Federal authorities have renewed a crackdown on state-sanctioned medical marijuana facilities despite promises by Barack Obama, the president, to keep the issue low on his list of priorities.
Local authorities are now also trying to stop people from making money off the medicinal cannabis industry, as it is meant to be a non-profit venture, of course the States still raises tax revenue.
This of course follows in the wake of a discussion which took place between all the American nations where the US stood out as the only nation not in favour of some degree of de-criminalisation, but as it is an election year it probably was not the best time for radical and therefore risky new ideas.
During the last election I was delighted to be the cause of some discussion, the 'Are hustings fit for purpose?' debate being a notable discussion raised directly by me.
I was delighted today to read the latest magazine from the JEP 'Confidential' that one of my main election issues has been taken up and now is the subject of discussion in the States (at least back rooms), the question of how much regulation is enough and how much is too much.
Now it seems to me that should I decide to run at the next election then part of my platform will be the legalisation of locally grown Marijuana for consumption on the island.
So that means that local farmers will have a new crop, the tourism industry will have a new draw, the customs officers will still have jobs stopping the import and export of the crop and there will be an additional revenue stream for the States of Jersey, who by then will likely be desperate for 'new ideas'.
A survey I conducted during the last election showed the public were split exactly evenly on the issue and one has to surmise that only those who actually bothered to vote took the time to enter the survey, that would suggest to me that the majority of the Island are in favour of some degree of de-criminalisation of Marijuana.
The economic case (merely in terms of the cost of enforcing the law against the will of the people) was excellently compiled by Deputy Dorey back in 2003 to 2005 whilst serving on a shadow scrutiny panel but the matter was never debated in the States.
Al Jazeera's Rob Reynolds reports from Oakland, California in the following video...
During the last election I was delighted to be the cause of some discussion, the 'Are hustings fit for purpose?' debate being a notable discussion raised directly by me.
I was delighted today to read the latest magazine from the JEP 'Confidential' that one of my main election issues has been taken up and now is the subject of discussion in the States (at least back rooms), the question of how much regulation is enough and how much is too much.
Now it seems to me that should I decide to run at the next election then part of my platform will be the legalisation of locally grown Marijuana for consumption on the island.
So that means that local farmers will have a new crop, the tourism industry will have a new draw, the customs officers will still have jobs stopping the import and export of the crop and there will be an additional revenue stream for the States of Jersey, who by then will likely be desperate for 'new ideas'.
A survey I conducted during the last election showed the public were split exactly evenly on the issue and one has to surmise that only those who actually bothered to vote took the time to enter the survey, that would suggest to me that the majority of the Island are in favour of some degree of de-criminalisation of Marijuana.
The economic case (merely in terms of the cost of enforcing the law against the will of the people) was excellently compiled by Deputy Dorey back in 2003 to 2005 whilst serving on a shadow scrutiny panel but the matter was never debated in the States.
