Marijuana Legalization

So, you don't understand it either?

 

You may see marijuana legalized by Congress, but until then, the Attorney General is within his duties to go after those who produce & distribute an illegal substance.

 

Bush was President when Congress passed the Patriot Act. Not only did it give the government sweeping new powers but it (or other legislation passed around the same time, I don't recall) also created a new government agency, Homeland Security.

Part of the problem is that the whole states' rights movement is based around a concept that couldn't really be executed under our current structure. The federal government has responsibilities. Maintaining the military for our national defense is one of them. And regulating inter-state commerce so that states don't get too sovereign is another.

Legalization or decriminalization is a massive blow to the wildly unsuccessful war on drugs. And I think, long term, we're likely to see marijuana legalized at the federal level. This will likely be after more and more states stop enforcing these laws and all of the fearmongering about children being on heroin by high school as a consequence are proven false.

But until that all comes Sessions, or any AG, can certainly prosecute whatever he likes when it falls under federal law.

But that's a two edged sword. If Sessions decides to make this his personal drug crusade, at a time when the majority of Americans are pro-legalization, it could spell political disaster for Congressional elections in 2018. I'm not even talking about a necessary shift toward the Dems. But even a more moderate stance by the GOP could put Congress at odds with the White House.

 

Republicans don't care about "states rights" they just want what they want any way they can get it. It's particularly divided since the money wing just wants government not to cost them anything and the evangelical wing just wants a theocracy.

 

Despite the fact that marijuana remains illegal in Canada, some guy decides to open six pot stores in Montreal. With predictable results

Police raid Cannabis Culture marijuana dispensaries, arrest 10 | Montreal Gazette

 

update

Liberals to announce marijuana will be legal by July 1, 2018 - Politics - CBC News

 

I don't smoke herbal myself, but I do think herbal can help many people with serious illnesses. For example, some cancer patients do not react well to pain meds like Norco. But they can tolerate weed for the pain. Plus, weed is not addictive. I guess docs are either trying to or have developed weed pills instead of sparking up blunts.

 

Ah, ok. some people are giving weed to their dogs for such things as arthritis and claim it helps. I wouldn't recommend it though because it really hasn't been tested yet. I told my conservative brother that people should be allowed to use weed for medical purposes, but he still did not like the idea. I don't get it. If you have something like cancer, people should be able to use whatever works for the pain without being hassled by the feds.

 

Just heard today. Justin Trudeau's promise of legalizing marijuana in Canada is coming along nicely, so his acolytes say. There will be a major announcement on Apr. 10th and the legalization date that's being bandied around is Canada Day (July 1) 2018. Police are still raiding dispensaries etc. and I guess they will till the day legalization is here. I guess we might get some details April 10th on how/where it might be sold, taxed, administered etc. I don't think it's gonna work as designed. Right now, half the tobacco-cigarettes smoked in this province are contraband / untaxed and there's been no measurable success against this - billions lost annually.

Neither the Government nor private sellers will ever make a dollar off me from pot ... but yes, it should be available legally (and not taxed) for medical use. I don't really care, but perhaps they should do it like booze: people could grow and prepare a quantity of their own marijuana (as they can with beer and wine) but selling any is a no-no. No tax on home-grown. Tax on manufacture and sale of commercially-made product, as with all liquor and store-bought beer and wine.

I just have an awful feeling that the Government will completely screw it up.... I have no confidence in any Government, including my own. I'm mild and lazy about it, though. Hunch my shoulders and wait for the next blow. :sad:

J.

 

I live in Illinois which, if you don't know, is broke. Flat ass broke. They are now turning to marijuana legalization as a means to generate an estimated $350 - $700 million in revenue.

Illinois lawmakers propose legalizing recreational marijuana - Chicago Tribune

I support it (even though I don't intend to use it and most of my fellow Illinoisans support it as well:

http://paulsimoninstitute.siu.edu/_common/documents/opinion-polling/simon-institute-poll/2017/march-27-psppi-simon-poll-marijuana.pdf

 

I have never met a violent pot head. I have met plenty of dudes who get pretty violent after drinking hard liquor like Jack Daniels. Out of the two, I would rather deal with a pot head.

 

Well it was just legalized in Massachusetts but no stores have opened up yet. There's some funny grey-area stuff going on where it's legal to have it/smoke it/grow it but illegal to sell it (without a license?) but it's ok to gift it to someone. So you've got these weird little transactions going on where I give you a gift of pot and you give me a gift of cash. I'm still waiting to see what the cultural shifts will look like.

 

Since it was legalized in Colorado the black market has just about disappeared. Although there have been a few cases of illegal growers trying to send it out of state.

 

That's good. I would rather see people smoking a little weed, rather than doing fentanal (misspelled, too lazy to look it up) laced heroin. I guess fentanyl is a elephant tranquilzer.

Forgive the misspelling. Too early in the morning, not enough coffee yet, and I don't do spell check.

 

we like charts . . .

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/04/19/11-charts-that-show-marijuana-has-truly-gone-mainstream/?utm_term=.00aad1d52def