The Politics of Pot!

[ThatsTheGuy]

I swear to Vishnu if the US decriminalizes weed before we do I will be irreparably ashamed of my government. We don't have the excuse of being puppeteered by giant for-profit prison industries into criminalizing as many things as possible.

Is Vishnu French for pot? Repairs are in progress.

Trump might give the weed thing a 'get out of jail free' card.

 

[JackLuis]

Today Rolling Stone Reports:

Free the Weed: A New Bill Could End Federal Prohibition of Marijuana

A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced new legislation today that highlights the growing divisions within the Republican Party on the nation's current patchwork of marijuana laws. The effort to allow states to decide their own marijuana policy potentially pits President Trump, who has voiced support for the state's right to choose their own policy, against his own staunchly anti-marijuana attorney general. And it highlights the chasm between anti-marijuana GOP leaders in Congress and the growing number of rank-and-file Republicans who are demanding federal protections for their state's burgeoning marijuana businesses.

Oh the sweet sweet Weed money has hit K Street!

 

[JackLuis]

Canada Is Set To Legalize Recreational Marijuana This Week

The Sweet Sweet Weed Loonies are just too tempting!

 

[Oblimo]

Today Rolling Stone Reports:

Free the Weed: A New Bill Could End Federal Prohibition of Marijuana

Although nothing that comes out of his mouth actually means anything, Trump said today he’s likely to support the bill:

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-trump-marijuana-20180608-story.html?outputType=amp

 

[JackLuis]

Although nothing that comes out of his mouth actually means anything, Trump said today he’s likely to support the bill:

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-trump-marijuana-20180608-story.html?outputType=amp

Yes, he said it was a "States Rights" thing. But I think it is the Chamber of Commerce that is pulling the chain.

 

[JackLuis]

Not to be out done Demos respond!

Elizabeth Warren, Cory Gardner Want Bong Hits 4 America. Whoa, Bipartisanship!
https://wonkette.com/634950/elizabe...-want-bong-hits-4-america-whoa-bipartisanship

https://img.wonkette.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mt-kushmore.jpg​

Just in time for summertime election season, two big important US senators are introducing yet another bipartisan national weed bill, although this one isn’t out to legalize weed nationwide. Instead, Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren and Colorado Republican Cory Gardner have a more modest goal — protect states that have already legalized marijuana from interference from federal law enforcement. It’s a pretty important goal, since Jeff Sessions is so worried about the enormous weed-legalization crime wave that only he can see.

Warren called federal laws treating marijuana as a Schedule 1 controlled substance “archaic,” because they not only hurt individuals, they also

prevent businesses who are in the marijuana business from getting access to banking services. That forces a multibillion dollar industry to operate all in cash. That’s bad for business and bad for safety.

 

[gotsnowgotslush]

Trump is trolling Sessions ?


Trump Defies Sessions by Saying He Will 'Probably' Support Marijuana Bill


The president appears to be joining a group of lawmakers pushing back on the attorney general's marijuana policy

June 8, 2018


President Trump hinted that he is likely to support a bill introduced Thursday that would protect state marijuana laws from federal interference. "I really do," Trump said when asked outside the White House on Friday whether supports the bill, which was co-authored by Senator Cory Gardner, a Republican from Colorado. "I support Senator Gardner. I know exactly what he's doing. We're looking at it. But I probably will end up supporting it, yes."



Though the bill would largely strip away federal influence from how states are able to enforce their marijuana laws, there are a few caveats. The bill holds that employees of marijuana businesses must be 18 years or older, and that recreational marijuana may only be sold to people 21 and over. It also stipulates that dispensaries may not be set up at rest stops along interstate highways

 

[JackLuis]

Hemp Legalization Amendment Bans People With Drug Convictions From Hemp Industry

At issue is part of the Senate version of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the 2018 Farm Bill, which would legalize industrial hemp growing across the country. Sen. Mitch McConnell spearheaded the current effort to legalize industrial hemp and his “Hemp Farming Act of 2018” soon picked up bipartisan sponsorship. However, the hemp legalization amendment, unlike the original bill, bans anyone convicted of a drug-related felony from involvement in hemp growing and potentially other aspects of the industry.

I suppose this is a Conservative thing.

 

[JackLuis]

Deep Dive: Recreational Marijuana Tax Revenue in the United States

For the past century, America has been in a fierce debate regarding the legal status of marijuana. And while individuals on both sides of the issue are passionate about their positions regarding the morality and safety of cannabis, those against legalization have largely had their way— until very recently.

Fast forward to the present day and you’ll see a significant change in the legal landscape. At the time of writing, 33 states allow medicinal marijuana use and 11 states allow legal recreational use. Furthermore, 9 additional states may organize a vote for legalization on their 2020 ballots.

So what changed? Among other things, the promise of marijuana tax revenue was a huge motivator. Reframing the marijuana debate around its merits as a tool for government funding has been extremely helpful for the pro-legalization cause, and it’s led many states to experiment with legalization.

But what are the results of this experiment?

Has legalization of recreational cannabis actually led to economic growth for these states? And what does this mean for the future of marijuana legalization in the country?

Keep reading to find out!

Excellent article. Surprising how much money is flowing in to State Treasuries. California is skimming $395.3 million in 2018 and $629.3 million in 2019: That will pay for a lot of stuff and Cali squeezes the hemp pretty tightly.

 

[JackLuis]

The House Is About to Pass Marijuana Decriminalization. What Will the Senate Do?

f President Trump and Senate Republicans were willing to work with Democrats on just one issue, a bill ending federal marijuana prohibition could finally become law.

That’s probably not going to happen unless Trump’s racist, scorched-earth reelection campaign drastically changes course, but Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris can still challenge the president on a long overdue reform that animates voters.

Senator Harris and congressional Democrats are poised to push a historic marijuana decriminalization bill that could begin to address the havoc wreaked on communities of color by the war on drugs — and force Trump and GOP lawmakers to entrench their positions on cannabis and racialized policing ahead of the election. Polls show marijuana legalization and decriminalization now enjoy support among a clear and bipartisan majority of voters, but lawmakers have failed to act, until now.

Support for legalizing marijuana for adult recreational use is nearing 70 percent. Recent polling found that 60 percent of voters say police should stop arresting people for marijuana where it remains illegal — including 58 percent of Republicans. Fifty-five percent of voters and half of Republicans say police should stop arresting people for sales of small amounts of marijuana as well. When asked about the MORE Act’s specific provisions, which include taxing legal marijuana sales and reinvesting revenues into communities harmed by the drug war, 62 percent of voters and 60 percent of Republicans voiced their support.

More people support legal pot than Trump!

 

[JackLuis]

Jimmy Carter says his son smoked pot with Willie Nelson on White House roof

Former President Jimmy Carter reveals in a new documentary that his son James Earl "Chip" Carter sat on the roof of the White House and smoked marijuana with country music legend Willie Nelson.

People magazine reports that Carter made the admission in a new documentary, "Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President." Carter confirmed the anecdote described in Nelson's autobiography, though Nelson had hid the identity of Carter's son in the book in which he referred to his companion as a "servant" in the White House.

"When Willie Nelson wrote his autobiography, he confessed that he smoked pot in the White House one night when he was spending the night with me," Carter says, according to People. "And he says that his companion that shared the pot with him was one of the servants in the White House. That is not exactly true — it actually was one of my sons, which he didn't want to categorize as a pot-smoker like him."

 

[JackLuis]

Updates on the cannabis market from Montana, Maine and beyond

rom Montana to Maine and all the way down into the depths of the federal bureaucracy, Americans' ability to access and understand cannabis has taken a few steps forward in recent days.

Recreational cannabis is on the ballot this fall in Montana, South Dakota and Arizona.

 

[whynottommorrow]

A lot of the problem is the impairment testing. A person can blow or a alcohol test, but how can your test for cannabis impairment?

 

[JackLuis]

Key cannabis chemical may help prevent colon cancer, researchers say

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A chemical in marijuana may be able to help prevent colon cancer, according to a new study from top University of South Carolina researchers.

The study, published in iScience, found that mice injected with THC and a cancer-causing chemical did not develop cancer. Mice in a control group were injected with the carcinogen but no THC, causing them to develop cancer.

“We were really excited to see those results, which were so dramatic,” said co-author Prakash Nagarkatti, who is the University of South Carolina’s vice president of research.

THC — the chemical in cannabis that causes a “high” — prevented cancer from emerging in mice by reducing inflammation in the colon, said Nagarkatti, who is one of America’s leading marijuana researchers. This could be useful for people who have illnesses such as Crohn’s disease and colitis, where long-term inflammation increases risk of cancer, Nagarkatti said.

“We clearly need to do clinical trials and additional research needs to be done,” Nagarkatti said.

With Congress close to delisting Cannabis, can we wait anymore? Call your Congress Critters and tell them to delist it so we can get the facts!

 

[JackLuis]

Backfire: Pot dispensary’s MAGA Election Day promotion goes up in smoke

An attempt by a marijuana dispensary of running a Donald Trump promotion backfired spectacularly on the business, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

“Dr. Z Leaf, a medical cannabis franchise here owned by optometrist Robert Zoellner, offered an Election Day promotion that has bombed among many Tulsans and scared employees. The promotion, circulated widely on social media, promised discounts to customers who came to the dispensary wearing Make American Great Again or other Trump gear,” the newspaper reported.

Employees said not a single Trump supporter showed up for the promotion.
“In fact, we’ve gotten more complaints about it than anything,” one staff member said.

“A lot of us suffer from high anxiety,” one employee said. “That’s why we smoke marijuana. This is a situation that makes it worse for us.”

“This is very conflicting for hippies like us,” another staff member agreed.

MAGAts don't smoke the Devil's Weed!

 

[JackLuis]

‘Taking sledgehammer’ to failed US drug war, Oregon votes to decriminalize narcotics as five states legalize marijuana

Critics of the nation’s failed so-called “War on Drugs” celebrated a number of victories Tuesday night as Oregon became the first state in the U.S. to decriminalize personal drug possession and voters in five states backed the legalization of marijuana.

Fifty-nine percent of Oregonians backed Measure 110, which starting February 1 will decriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs including heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and oxycodone or Percocet. The penalty for possession will be a $100 fine—which may be avoidable if a person agrees to take part in a health assessment—putting drug possession on par with a traffic violation in Oregon.

After Tuesday’s election, one in three Americans now live in states that have legalized marijuana use, as New Jersey, Arizona, Montana, and South Dakota all voted to legalize the substance for recreational use. In Mississippi, voters supported a measure legalizing medical marijuana.

Smoke'em if you got 'em!

 

[LLCox]

Me and Willie never waited for no stinking legislation.

 

[JackLuis]

US House approves bill to widen marijuana research

The US House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would broaden researchers’ ability to study marijuana and its effects, a move hailed by cannabis advocates.

The bill, passed in a bipartisan voice vote, allows authorized researchers access to parts of cannabis plants grown under state programs.

The bill must next be approved by the Senate to take effect.

The Democratic-controlled House last week also passed a bill that would remove cannabis from the federal list of dangerous drugs, a historic step towards federal decriminalization of the substance. It stands little chance however in the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans.

Somebody cut Mitch in on the deal and it'll pass easy!

 

[JackLuis]

How One of the Reddest States Became the Nation’s Hottest Weed Market

Bot Boy should have moved to Oklahoma.

“Turns out rednecks love to smoke weed,” Baker laughs. “That’s the thing about cannabis: It really bridges socio-economic gaps. The only other thing that does it is handguns. All types of people are into firearms. All types of people are into cannabis.”