The Best “No on Proposition 19” Slogans

Cartel kingpin “El Barbie”

As Election Day creeps closer, the rhetoric against Proposition 19–California’s marijuana legalization measure–is getting louder, weirder and more successful.

The latest Public Policy Institute of California poll shows Prop 19 trailing 49% to 44% among likely voters, proving once again if you shout lies loudly and often enough, people will eventually begin to believe them.

WTF

It’s hard to tell which tidbit of misinformation has scared California voters the most. I suppose employers aren’t comfortable with the idea that Prop 19 would protect raging dope fiends from being fired, as the anti-19 forces would have them believe. The notion that taxing marijuana sales will miraculously fail to produce any revenue for California or its cities is also a bit of a disappointment, I would imagine. But, I’ll bet the fear has something to do with kids and marijuana’s logic-defying reputation as the “gateway drug.”  Because every junkie started with pot, the warning goes, legalizing cannabis will make it easier for your kids to buy and smoke the stuff, and in no time at all, those sweet little lads and lasses will become smack vampires who will drop out of school, steal from your purse and not show up at Thanksgiving dinner. Of course, by that logic, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine and polio vaccine are also gateway drugs, but there is no monetary incentive in banning those drugs, so they remain legal.

The Great Slogan Search

In this blog’s daily stats and  “Search Terms Used to Get to Your Site,” I’d been noticing a dramatic increase in search terms, like “best anti-prop 19 slogans” and “what are the slogans for no on prop19?”

At first, I was surprised that the searches led readers here; Craving Sense is a pro-19 blog. It indicated folks were having trouble finding slogans for the campaign to defeat Proposition 19. But every campaign has slogans, I thought. Was the “No on Proposition 19” drive the only wrongheaded campaign in modern history to go the distance without even trying to come up with a nice, punchy line that would thoroughly confuse and mislead people into voting “no”?

Then it hit me. Of course the Anti-19 people are having slogan trouble; the reasons for opposing Prop 19 are so convoluted and complex it would be difficult to convert them into snappy, vote-getting one-liners suitable for banners, buttons and posters. Slogans like “You won’t be allowed to discipline a stoned employee if Prop 19 passes,” and “Proposition 19 is a badly written law with lots of loopholes and stuff” just don’t have the zing to compete with pro-19 slogans, like “Just Say NOW!” and the right-on-point, “Legalize, Regulate, Educate, Medicate.”

Even though the latest polls show the Anti-19ers are doing just fine without them, I knew there had to be some “No on Proposition 19” slogans somewhere. But finding them meant I would have to go where the Forces of Darkness congregate. I would have to use phrases like “marijuana cigarette” and “taking the pot” just to blend in.

Off I went though, looking for the catchiest and most heartfelt “No on Proposition 19” slogans out there. Truth be told, they were not easy to find. It seems most of the organizations and corporations financing the “No on Prop 19” drive prefer to stay in the shadows—no lawn signs in front of Coors corporate offices, for instance. But, dammit, I wasn’t about to let my readers down, so I kept hunting and finally found…

The 5 Very Best No on Prop 19 Slogans

From the California Prison Guards Union:

KEEP OUR PRISONS FULL…AND OUR TREASURY EMPTY.  NO ON 19! [found on baseball caps worn by patrons of Ronny’s Booze  and Broads, favorite watering hole for guards and other prison workers at nearby San Quentin State Prison]

 

From the National Association of Beer Breweries:

DON’T TRUST A DRUG THAT DOESN’T MAKE YOU WANT TO BEAT UP YOUR WIFE.   NO ON 19! [discovered on cocktail napkins at the organization’s Annual Convention Dinner]

 

From the Greater Mexico Association of Drug Cartels:

NO VOTAR POR LA PROPOSICION 19. ¡VIVA EL STATUS QUO! [carved into the chest of drug-related murder victim number 28,001–La Ciudad Juarez]

 

From the United Group of Southern Baptist Ministers:

EVERY UNITARIAN STARTED WITH MARIJUANA: NO ON PROPOSITION 19! [delivered during opening benediction by group’s president at monthly Bible Study and Gun Show]

 

From the Republican National Committee:

NO ON EVERYTHING (including 19)! [found on Republican Rep. Darryl Issa’s lawn sign–next to sign reading “Get Government out of Our Lives!”]

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This opportunity to bring a touch of sanity to the miserable failure that is “The War on Drugs” will not come again soon. Hell, I don’t even smoke the stuff, but every day my life is adversely affected by this counterproductive, cruel charade. As I slalom around the growing number of potholes in our roads, I think of the sheer waste of public money spent on enforcing this prohibition.  I look at our crumbling schools that manage to graduate half of their students, while teachers–the ones who still have jobs–spend their own money on class supplies, and I think about the revenue that a regulated and taxed marijuana would produce.

Most importantly, I think about the tyrannical chutzpah of a state deciding for its residents which substances are OK to get high on, and which aren’t.

Then, of course, there’s that ever-present queasiness I feel about my tax dollars being used to lock people up for growing and smoking a substance that is proven to be less harmful than tobacco and alcohol.

Proposition 19 looks like it’s headed for Nice Try-ville. The only thing that can possibly save it is your vote.

Post-Mortem

Well, as everyone knows by now, Prop 19 did indeed wind up in Nice Try-ville. In the end, the prohibitionists prevailed 53% to 46%. To celebrate 19’s defeat, I’m sure they all went out and had a nice, legal alcoholic beverage or a few milligrams of highly-addictive, prescribed Valium, or any number of buzz-producing substances that make corporate manufacturers lots of money.

Take heart, though; weed will become legal in the not-too-distant future. According to a Pew study, American support for the all-out legalization of the stuff has grown from 12% in 1969 to 41% in 2010–a major shift of public opinion. I suppose that’s part of what makes this loss so damned frustrating. In the meantime, pot smokers and personal-use growers will continue to be fined, arrested and jailed, Mexico will continue its devolution into murderous anarchy, and the Prohibition Sluts who financed 19’s defeat, will continue to prosper from this nonsensical restriction on Californians’ personal freedom.

Maybe the main problem was Proposition 19’s official name, “The Regulate, Control & Tax Cannabis Act,”

If it had been called, “The Personal Freedom, Kick the Cartels’ Asses & Help End our Tragically Futile War on Drugs Act,” Proposition 19 might have fared a little better.

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Prop 19: Don’t Bogart That Vote

Cartel kingpin “el Barbie” knows Prop 19 would be bad for business

The current political climate in California is enough to make you fire up an industrial strength bong, and smoke yourself into oblivion. But don’t…at least not on November 2nd.

There is only one hope for Proposition 19. On election day, every regular user and casual toker of the devil-weed must drop that doob, and get to the polling place. In addition, every single Californian who believes the War on Drugs has been–and continues to be–a colossal failure, must make their disgust known to the “tough-on-drugs” vote mongers in Sacramento and Washington by pushing that chad (all the way through) for a big fat “Yes” vote on 19. Without the “smoker” and “fed-up” voters charging to its rescue, Prop 19 is doomed.

If that doesn’t strike fear in the hearts of the personal liberty-minded, remember, this chance to bring a touch of common sense to our government’s lunatic drug policy will not come again anytime soon. While such prohibition profiteers as beer bottlers, prison guards unions and booze distilleries have anti-pot war chests bulging with dollars, pro-legalization groups like California NORML and the Drug Policy Alliance simply don’t have the resources to launch major political campaigns every election cycle. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Oakland Pot pioneer Richard Lee’s initial dollars and efforts, Prop 19 would probably be gathering dust in political Palookaville.

Enthusiasm

With energized Republicans smelling blood in the water, and dejected Democrats sitting in a corner, preemptively licking their wounds inflicted by the predicted Republican massacre, California polling places will be teeming with people who think the movie Reefer Madness is a powerful documentary.

But, if every Californian who believes this prohibition is wrong gets to his or her polling place, Prop 19 would sail to victory by such a wide margin, politicians from Modesto to Manhattan would be forced to take notice. Who knows, they might even start applying a little common sense to America’s drug problem.

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Benefits of Legalization

As a casual observer (non-pot smoker) I look at the benefits of Proposition 19:

• A potential windfall for state and local California governments that currently can barely afford to buy staples. An estimated $1.4 billion in state taxes [CA Board of Equalization estimate] that can be used on jobs, education and our deteriorating infrastructure

• Less time and money spent by law enforcement on the arrest, prosecution and incarceration of people for using and growing a substance proven to be less harmful than alcohol and tobacco.

• Ending the state’s totalitarian chutzpah of legislating its residents’ morality–a golden opportunity for people to let government know what they think of the destructive farce known as “the War on Drugs”

• No more ruining people’s lives for growing and smoking a substance used and enjoyed by millions of Californians

• New industry—new jobs. Tourism, Amsterdam-style coffeehouses, marijuana trade schools, designer roach clips and “limited edition” rolling papers–the possibilities are endless.

• Fewer bureaucratic hoops to jump through for medicinal users

• No appreciable increase in usage caused by legalization [found by many studies, including a recent study by the National Research Council, and reinforced by Portugal’s decriminalization of all drugs with no resultant spike in overall use]

• [Last, but certainly not least] A major setback to the psychopathic, all-powerful narcotraficantes who are on the verge of destabilizing Mexico with money and guns from trafficking in marijuana–estimated to be 16% to 50% of their illicit drug revenue.

Downside of Legalization

Then I forage through the misinformation — that Prop 19 will… “lead to more pot addicts,” “prevent employers from disciplining stoned employees,” “not provide revenue for state and local governments” (because…well, just because) —  and I look for the honest-to-goodness negatives if the personal recreational use and cultivation of marijuana becomes legal in California… and I look, and I look, and I…

The new Reuters/Ipsos poll has Prop 19 going up in, uh, smoke. With 53% opposing the measure, and 43% in favor. Historically, when a proposition goes into October with those kinds of numbers, things generally turn out very badly for that proposition in November.

The Republican Factor

With all their time spent opposing mosque-building, the Employee Free Choice Act, and every decent proposal that comes up before Congress, I figured Republicans had finally used up their lifetime allotment of “No”.

How wrong I was.

According to the poll, two out of three California Republicans are saying “no” to Prop 19. Though Democrats favor the plan 54% to 45%, it is nearly impossible to rise above those Republican numbers.

Though there are more Democrats than Republicans in California, the GOP’s unity in lunacy always proves to be a formidable opponent to Democrats’ raging confusion–I mean, “diversity of opinion.”

It appears the “Party of Small Government,” wants a government small enough to deny extended unemployment benefits to onetime members of the once thriving middle class, but big enough to keep homosexuals from being married, women from controlling their reproduction, and everyone from smoking marijuana.  I guess Republicans actually belong to the Party of Situational Small Government.

Call to Action

When November 2nd rolls around, let’s ignore the depressing realities of California politics. Let’s pretend that Meg Whitman was unable to purchase her current neck-and-neck position with Jerry Brown, as the latest polls suggest. In fact, let’s pretend that Republicans are as clinically depressed as Democrats.

Let’s energize ourselves into believing that our votes–the pot-smoker votes, the had-it-up-to-here-with-the-Drug War votes, and the fiscally responsible votes–will come together and save the day.

California has millions of regular users of cannabis. Who knows how many social tokers there are out there? Toss in the Common Sensers, and you’ve got a potential voting bloc that would make Jerry Falwell jealous.

Proposition 19 can win, friends. All we have to do is vote.

Veterans Affairs Department Reverses “No Pain Meds for (some) Potheads”

Veterans Affairs seal

According to the Washington Post, the Veterans Affairs Department has reversed its policy of denying pain medication to patients who test positive for marijuana. Of course, this only applies to patients who use medical marijuana in states that have legalized the drug’s medicinal use. Other veterans who test positive for cannabis—regardless of their reasons for using, regardless of the level of their discomfort—can still be forced to suffer needlessly by the very government they once served.

Apparently, anti-pot videos and slogans weren’t achieving the desired results, so they decided to up the ante with a little agony.

As evidenced by the VA turnaround, its “no pain meds for potheads” policy appears to be punitive, with no underlying medical contraindications. As in all medical facilities, patients at the VA are routinely screened for potential drug interaction.

And no, cannabis is no substitute for Vicodin when it comes to pain.

In a letter to Veterans for Medical Marijuana Access, Dr. Robert A. Petzel, the VA’s undersecretary for health, wrote, “If a veteran obtains and uses medical marijuana in a manner consistent with state law, testing positive for marijuana would not preclude the veteran from receiving opioids for pain management” in a VA facility.”  What a guy.

Absurdity

For the moment, forget the vindictiveness and jaw-dropping cruelty of intentionally withholding needed pain medication from anyone—let alone from those who put their lives on the line for us—and focus on the absurdity-begets-absurdity nature of marijuana prohibition.

[do not attempt to read the following sentence while high] In essence, an arm of the federal government has now legitimized an illegitimate substance where (and only where) the substance has become legitimate.

As a number of states contemplate decriminalizing marijuana use and personal possession, the VA move is a welcome, though half-baked governmental nudge in the right direction. However, until Congress drops its “tough on drugs” vote mongering and brings common sense to marijuana legislation, 25 million regular users (drugscience.org) and countless social tokers will continue to live in legal limbo–quasi-criminals caught between states’ rights and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

In November, we Californians, smokers and non-smokers alike, will have a chance to send a powerful message to our feckless leaders with Proposition 19. Sure, the feds would still be able to make life miserable for pot users, but Prop 19’s passage would clue politicians in to two salient facts: We’ve had enough and we vote.

Marijuana Legalization on a Roll: L.A. Signatures Put it Over the Top for November Ballot

“Why on Earth would you want to add yet another mind-altering substance to the legal array?” asked John Lovell, a lobbyist for law enforcement groups.

Uh, because a large number of Californians want to smoke it, and an even larger group want to see the state release its death grip on what people choose to put into their own bodies, John.

Momentum in the Air

According to the L.A. Times, state election officials are confident that the 433,971 petition signatures needed to put marijuana legalization on the November ballot will be more than met when L.A. County adds its own 142,246. The initiative only needed 15,000 more signatures. With L.A. County’s addition, the state will have about 127,000 more signatures than it needs.

The arguments—for and against—are so familiar we could probably recite them chapter and verse by now.

Pro: Legalization would cut the financial and social cost of prohibiting a substance that is less dangerous and addictive than alcohol and tobacco.

Con: Marijuana causes marijuana-related crime and physical harm to those who ingest the burning weed. Also, marijuana use by teenagers is on the rise.

Opponents Desperately Need New Material

“Marijuana-related crime?”  What does that mean, exactly?  The selling, growing and smoking of an illegal substance, I guess.  Though it’s been a while since I took Logic in college, I’m pretty sure that circular argument is crushed by the weight of its own fallacies.

Or are they referring to driving while high on the stuff?  We already have very strict and popular laws against driving under the influence of any substance that impairs driving.

If their “crime” refers to money stolen to purchase the insanely expensive stuff, well, it seems to me that legalization and controlled distribution of marijuana in the competitive marketplace would likely exert downward pressure on the price, and kick in a load of much needed tax revenue for California.

Physical harm? At least this one makes some sense (inhaling tars and such), but the physical harm argument can be applied to Big Macs and Twinkies as well—two items that, as far as I know, continue to be manufactured, sold and used by people without fear of going to prison.

As for teenage reefer madness: It is easier for a kid to find a pot dealer at school than an art teacher these days.  How would the legalization of marijuana–which would expressly outlaw sales to minors–make things any worse?

Full Disclosure

I do not have a dog in this fight.  My last social toke was some ten years ago, and I’m still working off the calories of both the Entenmann’s Pound Cakes I devoured that night.

Though I spent the first half of my professional life working in the drug-fueled rock & roll business, I never developed a taste for pot. Even the comparatively impotent stuff of yesteryear was enough to give me terminal dry-mouth, headaches, and a deep and abiding fear of everything. Audiences, hummingbirds, my left hand—all seemed to take on a certain menace when I was in the grip of that $10-per-lid devil-drug.

However, through the bad breath and terror, I did recognize the pleasurable aspect of the drug’s effect from time to time, and understood why some people — people far better adjusted than I — might enjoy it.

Prohibition

My concern is prohibition itself—the state’s totalitarian chutzpah of determining what one may or may not put into his or her body. We tried that with alcohol a few decades ago and got a thriving underworld and thousands of deaths by bathtub gin in return.

There seem to be two main groups actively supporting marijuana prohibition: The Moralists (thou shalt not do anything I don’t do) and the more formidable, well-heeled Prohibition Sluts–the ones who have gotten rich from the continued ban on the drug: Drug cartels, booze distilleries and prison guards unions, to name a few.

The cartels protest the decriminalization of marijuana (and any controlled substance) by their very existence; The end of pot prohibition would put a big dent in the revenue stream of los narcotraficantes.

The other Sluts, whose investment in drug prohibition continues to pay handsome dividends, take the more traditional route of politician purchase and public relations.  But, the longer and louder they protest against common sense decriminalization, the weaker their arguments seem to be.

Inalienable Right

Some of my good chums use pot a lot.  Though I don’t understand how they’re able to do it without diving into bed and pulling the covers over their heads, smoking it should be their inalienable right, whenever they choose, for whatever reason–medical, spiritual or just plain old fun.

Judging by the tally of signatures,  I’m not the only Californian who feels that way.

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As always, for the best information on this subject and other drug policy issues, visit the Drug Policy Alliance and NORML

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