PAN’s directors are unanimous in encouraging a NO
vote on Prop 64. This is a just a
very brief list of reasons to vote NO:
* Jeopardizes
Prop 215 – On the first page of Prop 64 it states it is the proposition’s
intent to ‘streamline’ medical and non-medical into one regulatory scheme. The taxes and permitting fees that
pertain to adult use will apply to medical as well. While patients may be eligible to get a tax break at the
register, the base price will be much higher as a result of the all the fees
and taxes that were paid before it reached the counter. This violates the affordability clause
in Prop 215. Prop 64 also gets rid of the Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation and
interferes with the patient-doctor
relationship. (Links with attorney analysis below.)
* Too
many taxes and undisclosed fees – Prop 64 includes a 15% excise tax, encourages
local taxes, gross receipts taxes, and taxes on the flowers and the leaves. No other agricultural product is taxed
this way. While Prop 64 lays out
all of the permits required, the fees will be decided by the legislature
because Prop 64 gives power to the legislature to amend Prop 64… and we know what
a great job they do.
* Funds
stay in Sacramento – Prop 64 clearly states that none of the taxes, fees or
fines will be used by the general fund (as in Colorado). All of the money generated stays in
Sacramento to fund the 11 different agencies, offices and departments that will
enforce Prop 64. The portion
proponents state is going toward education is for after-school drug classes and
a research program at UC San Diego.
Prop 64 creates the largest slush fund of any Governor’s office in the
country and Lt. Gov. (CA governor-hopeful) Gavin Newsom is literally banking on
it.
* Not
real adult legalization – If you’re over 21 and not a patient, you can still go
to jail if you are caught with more than an ounce, six plants or 4 grams of
concentrates. Possession of an
ounce or less was decriminalized in California in 2010, S.B. 1449. Prop 47 released all non-violent
cannabis offenders. (See news
article below.) Minors caught with cannabis will still be treated as
felons. (See criminal penatlies
chart below.)
* Written
and funded by special interests and not the cannabis community – Lt. Gov. Gavin
Newsom seated the Drug Policy Alliance to write Prop 64. (In an article below DPA admits they
don’t know how to regulate Cannabis.)
George Soros creates, funds and heavily influences DPA. Soros also is a major partner in
Monsanto-Bayer. Do I need to
continue? Ok, fine. Monsanto has been sued and/or tossed
out of several countries and wants cannabis to be there next big venture,
especially industrial hemp, GMO-you-can-only-buy-hemp-seed-from-Monsanto
hemp. They would also create the
GMO seed for Bayer, GW Pharceutical, R.J. Reynolds, Philip Morris. A brief research into the history of
Monsanto and you will learn that they have put small family farms out of
business all over the world. How
do you think their involvement is going to affect California’s cannabis
growers? What is Newsom’s
motivation for getting bed with these corporations while he blocked authentic
patient advocates and long-time cannabis industry players from the table?
* Racist.
Classist. – This is a long socio-economic discussion that Axis of Love
SF explores deeply. I have included
those links below.
Some of those asking for your NO vote: Ed
Rosenthal, Valerie Corral, Steve Kubby, Scott Imler, Dennis Peron, several
growers’ associations, numerous attorneys, dozens of patient advocates and many
others.
Prop 215 = less than 250 words
Prop 64 = 62+ pages
The good news is that there are already good
legalization initiatives drafted by a broad coalition of our cannabis community
members with the input of good lawyers, and have received favorable 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 legalize marijuana, ensure that medical
marijuana patients are protected, end bans, have fair permitting and taxes for
ALL types of cannabis businesses, release prisoners, expunge records, protect
genetics, small farmers, civil rights and more.
Your NO vote protects Prop 215, allows legal
challenges to MMRSA/MCRSA to move forward and let’s us get a much better set of
laws passed in 2018. Please
help protect California’s unique cannabis heritage; and don’t let mega
corporations and their lobbyists destroy it.
Be Safe.
Get out and vote.
Sincerely,
Patient Advocacy Network
Some links:
Does Prop 64 Threaten,
Diminish, or End Medical Cannabis?
(Answer: Yes, Yes, and
Yes)
By Sasha Brodsky, Attorney at Law
Will Calif.’s Prop. 64 Really Free any Pot Prisoners?
"...one fact that can’t be ignored is that almost
no one is in prison for cannabis in California... according to the the
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, only 285 people are in
prison for any cannabis-related offense."
California legalization: Prop. 215 author fights
Prop. 64, here’s why
Why California Cannabis Growers Are Coming Out
Against Prop 64
Strange bedfellows unite to oppose California pot
legalization
"...there’s a lot we don’t know about commercial
cannabis regulation..." -- said Lynne Lyman, state director for the Drug
Policy Alliance, authors of Prop 64.
Prop 64 Money Trail – from the Sac Bee
Penalties Chart from Tharp Consulting
Three Biggest Reasons Tobacco Giants Eye Lucrative
$50 Billion Marijuana Market –
Marijuana Related Arrests Skyrocket In Colorado For Black
And Latino Minors
‘Medical’ Marijuana Costs $500 More Per Pound In
Washington State Than Recreational Weed. What’s The Difference?
Videos – Prop 64 San Francisco Patient Town Hall
(Part 1 – 5)
Social Media Posts:
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.
Even Asian Media has it figured out.
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