Our server costs ~$56 per month to run. Please consider donating or becoming a Patron to help keep the site running. Help us gain new members by following us on Twitter and liking our page on Facebook!
Current time: March 28, 2024, 5:50 pm

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
San Fran to expunge over 9000 cannabis convictions
#1
San Fran to expunge over 9000 cannabis convictions
https://www.npr.org/2019/02/26/698045482...onvictions

Quote:San Francisco officials plan to expunge more than 9,000 marijuana convictions dating back to 1975, the city's highest law enforcement official said Monday.

...

"It was the morally right thing to do," San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón told the Los Angeles Times. "If you have a felony conviction, you are automatically excluded in so many ways from participating in your community."

...

Gascón said his office would expunge 9,362 felony and misdemeanor cases. That includes 1,230 his office had already cleared. Before the city started to comb through records to find those eligible to be cleared, only 23 people had petitioned the city to do something about their convictions, NPR reported last year. That's because the process was tedious, Gascón told NPR's Ari Shapiro.

All I can really say is it's about damn time. If, in 2019, you still believe cannabis does any more harm than alcohol or nicotine, I really don't even know what to say to you. 

If anything, cannabis is the most relatively harmless psychoactive drug that exists. There's no reason for someone to be punished for enjoying a joint after work, just like someone shouldn't be punished for having a glass of wine or a cold beer after work. Hell, I'd rather see someone smoke pot and get behind the wheel of a car than get drunk and drive. Ideally, I'd rather drivers on the road be completely sober, but you understand what I'm getting at.

All in all, I'd love to see a society in the West that accepts cannabis for what it is: a relatively harmless way to relax and let loose.

It's ridiculous to see people arrested for cannabis and it's especially heinous when you consider that minorities are targeted more than any other group for cannabis possession; this likely stems from the days of 'reefer madness' where cannabis was said to give minorities super powers and make them flirt with white women and look at white men twice.

I think we need to see more of this. Arresting people is a total waste of law enforcement's time and an utter waste of tax payers' money.
If you're frightened of dying, and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the Earth.
Reply
#2
RE: San Fran to expunge over 9000 cannabis convictions
(March 1, 2019 at 10:48 pm)PRJA93 Wrote: https://www.npr.org/2019/02/26/698045482...onvictions

Quote:San Francisco officials plan to expunge more than 9,000 marijuana convictions dating back to 1975, the city's highest law enforcement official said Monday.

...

"It was the morally right thing to do," San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón told the Los Angeles Times. "If you have a felony conviction, you are automatically excluded in so many ways from participating in your community."

...

Gascón said his office would expunge 9,362 felony and misdemeanor cases. That includes 1,230 his office had already cleared. Before the city started to comb through records to find those eligible to be cleared, only 23 people had petitioned the city to do something about their convictions, NPR reported last year. That's because the process was tedious, Gascón told NPR's Ari Shapiro.

All I can really say is it's about damn time. If, in 2019, you still believe cannabis does any more harm than alcohol or nicotine, I really don't even know what to say to you. 

If anything, cannabis is the most relatively harmless psychoactive drug that exists. There's no reason for someone to be punished for enjoying a joint after work, just like someone shouldn't be punished for having a glass of wine or a cold beer after work. Hell, I'd rather see someone smoke pot and get behind the wheel of a car than get drunk and drive. Ideally, I'd rather drivers on the road be completely sober, but you understand what I'm getting at.

All in all, I'd love to see a society in the West that accepts cannabis for what it is: a relatively harmless way to relax and let loose.

It's ridiculous to see people arrested for cannabis and it's especially heinous when you consider that minorities are targeted more than any other group for cannabis possession; this likely stems from the days of 'reefer madness' where cannabis was said to give minorities super powers and make them flirt with white women and look at white men twice.

I think we need to see more of this. Arresting people is a total waste of law enforcement's time and an utter waste of tax payers' money.

I have one very serious reservation about the legalization of weed. People drive while high, and that really, really pisses me off. Studies have shown an increase in car accidents in the states that have legalized weed. The increase is about 6%. With about 30,000 people dying per year in car accidents, a 6% increase is 1,800 more dead people every year. People seem to be reasoning that since weed is legal, then driving while high is more acceptable.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consume...es-n921511
We do not inherit the world from our parents. We borrow it from our children.
Reply
#3
RE: San Fran to expunge over 9000 cannabis convictions
(March 2, 2019 at 8:42 am)Yonadav Wrote: I have one very serious reservation about the legalization of weed. People drive while high, and that really, really pisses me off. Studies have shown an increase in car accidents in the states that have legalized weed. The increase is about 6%. With about 30,000 people dying per year in car accidents, a 6% increase is 1,800 more dead people every year. People seem to be reasoning that since weed is legal, then driving while high is more acceptable.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consume...es-n921511

Eh, the research is not quite as clear cut as you're trying to make it out to be. A quote from CBS said

"The researchers note that the link between marijuana and car crashes is not as clear as the link between alcohol and car accidents. Policies and procedures for drug testing tend to be inconsistent, and many states don't include consistent information on driver drug use in crash reports."

It's also important to note that, unlike with alcohol, there's no easy way to tell if a person who tested positive for cannabis was impaired while they were driving. Another important note is it's not as if all of those 1800 people tested positive for cannabis. And this isn't a measure of fatal car accidents, just car accidents. It's not quite as clear-cut as you're trying to make it out to be, but it's certainly something to be considered.

That being said, I'd much rather see someone behind the wheel on just cannabis than just alcohol. Ideally, no one would drive impaired, but we don't live in a perfect world.

There are many more positives to the idea of drug legalization than there are negatives, that's for sure.
If you're frightened of dying, and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the Earth.
Reply
#4
RE: San Fran to expunge over 9000 cannabis convictions
(March 2, 2019 at 8:50 am)PRJA93 Wrote:
(March 2, 2019 at 8:42 am)Yonadav Wrote: I have one very serious reservation about the legalization of weed. People drive while high, and that really, really pisses me off. Studies have shown an increase in car accidents in the states that have legalized weed. The increase is about 6%. With about 30,000 people dying per year in car accidents, a 6% increase is 1,800 more dead people every year. People seem to be reasoning that since weed is legal, then driving while high is more acceptable.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consume...es-n921511

Eh, the research is not quite as clear cut as you're trying to make it out to be. A quote from CBS said

"The researchers note that the link between marijuana and car crashes is not as clear as the link between alcohol and car accidents. Policies and procedures for drug testing tend to be inconsistent, and many states don't include consistent information on driver drug use in crash reports."

It's also important to note that, unlike with alcohol, there's no easy way to tell if a person who tested positive for cannabis was impaired while they were driving. Another important note is it's not as if all of those 1800 people tested positive for cannabis. And this isn't a measure of fatal car accidents, just car accidents. It's not quite as clear-cut as you're trying to make it out to be, but it's certainly something to be considered.

That being said, I'd much rather see someone behind the wheel on just cannabis than just alcohol. Ideally, no one would drive impaired, but we don't live in a perfect world.

There are many more positives to the idea of drug legalization than there are negatives, that's for sure.

I'm not trying to make something seem more clear than it is. I gave you that link specifically because of its balanced perspective about the correlation between legalization of weed and car accidents. I have no anti recreational drug use agenda. I would certainly rather encounter stoned people than drunk people. But I don't want to encounter either while they are driving.
We do not inherit the world from our parents. We borrow it from our children.
Reply
#5
RE: San Fran to expunge over 9000 cannabis convictions
Then make driving while high the crime. Punish those that commit said crime severely.
Reply
#6
RE: San Fran to expunge over 9000 cannabis convictions
(March 2, 2019 at 9:16 am)no one Wrote: Then make driving while high the crime. Punish those that commit said crime severely.

I don't disagree. If people really are reasoning that driving while stoned is more acceptable when weed is legalized, then we certainly should do everything that we can to disabuse them of that notion. We need to campaign as vigorously against driving while high as we do against driving while drunk. But enforcement of driving while drunk is a little easier since testing a person's alcohol level is relatively easy. Arresting people for driving while high is going to be difficult until we are able to test for it more easily.

Additionally, the pro marijuana crowd is deliberately junking up the discussion a bit. They are already arguing that people with higher tolerances can safely operate vehicles while moderately stoned. They are already preparing to argue against testing, claiming that a person's THC blood levels aren't relevant to how safely they can operate a motor vehicle. We already have people arguing that there is a level of being stoned at which it is safe to operate a motor vehicle, distinguishing between being stoned and dangerously stoned.  That's ludicrous.

Here's an article where a guy actually entertains the notion that it's OK for some people to drive while stoned.
https://reason.com/blog/2018/08/27/canna...lities-fal
We do not inherit the world from our parents. We borrow it from our children.
Reply
#7
RE: San Fran to expunge over 9000 cannabis convictions
Yon, lol..thc stays in the system longer than alcohol.    When a person says that we're incapable of determining whether a person was high when they were driving it's not about them being able to smoke a ton of weed..it's the fact that measuring concentration does not indicate relevant use.  

It just tells you that you're dealing with a pothead.  Not that the pothead is high at present moment.

It's gonna be really hard to legislate. I think we'll go draconian like usual.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
Reply
#8
RE: San Fran to expunge over 9000 cannabis convictions
(March 2, 2019 at 11:54 am)Gae Bolga Wrote: Yon, lol..thc stays in the system longer than alcohol.    When a person says that we're incapable of determining whether a person was high when they were driving it's not about them being able to smoke a ton of weed..it's the fact that measuring concentration does not indicate relevant use.  

It just tells you that you're dealing with a pothead.  Not that the pothead is high at present moment.

It's gonna be really hard to legislate. I think we'll go draconian like usual.

Well, legislate properly, you mean.

Honestly, I think that expunging all these convictions is a good thing. America has the highest incarceration rate on the planet (over 1%; the closest figure I was able to find was South Africa during Apartheid, and it was something like 0.86%), and it seems like most of the reason it's this high is because of minor drug offenses.
Comparing the Universal Oneness of All Life to Yo Mama since 2010.

[Image: harmlesskitchen.png]

I was born with the gift of laughter and a sense the world is mad.
Reply
#9
RE: San Fran to expunge over 9000 cannabis convictions
(March 2, 2019 at 11:54 am)Gae Bolga Wrote: Yon, lol..thc stays in the system longer than alcohol.    When a person says that we're incapable of determining whether a person was high when they were driving it's not about them being able to smoke a ton of weed..it's the fact that measuring concentration does not indicate relevant use.  

It just tells you that you're dealing with a pothead.  Not that the pothead is high at present moment.

It's gonna be really hard to legislate.  I think we'll go draconian like usual.

You are getting as bad as Bwian about not understanding what you read. Did you notice the part where I said that we don't currently have a way of testing for it easily? 

Breath analyzers currently exist that will detect use within the past couple of hours. But arguments are being made that we don't know what constitutes legal impairment. Personally, I think that any use at all within two hours prior to being tested should constitute impairment, since the only reason for smoking pot is to get high. We can have a single drink just for enjoyment, and not to get intoxicated. But everyone smokes pot exclusively to get high. So if you smoke pot and then drive, you're intentionally driving while high.
We do not inherit the world from our parents. We borrow it from our children.
Reply
#10
RE: San Fran to expunge over 9000 cannabis convictions
Like with uber man, the munchies come to me. Like so many negative waves in this thread man.
Reply



Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Fire at Pier 45 in San Francisco onlinebiker 10 1006 May 24, 2020 at 7:56 pm
Last Post: Fireball
  San Diego Paper Calls On Hunter To Resign Minimalist 2 394 August 23, 2018 at 1:51 am
Last Post: Minimalist
  San Diego Hepatitis A Outbreak brewer 2 280 September 8, 2017 at 7:23 pm
Last Post: c172
  Another step closer to cannabis legalisation in the UK? account_inactive 20 1633 November 29, 2016 at 3:59 pm
Last Post: Iroscato
  Colorado proves that legal cannabis is an enormous fucking no-brainer Ryantology 22 3850 June 30, 2014 at 3:36 am
Last Post: ignoramus



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)