Mayor's Angry Message As To Why Marijuana Should Remain Illegal

The mayor of Warren Michigan - Michigan's 3rd largest city-  is not a fan of legal marijuana other than for medicinal purposes and we agree.  Mayor Jim Fouts posted his disgust on his fast book page as to what a person high on marijuana did to two long-term residents in his city.  This is what he wrote

Mayor Jim Fouts

Today, I'm very angry and outraged about what has happened to some long term Warren residents. Dorothy and Don long term residents, were traveling on the expressway and while waiting with traffic due to an accident, were suddenly plowed into and rear ended by a driver under the influence of marijuana.

Dorothy sustained severe injuries including amputation of her right hand and painful spinal injuries. Her husband, Don, broke his arm and has serious injury to his back. Both now cannot be on their own. They had to sell their home and move into a care facility.

Dorothy who volunteered at St. John hospital in Warren and her husband did a variety of volunteer activities. Now they cannot leave the care facility. Their life has been completely turned around because of a driver high on pot!

She described the driver as being glassy eyed and clearly high on something. This happened at 10:30 AM on October 18. They have gone through painful months of rehabilitation. Police cannot determine when he smoked pot so it's not likely he will be charged with anything.

This is one of the reasons why I'm so strong on my medical marijuana ordinance. This means that more people will be using pot and some will be high on pot as they are driving. How many more victims like Don and Dorothy will be harmed permanently by pot users?

The law needs to treat those high on pot the same as those high on alcohol. I'm not against pot for medical reasons but it cannot be abused anymore than alcohol can be abused. The State law needs to recognize that a pot high is no different than an alcohol high on our highways! They both must be treated equally before the law.

The Push To Legalize Marijuana In Michigan

Debates are raging across the States in the United States as to whether or not marijuana should be legalized. Currently legal in Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Alaska, these states are now starting to discover growing pains when it comes to marijuana. Colorado for example has found that marijuana-impaired drivers have made up about 12.5 percent of all citations for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

A health study by Northwestern University and Harvard medical schools found that young adults who used marijuana only recreationally showed significant abnormalities in two key brain regions that are important in emotion and motivation, scientists report.

This is the first study to show casual use of marijuana is related to major brain changes. It showed the degree of brain abnormalities in these regions is directly related to the number of joints a person smoked per week. The more joints a person smoked, the more abnormal the shape, volume and density of the brain regions.

“This study raises a strong challenge to the idea that casual marijuana use isn’t associated with bad consequences,” said corresponding and co-senior study author Hans Breiter, M.D. He is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a psychiatrist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

“Some of these people only used marijuana to get high once or twice a week,” Breiter said. “People think a little recreational use shouldn’t cause a problem, if someone is doing OK with work or school. Our data directly says this is not the case.”

The study was published April 16, 2014 in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Paul Welday

In Michigan Oakland County Republican political operatives Suzie Mitchell, a Republican political fundraiser, and GOP consultant Paul Welday are behind a new advocacy group that is exploring a 2016 ballot initiative legalizing marijuana use

In the video below Matt Mardsen of the Michigan Cannabis Coalition could not defend, the fact that former Michigan State Representative Rocky Raczkowski brought up about marijuana flooding the black market and getting into the hands of those under age. He also could not defend the risk to the general public should

Rocky Raczkowski

a surgeon or pilot be high on marijuana for example.

Mardsen says that Marijuana isn't addictive but he is wrong. Marijuana is as addictive as alcohol. 

Approximately 10% of people who smoke marijuana will get addicted to it. That means 90% of people can use it recreationally. But for the other 10%, marijuana is not a harmless herb. They will have difficulty controlling their use, and they will continue to use even though it has negative consequences to their life. Every day people enter rehab programs or go to a 12 step group to deal with their marijuana addiction.

One study looked at 2,446 young adults between the ages of 14-24, and followed them for a period of 4 years. Approximately 10% met the criteria for marijuana addiction. 17% experienced withdrawal when they stopped using, 14% had difficulty controlling their use, and 13% continued to use even though they had health problems due to their marijuana use.

Marijuana users are 4 times more likely to develop depression. One study looked at 1,920 people, and followed them for 16 years. It discovered that people who smoked marijuana were 4 times more likely to develop depression.

Another study looked at 1601 students aged 14-15 and followed them for seven years. Approximately 60% of the students had used marijuana by the age of 20, and 7% had become daily users. The young women of the group who were daily users had a five time greater chance of developing depression.

Marijuana almost triples the chance of developing psychotic symptoms. A 3-year study followed 4,045 psychosis-free people. It came to the conclusion that marijuana smokers are three times more likely to develop psychotic symptoms (including manic-depression) than non-smokers.

Marsden, Welday and Mitchell are all longtime members of Michigan's Republican establishment. Marsden worked for former Gov. John Engler before serving as the chief spokesman for then-Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop and his successor, Sen. Randy Richardville. Welday is a fixture in Republican circles who served as former U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenburg's chief of staff before becoming chairman of the Oakland County Republican Party. Mitchell, wife of Republican pollster Steve Mitchell, is a fund-raiser with deep experience in southeast Michigan's GOP money belt.

Marijuana Debate: Should It Be Legalized?

Is A New Poll Favoring LGBT, Marijuana and Gov Snyder Legit?

The propaganda machine is out and is fully fueled and WDIV  TV

Mi Gov Rick Snyder

and The Detroit News are the mouth pieces. 

A new poll conducted by the Glengariff Group says Michigan voters approve of gay rights, legalized marijuana and Gov. Rick Snyder. 

Who is the Glengariff Group?  And who do you think they polled?  I will tell you in a little bit but first here is the poll WDIV TV in Detroit and The Detroit News is posting

The 600-person representative sample of state voters, Lansing leaders and Michigan residents found that participants have different views on gay rights.

 Voters support same sex marriage by a margin of 55.5 percent to 32.5 percent. This support level is statistically identical to levels in surveys conducted in 2012 and 2014. By a margin of 61.4 percent to 27.3 percent, Michigan voters support recognizing same sex marriages in Michigan if they are performed in other states and the couple were to move to Michigan.

  Michiganders also overwhelmingly support expanding the Elliot-Larsen Act to include protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered residents for housing and employment by a 77 percent to 17.9 percent margin. Even Strong Republican voters support expansion by a margin of 70.8 percent to 22.0 percent. Voters over the age of 65 support expansion by a margin of 76.9 percent to 18.0 percent.

 Michigan voters unequivocally oppose ‘Religious Freedom’ legislation that would allow a business to deny service to a customer based on their religious beliefs by an overwhelming 18.5 percent to 76.5 percent margin.

 A solid majority, 56.1 percent, of Michigan voters support legalizing and taxing small amount of marijuana for adults over the age of 21 years old, while 35.7 percent oppose legalization.

 The Glegariff poll also exposed generational disagreement on the issue. While voters under 30 years old support passage by a margin of 73.7 percent to 15.1 percent, voters over the age of 65 oppose passage by a margin of 39.2 percent to 51.3 percent.

 Voters also approve of the performance of Governor Rick Snyder by a margin of 55.1 percent to 39.3 percent, representing Snyder’s highest job approval performance to date.

 However, the state legislature remains unpopular. By a margin of 34.3 percent to 50.0 percent, Michigan voters disapprove of the performance of the State Legislature.
 

So who is the Glengariff group?  Well here is who they are based on their basic website and this information is quite telling as to why you cannot trust the above poll:

The Glengariff Group, Inc. specializes in strategic planning and market research.

 Founded in December 1998 by President and owner Richard Czuba, the Glengariff Group, Inc. offers the spectrum of marketing and public affairs services - all based on market research, analysis, and strategy.

 Our specialty is disciplined, intense planning that delivers results.  We do the special projects that other companies won't touch.
 The Glengariff Group,Inc. has offices in Chicago, Illinois and  St. Joseph, Michigan.

 In 1983 Richard began work with the Michigan Republican State Committee where he quickly rose to Director of Research overseeing survey research and campaign research for Michigan’s Republican Party.

 In 1987 Richard became Director of Research for the Pete Dawkins for U.S. Senate campaign in New Jersey. As Director of Research for the nation’s most hotly contested race, Richard oversaw the campaign’s research functions including coordination and writing of all candidate position statements, survey research work, and all campaign research.

  In 1989 Richard returned to the Michigan Republican State Committee and soon became the Director of Research and Communications, melting his research background with marketing and communications strategic planning.

 In 1990 Governor-Elect John Engler named Richard as the Transition Team Leader for the Michigan Department of Social Services. Upon completion of this assignment, Richard was asked to complete the transition team report for the Michigan Department of Transportation.

 In 1993 Richard was named Advisor to Governor John Engler for Research and Planning. In addition to handling the research needs of Governor John Engler, Richard coordinated the administration’s policy statements and was responsible for message and communication strategy for the Lieutenant Governor and the Governor’s Cabinet most notably during the campaign to pass Proposal A.

In 1997 Richard was the Director of Planning and Public Affairs for the State of Michigan. During his tenure with the Michigan Jobs Commission, Richard was instrumental in creating the nationally recognized Tax Free Renaissance Zones including moving the idea from concept to legislation. He was responsible for the community review process and creation of a nationwide publicity campaign for Renaissance Zones.

 Also as Director of Planning and Public Affairs, Richard was responsible for executing communication efforts for significant administration initiatives such as the funding of Tiger Stadium, the state of Michigan’s first nationwide economic marketing campaign, and all economic development publicity for the state of Michigan.

 In 1999 Governor Engler named Richard the Director of Travel Michigan, where he created a new image and public relations campaign for the State of Michigan.

 Even more troubling is that the Glengariff Group is the go to polling company for the ultra liberal Daily Kos.

Based on the connections to the old guard in the Michigan Republican Party that are looking to push the LGBT Agenda as they do not know how to fight it and would rather concede to win rather than stick up for values and the fact that the poll favors Gov . Snyder  one has to wonder if the marijuana question was put in to try to make this poll legit.  

The poll just says 600 were surveyed but yet who were the ones surveyed?  Was it the old guard establishment Republicans and their minions?  What where the demographics and occupations of those polled?

Could this poll be two fold, to try to make people believe that the majority support the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual,  Transgender crusade  and to prop Gov Snyder back up after the embarrassing Proposal 1 road tax defeat so he can make another attempt at President or be a presidential vice president candidate?  Perhaps for his rumored favorite Jeb Bush?


***Update*** This in from a reader of Setting The Record Straight***

Matt Marsden, spokesman for the Michigan Cannabis Coalition sited in that article "Legalize pot, 56% in Mich. poll say" was the chief of staff for former Senate Majority leader Randy Richardville until he had a public tiff with Senator Rick Jones! He was then reassigned within the Richardville "team" and former Governor Jennifer Granholm's staffer Amber McCann was brought in to replace Marsden as chief of staff! Oh the webs they weave.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2015/06/15/legalize-pot-mich-poll-say/28791811/