Cannabis News

Donald Trump vs. marijuana: Here’s who will win

By now, many have seen the headlines: "White House Spokesman Predicts More Federal Action Against Marijuana" (NPR), "White House: Feds will step up marijuana law enforcement" (CNN), "Marijuana entrepreneurs try to stay calm after Spicer comments on weed" (CNBC). It is hard to believe a minute and a half out of an hour-long press briefing could cause so much commotion.

Let's examine what White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer actually said. He essentially said two things. He distinguished medical marijuana from adult use, and he believes "you'll see greater enforcement" of the Controlled Substance Act against recreational use.

Mr. Spicer did not say there were any imminent actions from the U.S. Department of Justice, the agency charged with enforcing federal law. In fact, he said the question of enforcement would be better addressed by the DOJ itself. Mr. Spicer was stating what he believes.

Here's what I believe. I believe Mr. Spicer's acknowledgement that the president supports state's rights when it comes to medical marijuana is a positive development. Mr. Spicer also referenced the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment, first passed in 2014, which currently prohibits the federal government from prosecuting medical marijuana in states where it is legal.

"The president understands the pain and suffering that many people go through who are facing especially terminal diseases and the comfort that some of these drugs, including medical marijuana, can bring to them," Mr. Spicer said.

So at least on the question of medical marijuana, there seems to be broad consensus. Medical marijuana is now legal in 28 states and accounts for about three quarters of the burgeoning legal cannabis industry.

But here's the thing. Mr. Spicer's opinion notwithstanding, there is growing consensus on adult use as well. The majority of Americans support full legalization. The number of states that have approved legalized recreational adult use doubled last November to eight, including my home state of California, the nation's most populous state.

Americans are realizing that prohibition has not stemmed consumption and only served to enrich drug cartels and unfairly imprison millions of people. Whether you are for or against adult use, more and more people are realizing that the better path is to have a well-regulated industry, much like alcohol is today. It is safer for consumers, it is safer for the public, not to mention it creates tax revenue and jobs.

A week before Mr. Spicer spoke, something even more significant for the cannabis industry happened, but it didn't get as much notice as the White House press briefing. A bipartisan group of congressional leaders announced the formation of the first ever Congressional Cannabis Caucus. The founders, U.S. representatives Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Don Young (R-Alaska), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.), vowed to sponsor and pass federal laws that protect states' rights on cannabis issues, including adult use.

Mr. Rohrabacher, a long-time advocate of marijuana causes, earlier introduced the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act, which would amend the Controlled Substances Act to prohibit federal prosecution of marijuana buyers and sellers who comply with state laws.

Elsewhere in Congress, prominent legislators like U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have called for further reform, including clearer banking regulations and tax laws for the legal cannabis industry.

In the long-term, I see momentum building in favor of full legalization. Congress and the American people are on the right side of this issue, and we fully expect that the rest of the federal government will follow suit.

[QUOTE="Baron23, post: 1089841, member: 29

Mr. Rohrabacher, a long-time advocate of marijuana causes [/QUOTE]

Admitted in front of congress that he used cannabis WHILE in OFFICE!!!
Wish I could......the office part...

I do not like the word MARIJUANA.....to politized for the wrong reasons and in-doctrination...for too long!!!


CANNABIS.....Cluster Headache.....ReNew...Mission. Good to-Go!!!

The Trump administration’s nonsensical stance on marijuana

By Sam Kamin February 27 at 3:19 PM
Sam Kamin is the Vicente Sederberg professor of marijuana law and policy at the University of Denver.

Nov. 8 was both the best of nights and the worst of nights for marijuana law reformers. That night, four states approved medical marijuana laws and another four voted to legalize marijuana use for all adults. But for many advocates, Donald Trump’s election served a substantial blow to law reform.

With Trump’s appointment of Jeff Sessions — one of the nation’s most outspoken anti-drug warriors — as attorney general, it seems the long-simmering tension between state marijuana law reform and federal prohibition is headed for a full-blown confrontation. It’s not surprising, then, that White House press secretary Sean Spicer attracted enormous attention last week when he appeared to presage a federal crackdown on marijuana law reform in the states — which would reverse the lax policy on marijuana set by the Obama administration.

Spicer’s comments are a perfect encapsulation of both the complicated state of marijuana law in the United States and the frenetic first weeks of the Trump administration. He stated that while the president is sympathetic toward those who use marijuana for serious ailments, the recreational use of cannabis is a different issue deserving of federal attention. As a matter of federal law, this distinction between medical and recreational use of marijuana is nonsensical.

Congress, in its wisdom, has classified marijuana as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. By definition, Schedule I drugs have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse; as a result their production and sale are prohibited nationwide, regardless of state laws to the contrary. Thus, if the new administration is serious about making marijuana available to medical patients, it could reschedule marijuana to make its use legal by patients around the country. Currently, medical users of marijuana are in violation of federal law, putting their employment, access to government benefits and parental rights at risk even in the absence of a federal crackdown.

Spicer also expressed the view that, in light of the opiate crisis facing the country, it would send the wrong message for the federal government to retreat from the enforcement of its own drug laws. But this grossly simplifies (and perhaps even inverts) the relationship between marijuana and more powerful drugs such as opiates. While marijuana has long been derided as a gateway drug, growing evidence shows that marijuana can serve as a substitute for or adjunct to the use of opiates to control chronic pain. In short, the opiate crisis might be a reason to expand access to marijuana rather than to contract it.

Moreover, the power of the federal government to enforce its own laws against marijuana production and sale in the states is necessarily limited. Much as Immigration and Customs Enforcement cannot simply remove all 11 million people who are in the country without authorization, the Drug Enforcement Administration lacks the resources to prosecute all those in violation of federal marijuana laws. It is for this reason that the federal government has historically relied on the states to do the lion’s share of drug enforcement. With a majority of states now opting to regulate marijuana rather than to prohibit it entirely, however, the federal government is confronting the practical limits of federal prohibition.

This does not mean, of course, that the federal government cannot make the lives of marijuana users, regulators and businesses difficult through threats, prosecutions and harassment. Much as ICE raids have terrorized more than just the “bad dudes” that the Trump administration claims to be targeting, increased use of law enforcement against those acting in compliance with state marijuana laws could have the effect of chilling much of the the medical use of marijuana that the administration says it supports.

It may be some time before we know whether Spicer’s statements were the announcement of a new policy direction, a trial balloon or simply off-the-cuff musings. But they highlight the need for nuance in this policy area. The administration needs to work with the public health community, law enforcement, Congress and state regulatory officials to create policy that is informed by both experience and data.

In normal times, a crackdown against an activity increasingly popular in the states and supported by large majorities of Americans would be a low priority for a new administration and would proceed only with care and deliberation. As the past month has made clear, however, these are not normal times.

US Cannabis Industry Jobs to Outpace Manufacturing by 2020

"The report estimates over the next three years, legalized marijuana will create 300,000 jobs."

Money talks.

Jeff Sessions Issues Ominous Warning On State Marijuana Legalization | The Huffington Post
Sessions pushes tougher line on marijuana - POLITICO
AG Jeff Sessions believes violence surrounds marijuana - NY Daily News

So Jeff Sessions is saying that dealers can't sue for illegal debts, so they can only retreat to violence.
Since there is violence around cannabis, it shouldn't get legalized so the violence doesn't get worse.
He's made a circular reasoning in a single statement.

Just like the gateway theory circular reasoning:
You can only buy cannabis from illegal dealers, who could shove harder drugs in your face.
Since cannabis act like a gateway drugs like this, it shouldn't get legalized to make the gateway effect worse.

Like seriously, legalization would eraditcate both the illegal violence and gateway effect, because the prohibiotion is the only thing causing it.

Prohibitionist typically hide that the gateway effect is caused by cannsis being illegal to hide the circular reasoning. Only show the half of the circle they want you to see.
But now he directly said the cannabis being illegal was the cause of the violence, yet he wants to crackdown few second later in the same statement. The entire circle in one paragraph.

CuckFumbustion said:

There is a healthy skepticism in this thread towards distinguishing science and sensationalism that is required by the news outlets to make everything seem 'current'. There is the tendency for a reporter with no science background to report a overly concatenated impression of a science paper or literature for that matter. Or some science fact I knew in grade school is now NEWS because of a slow news week or a minor revelation that points back to the science.

Thanks for clearing up the distinction between cannabinoid receptors and how it is NOT linked to dopamine or AM I missing the point here? I don't want to over simplify but want to convey the hard science to those even less informed than myself.
It tickles the receptors and doesn't replace dopamine in the body which is where opiods differ.
States Gird For Marijuana War With Jeff Sessions | The Huffington Post
Marijuana Industry Angered by White House Reversal - Bloomberg
Marijuana dispensaries take wait-and-see approachGov. Hickenlooper talks Trump, marijuana on Meet the Press | 9news.com after crackdown talk | The Daily World

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The endocannabinoid system is not regularly taught in medical school and cannabinoids are beyond microscopic so not easily identified... I think there may be two schools now starting to teach about the system but it's slow going... there are 40 plus medical patents for the cannabinoids up to date so the medical knowledge is there we just have to get it mainstream... everyone is wanting to impart there opinions and ad to the discussion just because of the sensationalism, I agree... the only problem with cnn reporting the mis facts is that people are incorrectly associating opiods and cannabis as causing the same response when it is completely different bio-chemical pathways being targeted.. hence the main reason one is severely addicting and the other psychologically addicting

Never shut down an operation that is gaining you power and influence, like the war on drugs. You can bat the issue back and forth in the political arena and make mileage off it but success or capitulation would be killing the golden goose. So here we are spinning in circles again as the new/old bosses reinvigorate an old issue and I exspect the same results as always.

Feds threatening to shut down marijuana festival, Cannabis Cup, in Las Vegas

One of the world's largest marijuana festivals, which is expected to be held this week on tribal land outside of Las Vegas, has been facing a possible shutdown for the past two weeks, according to a letter sent by federal officials earlier this month.

D.C. marijuana advocates prep for fight with Congress, but not Donald Trump

Ryan M. McDermott - The Washington Times - Monday, February 27, 2017

D.C. marijuana advocates say they are girding for battle now that the Trump administration has said it intends to enforce federal laws on pot possession and distribution.

But the District, which has legalized recreational marijuana but not its sale, probably doesn’t run afoul of federal law, a leading local advocate says.

“D.C. is not really in the line of fire for enforcement,” Kaitlyn Boecker of the Drug Policy Alliance said Monday. “With a lack of regulated sales, there’s not much for the [Department of Justice] to crack down on.”


White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Thursday said the administration views recreational pot use as a violation of federal law and will begin enforcement in states that have legalized marijuana.

Along with the District, Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington have legalized recreational marijuana.

Ms. Boecker said the Justice Department likely would focus on markets for regulated sales of pot. She cited a DOJ guidance commonly referred to as the Cole memo, which identifies eight priorities for federal drug enforcement agents. Drug trafficking and sales to minors top the list. Possession on federal land is last, and possession on nonfederal land is not included.

Congress blocked the District from creating a market for pot sales when city voters legalized the drug in 2015.

“If anything, the Cole memo should be a comfort to District residents and lawmakers, as it shows the chances of federal interference with our tightly controlled program are extremely low,” Ms. Boecker said.

But city pot activists are still preparing for a fight, just not with the White House. Adam Eidinger of marijuana advocacy group DCMJ said their target will be Congress.

Trump administration’s decision reverses the Obama-era policy of not interfering with local legalization laws. Over the last eight years, federal drug agents have focused more on the opioid epidemic and drug trafficking.

The announcement also is a reversal of Mr. Trump’s position on the campaign trail. At a Reno, Nevada, rally in October 2015, the then-candidate said states should decide how to handle legalization and enforcement.

“In terms of marijuana and legalization, I think that should be a state issue, state-by-state,” Mr. Trump said at the time.

D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said he’d operate based on the will of city residents when it comes to marijuana laws.

“One of the reasons voters favored legalization was the disparate impact marijuana arrests and convictions were having on communities of color,” Mr. Racine said. “While the administration has not clarified its comments with policy or an executive order, I believe that federal prosecutors have much larger public safety priorities in the District of Columbia than prosecuting the possession of small amounts of marijuana.”

Mayor Muriel Bowser has taken a hard stance against some of Mr. Trump’s policies, including his opposition to sanctuary cities. The president’s marijuana enforcement decision is no different.

“Our goal is to always be vigilant and work aggressively against any federal actions that undermine our local laws,” Bowser spokesman Kevin Harris said Monday. “Should there be movement on this issue that we feel undermine our local laws, we would continue our ongoing advocacy to preserve and protect our right to govern ourselves.”

Mr. Harris said that the mayor would stand up for what the city’s residents have said they want for the city.

“We do not see this as an issue where federal intervention is necessary, but if that is the direction the administration decides to pursue, we would look for ways to protect our local law, which was debated and approved by lawmakers actually elected by D.C. residents,” he said.

CuckFumbustion said:

Jeff Sessions Issues Ominous Warning On State Marijuana Legalization | The Huffington Post
Sessions pushes tougher line on marijuana - POLITICO
AG Jeff Sessions believes violence surrounds marijuana - NY Daily News

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Sessions is an idiot. Thankfully we have a very widely distributed power structure in our various state and federal governments so Sessions is not the last word on this. The lawers, however, will make a killing off it if Sessions follows through as I can't even imagine how many suits in how many jurisdictions will be filed.

Baron23 said:

Sessions is an idiot. Thankfully we have a very widely distributed power structure in our various state and federal governments so Sessions is not the last word on this. The lawers, however, will make a killing off it if Sessions follows through as I can't even imagine how many suits in how many jurisdictions will be filed.

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As much as I'm not extremely hopeful on the near future looking long term Sessions will lose on this issue. There will be change (mostly) in our favor and another hummingbird will fly to the moon within the next ten years.

‘There is no other medicine’: Texas father breaks law to treat self-harming autistic daughter with marijuana


By Travis M. Andrews February 28 at 4:27 AM
Watch the change as Kara Zartler uses cannabis vapor

Mark Zartler says cannabis is the only thing that has helped his daughter, who has cerebral palsy and severe autism that causes her to self.

Along with her twin sister, she was born at 26 weeks. At 1 pound 12 ounces, she weighed slightly less than the healthy Keeley. Then, 10 hours into life, Kara suffered a brain hemorrhage. Seventeen years later, she’s lucky to be alive. But she has cerebral palsy and severe autism, which in her case causes compulsive self-injurious behavior that began with she was 4 years old.

“It’s a terrible sight to see,” her father, Mark Zartler, told The Washington Post via telephone from his home in Richardson, Tex. “She hits herself in the face repeatedly. She gets into a loop, and she can’t really stop. Sometimes she can self-recover, but other times it just extends and extends and extends.”

After years of trying different drugs with little luck, Zartler eventually gave Kara marijuana on the advice of a friend, even though it’s illegal in his home state of Texas. To his surprise, it worked. Now, years later, he has chosen to go public with his story — though he risks potentially unwanted attention — in hopes of changing his state’s laws. Currently, Senate Bill 269 is in committee. If the bill becomes law, Texas will be the 29th state to legalize medical marijuana.

When they began, Kara’s fits, which include hitting, scratching and biting herself, would last for 12 hours. Zartler, a 48-year-old software engineer, and his wife, Christy, a pediatric nurse practitioner, would take half-hour shifts physically restraining her, sometimes for an entire day. (cont)

Sessions: ‘We don’t need to be legalizing marijuana’
February 28, 2017 10:29 AM EST - Expressing his views on drug policy, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said marijuana legalization wouldn't be “good for us.” He also doubted reports of marijuana’s effectiveness fighting opioid addiction, adding “we need to crack down more on heroin.” (Reuters)

Video here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/vide...cebc3a-fdc9-11e6-9b78-824ccab94435_video.html

power hungry politicians and plants can get along!! little sick kids who deserve a normal life shared with medicinal beneficial plants ( cannabis) demand it!

Attorney General Sessions wants to know the science on marijuana and opioids. Here it is.

Speaking this morning before the National Association of Attorneys General, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions expressed doubt that marijuana could help mitigate the opioid abuse epidemic.

“I see a line in The Washington Post today [link added] that I remember from the '80s,” Sessions said. "'Marijuana is a cure for opiate abuse.' Give me a break. This is the kind of argument that's been made out there to just — almost a desperate attempt to defend the harmlessness of marijuana or even its benefits. I doubt that's true. Maybe science will prove I'm wrong.”

The stakes are pretty high here. After all, opioids killed 33,000 people in 2015, up from around 8,000 in 1999. As the head of the Department of Justice, Attorney General Sessions oversees the Drug Enforcement Administration, which just last year reaffirmed its belief that marijuana has no medical value and hence should remain illegal (which makes it substantially more difficult for researchers to conduct studies).

Here's a run-down of where the evidence on marijuana and opiates stands. (cont...recommend you read this whole article)

Baron23 said:

Attorney General Sessions wants to know the science on marijuana and opioids. Here it is.

Speaking this morning before the National Association of Attorneys General, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions expressed doubt that marijuana could help mitigate the opioid abuse epidemic.

“I see a line in The Washington Post today [link added] that I remember from the '80s,” Sessions said. "'Marijuana is a cure for opiate abuse.' Give me a break. This is the kind of argument that's been made out there to just — almost a desperate attempt to defend the harmlessness of marijuana or even its benefits. I doubt that's true. Maybe science will prove I'm wrong.”

The stakes are pretty high here. After all, opioids killed 33,000 people in 2015, up from around 8,000 in 1999. As the head of the Department of Justice, Attorney General Sessions oversees the Drug Enforcement Administration, which just last year reaffirmed its belief that marijuana has no medical value and hence should remain illegal (which makes it substantially more difficult for researchers to conduct studies).

Here's a run-down of where the evidence on marijuana and opiates stands. (cont...recommend you read this whole article)

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The primary problem with this, is that cannabis is not controlled by the medical cartel, who has most likely given Sessions a good bit of $$ over the years. Big pharma makes a shit ton of money off pain medicine, and many folks are on them for life due to injuries and other problems. All the politicians are beholden to the medical/pharma industry for campaign contributions in the millions, if not billions of dollars over time. Most of the politicians are not willing to bite the hand that feeds them.

nickdanger said:

The primary problem with this, is that cannabis is not controlled by the medical cartel, who has most likely given Sessions a good bit of $$ over the years. Big pharma makes a shit ton of money off pain medicine, and many folks are on them for life due to injuries and other problems. All the politicians are beholden to the medical/pharma industry for campaign contributions in the millions, if not billions of dollars over time. Most of the politicians are not willing to bite the hand that feeds them.

Click to expand...

yet, what pharma supplies as medicine has to be approved by congress?!? first ? W ? T ? F ? ....hence illegal cannabsi plants and legal marinol drug

Please do your part and contact your lawmaker. Here we go again.

NORML Blog

• Federal Legislation Introduced To Exclude Cannabis From The Controlled Substances Act
  by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy DirectorFebruary 28, 2017
  If the Justice Department won’t listen to reason, then we must take this issue out of its hands. Act now to pass the “Ending Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017” to ensure that medical marijuana patients and others are protected from undue federal interference.
  
  

CarolKing said:

Please do your part and contact your lawmaker. Here we go again.

NORML Blog

• Federal Legislation Introduced To Exclude Cannabis From The Controlled Substances Act
  by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy DirectorFebruary 28, 2017
  If the Justice Department won’t listen to reason, then we must take this issue out of its hands. Act now to pass the “Ending Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017” to ensure that medical marijuana patients and others are protected from undue federal interference.
  
  

Click to expand...

Thanks Carol for the link. I absolutely will.

Although I certain agree with the view that big pharma is not our friend in this and has spread a LOT of money around to help ensure that they keep their addicted customers, I don't think that's really what drives Sessions.

I do in fact think that he just doesn't want to hear facts that differ from his prehistoric world view (only slightly removed from the view that the earth is flat and sits on the back of a giant turtle).

I do, COMPLETELY, agree with legislation being the proper and representative democratic process. Fuck Sessions, the only people who voted for him were in Alabama and for a different office. Fuck Rosenberg, I nobody voted for him at all (and I don't think he would even get a single vote if he ran for Dog Catcher).

Setting up legal boundaries is completely and utterly the shared responsibility of the members of Congress and the President. Its long past the time that this issue be brought back into the democratic process whereby our elected representatives actually set policy.

I plan to spend the evening letter writing. What the hell, I'm taking a hateful T break anyway.

Cheers

CarolKing said:

Please do your part and contact your lawmaker. Here we go again.

NORML Blog

• Federal Legislation Introduced To Exclude Cannabis From The Controlled Substances Act

Click to expand...

...................................................................................
Anybody go to the NORML site and try to send their "generic letter"?
You enter your name, addy, etc and then it goes to NORML contribution page. It seems like it will not let you proceed and send the letter UNLESS you contribute $$

Is that what other are getting too?

Marijuana is one of the reasons I am an advocate for limited government in some things. Its fairly well covered by the old life, liberty and pursuit of happiness clause in the Declaration Of Independence. While turning marijuana legalization over to the states will help some, many people in need will still be at risk because of their states political, cultural or financial orientations.

MinnBobber said:

...................................................................................
Anybody go to the NORML site and try to send their "generic letter"?
You enter your name, addy, etc and then it goes to NORML contribution page. It seems like it will not let you proceed and send the letter UNLESS you contribute $$

Is that what other are getting too?

Click to expand...

No, it works. Fill in the fields at the bottom of this page and it'll send the note to your rep. (I know it worked for me because I got a response yesterday from my rep....who's in total agreement with us.)

http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/51046/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=20108

CarolKing said:

Please do your part and contact your lawmaker. Here we go again.

NORML Blog

• Federal Legislation Introduced To Exclude Cannabis From The Controlled Substances Act
  by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy DirectorFebruary 28, 2017
  If the Justice Department won’t listen to reason, then we must take this issue out of its hands. Act now to pass the “Ending Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017” to ensure that medical marijuana patients and others are protected from undue federal interference.
  
  

Click to expand...

Thank you @CarolKing! Done

https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/nationalaction?refcode=EndFedProhibition17

@MinnBobber it works. I didn't donate to NORMAL I just wanted to send the letter to my lawmaker. I've donated a little bit to NORMAL before, I didn't feel like doing it again. i don't know if this will fall upon a deaf ear but us cannabis enthusiast are a hearty and tenacious group.