It's Up to Republicans to Legalize Marijuana
If only Nixon could go to China, as the saying goes, then maybe only Republicans can legalize weed.
Marijuana has now been legalized for medical use in many states -- only Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota still prohibit use in any form. Nine states allow recreational marijuana use, and 13 others have decriminalized recreational use to some extent. Meanwhile, public support for legalizing the drug continues to grow, and is now firmly in majority territory:
Unsurprisingly, weed has become big business -- sales in Colorado alone now top $1 billion a year. A study by data analytics firm New Frontier Data recently estimated that if marijuana legalization went national, it could generate more than $10 billion of tax revenue a year.
There’s just one problem: Cannabis is still illegal under federal law. During the administration of President Barack Obama, an uneasy détente existed, where the federal government agreed not to prosecute marijuana production, sale and use in states where it was legal. That effectively left things up to the states, but left open the possibility that the federal government might reverse itself and crack down. This year, the crackdown came. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that he was rescinding the Obama-era policy of tolerance, and that marijuana users and growers in every state in the union now had to fear arrest and prosecution by the feds.
Extract from the Original article by Noah Smith , in Bloomberg View .
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Duh...
Here in the land of OZ the Kochs rule. Wasn't my idea. Have to toke to get rid of the bad taste.
There are many more votes to be garnered by going with public opinion on this one, than those to be lost by going against it. Common sense may yet prevail.
:~)
Now there's a weird idea!
I agree, in many states like in here in Colorado, it's sale is tightly regulated and highly taxed...doing wonders for the state budget...which liberals should love. But it is still a mind altering drug and it's misuse is still a crime. It should be up to the states, and the Feds are more concerned with the Cartel get involved with the growers than going after the recreational or medical users. No need for the Republicans to do anything.
However, if I was an employer, I would insist on a drug test...don't have time to coddle sleepy stoners
For some reason the American working class has bought in to this notion that business kooks and employers can take a big steaming shit on the bill of rights and go right ahead and dump on the same.
Some of us out here have never taken a drug test and never will to get a wage slave job. Fuck that and the horse it rode in on. There are still a few blue collar folks who aren't cowardly out here. I've rolled up cords put tools away and walked off three big time jobs with every single other wood butcher about this. Every one of these companies reneged and called us back to work.
It can be done folks. Organize. Stand up to these Bill of Rights haters. Refuse and resist. Do it all at once and they begin to see that they need you more than you need them.
Very well said!
Why, thank you kindly.
That's a major part of the problem getting marijuana legalized is this misconception that all "Stoners" are the same.That marijuana use is the same for everyone. That is a total misconception. I have known people who use marijuana all my life. For some yes it was a problem,(when it was most stopped using it) for many people using marijuana is not much different that the person who has a few drinks of an alcoholic beverage from time to time or even daily.
Marijuana is not deadly no matter how much is consumed either unfortunately, the same can not be said about legal alcohol.
A new study says 88,000 Americans die each year of alcohol Too bad alcoholism does not normally show up in a drug test.
I have worked with a lot of people who smoke pot and I have worked with a lot of people who drank. I never saw much difference unless the person was out of control with either one.
When my company first started doing federal contracts in the early 1990s we were required to have a formal drug use policy in effect but they didn't say what it needed to be.....so my partner and I decided it would be "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Here are a few problems with that. Until it's no longer a Federal crime:
It is not a mind altering drug.
I like your style!
I don't know. Do you do it often?
Do what? If you're talking about marijuana, as often as possible.
Alcohol, nicotine, and sugar are legal mind altering substances. They are also more additive and have bigger health risks. You can add caffeine to the list of addictive mind altering legal substances, though the health risks there seem minor. The criminalization of marijuana has been used as a political tool throughout the history of the US for various reasons.
Pot will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no pot.
tax and regulate like booze , about the only problem I do see , is that the science of testing in the field for impairment hasn't caught up.
And more questions arise as to can employers refuse to hire someone that partakes? as a CDL holder , I lose my lic if I test positive in any amount , and the way the law is written now , I not only lose the CDL , but the privilege to drive ANY motor vehicle.
Yes. This is so obvious that the only way (IMNAAHO) to not understand is dogmatic.
True... OTOH, I'm not sure that alcohol testing is all that accurate, either. We have all accepted blood / alcohol percentage limits, but at the same time, we all know that different people react differently to the same alcohol level. I suspect that the same problem applies to marijuana.
I think that's true for any intoxicant , if it wasn't , we wouldn't need gas passers for surgery. and they do so on a number of different factors. the closest we can get is blood content and even there metabolism and a few other factors come into play.
I am 6'4" 200 lbs , my personal record so to speak is 8 shots of sambucca, needless to say I was comatose after the 8th one , and I paid the after affects for 3 days, election eve I took a shot every time they ( the media) had to call a state for trump , simply because of the looks on their faces, I stopped after 10 tennesse fires, and again paid dearly over the next few days.
As it is , I will say , getting older , is NOT for the weak.
This seems to be working out well for Colorado.
If enough people make enough money legally, the Colorado example will spread.
The Governor of Colorado just said he's not ruling out making pot illegal there again. It was actually a fairly well thought out response in the Denver Post in the past couple of days; they're trying to figure out correlation and all that, just keeping their options open (at least that's how I interpreted it).
The reason is interesting, and is something I heard on a strictly anecdotal basis a few years back, when I had to stay in a hotel in Denver due to a flight issue. I was outside having a cigarette, and talked to a guy who lived in a small town in CO. He said the crime rate in his small town went up to an astonishing degree once pot was legalized - because of people moving to CO simply because they could legally smoke pot there. Obviously, that rationale doesn't attract people who are going to contribute much (I have no problem with people smoking pot), and there weren't enough minimum wage jobs to support them. But I can't imagine moving someplace where I have no job prospects simply because I can legally smoke pot there. Hell, it's illegal in my state, but if I go to a pub with an outdoor area, there will often be people vaping (which produces no odor) or even smoking joints, knowing that nobody really gives a crap. Those of us who don't smoke will just say "no, thank you" when offered a hit.
If it were legalized on a Federal basis, this wouldn't be an issue. I think pot is far less harmful than alcohol, and I don't understand why it's still an issue in the first place. But until it is legalized on a Federal basis, we will get the doofus crowd who thinks that being able to legally smoke pot should dictate where they live, and they'll continue to inundate the states where it is legal. The CO governor said that many of the people in their jails now are transients who say that they are in CO because of the pot laws.
Prediction: Criminal elements would be attracted.
Observation: Mixed results, but overall that myth was busted.
"A report published in 2016 found that cannabis-related crime had increased in Washington state post legalization. The report was based on data from both Spokane Valley and Seattle police departments, and it showed a rise in unlicensed distribution and possession of illegal cannabis following legalization, most of which was destined for states where prohibition was still in force.
However those statistics represent only a small portion, geographically speaking, of just one state. On the whole, crime statistics for Washington state reached a 40-year low in 2014, with violent crime down 10 percent and a 13 percent drop in the state’s murder rate. Colorado also saw decreases in overall crime rates, violent crimes, and property crimes ."
Prediction: Accidents and impaired driving incidents would increase.
Observation: Confirmed (mostly).
A study produced by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which has received criticisms from legalization advocates, found that in 2014 (the year in which the first legal recreational cannabis shops actually opened for business) overall claims for traffic incidents rose by 14 percent in Colorado, and 4.6 percent in Washington.
While a certain amount of annual increase was expected regardless of legalization, even after researchers accounted for controls including rates of increase in nearby states where cannabis remained illegal, a rise of 2.7 percent was attributed to the legalization of cannabis.
But reports emphasize that while more drivers who had been involved in insurance claims in Washington and Colorado admitted to consuming cannabis before operating their vehicle, that may not reflect actual changes in usage, due to extremely limited data prior to legalization.
Prediction: Minors would start using cannabis (more than they were already).
Observation: Myth busted.
Earlier this year a think tank working for Washington’s state legislature produced a report showing overall decreases in youth cannabis usage rates.
The report was based on survey data from the state’s Department of Health, which polled for usage among students in grades six, eight, ten, and twelve. The results of the survey showed decreased usage by students in all four grade levels. For example, students in the tenth grade responded at a 17 percent usage rate in 2016, compared to rates of 18 percent in 2006, and 20 percent in 2010 .
Similar decreases in teen usage were observed in Colorado, with 21.2 percent reporting usage in 2015, down from 22 percent in 2011 .
Prediction: The new legal market would lead to an economic boom.
Observation: Confirmed.
Both Colorado and Washington have experienced tremendous growth in the cannabis business ecosystem in the years since each state increased access from limited medical marijuana programs to fully legalized recreational markets.
Even setting aside financial gains by the myriad private businesses now operating in each state, and focusing instead on state revenues such as excise taxes and licensing fees, the case is clear. In 2014, Colorado received over $76 million in revenues, $35 million of which went directly toward funding the state’s education system. In 2015, total tax revenues from cannabis increased to over $135 million.
In Washington, $83 million was received in excise taxes alone during the first year of recreational cannabis shops operating in the state. In 2016 the state’s tax obligation was projected at $185 million, with the expectation of 2017 reaching over $230 million.
The lion’s share of tax revenues in Washington are slated for public health programs including Medicaid, substance abuse prevention, and community health centers.
Unexpected results
Harm reduction: A study published in this month’s issue of the American Journal of Public Health found that 2014 saw a 6.5 percent reduction in deaths resulting from opioid abuse in Colorado , indicating a reversal of the previous 14-year increasing trend.
That's just it, the fines and, the penalties are harsher in Colorado if you are found to be growing or, selling illegally and, trust me, the LEO's check regularly.
Very useful info, especially:
I agree...those couple hours of oblivion and euphoria are not worth the horrors of a prolonged hangover, which I am sure I don't need to describe.
I heard that a lot when I lived in Colorado, it is usually, as you said from people who moved there with no plan to get a job of any kind, thinking it would be easier to just "live off the land" as some of them put it, others came there to look for work and, found that the rules at work prohibited pot smoking, if they were found to have any in their system they lost their jobs because of it, in spite of the Colorado laws some company's there make it a policy that you can't smoke it, they will test you on an irregular basis to see if you test positive for it, of course most of these company's have safety reasons for it.
One company, south of Pueblo, CO, will test an employee who is hurt on the job for booze or, drugs if they are hurt on the job, standard procedure, they make wind mills for industrial electrical use, you know the giant turbines, it's dangerous when sober, deadly when high to do that job.
The illegality of ganja has always been a tool of political power and manipulation. Even in Anslinger's day it was a tool of racism and used to dissuade the fear that brown and black people would sully the honor of honky ass girls everywhere. Even Nixon's crew admitted to that. It was something used to fuck with the Left and folks of color.
It has never been about the danger of the drug itself. Anyone who can read knows it has more or less been like dogs to humanity. Hand in hand from the get go. It has been used medicinally, and no doubt as recreation, from the ancient Chinese to the Egyptians.
No doubt the folks who murdered Oritz stole his bag of skunk or remnants would have been found with his frozen carcass.
When the major inherent danger of a substance is it's illegality one might begin to consider that something is askew in our system.
Yep that is the American way, the hell with common since recognising marijuana as an non deadly alternative to deadly alcohol.
But Boy if we can make a buck on it...... What a BS way to enact laws !!
I prefer it to be treated like many opiates primarily Codeine and Morphine.
I think Vicodin should be sold in Pez containers at Zippy Marts. Along with firearms and whiskey.
Why not most american vises are sold 24/7 at every street corner convenience store in america now.
alcohol, tobacco, gambling, sex mags, junk food, about all we are missing is marijuana, crack and guns.
I think you can buy all of those on just about any street in America where their is a demand. The war on drugs has only resulted in the massive drug dealers and drug cartels that have become a serious plague for many countries along with the US. But, the 'War On Drugs" is such a good mantra for the politicians that they care less about the lives lost due to the vicious dealers and drug cartels. And I can't help but wonder how many of those politicians are not users themselves on the QT.
America is a speedy town, that is for certain sure.
I heartily support a War on War.
And drugs. Oh. Not a War on Drugs. I support Drugs.
Hey, doesn't seem to be doing too much harm in Portugal.
Personally, it is my opinion that the War on Drugs had done more harm than any good. And now that they Government has put a ban on prescription pain medication, it will be even worse, because those who are indeed in severe pain will be forced to find it on the streets. And the drug companies are even worse, as any prescription pain medicine that is not an opioid that might relieve even some of the pain, they a re not raising the cost of sooo high that even with health insurance it is pricing it out of the common working people's reach.
Thus, it will not be long before people with severe pain who aren't able to pay even for the non-opioid medicine will be out looking for ways to buy it on the street, which opens a whole other can of worms for society to deal with.
The majority of people who need string pain medication are not the ones who are abusing them, yet, they will be the ones to suffer the most in the long run.
But, who cares? Certainly not our government.
Sorry for the confusion, that should read that "they are raising the cost of sooo high"
Persecution for drinking is big money and they will come up with a way to persecute and profit off this too. It is not about safety, but money and keeping the programs that exploit people in place
Tell them to hurry up.
No to legalization of pot. Cigarette smoking in banned almost everywhere publicly, yet, some say just one or two puffs on pot is enjoyable and makes one a better driver, etc. Ask a cigarette smoker how relaxed they are after smoking a cigarette. Second hand smoke could, also, be applied to pot use.
Now, the penalty for smoking pot is too harsh.
Thank-you for your considered and reasonable opinion on this matter.
Perhaps it should be, Cigarette smoke kills too many of us. Alcohol does too
Pot does not kill but how many Americans still cant figure this shit out.
So America have a nice big drink, a smoke and a fatburger and I'll bet I"ll be here for years after your gone.
Moderation in everything !
Americans deserve a choice !
Where is it ?
Yes to the legalization of all drugs but especially to Ganja.
It's Up To Republicans To Legalize Marijuana
Shit that means were looking at probably another 40 years of having this deadly alcohol alternative being federally illegal. How many more need to die ?
I will not be included... LOL
I have called Republicans and especially conservatives who support criminalization of drugs (especially marijuana) hypocrites. They condemn these drugs while taking prescription drugs for depression and pain
I hope the arepublicans will finally adhere to the Constitution and remove federal involvement
RX drugs that one goes to the pharmacy for not a candy store.
How well I remember my little soccer players talking about a store in the next town where they put the pot in a paper sack and sold it to these kids like candy. I went public to the newspaper and it was eventually shut down. I am not so naivve to think that it wasn't opened, again, in some other location.
Now, we get this news from Clark County, Washington:
And, this is why marijuana should not be legalized for recreational use, but should be kept only legally for medical use.
NO this is why man should keep his hands off of nature.
Natural marijuana is not strong enough to screw people up.
We never had these problems till man started condensing the drugs in marijuana.
IMO, Natural marijuana (A non deadly intoxicant alternative to the deadly poison of alcohol) still should be every Americans legal choice. It still is not. that sucks !
We are not yet all robots.
You better start telling that to the growers of marijuana as they are doing everything they can to increase marijuana's potency. just as farmers have been doing for corn over the years and its flavor.
Growers are still growing nature (high breeding is bad enough) but what I'm actually talking about is when they took the step from growing and smoking marijuana to refining it down to concentrates.
I sure hate to be the bearer of "bad news" But, legalized medical marijuana is a joke.
Just sit outside any MMJ store for 5 minutes. You will see normal healthy Americans walking in and out in a continuous stream.
Not to mention MMJ was never really integrated into the medical field. Ask any doctor.
I have little doubt most of the MMJ purchased is not for medical purposes, its a opening for recreational use as it is and most Doctors wont even entertain writing prescriptions for MMJ.
Federal legalization and more testing is needed.
Same old song and dance.
Till then, give us the legal option of using this non deadly alternative to the man made deadly alcohol that is available everywhere in this country. As americans we deserve a choice, after all its our choices about our own mortality we are talking about.
I was an alcoholic headed for death, (All my immediate family are dead alcoholics including two younger siblings) having a alternative may have saved me from the same. I'm sure I am not alone.
True and unfortunately because MMJ was not properly or fully integrated into the medical field most doctors will not even prescribe opiates to anyone using MMJ even though recent tests have shown MMJ use reduces the need for opiates in many patents.
That's why it should be handled just like opiates and sold only through a pharmacy not a dispensary.
NOT in my opinion. In my opinion marijuana should be legalized, taxed and regulated just as beer and wine is.
We're both somewhat in agreement. We both think it should be somewhat legalized at least. You want it to be treated like beer and wine, while I prefer it to be treated like a prescription drug.
Why shouldn't it be legalized like alcohol and tobacco? How does that affect you if it is legalized instead of by prescription only?
True, if we seperate the natural marijuana from the man made condensed forms I could even possibly agree on different legislation for the two.
OMG, that is so ridiculous. It isn't even remotely like opiates.
That is ridiculous. A lot of folks use marijuana instead of opiates. No real side effects from marijuana.
Someone is talking sensibly. Who are you?
It already is where I live.
Xanax is the problem, Marijuana is not the problem. They would not have overdosed on weed alone.
I've taken Xanax for anxiety and the effects can be very unpredictable.
People have different reactions to drugs.
I can't take antibiotics successful. I took Xanax while going through menopause for depression successfully.
Xanax has actually made me more anxious. Give me marijuana any day.
Antibiotics make me depressed in large doses.
I had a Dr who handed out Xanax like tic-tacs. If I took a full dose I could be unconscious for 8-12 hours without warning. I now take 1/2 or 1/4 a tab' of Klonopin for panic attacks.
Xanax with alcohol is commonly deadly.
They overdosed on BOTH according to all the news reports I have seen and read.
You cannot overdose on marijuana.
Natural marijuana can not be overdosed on. It is not strong enough.
Concentrates are a different matter, once man condensed the active ingredients yes it can be overdosed on.
The voice of experience.....are you!
Maybe a valuable commodity amongst non users for accurate information.
I'm sure they would have still overdosed had it been coffee and Xanax or Redbull and Xanax or just about anything else and Xanax. I know some very great people who shouldn't drink and/or smoke weed. That doesn't mean the rest of us can't be responsible adults, know our limitations and make our own choices.
I’d rather the Feds did nothing than tax and regulate. Once they get involved it will all turn to pot. There is nothing they can’t screw up. The only good news is I’m confident a black market will continue to thrive as people will choose freedom over government taxes and regulations.
I'd like to see multiple blind studies done on what is good and bad about it. How we can (in a technical sense) regulate the THC content. How we can do an accurate field test. The current urinalysis is pretty damned unreliable and the blood test is expensive.
So the consumer knows exactly what they're getting. And has choices in levels of high. Just like alcohol I know how much is in my beer.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta to Jeff Sessions: Medical marijuana could save many addicted to opioids
Too bad Mr. Magoo doesn't consider reason and rational thinking to be of value.
Lets do that shall we ? From your link:
Cannabis can effectively treat pain. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine arrived at this conclusion last year after what it described as the "most comprehensive studies of recent research" on the health effects of cannabis.
Every day, 115 Americans die from opioid overdoses.
Researchers from the Rand Corp., supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse , conducted "the most detailed examination of medical marijuana and opioid deaths to date" and found something few initially expected. The analysis showed an approximately 20% decline in opioid overdose deaths between 1999 and 2010 in states with legalized medical marijuana and functioning dispensaries.
Furthermore, opioids target the breathing centers in the brain, putting their users at real risk of dying from overdose. In stark contrast, with cannabis, there is virtually no risk of overdose or sudden death.
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Add in the 88,000 alcohol deaths per year in America and count up the real cost of ignoring this treatment option/recreational alternative to the man made poisons called alcohol and opiate pain killers.
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That is what I call reasonable and rational thinking.
I guess you thought I was being critical of legalization? No, you and I are on the same side. Mr. Magoo is Trump's pet name for Sessions, and Sessions will not budge on legalization no matter which experts advise him of the multitude of good reasons to do so.
I wasn't aware of that.... it's Fitting
And you are correct sessions is trouble
Yes my mistake I thought you were calling Gupta Mr Magoo