Sacramento - Amsterdam of California (2015, condo, felons)

[sacramento916]

Originally Posted by SacramentoBound

It may be absurd to categorically equate Sacramento to a region on the opposite end of the continent, but it's also kind of absurd to get in a tiff about it on the internet.

Having been born in Tucson, raised in Boston, visited a majority of the continental US and spent the last two years of my life in a "frontier" county of California, I very much agree with wburg. You can tell just from the way that people from all over this state talk that Sacramento's biggest problem is that it's in the shadow of the Bay on one end and LA on the other. It turns the city into something of a third wheel as far as public opinion is concerned. LA and the Bay have just as many problems as Sacramento has, they've just managed somehow to inspire more denial in their communities concerning those problems.

I agree it's pointless to get into a tiff about being equated to Arkansas. However, after piles of ignorant comments, it was enough.

Sacramento has a bad rep only because it's in California. If Sacramento was located in the South, it'd be known as a great cosmopolitan marvel. But because it's in California, where glamorous cities abound and diversity and cosmopolitanism is the rule, Sacramento, continues to pale in comparison. Even though Sacramento has great diversity, has people from all over the world, has every type of demographic you can imagine, has great authentic ethnic restaurants, farm fresh to table gourmet eateries, a thriving gay scene, somehow, ONLY IN CALIFORNIA, this is not enough to garner attention.

But to compare Sacramento to the ass backwards regions of this country is simply absurd.

[sacramento916]

But anyways, back to the issue at hand and from a proud Sacramentan.

LEGALIZE IT!!!!

It would be awesome if Central Sacramento was the only Pot Zone in the entire country. Imagine the hordes of international tourists we would get and the instant global recognition! Imagine reggae songs singing about the glories of Sacramento, and European backpackers thronging along J St!

Sacramento would become a must see destination along with SF and Hollywood for any backpacker/tourist heading towards California. Not to mention the economic boom that will be generated in this region.

LEGALIZE IT!!!!

[wburg]

And back to the response to the issue at hand:

Sacramento916: The law against marijuana is a FEDERAL LAW. That means that only the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT can overturn it. Individual cities can't change that. They can choose not to enforce those federal laws (and, in fact, some cities' local police turn enough of a blind eye to marijuana use that it is "nearly" legal) but that doesn't stop the feds from coming in and busting people should they choose to do so. Put down the bong for a moment!

[KC6ZLV]

Originally Posted by sacramento916

But anyways, back to the issue at hand and from a proud Sacramentan.

LEGALIZE IT!!!!

It would be awesome if Central Sacramento was the only Pot Zone in the entire country. Imagine the hordes of international tourists we would get and the instant global recognition! Imagine reggae songs singing about the glories of Sacramento, and European backpackers thronging along J St!

LEGALIZE IT!!!!

Have you really looked around? Central Sacramento is a pot zone, and no, I don't think it is something to be proud of.

I don't think many European tourists would make a stop in Sacramento to smoke weed. Europeans don't think getting drunk or getting high is an accomplishment in life like Americans do.

[nowincal11]

Originally Posted by wburg

And back to the response to the issue at hand:

Sacramento916: The law against marijuana is a FEDERAL LAW. That means that only the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT can overturn it. Individual cities can't change that. They can choose not to enforce those federal laws (and, in fact, some cities' local police turn enough of a blind eye to marijuana use that it is "nearly" legal) but that doesn't stop the feds from coming in and busting people should they choose to do so. Put down the bong for a moment!

You have a correct conclusion, but faulty premise. The federal government does prohibit the possession and sale of marijuana. The federal government does not have state police power, it has federal power over interstate commerce. Therefore, only federal law enforcement officers (in this case the DEA) can prosecute under federal law.

Since marijuana is an interstate commerce issue, the federal government can either preempt the field completely (which leaves it solely as a fed violation) or allow states to also enact their own penalties and prohibitions. In this case, there would be no point for the federal government to have exclusive control over marijuana laws because they could not force CA police to enforce federal law.

States have state police power under the 10th amendment. CA police only can enforce CA state law. They cannot prosecute federally, only at the state level. If California removed marijuana as an illegal substance, it would still be illegally federally and federal officers could enforce it. But the federal government cannot force CA as a state to make marijuana illegal.

That's why the 2010 ballot measure was poorly worded. It said CA needs to make pot legal. That is not allowed because the federal government says it is not legal as a matter of interstate commerce. However, the 2012 ballot measure will say they will remove pot from the books as an illegal substance.

Pot will not be legalized in CA, but it will not be illegal. CA police will not be able to prosecute under state law because it is not illegal anymore, and they can't prosecute federally because they don't have that power.

I highly doubt the DEA will begin arresting people for possession of small amounts on the streets of LA, SF, or Sac.

[kagicre]

Originally Posted by sacramento916

Just food for thought.

I wish there was a way we can pass a citywide legalization of marijuana just for the city of Sacramento, or just for the central city of Sacramento including the neighborhoods of downtown, midtown, alkali flats, oak park, etc.

I think it would immediately bring in a lot of investment and tourism dollars to Sacramento. Put Sacramento on the map as a destination and also bring a very international crowd into town. We would become the Amsterdam of California.

What do you guys think?

Amsterdam didn't make "soft" drugs legal to get more tourism, but because it made the city safer. Through their program, together with methadon clinics the drug crime went down significantly. That was the main reason. The Netherlands distinguish between "hard" drugs, like heroin, cocaine and so on and "soft" drugs, like marijuana and mushrooms. It is very strict regulated (the coffee shops are) and it works. By the way, dope heads are far less aggressive than alcohol drinkers! That's also a fact.

[kagicre]

Originally Posted by KC6ZLV

Have you really looked around? Central Sacramento is a pot zone, and no, I don't think it is something to be proud of.

I don't think many European tourists would make a stop in Sacramento to smoke weed. Europeans don't think getting drunk or getting high is an accomplishment in life like Americans do.

Nobody gets drunk or high to accomplish anything anyway. That is not the point, people do that to relax. At least that how it should be used if you want to use it.

[Aquaboy]

Originally Posted by sacramento916

I agree it's pointless to get into a tiff about being equated to Arkansas. However, after piles of ignorant comments, it was enough.

Sacramento has a bad rep only because it's in California. If Sacramento was located in the South, it'd be known as a great cosmopolitan marvel. But because it's in California, where glamorous cities abound and diversity and cosmopolitanism is the rule, Sacramento, continues to pale in comparison. Even though Sacramento has great diversity, has people from all over the world, has every type of demographic you can imagine, has great authentic ethnic restaurants, farm fresh to table gourmet eateries, a thriving gay scene, somehow, ONLY IN CALIFORNIA, this is not enough to garner attention.

But to compare Sacramento to the ass backwards regions of this country is simply absurd.

Lighten up folks, it was just a joke.
Or light up. Whatever floats your boat!

[KC6ZLV]

Originally Posted by kagicre

Nobody gets drunk or high to accomplish anything anyway. That is not the point, people do that to relax. At least that how it should be used if you want to use it.

You don't understand what I said.

In the US, if you go to some get-together with co-workers, say a Christmas dinner or company event and someone gets drunk everyone at work is either going to hear about it from the drunkard's co-workers repeating the story every opportunity they get for the next six weeks, or the person that got drunk is going to brag about it (I was sooo wasted....). They don't make an issue out of it in other countries. Americans are very strange about some things. Especially things that are "taboo" and anything that appears to deviate from what the majority of people do.

[sacramento916]

Originally Posted by KC6ZLV

You don't understand what I said.

In the US, if you go to some get-together with co-workers, say a Christmas dinner or company event and someone gets drunk everyone at work is either going to hear about it from the drunkard's co-workers repeating the story every opportunity they get for the next six weeks, or the person that got drunk is going to brag about it (I was sooo wasted....). They don't make an issue out of it in other countries. Americans are very strange about some things. Especially things that are "taboo" and anything that appears to deviate from what the majority of people do.

That's because Americans, by and large, are more immature than people of other nations, respective of their age group.

I've seen many 50 year old Americans act less mature than Europeans or Asians that are 25 years old. It's the culture.