Cannabis News

[Wahiker]

They're also claiming that they are busting many more people for having marijuana during traffic stops, which they blame Colorado for. Of course, they are now "on the alert" due the more liberal policy in the neighboring state, so you would expect them to find more.

It reminds me of the finding taught in Sociology classes long ago that when they increase the police budget in a city, the crime rate increases. Therefore higher police budgets "cause" an increase in crime!

 

[CarolKing]

Florida Governor Rick Scott Is Still Spending Tons Of Taxpayer Cash Trying To Drug Test State Employees

By William Breathes in News, Say what?
Friday, December 19, 2014 at 9:20 am



Rick Scott can't stop thinking about pee.
A federal judge told him to drop the plan. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals told him it was illegal. Then the U.S. Supreme Court refused to listen to his arguments. Even the facts are against him (the program wastes more money than it would ever "save").


But despite losing over and over in every court around, Gov. Rick Scott is still fighting for the right to force state employees to pee in a cup. And the legal bills for his quixotic quest are now inching toward a cool million bucks -- funded, of course, by taxpayers.

More >>

Talkin about waisting tax payer dollars trying to weed out the pot heads. This guy needs to be voted out of office during the next election. What an idiot.
CK

 

[His_Highness]

I wonder if it's OK with Nebraska and Oklahoma's tax payers to be waisting their tax dollars trying to change a law that was voted by the people in another state? How many thousands of dollars will be spent to try to stop a law in another state? It's completely ridiculous.

The state police are harassing the cars from other states. So worried that cannabis might be in someone's car. I think they have marijuana induced paranoia.

The complaint by the neighboring states is that the MJ bought in Colorado and transported through their states is causing them to lose money and waste resources when enforcing their laws. Gimme a break...there are plenty of counties known for increasing their revenue via speed traps and quick changing traffic lights. Why wouldn't they just establish high dollar, misdemeanor level fines to cover the increased cost AND limit the court and incarceration costs? Maybe they are more interested in making a statement and shoving their viewpoint down the throats of the good people in Colorado than they are in solving the problem they are claiming.

 

[cybrguy]

Florida Governor Rick Scott Is Still Spending Tons Of Taxpayer Cash Trying To Drug Test State Employees

Talkin about waisting tax payer dollars trying to weed out the pot heads. This guy needs to be voted out of office during the next election. What an idiot.
CK

Sadly he was just reelected. He is going nowhere, and neither is Florida.

Edit: I wouldn't be at all surprised if Scott is forcing this drug testing issue to enrich the health care company he sold to run away from his medicare fraud problems. I'd be really surprised if they aren't still paying him...

 

[grokit]

Either that or he has an interest in a testing company or something related

 

[Gunky]

Nowadays they are not so obvious as envelopes of cash or other payments. After the politician steps down he joins several interlocking boards of directors, gets consulting contracts for a couple hundred grand here, half a mil there, sweetheart deal here and there, and so on, pretty much for doing nothing, or maybe lobbying his old friends in government. In short set for life.

 

[howie105]

When faced with the death of two cash cows (asset forfeiture and federal anti drug funding) many states are going to push back. Best thing to hope for is that the boarder states figure out a way to cover those funding losses that doesn’t get in the way of de facto legalization.

 

[Gunky]

The current border system allows police organizations to rake off considerable profit for this victimless crime, while at the same time clogging the courts and costing the taxpayers lots of money. Law enforcement likes it. See the Busted! thread.

 

[t-dub]

Either that or he has an interest in a testing company or something related

Like the addiction and recovery racket. Try walking into one of those places and asking their success/return rate. They won't tell you because of how low it is. Very expensive, these people are experts at nailing insurance companies. Usually when Bill O'Fuckface, or the like, has an anti cannabis "expert" on they usually are connected with some kinda for profit addiction/recovery center.

 

[grokit]

The states that are suing colorado just want a piece of the cannabis action without decriminalizing it themselves, this is double-dipping and the justice department should step in and put a stop to it! If this hits the supreme court without mj being rescheduled it could be very interesting to say the least. It is nice of these states to broadcast their intentions, makes it easier to decide to go around/take the train etc.

 

[cybrguy]

I would be willing to bet money that MJ will be reclassified off Schedule 1 before this President leaves office. It may be a last act so he doesn't have to defend it, but it IS going to happen. More than anything else Barack Obama is about fairness, and this is something within his control that he must recognize as unfair and destructive to our society generally. I would be VERY surprised if he left this untouched.

Will he do it sooner and in the light of day? That I am not confident of. I just don't think he is prepared for that public fight...

 

[Gunky]

I would be willing to bet money that MJ will be reclassified off Schedule 1 before this President leaves office. It may be a last act so he doesn't have to defend it, but it IS going to happen. More than anything else Barack Obama is about fairness, and this is something within his control that he must recognize as unfair and destructive to our society generally. I would be VERY surprised if he left this untouched.

Will he do it sooner and in the light of day? That I am not confident of. I just don't think he is prepared for that public fight...

A consummation devoutly to be hoped for, though I don't think it's a sure thing.

 

[Toastface_Killah]

I would be willing to bet money that MJ will be reclassified off Schedule 1 before this President leaves office. It may be a last act so he doesn't have to defend it, but it IS going to happen. More than anything else Barack Obama is about fairness, and this is something within his control that he must recognize as unfair and destructive to our society generally. I would be VERY surprised if he left this untouched.

Will he do it sooner and in the light of day? That I am not confident of. I just don't think he is prepared for that public fight...

While this would be great to see, part of me really fears this being a reality because it would just give the far-right "hate everything about Obama" crowd another point to vote against or try to overturn as soon as Obama is out of office out of spite and ignorance..if only congress could get their heads out of their asses and pass something positive together while state's citizens stopped electing prohibitionists like Maryland's Andy Harris who have clear connections and interests to pharmaceutical companies....

 

[howie105]

Right or left never count on a political operative to do the right thing. Politically expedient, is another case entirely.

 

[Magic9]

Not exactly news, but I couldn't find a good spot in the medical section to put it.

A good read from someone that used cannabis to help with breast cancer.

http://boingboing.net/2014/12/23/cancer-and-cannabis-how-i-lea.html

 

[CarolKing]

Two Examples of How Not to Talk to Police About Weed
By Jack Daniel in Culture, FTP, Say what?
Monday, December 29, 2014 at 11:20 am



You have the right to remain silent...seriously

With cannabis laws in flux not only from state to state these days, but even from city to city and county to county, it is more important than ever to know your rights should you ever get pulled over by the police.

More often than not, the best advice is to keep your record - and your car - clean as can be, and if you do get rolled, shut the hell up and give as little information as possible.

Here we present two recent examples of exactly how not to deal with the cops when it comes to cars and cannabis.

Read More >>

 

[cybrguy]

I got tagged twice when I was a teen, both times when I was doing something stupid (once using a bong in a car in a closed beach parking lot). There would be MANY fewer pot arrests if folks behaved more intelligently. But often they are just too stoned...

 

[macbill]

Feds stick to court argument that marijuana is dangerous

http://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/Feds-stick-to-court-argument-that-marijuana-is-5990798.php

At the hearing, the defendants called doctors and researchers who asserted marijuana’s medical benefits and relative safety. The administration presented its own expert, a Harvard professor and former drug official in the George W. Bush administration who said pot is both addictive and dangerous.

In Wednesday’s filing, the Obama administration said a single expert’s testimony is enough to show the legally required “rational basis” for marijuana’s current classification. But Broderick, the government’s lawyer, also said that “most mainstream physicians agree that marijuana is a dangerous drug,” citing the American Psychiatric Association’s observation that pot use can have “serious side effects.”

 

[Gunky]

That's their story and they are sticking to it. Never mind that everybody and his cousin Fred knows it's wrong.

 

[CarolKing]

There seems to be a disagreement between what the Federal Government wants and what the people of our nation want. Our lawmakers have their hands in the pockets of the big name Pharmaceutical companies.

EDIT
The the doctors are in on it too. They're getting their fair share from the Big Pharmaceuticals too. They should be prescribing this.

 

[macbill]

Don't forget the pushers of the other, legal drug: Alcoholic Beverage Industry

 

[Gunky]

Note the Catch-22: to get it off schedule 1, you have to perform tests and research. But it's on schedule 1 so nobody is allowed to do tests and research. Why, you ask? Because it's already been put on schedule 1 and declared devoid of benefit and fiendishly harmful...

 

[CarolKing]

From that article it looked like the deck was stacked. The experts were cherry picked, meaning the folks against cannabis did all the choosing of the experts.

Our lawmakers are not in tuned with the needs of the people unfortunately.

 

[His_Highness]

Don't forget the pushers of the other, legal drug: Alcoholic Beverage Industry

macbill - you may have nailed it! One of the drivers to legalizing alcohol were the 'important and rich folk' who made fortunes from it. What we need are someone like the Kennedy's patriarch Joseph to position themselves to start legally making some serious money on it. BTW - nobody ever really nailed Joseph prior to prohibition be ended but once it became clear it would be legalized he was well positioned.

 

[Gunky]

From that article it looked like the deck was stacked. The experts were cherry picked, meaning the folks against cannabis did all the choosing of the experts.

-snip-

Well at least on the government side. I believe there were some fairly high-powered presentations by the pro side. Who knows what the court will do.

The whole thing is an unscientific shambles which grinds up people who are looking for pain relief or a little harmless mood elevation. Powerful lobbies like it this way. Unfortunately in our democracy as currently constituted, the wealthy and powerful have louder voices than ordinary citizens. Campaign finance is badly in need of reform but our elected officials have mostly been bought under the current system so fat chance they are going to reform it.