I absolutely will not be drinking three beers in short order, followed by smoking a blunt for this report. The contest I’m speaking of is the alcohol lobby versus the pot legalizers in California.
The California Beer & Beverage Distributors disclosed it donated $10,000 to defeat Prop 19 — which would regulate and tax marijuana like alcohol. The alcohol lobbyist’s funds will help spread the lie that employers must tolerate stoned employees, and the talking point that ‘California doesn’t need another legal, mind-altering substance.’ Alcohol causes an estimated $38 billion in costs in California each year from emergency room visits, arrests, etc, according to the Marin Institute. There are roughly 3,500 deaths annually from alcohol-related illness and more than 109,000 alcohol-related injuries in California. Conversely, pot caused 181 emergency room visits in 2008, according to a study by the non-partisan RAND Corporation, despite being used by more than four million Californians monthly.
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition spokesperson and retired Orange County, CA. judge James Gray said the booze lobby’s decision was probably financial. The move echoes the tobacco and alcohol industry’s help creating leading drug war group Partnership For a Drug-Free America.
“It was a really wise thing to do from a merchandising standpoint to reaffirm the distinction between a legal and an illegal drug,” he said. “They are protecting their own economic self interest.”
So it has come down to that. Just a money deal. Market share. Given all that, I’m sure the alcohol lobby would prefer you didn’t read this book:
Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?
Bad for business doncha know?
It is funny that the beneficiaries of the repeal of alcohol prohibition are pumping for the continuation of pot prohibition. “It’s just business.” Yes it is. And better ’twere it legal.
Cross Posted at Power and Control
Comments
9 responses to “Booze vs Pot”
I absolutely will not be drinking three beers in short order, followed by smoking a blunt for this report.
Me neither. Well, one beer — I haven’t had three in a day in years.
A Sam Adams Blackberry Witbier, I think. It’ll go well with the Blueberry I won’t be smoking.
Ah, it’s a good life I’m not enjoying.
Back in the day I recall hearing an ad on the radio against legalizing pot. Then came the kicker: “This is a public service message brought to you by” some alcoholic beverage organization.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Three words.
BREW YOUR OWN!
Funny, but “The alcohol lobbyist’s funds will help spread the lie that employers must tolerate stoned employees” is exactly the sticking point that Congressman Tom McClintock bases his objection to the proposition.
I have a lot of trust in McClintock and will have to read the text of the proposition to decide for myself. At first blush, an employer does need the right to discriminate. My employer does based on Federal regulations for the nuclear power industry.
Whitehall,
Impairment is always a problem. The trouble is that for pot smokers it is hard to detect because it does not impair much.
BTW there is no standard test for impairment. And if there was it would probably pick up a lot of colds, lack of sleep, and other mild temporary debilitations. Causing tons of paperwork for nothing significant.
You might find this book of interest since it covers some of the issues:
Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?
BTW with pot freely available (not legally of course) how can you be sure there is not already a problem in your industry – undetected because it is not much of a problem.
How about we stop the war against Tobacco first? I suspect pot is just as dangerous to the user, insofar as smoking causes emphysema and lung cancer. Indeed, Mary Jane adds actual intoxication to the mix.
Jeff,
There is evidence that pot has anti-cancer and anti-tumor properties. You can look it up. No need to guess.
Yeah I don’t like the war on tobacco either.
Schizophrenia and Tobacco
Hey thanks for the link! I had nearly forgotten about that post…