Marijuana Legalization Head Calls Ag 'ignorant' On Weed

[AlternativeSolutionsPlus]

Marijuana Legalization Head Calls AG 'Ignorant' On Weed

 

The leader of a statewide petition aimed at legalizing marijuana accuses the state's top law enforcement officer of being ignorant on the issue. Detroit trial lawyer Matthew Abel thinks Attorney General Bill Schuette and others are "absolutely" ignorant when it comes to the behavioral impact of smoking weed.

 

They still believe in "Reefer Madness", the film that depicted users as crazy, he said.

 

"This is not a gateway drug. It is not addictive," Abel told the Off the Record panel.

 

Abel, who admitted using the drug since 15, says he is an Eagle Scout and has four college degrees so he concludes the drug has not negatively impacted him.

 

As for the petition drive, the deadline is July 9 for turning in 500,000 signatures. Around 50,000 petitions are printed, 2,000 unpaid volunteers are in the field and he has no intentions of paying for signatures unless "it gets close at the end."

 

"I didn't intend to do this," he said, but the anger when Schuette and others started "attacking" the Medical Marijuana Act grew into the current movement to make it legal for everyone over the age of 21.

 

"The politicians brought this upon themselves," he said. "The people are way ahead of the politicians on this . . .We need to educate the people in power."

 

Able said he does not buy the popular wisdom that he is doomed just because his effort starts with only 52 percent support in the electorate. Political strategists have suggested in the past that a drive needs to start with about 56-57 percent to account for any drop-off once the opposition begins to pick away at the issue.

 

"Ten percent of the people are lying to the pollsters," he said, making the argument that the 52 percent is under estimated. He also points to the 50 percent support for the medical marijuana drive, which ended with over 60 percent of the citizens voting yes.

 

He noted that Proposal 1 of 2008 passed in every county and garnered 70 percent of the vote in Oakland County.

 

Abel's drive to East Lansing for the show taping resulted in an extra bonus. Two of the MSU student camera operators working in the studio signed petitions and took several with them to circulate among their friends (See the broadcast at wkar.org or on YouTube.)

[cristinew]

'Ignorant' ?? No he knows better he is just cruel

[AlternativeSolutionsPlus]

'Ignorant' ?? No he knows better he is just cruel

 

 

"More than a thousand people die from aspirin-induced bleeding each year in the United States." Compare that to the number of reported deaths from cannabis...ZERO!

 

Fact: Bill Schuette has allowed his own personal beliefs to interfere with his duty as a public official!

[JimD]

Even when I try to account for their inherent misunderstanding of marijuana and how it relates to and interacts with the societal impact of illegal/regulated substances by attempting to see it from their point of view...I cannot logically see any motivation behind their actions other than greed for wealth and power. They lie, and they have the money to make sure that lie is heard by every voter in Michigan.