Well i didnt vote for him but o well i kno with him theres a better chance of moving in a better direction for mj users. What do yall think the chance of a federal decriminalization with him in power is?
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Well i didnt vote for him but o well i kno with him theres a better chance of moving in a better direction for mj users. What do yall think the chance of a federal decriminalization with him in power is?
I think if anything gets support from congress, the chance of Obama signing it is more than any other president in the last say 30 years, and ofcourse more than mccain. based on interviews and public stances they have taken
but im confident this will not a priority for anyone in current situation, however the process was started silently a few months back with 2 house bills, and when they get out, if they get out in a news-worthless day, they will make headlines...
There is complete control of the Senate and House by a Democratic President.
He has the keys to anything he desires.
Within reason.... And what I have seen GW get i dont know what would actually be offlimits!
who knows. like flying said, it's no one's priority. but seeing as how we won't have another presidential election for 4 years this is a good time to start thinking bout doing something with the next election. putting together some group of voters or something and try to really show unity and power and make an impact on the election overall. we could really make it a big deal with the next election. they can't avoid it forever. especially with people of our (i'm 29) generation coming into politics. it seems like any and everyone i know smokes weed.
-shake
dont get it wrong, there will be a public outcry by the extremists and the uninformed crowd regarding legalization or decriminalization of marijuana...Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatekeeper777
medical, that may have a much better chance tho, if politics quits fuckin around with science
nation wide is a different story than certain areas' statewide public opinion... although i know most polls show some support and leaning toward pro-mj positions among the public, but still this is a sensitive subject to many
Right now it might not be a priority, but if we can continue to build up the movement calling for legalization in the name of relocating the simply massive resources going into the War of Drugs (which might as well be called the War on Cannabis) into something, I don't know, useful then it's possible actual reform might happen on the federal level, and that just would not have occurred under another Republican administration.
there is a bill in the house, H.R. 5843. it was sponsored byQuote:
Originally Posted by roninwithnoname
Rep. Barney Frank [D-MA]. it's goal is to "To eliminate most Federal penalties for possession of marijuana for personal use, and for other purposes."
you can follow it here. so far it has only been introduced. apparently state laws will directly conflict with this bill if voted and signed into law. but from what i've read it could be used by the states as a sort of ok that the federal government is fine with this, so you should be too. who knows what will happen? but what i wonder is how and the hell state and federal laws conflict. what a joke.
-shake
The 10th amendment? I'm not really sure what you mean, state and federal laws can conflict (just look at medical marijuana laws).Quote:
Originally Posted by headshake
How long will this bill sit idle until it dies in limbo?
it is expected to get out of subcommittees sometime in 2009...Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatekeeper777
I'm hopeful this can get more support with the next congress and admin than it would have ever gotten with current one or the defeated candidate... I'm certain he did even say it on camera that he doesnt believe in medical marijuana
John McCain Quotes on Medical Marijuana
Quote:
"No town hall meeting in New Hampshire is complete without some young man who has been sent here to talk to me about medical marijuana ... The fact is I do not approve of the medical use of marijuana, I never have and I never will, and you all keep coming to the town hall meetings. I'm always glad to see you, it helps with the attendance." (September 29, 2007, house party in Exeter, New Hampshire)
while...Quote:
"The law is the law, and I do not believe it's going to be changed, and it's not going to be changed by me." (October 23, 2007, town hall meeting in Exeter, New Hampshire)
Sen. Barack Obama
Oh, he did:Quote:
Originally Posted by flyingimam
YouTube - Sen. John McCain meets a medical marijuana patient--Sept. 30
Sen Arland Spector would be a good place to start he HAD cancer. I bet he toked up and knows the benifits.
McCain is a PUPPET!
MCMore of the same!
Here's the text of the bill:Quote:
Originally Posted by headshake
....Quote:
The text of the bill:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Act to Remove Federal Penalties for the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults'.
SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF CERTAIN MARIJUANA-RELATED PENALTIES.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no penalty may be imposed under an Act of Congress for the possession of marijuana for personal use, or for the not-for-profit transfer between adults of marijuana for personal use. For the purposes of this section, possession of 100 grams or less of marijuana shall be presumed to be for personal use, as shall the not-for-profit transfer of one ounce or less of marijuana, except that the civil penalty provided in section 405 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 844a) may be imposed for the public use of marijuana if the amount of the penalty does not exceed $100.
So yes, it eliminates criminal penalties for personal use and possession up to 100 grams. It stops far short of common sense, however. It doesn't legitimize the industry, it doesn't allow for regulation of sale (to control the minimum age of purchase for instance), in fact it doesn't allow for sale at all.
Why would anyone want to prevent the regulation and taxation of the largest cash crop in the country? Why would we want to keep it on the black market?
Anyone who knows a bit about this plant knows that the current situation is just plain silly - but why, then, would we stop so short of actually FIXING the situation, and instead continue the climate of prohibition?
Yes, this could be a step in the right direction in that it would give the public at large time to become more familiar with Marijuana and its effects. Yes, it would allow very small scale home growing of a tiny bonsai plant or two.... but I only see this as a good thing as a stepping stone toward the eventual legalization and regulation of Marijuana.
Even for home growers - how much do you think you can grow if the weight of all of your living plants, plus the weight of any dried bud on hand all has to be under 100 grams? That would mean the stems, leaves, and possibly (depending on how the law would be interpreted in your locality) even the roots all weighed while wet and living (and all of that water in the plant is likely to double its weight)? Do you think you're going to be able to make the cops understand that the rest of the plant doesn't count? Do you think you're going to make them understand that if they would just come back in a week that bud hanging in your closet would weigh a hell of a lot less because it would have time to dry out? Good luck.
I def agree that regulating it makes a lot more sense then decrim but it would be a great step in the right direction...it sucks tho i doubt it will happen anytime soon. I kno obama has said he would decrim in 04 but after he started runin for pres he changed that opinion somewhat. still obama might help us stoners out who knows all i can do is wait, in the meantime ill be in the netherlands:hippy:
True - I doubt that we will see even decriminalization anytime soon. It is nowhere on the priority horizon. Obama is accused of being a socialist and engaging in class warfare just because he wants to undo Bush's tax breaks for the rich. If he were to say one word about decriminalizing Marijuana, he would be branded as a radical hippie as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by BeefsMyFav
I agree Kowalski, if he brought such a divisive issue to the table at this point in time, or anytime soon, the backlash would be strong. It would likely prevent him from getting anything else done, or at the very least impede his progress.
I am hoping at the very least he puts an end to fed raids on med. growers.
I believe he said this is something he would do, and it only takes a phone call or two, RIGHT? I dont know exactly :wtf: it would take, but he is gonna be president.
It's not one of the major issues he has to focus on at the moment but be sure that cannabis laws will only progress under liberal democratic politics rather then reactionary repulican scare tactic policies. These two recent bills which passed are great news and a step in the right direction.
Obama definitely would sign off on the regulation of Marijuana...but it's going to have to start with decrim and medical MJ for us to get there..if he does a good job his first term then maybe he will get a second 4 years and that's when it could happen. One problem though is that Biden (and I love this guy don't get me wrong) wrote the "Crime Bill" and is responsible for the creation of the Drug Czar's office in the first place..most of the mandatory minimum laws currently in place are a direct result of Joe Biden, which is a shame because he is a cool dude otherwise. Let's hope he does'nt influence Obama too much on this issue and he know's how to just go with the flow. We can only pray.
I doubt it will be a priority for him at all, and I actually HOPE Obama doesn't get sucked into this issue early on. There are a lot more important and less controversial things he should have at the top of the list, and this is not one of them.
Remember what happend to Clinton? One of the very first things he tackled was allowing gays in the military, of all things. It weakened him and gave his opponents ammunition against him and hurt him when it was time to work on some more important things. Sure, it's a rights issue and should have come up on his agenda eventually, but is that really where you want to spend all your good will and political capital during the "honeymoon" period of your new presidency?
Obama has studied the successes and failures of past presidents like Clinton and Reagan, and I don't think he will make the mistake of going to this issue early on. I HOPE he does get to it soon enough, but I would not personally put it at the top of the list.
drug reform is a political third rail issue - touch it and you're dead...things are so screwed up right now that cannabis isn't on the federal political radar...later on i think obama will tackle other drug issues like the racial disparity in drug sentencing, and reduce federal money being dumped on the drug war
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclop...rail-(metaphor)
Quote:
Originally Posted by IAmKowalski
i agree 100%! i was simply stating that it could possibly be a step in the right direction.
-shake
I agree that it could be a step in the right direction - but if legalization (and associated regulation) is considered radical, then shouldn't decriminalization be considered even more radical?Quote:
Originally Posted by headshake
Think about some of the arguments for prohibition:
1) The gateway effect. We can all agree that to some degree the prohibition of Marijuana is a gateway policy, forcing consumers into a black market to purchase a popular product. It is this same black market that can provide more elicit and more dangerous substances. Decriminalization of small amounts for personal use without allowing for a legal market in which to purchase doesn't address this problem.
2) If you smoke weed, you're supporting terrorism. Again, this is a question of the black market versus a legal regulated marketplace. We all know this claim is a bunch of bull, but if the proponents of prohibition actually believe their own words then once again we should point out that only establishing a legal regulated market can eliminate the mass flow of funds into an untraceable black market.
Isn't allowing anyone to possess up to 3.52 ounces of weed which must be purchased illegally, grown illegally, or smuggled illegally into our country far more radical than allowing it to be grown and sold legally in licensed stores to adults?
I find it strange that decriminalization is seen as a step toward legalization when its effects would certainly be more radical.
I think decriminalization/legalization is missing the point. The realistic goal is unhampering marijuana research.