Dear Friends & Colleagues,
This November so-called ‘legalization’ will be on
the ballot in California, and I write to encourage you to vote NO on
Proposition 64 aka AUMA (Adult Use of Marijuana Act). Here’s why, with links and more information below:
None of the money generated by all the new taxes
and fees will benefit California.
All of the money stays in Sacramento to pay for a large bureaucracy and enforcement.
Taxes, taxes and more taxes, even on medical. Excise tax. Sales tax.
Gross receipts tax. Use
tax. Cultivation tax. Flower tax. Leaf tax. All
of this is expected to raise the cost of cannabis by at least 40%. This doesn’t include all the licensing
fees.
In addition to the significant expense for
patients, Prop 64 ‘consolidates’ medical and ‘nonmedical’ cannabis into one
system. It interferes with the
patient-doctor relationship and outlaws compassion programs. A significant portion of AUMA works to
overturn Proposition 215.
The initiative is funded by interests in Monsanto,
Big Pharma and Big Tobacco. George
Soros is a major partner in Monsanto and funds the Drug Policy Alliance, the
authors behind Prop 64.
Billionaire Sean Parker, Napster founder, former CEO of facebook, CIA
recruit, and good friend of Lt Gov. Gavin Newsom, is also funding Prop 64. Weedmaps is also a significant funder
with CEO Justin Hartfield supporting a big tobacco model for adult recreational
use.
Prop 64 contains a lot of misleading
language. This 62-page initiative
promises many lofty things in the first two pages. For example, it claims to prevent DUI’s, stop the polluting
of waterways, crackdown on cartels – all of which sounds great, except that
there are already laws on the books in California that do this and these issues
are not mentioned again in the rest of the initiative.
The rest of Prop 64 is an expensive and convoluted
regulatory scheme that absorbs authentic medical cannabis operations and favors
mega corporations, and puts California’s unique cannabis heritage in jeopardy.
If I thought this initiative would be good for
patients, California, and the cannabis industry, I would applaud this effort
and be helping in every way.
However, myself and a grassroots coalition of many thousands of cannabis
advocates are reaching out to make sure everyone we know understands the
implications of Prop 64 before the billionaires start dropping deceptive
advertising.
Here’s the good news: It’s quite easy to defeat Prop 64; we all simply need to
vote NO on Tuesday, November 8, 2016.
We will then move forward to get the right legalization on the
ballot. Please join me on Election
Day to protect Prop 215 and say NO to the hostile corporate takeover of
California’s #1 cash crop. Please forward
this letter to your friends, family and colleagues. Also, for you convenience I’ve attached a window sign and
flyers you can print out and display at your home or office.
Here’s the other good news: There are already good legalization
initiatives drafted by the Cannabis Community with the input of good lawyers,
that have received analysis from the Office of the Attorney General. These complimentary initiatives take
into account the California single-subject rule, which stipulates that proposed
legislation can only take on one issue.
By having complimentary initiatives we aim to ensure that medical
marijuana patients are protected, to end bans on medical operations, to have
fair permitting and taxes for all types of cannabis businesses - from patient
non-profits to large for-profit companies, to release prisoners, expunge
records, protect genetics and more.
The proponents of these complimentary initiatives
made the choice last fall to suspend our campaigns to focus on defeating Prop
64 and then promptly refiling our initiatives for 2018. We knew that with billionaire players
like Soros and Parker it would be impossible to raise the money we’d need to
gather those 500,000 signatures.
Please help me defeat this horribly flawed
initiative so we can work together to establish the best laws for California in
2018, because California deserves better. I thank you for your time and consideration.
Yours Truly,
Degé Coutee
Patient Advocate & Cannabis Activist
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Some Links:
AUMA Analysis by Attorney Letitia Pepper - http://marian0280.wixsite.com/4pepper
AUMA Analysis by 151 Farmers - http://151farmers.org/2016/08/19/prop-64-aumaanalysis/
AUMA Analysis by The Weedly News - Prop 64 – AUMA
Legalization for the 1% - http://theweedlynews.com/2016/08/01/prop-64-auma-makes-marijuana-legal-only-for-the-1/
AUMA Analysis by Cal Growers Assoc. - Cal Growers
divided on Proposition 64 - http://www.calgrowersassociation.org/proposition_64_julyconcerns
GEORGE SOROS AND BIG AGRICULTURE MOVE THE
MARIJUANA MOVEMENT - http://katehon.com/837-george-soros-and-big-agriculture-move-the-marijuana-movement.html
Monsanto, Bayer, and the Push for Corporate
Cannabis - http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/07/08/monsanto-bayer-and-the-push-for-corporate-cannabis/
Napster founder Sean Parker announces $250 million
grant to fight cancer - http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/13/technology/sean-parker-donation-cancer-immunotherapy/
How Justin Hartfield could become the Philip
Morris of weed - http://moneyweek.com/profile-of-justin-hartfield/
Three Biggest Reasons Tobacco Giants Eye Lucrative
$50 Billion Marijuana Market –
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On the radio:
Degé Coutee is the in-studio guest on KFI AM 640 with
the Wayne Resnick Show; She will be explaining why she is Voting No On Prop 64.
Degé Coutee, guest on LA Talk Radio with Dave 4 LA
(Starts around 8 minutes into show) - http://latalkradio.com/…/def…/files/audio/Dave4la-091816.mp3
Degé Coutee calls in to Coast To Coast AM during
Jesse Ventura's Marijuana Manifesto to explain the problems with Prop 64. Call
starts at 1 hr:11min:25sec with Ventura's perfect lead in... "Follow the
money!"
Cannabis Activist & Patient Advocate Degé
Coutee explains to reporter Jane Wells why she's leading the charge to Vote No
On AUMA. The full report begins at 1hr:06min.
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PAN’s Blog – Cannabis Patient Voice
The Corporate Billionaires’ Hostile Attempt To
Take Over The California Cannabis Industry in 2016 – NO! California deserves
better!!
How The Grassroots & Independent Expenditures
Can Defeat Proposition 64
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Social Media
[Video] - California recreational pot: Can Sean
Parker puff puff pass recreational buddha with AUMA!? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpM_bGrV1j0
Independent Expenditure paid for by Degé Coutee –
under $1,000.00.
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Please forward this message to all of your lists
and social media.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that
ever has.” -- Margaret Mead
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