Crackdown on Legalized Marijuana
- Thread starter Deleted Member 1643
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C No Ego
Well-Known Member
while people die Sessions is taking the safe medication from the girl suffering seizures !! it's a eye opening situation, she has been seizure free now over two years on HIGH THC medicane! LOL... oh those prohibitionists don't want to know whats healing her! just the thought oh my god! good luck for her and just seizure relief alone = Good for Her and God Bless the DUMB!
Marijuana: Either Donald Trump's a liar or Jeff Sessions should be fired
When you look at how much damage Sessions has done to the Trump administration in how little time, it is difficult to conclude he is anything other than stupid.
Already his opponents are bringing up Sessions' lame attempt at a joke back in the 1980s, when he said of the Ku Klux Klan that he thought they "were OK until I found out they smoked pot."
When you look at how much damage Sessions has done to the Trump administration in how little time, it is difficult to conclude he is anything other than stupid.
Already his opponents are bringing up Sessions' lame attempt at a joke back in the 1980s, when he said of the Ku Klux Klan that he thought they "were OK until I found out they smoked pot."
Baron23
Well-Known Member
From WaPo editorial page:
Sessions’s unwise move on marijuana may backfire
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is pushing the federal government back into marijuana enforcement. This is an unwise and unnecessary move that may divert resources from more serious problems — and end up backfiring on those who want to restrain pot use.
Mr. Sessions rescinded Thursday a policy that kept the federal government largely out of the way of states that have legalized marijuana. A majority of states have now legalized it in some form. Maryland just began permitting medical marijuana. California just legalized recreational marijuana, and Vermont is near to doing so.
Mr. Sessions’s move upended a tenuous deal the Obama administration made with legalization states: keep pot out of minors’ hands and help combat trafficking, and federal authorities will focus on bigger priorities. This policy allowed a handful of states room to experiment with unencumbered legalization, which would have made the consequences clearer to others.
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Mr. Sessions’s decision is unlikely to result in arrests of small-time marijuana users. But it will chill the growth of the aboveboard weed economy by deterring banks and other institutions from participating. From there, U.S. attorneys across the country will decide whether to crack down, and on whom — a few big distributors, perhaps, or a few local grow shops, too. In states with complex regulations on marijuana growing, testing and selling, some operations may move back underground rather than provide documentation to state authorities that federal prosecutors might later use against them.
Mr. Sessions’s move is counterproductive even for skeptics of legalization, whose only defense against a growing tide of public opinion would be evidence that full legalization has significant negative consequences. Mr. Sessions’s move diminishes the possibility of drawing lessons — including cautionary ones — from the examples of legalization states. Similarly, Mr. Sessions has made it harder to learn how to regulate the legitimate weed economy, if that is the path the country chooses.
Jars of medical marijuana are on display on the counter of Western Caregivers Medical marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles. (Richard Vogel/Associated Press)
More concerning is the prospect that U.S. attorneys will begin diverting limited federal resources into anti-pot campaigns from far more pressing matters. As Mr. Sessions himself said this past November, the nation is experiencing “the deadliest drug crisis in American history.” That would be the opioid epidemic, which, Mr. Sessions noted, claimed some 64,000 lives in 2016. Marijuana simply does not pose the same threat, and the attorney general should have avoided any suggestion that it requires more attention right now.
Mr. Sessions’s decision will spur calls for Congress to finally change federal law. That is warranted, but lawmakers should be wary of swinging too far in the opposite direction. As a recent National Academies of Science review found, experts still know relatively little about marijuana’s health effects. It makes no sense to lock up small-time marijuana users, but it may not make sense to move quickly to national legalization. Rather, Congress should decriminalize marijuana use, then await more information.
Sessions’s unwise move on marijuana may backfire
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is pushing the federal government back into marijuana enforcement. This is an unwise and unnecessary move that may divert resources from more serious problems — and end up backfiring on those who want to restrain pot use.
Mr. Sessions rescinded Thursday a policy that kept the federal government largely out of the way of states that have legalized marijuana. A majority of states have now legalized it in some form. Maryland just began permitting medical marijuana. California just legalized recreational marijuana, and Vermont is near to doing so.
Mr. Sessions’s move upended a tenuous deal the Obama administration made with legalization states: keep pot out of minors’ hands and help combat trafficking, and federal authorities will focus on bigger priorities. This policy allowed a handful of states room to experiment with unencumbered legalization, which would have made the consequences clearer to others.
Read These Comments
The best conversations on The Washington Post
Mr. Sessions’s decision is unlikely to result in arrests of small-time marijuana users. But it will chill the growth of the aboveboard weed economy by deterring banks and other institutions from participating. From there, U.S. attorneys across the country will decide whether to crack down, and on whom — a few big distributors, perhaps, or a few local grow shops, too. In states with complex regulations on marijuana growing, testing and selling, some operations may move back underground rather than provide documentation to state authorities that federal prosecutors might later use against them.
Mr. Sessions’s move is counterproductive even for skeptics of legalization, whose only defense against a growing tide of public opinion would be evidence that full legalization has significant negative consequences. Mr. Sessions’s move diminishes the possibility of drawing lessons — including cautionary ones — from the examples of legalization states. Similarly, Mr. Sessions has made it harder to learn how to regulate the legitimate weed economy, if that is the path the country chooses.
More concerning is the prospect that U.S. attorneys will begin diverting limited federal resources into anti-pot campaigns from far more pressing matters. As Mr. Sessions himself said this past November, the nation is experiencing “the deadliest drug crisis in American history.” That would be the opioid epidemic, which, Mr. Sessions noted, claimed some 64,000 lives in 2016. Marijuana simply does not pose the same threat, and the attorney general should have avoided any suggestion that it requires more attention right now.
Mr. Sessions’s decision will spur calls for Congress to finally change federal law. That is warranted, but lawmakers should be wary of swinging too far in the opposite direction. As a recent National Academies of Science review found, experts still know relatively little about marijuana’s health effects. It makes no sense to lock up small-time marijuana users, but it may not make sense to move quickly to national legalization. Rather, Congress should decriminalize marijuana use, then await more information.
florduh
Well-Known Member
Those aren't mutually exclusive.
howie105
Well-Known Member
But then its President Pence and that would be a whole other world.
florduh
Well-Known Member
Yeah that's not a step in the right direction. But there is an election this year and we can choose a different sort of President in less than two years.
Republicans claim to worship "Small Business Owners", yet they are now trying to destroy thousands of tax paying, job creating cannabis businesses. That hypocrisy must be punished.
Hopefully the hypocrisy, dishonesty, and stupidity of Sessions and the Trump Admin will finally force Congress to do the right thing.
Come this November though, I am voting straight Dem to punish this Admin. I think anyone who loves Cannabis should do the same.
hd_rider
Well-Known Member
I think if the Dems are smart, they'll get their shit together and start unifying under a number of objectives, one of them dealing with the conflict between federal and state cannabis laws. I'm hoping, hesitantly, that Sessions did us a favor by rejecting the Cole memo. It's puts Cannabis into the public discussion and maybe we'll finally get some real progress in the reform of these archaic laws.
Deleted Member 1643
Well-Known Member
Nothing new, just like the last line.
Maybe this is what Beuregard bought with his soul - a chance at his heart's desire. Like taking healthcare away from the poor, banning muslims, giving yourself an obscene tax break while indenturing the working class. And on and on. They all get their chance.
Jeff Sessions’s Endless War on Marijuana
Maybe this is what Beuregard bought with his soul - a chance at his heart's desire. Like taking healthcare away from the poor, banning muslims, giving yourself an obscene tax break while indenturing the working class. And on and on. They all get their chance.
Jeff Sessions’s Endless War on Marijuana
Silver420Surfer
Downward spiral
Cannabis was/has been in the discussion prior to rescinding the Cole memo. The thought that this will now bring about a meaningful discussion is nothing more than wishful thinking, certainly not the big break we've(cannabis supporters) been hoping for.
The most telling thing for me is how quiet the big orange blowhard has been regarding this. Plus, it's not like he was pro-legalization to begin with. I recall some, voiced support for medical, but FAR from even admitting that rec mj has not made the sky fall on us, and worth looking into.
The most telling thing for me is how quiet the big orange blowhard has been regarding this. Plus, it's not like he was pro-legalization to begin with. I recall some, voiced support for medical, but FAR from even admitting that rec mj has not made the sky fall on us, and worth looking into.
neverforget711
Well-Known Member
Calling it now this is 3d chess. Sessions is being a Boogeyman and the Congress will have to act in favour of de/re-scheduling. He threatens to "follow the law", so you fix it in legislation, not executive. Here is a rag allergic to President peanut butter acknowledging that also.
Other motives including trolling sanctuary states. Furthermore, this will likely turn out like Obama trying to grab guns, yet ends up their best salesguy, except for weed.
https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/www....ssions-marijuana-legalization-congress-216251
Other motives including trolling sanctuary states. Furthermore, this will likely turn out like Obama trying to grab guns, yet ends up their best salesguy, except for weed.
https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/www....ssions-marijuana-legalization-congress-216251
florduh
Well-Known Member
Actually the 2016 DNC platform included language about a "pathway to legalization". Meanwhile the GOP platform made it sound like States legalizing contributes to opioid abuse.
For some reason, people look at terrible Republicans and imperfect Democrats and say "they're basically the same". Until last year, I thought that too. But it's bullshit.
I agree the Dems should be loudly calling for legalization. For some reason they are always terrified of the Far Right, as if they will ever be happy with the Dems. Shit, the Republicans could've run with this issue. Freedom. Small Government. But they royally fucked that up, and I hope they get royally fucked at the polls.
It's not 3D chess. These people aren't smart enough for that. Anything "good" coming from them will be by accident. I refuse to give the Trump Admin any credit for being so awful that they finally force Congress to do their jobs.
Just for the record, Obama never tried to "grab guns". Fox News said he was trying to grab guns. That did lead to a huge spike in gun sales, but it was all based on bullshit.
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Tranquility
Well-Known Member
Enforcing the law is any constitutional administration's reason for being.
To some, having an administration fulfill its constitutional role is awful.
I would prefer, unless I want all of my rights to be at the whim of the single person elected president, regular order.
florduh
Well-Known Member
Saying the Trump Admin is "only enforcing the law" is a canard.
All the Cole Memo said was not to waste limited Law Enforcement resources hassling businesses in compliance with State Law.
This is about Sessions' hatred of marijuana, not "the law".
howie105
Well-Known Member
The joy of the information age you can read things like the Cole directive and judge it on your own.
https://archive.org/stream/781914-cole-memo/781914-cole-memo_djvu.txt
https://archive.org/stream/781914-cole-memo/781914-cole-memo_djvu.txt
Tranquility
Well-Known Member
Should I cite the federal statutes?
The Cole Memo said (in part):
"Accordingly, in exercising prosecutorial discretion, prosecutors should not consider the size or commercial nature of a marijuana operation alone as a proxy for assessing whether marijuana trafficking implicates the Department's enforcement priorities listed above. Rather, prosecutors should continue to review marijuana cases on a case-by-case basis and weigh all available information and evidence, including, but not limited to, whether the operation is demonstrably in compliance with a strong and effective state regulatory system."
The difference is, Sessions says the same except removes the explicit statement that following state law is a factor to consider. He does not prevent consideration on that (aka prosecutorial discretion) as a factor, it is just not specifically mentioned in the memorandum. ( https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4343707/Sessions-Marijuana-Memo-Jan-4-2018.pdf )
As to Sessions' hating marijuana, it seems a lot of people do. Enough so that they elected people to be their representatives and senators who passed laws and got the executive to sign them that reflects a "determination that marijuana is a dangerous drug and marijuana activity is a serious crime". Now, I don't agree with that determination. Neither do you. Neither does most anyone here in the forum.
The remedy is not to bitch at the cop enforcing the law. The remedy is to change the law.
florduh
Well-Known Member
We're just gonna have to agree to disagree.
The Cole Memo wasn't a perfect solution. But removing it was vindictive bullshit that had nothing to do with "enforcing the law". Again, Federal LE does NOT have limitless resources to investigate and prosecute crimes. Given that, going after businesses in compliance with their State law is a stupid waste of time.
That is ALL the Cole Memo was "saying".
And yes lots of people hate marijuana. But the simple fact is, during the previous Admin we saw a thriving Cannabis Industry develop. Sessions and the Trump Admin are working to destroy that. Seems like Republican politicians hate marijuana a bit more than the Dems, huh?
YES it would've been nice if Obama and the Dems pushed for legalization. But there is on ocean of distance between their policy towards Legal Weed, and the current Republican Admin. Stop with the false equivalency.
YES the ultimate solution is to change the law. Hopefully the stupidity of this Admin forces Congress to do just that. But I have every right to bitch about the cop enforcing the law. Especially when he wants to use my tax dollars to "enforce" the law in a stupid way. A way that will destroy tax paying, job creating small business owners, and does nothing to make citizens safer.
EDIT: Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 prohibits the use of unsecured WiFi Networks. Anyone who sits outside of a Starbucks without ordering anything using their WiFi is guilty of a Federal Crime. Should the Feds put together a task force to round up poor college kids "stealing" WiFi? Of course not. That would be a stupid waste of LE resources. But no one is accusing the Feds of "refusing to enforce" that stupid law.
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neverforget711
Well-Known Member
Can we not act like the Cole amendment was anything besides Obama kicking the can for the next administration? That way, he could stop being a DEA raiding wrestling heel, but not actually fix anything. I guess he didn't want to take time away from spying on errbody and ordering drones strikes to force a solution on this one.
Edit: not hating but he clearly did not have this priority.
Edit: not hating but he clearly did not have this priority.
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florduh
Well-Known Member
I completely grant that the Cole Memo was an imperfect solution. Will you grant that having it and the thriving Cannabis Industry that it allowed, is better than not?
The Trump Admin hasn't stopped NSA spyin or drone attacks, AND they have signaled they would like to go after Legal Weed. So this is more of "Republicans are awful, and Dems are imperfect, so they're basically the same" talk. That's the sort of talk that landed us in our current predicament.
And am I pissed at Obama and the Dems for not pushing legalization?
Of course I am.
But you need to look at the whole picture. Right Wing media castigated the man for wearing a brown suit and saluting while holding coffee (remember the good 'ol days when those were Presidential scandals). If the first Black President legalized weed, 40% of the country would've wanted him lynched.
Do I think that was a cowardly political move on Obama's part? Yep. Especially given that he smoked weed as a young black man. It is only by sheer luck that he escaped prison time.
And Right Wingers were going to hate the man no matter what.
The Cole Memo was a shitty compromise, but it's better than the alternative Sessions and Trump have cooked up.
The Trump Admin hasn't stopped NSA spyin or drone attacks, AND they have signaled they would like to go after Legal Weed. So this is more of "Republicans are awful, and Dems are imperfect, so they're basically the same" talk. That's the sort of talk that landed us in our current predicament.
And am I pissed at Obama and the Dems for not pushing legalization?
Of course I am.
But you need to look at the whole picture. Right Wing media castigated the man for wearing a brown suit and saluting while holding coffee (remember the good 'ol days when those were Presidential scandals). If the first Black President legalized weed, 40% of the country would've wanted him lynched.
Do I think that was a cowardly political move on Obama's part? Yep. Especially given that he smoked weed as a young black man. It is only by sheer luck that he escaped prison time.
And Right Wingers were going to hate the man no matter what.
The Cole Memo was a shitty compromise, but it's better than the alternative Sessions and Trump have cooked up.
I really don't consider this move to be a great triumph for the "Rule of Law." We've already heard from at least two U.S. Attorneys in legal states who essentially stated they'll "keep on keeping on." Hopefully, they'll do so.
Interesting article here:
http://reason.com/volokh/2018/01/04/will-ag-sessions-make-federalism-go-up-i
Tranquility
Well-Known Member
It IS a great triumph. Putting discretion in the place it belongs. In a person, who looks at a particular set of facts and determines as to if the potential accused has violated the law and, if he has, if it is in the government's interest to prosecute. Wholesale abrogation of validly passed laws because the law itself is against what the executive wants is a dictatorship.
I prefer the former.
"Better" how? While I acknowledge I would prefer legalization at any level and in any way, cannabis is not the sole thing important in my life. When the larger picture is viewed, "better" is not judged only on if people can legally purchase weed. It gets to how we get along together in society.
Rather than keeping the motivation train going forward to where we all win, permanently, you would prefer making the issue a division between Republicans and Democrats?
That's how we get to fight this for generations. Never getting any resolution because it is no longer about what is best for society, but what is best for one's particular horse. The horses are about 50/50. You want to make sure legalization never happens? Push it as a Democrat agenda.
We'll see. As I wrote earlier, "For want of a nail..."
Forcing politicians to make a choice is a good thing. Demanding a clear decision on the best path forward and the way things should be, is far better than the feel good, don't say anything, political nonsense that got us to the situation. Everyone keeps pointing fingers to other places and, when all the fingers are totaled up, they point nowhere. It's not just on cannabis policy; it is on most everything now. If you want to fix anything, you have to get the process to the point all will see as fair. If you want pot, see a dealer.
florduh
Well-Known Member
I hate to break it to you, but by your standard we already live in a dictatorship. Feds are ignoring the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 by not prosecuting college students stealing Wifi from Starbucks. I haven't seen a single raid, come to think about it.
Personally, I don't see that as tyranny. I see that as Federal Law Enforcement being good stewards of my tax dollars.
By the way, there are many dumb Federal Laws just like that one. We don't waste resources pursuing prosecutions for them. That doesn't make us a dictatorship. It makes us realists.
We get ourselves into this situation by pretending Cannabis is a 50/50 issue between Republicans and Dems. That is factually incorrect. While there are some libertarian leaning GOP'rs who are friends of the herb... EVERY rabid prohibitionist politician is a Republican. And you see the results of this in the current Admin.
That was a good read. Yeah rescinding the Cole Memo will end up being a shit show. We will also see what a triumph of law and order this is when local LE refuses to provide support to the DEA during dispensary raids. What a disaster.
Call your Congressman and Senators and ask them to correct this mess. It takes less than 15 minutes and isn't as scary as you'd think.
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
https://www.senate.gov/senators/index.htm
grampa_herb
Epstein didn't kill himself
If only decriminalization had been possible. We need as much regulation for weed as we do for dandelions. 
neverforget711
Well-Known Member
I don't know fam, HOAs are very totalitarian when it comes to that crap.If only decriminalization had been possible. We need as much regulation for weed as we do for dandelions.