Crackdown on Legalized Marijuana

[florduh]

Your way and insistence we can only go through Democrats to get what we want will keep cannabis as a forever issue because, as much as those on both the left and the right would wish, all the facts indicate one side is not going to ever win power forever.

It isn't my insistence we "only go through Dems". I'm simply living in reality. The reality is that even when a REPUBLICAN proposes a legalization bill, it is largely DEMOCRATS who support them. We only have a choice between two Parties.

All available evidence points to Dems being better on cannabis legalization in 2018. That is my only claim. I've provided ample evidence to support it. Hell, YOU've provided ample evidence to support it.

I won't address your non-sequitur on Senator Feinstein. I'm all for publicly funding elections and taking ALL money out of politics.

@OldNewbie at the end of the day, if the Dem won the 2016 Presidential election... this thread wouldn't even exist. Instead of just accepting that simple fact, you deflect and play the false equivalence game.

 

[Tranquility]

I won't address your non-sequitur on Senator Feinstein.

Sessions, a former Republican senator from a state of less than 5 million represents all Republicans but Feinstein, a Democratic senator from a state of almost 40 million does not represent all Democrats.

Gotcha.

 

[florduh]

Sessions, a former Republican senator from a state of less than 5 million represents all Republicans but Feinstein, a Democratic senator from a state of almost 40 million does not represent all Democrats.

Gotcha.

Does Feinstein want to see every reader of this site locked in a cage? More false equivalency. Since Dems aren't perfect you may as well vote for a Republican. Come on...

I prefer to look at who supports Republican proposals for Cannabis legalization. Even the bill you posted as evidence of how great the GOP is on weed had 4 times more Democrats signing on than Republicans.

As I said before, it brings me no joy to advocate for Dems. I wish the Republicans would simply take this up as a "freedom" issue. They largely have not, so we are left with the imperfect Dems.

 

[neverforget711]

Does Feinstein want to see every reader of this site locked in a cage? More false equivalency. Since Dems aren't perfect you may as well vote for a Republican. Come on...

I prefer to look at who supports Republican proposals for Cannabis legalization. Even the bill you posted as evidence of how great the GOP is on weed had 4 times more Democrats signing on than Republicans.

As I said before, it brings me no joy to advocate for Dems. I wish the Republicans would simply take this up as a "freedom" issue. They largely have not, so we are left with the imperfect Dems.

Facts don't matter when their signalling does not improve the situation. There are enough Rs to get over the hill, if the Ds are indeed better, then maybe try not being ineffectual? What we have here is a chance to get the right answer with the wrong methods.

 

[florduh]

Facts don't matter when their signalling does not improve the situation. There are enough Rs to get over the hill, if the Ds are indeed better, then maybe try not being ineffectual? What we have here is a chance to get the right answer with the wrong methods.

If there are enough "R's" why don't they support Republican Sponsored bills on legalization? When a good Republican proposes a legalization measure, why is it mostly supported by Dems... not Republicans?

I'm simply noticing that Dems are far more likely to support Legalization measures.

 

[Tranquility]

Does Feinstein want to see every reader of this site locked in a cage? More false equivalency.

My understanding is that the senior senator from the great state of California is aware of the ramifications of something being illegal.

On another note, guess which cog jamming might just let Jeffy do what he wants? Government shutdown. I'm not going to point fingers at who is to blame, but, if the government does not get a budget by tonight, medical marijuana may be at risk.

The Rohrabacher-Farr Act prevents the DOJ from spending any money to enforce cannabis laws against medical marijuana that is operating legally in a state. The potential problem is, that was a spending act. If there is no budget, the Act may not apply and the default of government funding "essential services" in a shutdown is argued to be not covered by the act.

How this plays out is uncertain. We will certainly discover how high a priority members put on cannabis as compared to other issues in their votes. My guess is there is not any deeply held belief to protect those rights. In other words, while pot has broad support, it is not very deep.

 

[florduh]

My understanding is that the senior senator from the great state of California is aware of the ramifications of something being illegal.

If you want to make the argument that Feinstein and Sessions are equivalent on Cannabis enforcement, go for it. I'll admit she is one of the worst Dems on Cannabis.

She's nowhere near as bad as Sessions, Christie, or Giuliani: Trump's shortlist for AG before the election.

But if you want to go toe-to-toe on every Senator on weed, we can. Do you really think there are more prohibitionists on the "D" Team?

On the shutdown: If Sessions or his US Attorneys use a shutdown to go after legal weed, I'm pretty sure I know who is getting the blame...

 

[Tranquility]

If you want to make the argument that Feinstein and Sessions are equivalent on Cannabis enforcement, go for it. I'll admit she is one of the worst Dems on Cannabis.

She's nowhere near as bad as Sessions, Christie, or Giuliani: Trump's shortlist for AG before the election.

But if you want to go toe-to-toe on every Senator on weed, we can. Do you really think there are more prohibitionists on the "D" Team?

On the shutdown: If Sessions or his US Attorneys use a shutdown to go after legal weed, I'm pretty sure I know who is getting the blame...

It is not a matter of blame. It is simply a showing of priorities. (Because there is no "legal weed" involved.)

 

[macbill]

Battle over legal marijuana: a monumental moment for states’ rights
The Department of Justice's crackdown comes as 64 percent of Americans, including for the first time more than half of Republicans, support legalization, Gallup found this month. So far, 29 states have legalized the medical use of the drug, while eight have legalized recreational use.

 

[florduh]

Jeff Sessions’ War on Marijuana Will See Him Face Off in Court Against a 12-Year-Old Girl With Epilepsy

"Instead of focusing on much more important issues like the opioid crisis and the steady dismantling of American civil rights, Jeff Sessions has turned his attention to battling against legalized marijuana. That pretend war will now see him in court as he goes up against a 12-year-old girl who suffers from epilepsy.

Alexis Bortell was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2013. She began taking medical marijuana three years ago, and her seizures disappeared.

Newsweek reports that Bortell filed a lawsuit against Sessions last fall because he has made it his mission to impede access to the one drug that has been able to help her."

 

[Deleted Member 1643]

On another note, guess which cog jamming might just let Jeffy do what he wants? Government shutdown. I'm not going to point fingers at who is to blame, but, if the government does not get a budget by tonight, medical marijuana may be at risk.

On the shutdown: If Sessions or his US Attorneys use a shutdown to go after legal weed, I'm pretty sure I know who is getting the blame...

You guys! All set to wish everyone a happy shutdown/inauguration anniversary, naively reasoning that a government that does nothing is better than one that does evil.

On a side note, a few thoughts on the greatest con in history.

Donald Trump’s Radical Honesty
Frank Bruni JAN. 19, 2018

It’s inadvertent but indisputable. He doesn’t hide his pettiness, bury his petulance or successfully distract us from his vulgarity and bigotry...

In fact the hell of his election wasn’t that he tricked American voters. It was that they’d fully seen the florid whole of him and supported him nonetheless.

Sure, he peddled positions that he wasn’t fixed to, made promises that he couldn’t keep, touted a populism that he was bound to jettison and professed a caring that was entirely counterfeit. More than a few voters were certainly duped by that.

But his ethics? His character? These were on stark and regular display: in the fraud of Trump University, in the denigration of John McCain’s military service, in the “Access Hollywood” tape and in so much more. I sometimes wonder if, perversely, he got points for the fact that he would never disillusion Americans. They had no illusions about him in the first place...

And to look beyond the ever-growing list of his fabrications — more than 2,000 in 12 months, according to one comprehensive count — is to behold a president who is honest in spite of himself.

Trump stands before us naked. But then he stood before us naked when he descended that escalator in Trump Tower and ranted about Mexican “rapists,” when he mimicked the gestures of a disabled reporter, when he thundered about “American carnage” and when he picked Twitter fights with the mayor of San Juan, P.R., the wife of a slain soldier and the father of a college basketball player.

It’s not merely that this emperor has no clothes. This emperor has no camouflage, at least none that’s consistent and effective. Syllable by syllable, he traffics in fantasy. But across the sum of his words and deeds, he cops to the chilling reality of his reign.

 

[C No Ego]

Jeff Sessions’ War on Marijuana Will See Him Face Off in Court Against a 12-Year-Old Girl With Epilepsy

"Instead of focusing on much more important issues like the opioid crisis and the steady dismantling of American civil rights, Jeff Sessions has turned his attention to battling against legalized marijuana. That pretend war will now see him in court as he goes up against a 12-year-old girl who suffers from epilepsy.

Alexis Bortell was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2013. She began taking medical marijuana three years ago, and her seizures disappeared.

Newsweek reports that Bortell filed a lawsuit against Sessions last fall because he has made it his mission to impede access to the one drug that has been able to help her."

more on her story - she found out THC only cannabis oil stopped her seizures, cbd did not even touch into remediation... cannabis refugee in Colorado desperately wanting to go back home to Texas... she'd be exposed to criminal activity in Texas though every time she used hers meds! and as everyone knows THC is criminal #1 yet thc stopped her seizures... it's this type of real world problems that let me know mainstream views are Fucked!

Bob Randall and mr Irvin Rosenthal were two of 30 original participants to receive marijuana tins in the mail from the Government! LOL... they sued the GOv back in the seventies and the GOV sent them tins of marijuana cigs! it will be great to see what they send this little girl

 

[florduh]

Trump’s 24-year-old drug policy appointee was let go at law firm after he ‘just didn’t show’


While in college, late in 2014 or early in 2015, Taylor Weyeneth began working as a legal assistant at the New York firm O’Dwyer & Bernstien. He was “discharged” in August 2015, partner Brian O’Dwyer said in an interview.

“We were very disappointed in what happened,” O’Dwyer said. He said that he hired Weyeneth in part because both men were involved in the same fraternity, and that the firm invested time training him for what was expected to be a longer relationship. Instead, he said,Weyeneth “just didn’t show.”

In a résumé initially submitted to the government, Weyeneth said he worked at the firm until April 2016. When an FBI official called as part of a background check in January 2017, the firm said Weyeneth had left eight months earlier than the résumé indicated, O’Dwyer said.


Another one of the President's "best people".

 

[Silver420Surfer]

"an administration official on Jan. 12 said Weyeneth will return to the position he initially held at the agency, as a White House liaison. The official said that Weyeneth has been primarily performing administrative work, rather than making policy decisions, and that he had “assumed additional duties and an additional title following staff openings.”

I read this news, like last week. Is Wash Post really that far behind or just re-running an article?

Sounds more like "next man up" after the Trump White House gutted the dept versus "Here is the new Deputy Chief of Staff for the ONDCP". Also, like the article mentions, with a terrible opioid crisis going on, not the best time for the administration to be him-hawing around on staffing that office. Big business and tons of money are involved, so it's no wonder much isn't being done, except treating sick people like criminals while suits get richer and suffer no consequence. Like anything, follow the money to the real crooks.

 

[florduh]

"an administration official on Jan. 12 said Weyeneth will return to the position he initially held at the agency, as a White House liaison. The official said that Weyeneth has been primarily performing administrative work, rather than making policy decisions, and that he had “assumed additional duties and an additional title following staff openings.”

I read this news, like last week. Is Wash Post really that far behind or just re-running an article?

Sounds more like "next man up" after the Trump White House gutted the dept versus "Here is the new Deputy Chief of Staff for the ONDCP". Also, like the article mentions, with a terrible opioid crisis going on, not the best time for the administration to be him-hawing around on staffing that office. Big business and tons of money are involved, so it's no wonder much isn't being done, except treating sick people like criminals while suits get richer and suffer no consequence. Like anything, follow the money to the real crooks.

I'm not sure if WaPo is running behind, or if they are just reiterating the point that having this kid as the Deputy Drug Czar for even a day is a major scandal.

I agree you have to follow the money. For example, Jeff Sessions receives more money from the private prison industry than any other. You think that is a coincidence?

They'd rather imprison opioid addicts than treat them. Even though treatment costs the taxpayer LESS than imprisonment.

Also, after the Tax Cuts passed Paul Ryan received nearly a million dollars in donations from the Kochs and other billionaires. Pretty clear who these people are working for.

 

[Tranquility]

Trump’s 24-year-old drug policy appointee was let go at law firm after he ‘just didn’t show’


While in college, late in 2014 or early in 2015, Taylor Weyeneth began working as a legal assistant at the New York firm O’Dwyer & Bernstien. He was “discharged” in August 2015, partner Brian O’Dwyer said in an interview.

“We were very disappointed in what happened,” O’Dwyer said. He said that he hired Weyeneth in part because both men were involved in the same fraternity, and that the firm invested time training him for what was expected to be a longer relationship. Instead, he said,Weyeneth “just didn’t show.”

In a résumé initially submitted to the government, Weyeneth said he worked at the firm until April 2016. When an FBI official called as part of a background check in January 2017, the firm said Weyeneth had left eight months earlier than the résumé indicated, O’Dwyer said.


Another one of the President's "best people".

So...are we happy there is a guy who just didn't show up as the drug policy appointee or sad? If the administration is determined to stomp out the marijuanas and we disagree with that policy, don't we want people who get the third martini at lunch rather than head back to the office?

If we care about the purported goal of legalization, shouldn't we be cheering the appointment? Only if we find partisanship to be a greater value should we insult the administration when they do things that help us.

Also, after the Tax Cuts passed Paul Ryan received nearly a million dollars in donations from the Kochs and other billionaires. Pretty clear who these people are working for.

I know it's hard to tell the players without a scorecard, but, on the cannabis issue, the Kochs are on our side. They tend libertarian/Libertarian and have no problem with the devil weed. They have given money to candidates that have been pro-cannabis and have written Congress telling them to protect medical marijuana from Sessions.

If you are against the Koch's, it is NOT because of cannabis. They are a part of the reason why people should not just blindly vote parties.

 

[MinnBobber]

I know it's hard to tell the players without a scorecard, but, on the cannabis issue, the Kochs are on our side. They tend libertarian/Libertarian and have no problem with the devil weed. They have given money to candidates that have been pro-cannabis and have written Congress telling them to protect medical marijuana from Sessions.

If you are against the Koch's, it is NOT because of cannabis. They are a part of the reason why people should not just blindly vote parties.

............................................................................
X2
As an independent voter, this is sage advice. And as an independent, I dislike this focus on which party is "less bad" on cannabis issues. It should be which individual candidate (regardless of their party) is better on cannabis issues---if cannabis issues are important to you.

For me, cannabis and hemp issues are very important as hundreds of thousands/millions of "lives" ( life and death, quality of life, health, environment, social justice (prison sentences and families ruined), individual and states rights, domestic violence, hospice care, preventative medicine, families forced to move to mj legal states, etc etc) are negatively impacted by current laws.

It is critically important to focus on the end goal, legalization, and support ALL cannabis allies.

 

[florduh]

So...are we happy there is a guy who just didn't show up as the drug policy appointee or sad? If the administration is determined to stomp out the marijuanas and we disagree with that policy, don't we want people who get the third martini at lunch rather than head back to the office?

If we care about the purported goal of legalization, shouldn't we be cheering the appointment? Only if we find partisanship to be a greater value should we insult the administration when they do things that help us.

Again, this thread only exists because the Democrat lost the Presidential election (despite winning the majority of the vote). Appointing a 24 year old with zero qualifications to a deputy Drug Czar position... even for a DAY shows what an absolute joke this Administration is. And the kid lied on his resumè. How many members of this Admin lied to the FBI or on a Government form? Ridiculous.

Only if we find partisanship to be a greater value should we insult the administration when they do things that help us.

Your argument is that the incompetence of the Trump Admin will help us? Interesting. That hasn't happened yet but I'll keep that in mind. There may be a silver lining to being ruled by incompetent morons.

I know it's hard to tell the players without a scorecard, but, on the cannabis issue, the Kochs are on our side. They tend libertarian/Libertarian and have no problem with the devil weed. They have given money to candidates that have been pro-cannabis and have written Congress telling them to protect medical marijuana from Sessions.

If you are against the Koch's, it is NOT because of cannabis.

I forgot the Koch's are personally for Cannabis. Their sole redeeming quality. My point there was that it is pretty clear who Politicians were working for on the tax cuts/The Donor Relief Act of 2017. Paul Ryan literally received a payoff for giving the Koch's billions of dollars. This strikes me as disgustingly corrupt.

If you are against the Koch's, it is NOT because of cannabis. They are a part of the reason why people should not just blindly vote parties.

The Koch's PERSONALLY support legalization. Great. They aren't on the ballot though. As I've shown, Democrats are 4-5 times more likely to support even REPUBLICAN sponsored legalization bills. Don't blindly vote Party, of course. If you happen to be represented by one of the rare Republicans who are pro-cannabis... by all means vote for them. Though I bet their Dem challengers would be at least equally pro-cannabis.

And as an independent, I dislike this focus on which party is "less bad" on cannabis issues. It should be which individual candidate (regardless of their party) is better on cannabis issues---if cannabis issues are important to you.

You might dislike it, but that doesn't change the fact that your average Dem is far more likely to support Cannabis than your average Republican. If you happen to be represented by the rare pro-Cannabis Republican.... vote for them.

Again, if the Dem won the 2016 Presidential election.... this thread wouldn't exist. Glossing over this fact and trying to make it seem like it doesn't matter what Party you support seems unhelpful and inaccurate.

 

[CarolKing]

I would love to jump in and talk politics but that’s how we got several threads shut down. If you want to keep the thread open tamp down some of the politics. I agree this president is a dipshit.

Our only hope is to wait until the next administration. Hopefully not too much damage will be done in the meantime.

Folks that are distributing cannabis and shops that are selling in legal state need to follow the law to the T. We don’t want unethical legal businesses breaking the law and screwing things up for the rest of us. The Feds would use that to shut things down in the legal market.

 

[florduh]

I would love to jump in and talk politics but that’s how we got several threads shut down. If you want to keep the thread open tamp down some of the politics. I agree this president is a dipshit.

Our only hope is to wait until the next administration. Hopefully not too much damage will be done in the meantime.

Folks that are distributing cannabis and shops that are selling in legal state need to follow the law to the T. We don’t want unethical legal businesses breaking the law and screwing things up for the rest of us. The Feds would use that to shut things down in the legal market.

I largely agree with you, but the only reason this thread exists is because Trump "won" the election. It's hard to keep the thread apolitical given that.

My only point is to prevent Cannabists from believing it doesn't matter who you vote for. This thread's existence is evidence that it absolutely DOES matter who you vote for.

 

[MinnBobber]

Again, if the Dem won the 2016 Presidential election.... this thread wouldn't exist. Glossing over this fact and trying to make it seem like it doesn't matter what Party you support seems unhelpful and inaccurate.

.....................................................................
This thread would have a slightly different name like, why the f#ck is cannabis still a Schedule 1 substance?
The previous Dem Prez did squat to change that totally and completely insane lie, which is the biggest impediment
to the legal cannabis cause. Shame on him and a gigantic "missed opportunity"!

That continued Schedule 1 status was a "continued crackdown on cannabis"---
Bad, worse, worst??
We deserve better choices

 

[CarolKing]

I just wanted to remind folks that if things get too intense with a lot of political rhetoric and strong opinions the mods could shut this thread down. We have had several political threads shut down the past year. I understand that politics is involved in the cannabis issue.

 

[florduh]

.....................................................................
This thread would have a slightly different name like, why the f#ck is cannabis still a Schedule 1 substance?
The previous Dem Prez did squat to change that totally and completely insane lie, which is the biggest impediment
to the legal cannabis cause. Shame on him and a gigantic "missed opportunity"!

That continued Schedule 1 status was a "continued crackdown on cannabis"---
Bad, worse, worst??
We deserve better choices

Actually the Dem Platform called for legalization in 2016. The Dem candidate said she would reschedule Cannabis. The current President TOLD US he would nominate a prohibitionist to AG. And here we are.

I don't think the Dems are great. But pretending they are equivalent to the Party that gave us Jeff Sessions isn't helpful.

I agree Obama dropped the ball. But we WERE headed in a better direction at the end of his Admin (on cannabis, at least). I didn't have to wonder if my dispensary was going to be open tomorrow.

I agree we deserve better choices. But we have to play the ball where it lies. And false equivalencies don't help.

In the spirit of bipartisanship here's some "good" news:

Marijuana money increasingly flowing to Republican lawmakers

DENVER — Marijuana business owners are increasingly pouring their profits into lobbying lawmakers as they face a federal crackdown from the Trump administration.

A USA TODAY survey found hundreds of thousands of dollars flowing from the cannabis industry into campaign finance accounts of both lawmakers and political action committees, with emphasis this year on Congressional Republicans who are trying to stop the Trump administration from targeting marijuana businesses.

In the United States, the only way to get anything done is to bribe a politician. So this is good....

 

[Tranquility]

Again, this thread only exists because the Democrat lost the Presidential election (despite winning the majority of the vote). Appointing a 24 year old with zero qualifications to a deputy Drug Czar position... even for a DAY shows what an absolute joke this Administration is. And the kid lied on his resumè. How many members of this Admin lied to the FBI or on a Government form? Ridiculous.

How many members of the previous administration lied under oath about if...well tons of stuff. You aren't getting too angry about that. Why?

Your argument is that the incompetence of the Trump Admin will help us? Interesting. That hasn't happened yet but I'll keep that in mind. There may be a silver lining to being ruled by incompetent morons.

No. My argument is that you can't have it both ways. What was the purpose of posting the article with your comments? Either it is a good thing for us or a bad thing for us or an I-don't-know thing. If good, yay! If bad, huh? Why? If I don't know, why the commentary?

I forgot the Koch's are personally for Cannabis. Their sole redeeming quality. My point there was that it is pretty clear who Politicians were working for on the tax cuts/The Donor Relief Act of 2017. Paul Ryan literally received a payoff for giving the Koch's billions of dollars. This strikes me as disgustingly corrupt.

You tried to make the point that Koch's are behind some Republicans so we shouldn't vote for them. Because...Koch. I pointed out that if cannabis is an important issue then the Koch's are our friends. For the partisan rant about how they do things like support tax cuts so they are bad, I suspect that is not going to be the Dems strategy for very long. The tax bill was great and the parade of horribles told us by the Democrats about what would happen if it passed are not going to happen. Everyone here (Except for those who don't pay taxes to the U.S.) is probably going to be better off because of it. I'm not going to argue it, we'll just wait and see.

The Koch's PERSONALLY support legalization. Great. They aren't on the ballot though. As I've shown, Democrats are 4-5 times more likely to support even REPUBLICAN sponsored legalization bills. Don't blindly vote Party, of course. If you happen to be represented by one of the rare Republicans who are pro-cannabis... by all means vote for them. Though I bet their Dem challengers would be at least equally pro-cannabis.

They support it with their multi-billion dollar PAC.

You might dislike it, but that doesn't change the fact that your average Dem is far more likely to support Cannabis than your average Republican. If you happen to be represented by the rare pro-Cannabis Republican.... vote for them.

It's only rare when the partisans get involved. It forces people to choose for things other than cannabis.

Again, if the Dem won the 2016 Presidential election.... this thread wouldn't exist. Glossing over this fact and trying to make it seem like it doesn't matter what Party you support seems unhelpful and inaccurate.

This thread exists because of Trump derangement syndrome.

 

[grampa_herb]

TDS. Don't let it happen to you.