Cannabis News

Baron23

Well-Known Member
Senate Panel Defeats Tennessee Pot Decriminalization Bill
The Associated Press
Updated 3:07PM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A bill seeking to reduce the penalty for possessing small amounts of marijuana in Tennessee has been extinguished in a state Senate committee.

The Judiciary Committee voted 6-3 on Tuesday against the measure sponsored by Sen. Jeff Yarbro. The bill would have made possession of less than one-eighth of an ounce of marijuana a Class C misdemeanor punishably by a fine of no more than $50.

Pot possession is currently a Class A misdemeanor that can be punished with up to nearly a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.

The legislation was filed by Yarbro and Rep. Harold Love, a fellow Nashville Democrat, in response to a Republican bill to repeal any city ordinances to reduce the penalty for people who possess small amounts of marijuana.


I can't believe this BS is still going on. Be careful what your lawmakers are doing. Keep on your toes folks. Do we have any FCers from Tennessee? Really, a year in jail?
CK
Yep, sounds like TN needs a whole new bunch of elected state representatives just like FL and a few other states where the elitist pols are actively working against the democratically expressed desires of the electorate. 75% of Tennesseans agree that seriously ill patients should have access to medical cannabis, according to a 2014 MTSU poll.

I really do hope these politicians all get their just deserts.
 

Baron23

Well-Known Member
Don’t let Big Marijuana prioritize profits over public safety

By Patrick Kennedy and Kevin Sabet March 8 at 7:33 PM
Patrick Kennedy is a former U.S. representative from Rhode Island and an honorary adviser of Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Kevin Sabet is a former White House drug policy adviser and president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana.

Last month, White House press secretary Sean Spicer sent shock waves through the nascent — but growing — marijuana industry when he indicated that the Trump administration intends to pursue “greater enforcement” regarding non-medical marijuana. The comments drew quick rebuke from elected officials in several states that have begun experimenting with pot legalization.

Certainly, we shouldn’t lock people up for marijuana use or low-level offenses, or revert to a “Reefer Madness”-style war on drugs. But we should also recognize legalization for what it is: the large-scale commercialization and marketing of an addictive — and therefore highly profitable — substance.

Many marijuana advocates have one goal in mind: to get rich. What we need, therefore, is a federal enforcement strategy that not only promotes human rights and social justice, but also actively targets and deters the special interests driving Big Marijuana. (cont and you should definitely read the rest of this article)

By the by, for those who think only the other side of the aisle push back on MJ, a small reminder that Patrick Kennedy is, and always has been, a Democrat. Just saying :brow::lol:


Marijuana clubs approved in Colorado Senate
DENVER — The Colorado Senate on Thursday passed a first-in-the-nation bill expressly permitting marijuana clubs. But Gov. John Hickenlooper is hinting that he’ll veto the measure unless it bans indoor smoking.

The bill allows local jurisdictions to permit bring-your-own pot clubs, as long as those establishments don’t serve alcohol or any food beyond light snacks.

The bill doesn’t say whether those clubs could allow people to smoke pot indoors. That means it would be possible for a membership club that is closed to the public and has no more than three employees to permit indoor pot smoking.

Sponsors say the bill is necessary because Colorado already has a network of underground, unregulated pot clubs, and towns aren’t sure how to treat them.

Pot clubs could help alleviate complaints that Colorado’s sidewalks and public parks have been inundated with pot smokers since the state legalized recreational weed in 2012.

“We have a lot of problems throughout this state of people publicly using marijuana,” said Sen. Bob Gardner, a Colorado Springs Republican and sponsor of the club bill.

The measure sets up a showdown with the Democratic governor, who has told reporters that clubs could invite federal intervention in Colorado’s pot market. (cont)
 

Silat

When the Facts Change, I Change My Mind.
News from the Grand Wizard and Putin Lover Jeff Sessions
3/9/2017
"Sessions is gonna crack back down on those horrible reefers-devils with their jazz cigarettes (smoke 'em if you got 'em, Steiniacs and Glibertarians, because it looks like elections actually have consequences!)

HH: Let’s talk about the rule of law. I have a piece coming out in the Washington Post about this on Sunday, Attorney General Sessions. One RICO prosecution against one marijuana retailer in one state that has so-called legalization ends this façade and this flaunting of the Supremacy Clause. Will you be bringing such a case?

JS: We will, marijuana is against federal law, and that applies in states where they may have repealed their own anti-marijuana laws. So yes, we will enforce law in an appropriate way nationwide. It’s not possible for the federal government, of course, to take over everything the local police used to do in a state that’s legalized it. And I’m not in favor of legalization of marijuana. I think it’s a more dangerous drug than a lot of people realize. I don’t think we’re going to be a better community if marijuana is sold in every corner grocery store."
 

Baron23

Well-Known Member
This is a very sad and touching situation with a young child who is helped by MMJ. I suggest taking a few minutes and watching it.

Watch the change as Kara Zartler uses cannabis vapor

www.washingtonpost.com/video/c/embed/65bcc30a-fd8e-11e6-9b78-824ccab94435"

News from the Grand Wizard and Putin Lover Jeff Sessions
3/9/2017
"Sessions is gonna crack back down on those horrible reefers-devils with their jazz cigarettes (smoke 'em if you got 'em, Steiniacs and Glibertarians, because it looks like elections actually have consequences!)

HH: Let’s talk about the rule of law. I have a piece coming out in the Washington Post about this on Sunday, Attorney General Sessions. One RICO prosecution against one marijuana retailer in one state that has so-called legalization ends this façade and this flaunting of the Supremacy Clause. Will you be bringing such a case?

JS: We will, marijuana is against federal law, and that applies in states where they may have repealed their own anti-marijuana laws. So yes, we will enforce law in an appropriate way nationwide. It’s not possible for the federal government, of course, to take over everything the local police used to do in a state that’s legalized it. And I’m not in favor of legalization of marijuana. I think it’s a more dangerous drug than a lot of people realize. I don’t think we’re going to be a better community if marijuana is sold in every corner grocery store."
@Silat , my friend - Do you have a link or citation?? Can't seem to find this.

Whitehouse.gov Petition Asks Trump To Back Off Marijuana

Aside from drone warfare and domestic spying, Donald Trump is embracing at least one innovation from the Barack Obama days.

Within days of taking office, Trump’s people scrubbed climate change science from the EPA website, but in a nod to the power enjoyed by online mobs in the Trump era, his administration has thus far left the Whitehouse.gov petition pages untouched. This is the perfunctory nod to “people power,” where anyone can create a petition or other ask of the executive branch, who is supposed to issue a response once 100,000 people or more sign on to the idea.

And just like in Obama days, there’s a marijuana-related petition gaining signatures that’s asking Trump to please, please, leave marijuana alone—just as he promised he would on the campaign trail. (Which is yet another thing Donald Trump has in common with Barack Obama, aside from an address and access to the nuclear codes.)

“[D]uring the campaign President Trump repeatedly pledged that if elected the federal government would respect the rights of states to enact their own cannabis laws. That is a wise policy supported by a growing super-majority of voters,” the petition reads in part. “Please keep your promise to the American people.”
 
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BabyFacedFinster

Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing.
News from the Grand Wizard and Putin Lover Jeff Sessions
3/9/2017
"Sessions is gonna crack back down on those horrible reefers-devils with their jazz cigarettes (smoke 'em if you got 'em, Steiniacs and Glibertarians, because it looks like elections actually have consequences!)

HH: Let’s talk about the rule of law. I have a piece coming out in the Washington Post about this on Sunday, Attorney General Sessions. One RICO prosecution against one marijuana retailer in one state that has so-called legalization ends this façade and this flaunting of the Supremacy Clause. Will you be bringing such a case?

JS: We will, marijuana is against federal law, and that applies in states where they may have repealed their own anti-marijuana laws. So yes, we will enforce law in an appropriate way nationwide. It’s not possible for the federal government, of course, to take over everything the local police used to do in a state that’s legalized it. And I’m not in favor of legalization of marijuana. I think it’s a more dangerous drug than a lot of people realize. I don’t think we’re going to be a better community if marijuana is sold in every corner grocery store."

I just listened to the actual audio recording of this interview from the Hugh Hewitt show. It is important to note that Sessions paused after the words "We will." That was not a statement, but the beginning of a sentence he did not want to finish. He paused, and then as if to change direction towards being more non-committal, continued with "Marijuana is against federal law..."

If you read between the lines IMHO, he is skirting the issue and is not interested in taking it on. I think the feds will save face by taking a stand on interstate movement of cannabis. They really hate this, and can enforce this one piece as their token "stepped up enforcement" while leaving states alone. If so, I actually consider this to be a reasonable angle from the federal government. I'll keep all my reefer right here in my very own state, I promise. :wave:
 

Silat

When the Facts Change, I Change My Mind.
I just listened to the actual audio recording of this interview from the Hugh Hewitt show. It is important to note that Sessions paused after the words "We will." That was not a statement, but the beginning of a sentence he did not want to finish. He paused, and then as if to change direction towards being more non-committal, continued with "Marijuana is against federal law..."

If you read between the lines IMHO, he is skirting the issue and is not interested in taking it on. I think the feds will save face by taking a stand on interstate movement of cannabis. They really hate this, and can enforce this one piece as their token "stepped up enforcement" while leaving states alone. If so, I actually consider this to be a reasonable angle from the federal government. I'll keep all my reefer right here in my very own state, I promise. :wave:

You are discounting, well everything.
He has been very clear about how he feels about MJ. He has been against it for years.
 

grokit

well-worn member
I agree with @Silat that sessions might just not be interested in announcing the details of what is likely to be an opressive enforcement strategy meant to roll things back on behalf of the booze and pharma cartels.

I think the feds will save face by taking a stand on interstate movement of cannabis. They really hate this

What about traveling with, or even mailing a permitted quantity straight from one legal state to another?
I think that could present a bit of a conundrum. The entire west coast of the usa is legal now :2c:

:sherlock:
 

grokit

well-worn member
;) But state's rights and free trade dammit that's supposedly in their wheelhouse too.

1kbggr.jpg


52f2f7e3c52e1aca46daa56aac09e52d.jpg


:myday:
 

howie105

Well-Known Member
As much as it sucks to see the train rushing down the tunnel towards us its not unexpected. Flipping legalization down to the states without addressing the relevant federal regulations left us all vulnerable and now we are waiting to see how badly things might play out. On the upside when the political pendulum swings back in the other direction and the nation takes another shot at legalization hopefully citizens will be wiser, bolder and more involved in the task so the process can't be so easily derailed. One of the things I find most concerning is our inability to even discuss current the situation in a constructive manner among ourselves much less with opponents. Its the old house divided thing, again.
 

damm

Well-Known Member
Totally agree with you, sadly its been that way for so long that many folks can't see that there is a different way.

The unfortunate part is one of the ways the War on Drugs affects us is we look at those who are involved in drugs like (guerrillas, terrorists, evil people). You hear it on TV all the time how they don't want someone using their tax dollars getting high.

It used to be you had a few people who would take a watch over the neighborhood and if someone tried to break into your house they'd call the police. If your kid got locked out they would take care of him until you got home.

You could call it caring; you could call it empathy. I call it giving a crap about others.

... You could go further but the point is we have waged both a physical war and a psychological war; there are millions (billions) affected by this. The fact that people can call it racist; you can quote numbers and they just don't care. They are right; you are wrong and they don't care to listen to you.

Last word: paternalism

the policy or practice on the part of people in positions of authority of restricting the freedom and responsibilities of those subordinate to them in the subordinates' supposed best interest.

"the arrogance and paternalism that underlies cradle-to-grave employment contracts"
 
damm,
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cybrguy

Putin is a War Criminal
On the upside when the political pendulum swings back in the other direction and the nation takes another shot at legalization hopefully citizens will be wiser, bolder and more involved in the task so the process can't be so easily derailed.
And I will applaud, cheer, and jump up and down showing peace signs. Posthumously.
 

BabyFacedFinster

Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing.
What about traveling with, or even mailing a permitted quantity straight from one legal state to another?
I think that could present a bit of a conundrum. The entire west coast of the usa is legal now :2c:

:sherlock:

That's my point. It would be very costly in many aspects to "rollback" legalization. The interstate issue could be mail, driving or flying. Having federally illegal substances crossing state borders is a big deal for them. There would be very little push back if this is where their focus lay. I'm just saying it is an easy out, and a possibility.

There are quite a few senior legislators that are putting pressure on Sessions and Trump. Sessions told some pretty well-established congressmen that he wasn't going to change things much. Add lying in the face to senators that he has worked with for many years to the list of reasons why not.

There may very well be raids here and there. That happened under the "wonderful" Obama days too, and it probably would have occurred under Hillary.
Maybe not Bernie.
 
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little maggie

Well-Known Member
Unfortunately, the probable new head of the FDA is in the pockets of the pharmaceutical industry. Trump is almost creating an anti marijuana coalition.
 
little maggie,
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CarolKing

Singer of songs and a vapor connoisseur
Approved in Colorado Senate
Posted by CN Staff on March 10, 2017 at 05:51:21 PT
By Kristen Wyatt, The Associated Press

Source: Associated Press

Denver -- The Colorado Senate on Thursday passed a first-in-the-nation bill expressly permitting marijuana clubs. But Gov. John Hickenlooper is hinting that he'll veto the measure unless it bans indoor smoking. The bill allows local jurisdictions to permit bring-your-own pot clubs, as long as those establishments don't serve alcohol or any food beyond light snacks.
The bill doesn't say whether those clubs could allow people to smoke pot indoors. That means it would be possible for a membership club that is closed to the public and has no more than three employees to permit indoor pot smoking.

Read More...
 
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Baron23

Well-Known Member
Unfortunately, the probable new head of the FDA is in the pockets of the pharmaceutical industry. Trump is almost creating an anti marijuana coalition.
HI Maggie - I have read a number of articles about the proposed new head of the FDA, Dr. Scott Gottlieb. This includes articles in what can be considered to be consistently liberal publications such as the Washington Post.

Based on those readings, I believe that any attempt to paint this gentleman in such black and white terms as "in the pockets of the pharmaceutical industry" would be a distortion, would be misleading, and would be a disservice to all.
 
Baron23,

Silat

When the Facts Change, I Change My Mind.
HI Maggie - I have read a number of articles about the proposed new head of the FDA, Dr. Scott Gottlieb. This includes articles in what can be considered to be consistently liberal publications such as the Washington Post.

Based on those readings, I believe that any attempt to paint this gentleman in such black and white terms as "in the pockets of the pharmaceutical industry" would be a distortion, would be misleading, and would be a disservice to all.

There is no doubt that he is corporate owned right wing extremist.
"March 2016 article for Forbes (ultra conservative rag), he argued against allowing patients to import medicines from foreign countries — a proposal, aimed at lowering medicine costs, that the drug industry has long fought against."

He is also a member of the American Enterprise Institute (supported by the likes of christian extremist government haters like the DeVos family. The Kochs are involved also.) which is far right.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/American_Enterprise_Institute

I think he is painted correctly.
 
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Silat,
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Baron23

Well-Known Member
There is no doubt that he is corporate owned reich wing extremist.
"March 2016 article for Forbes (ultra conservative rag), he argued against allowing patients to import medicines from foreign countries — a proposal, aimed at lowering medicine costs, that the drug industry has long fought against."

He is also a member of the American Enterprise Institute (supported by the likes of christian extremist government haters like the DeVos family. The Kochs are involved also.) which is far reich.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/American_Enterprise_Institute

I think he is painted correctly.
Well then....we disagree and quite frankly my friend, throwing around Nazi references and name calling is really not quite up to your general standards of discourse.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...y-ties-to-run-the-fda/?utm_term=.7cb0220f0f7c
 

little maggie

Well-Known Member
Well then....we disagree and quite frankly my friend, throwing around Nazi references and name calling is really not quite up to your general standards of discourse.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...y-ties-to-run-the-fda/?utm_term=.7cb0220f0f7c

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...s_58c3419ae4b054a0ea6ad069?vbjkkspv3j0g22o6r&
Assuming he gets the post, which is likely, we will have data about his position rather than it being a matter of opinion.
And as for Nazi medical experiments, our country did the same on unsuspecting civilians a decade or two later. There is too much lack of conscience in much of the medical community.
 
little maggie,
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