Well, I've just discovered a fantastic game that is 100% and 110% awesome.  The game is called Quake Live, and it is a Java port of the original Quake PC game, it runs in your browser with a plug-in rather than from your desktop.

The game is seriously fun, and the best part is, you can play any time you have an internet connection with tons of people from all around the country.  Personally, I'm not terribly good at the game, but I still love it and I have a blast every time I play.   I strongly recommend that you give the game a try if you love first person shooters and if you also love not having to pay to play.  Better yet, make a profile and then add me as a friend so you can play against me.  My profile name is TheGanjaGuru, go figure, so search for me or click on the anchor text and add me.

I'll see you in the arena.

Disclaimer: I am not being compensated in any way for this post.  My intent is to get readers to add me as a friend so that I can play against them.  However, if you represent Quake Live and have some kind of affiliate program, shoot me an email: theganjaguru@gmail.com.

Image Source: http://www.webdesign.org/photoshop/drawing-techniques/quake-4-logo-exclusive-tutorial.14704.html
Thanks for the tutorial!