The Real Reason The Federal Government Is Coming Around On Marijuana Legalization

[Tudo]

The Real Reason The Federal Government Is Coming Around On Marijuana Legalization
In recent news Eric Holder announced the Federal Government would ‘allow’ the states of Colorado and Washington to keep their marijuana legalization laws in place and that they would not seek to jail marijuana consumers or sanctioned suppliers of Marijuana (dispensaries, etc.). John McCain has also done an about face on Marijuana, changing his position from one of marijuana being ‘a harmful drug that needs to be kept illegal at all costs’ to one of an admission that ‘maybe it’s time to legalize’.
Why the change of heart from these members of the Federal government?
It’s because they are beaten and they don’t want you or I to know it.
From HuffPo:

Attorney General Eric Holder informed the governors of Washington and Colorado that the Department of Justice would allow the states to create a regime that would regulate and implement the ballot initiatives that legalized the use of marijuana for adults.

Let’s get one thing straight, Eric Holder and his Federal government counterparts aren’t ‘allowing’ for anything. The states have already done what they want and the Feds simply can’t do anything about it. The Feds don’t want you or I to see it this way because if we did we would recognize that the states have the real power in this country and that the Federal government is weak when the states stand up to it. The powers that be are scared to death that Americans may eventually come to this conclusion on most every issue (and we will) as it will end the top down power structure they have been trying to instill in our minds for so many years.
What do you do when you’re losing ground legally but want to keep your footing as the definitive source of power in the American psyche? You start pretending like it was all your idea of course. That way you can try to steer the momentum, be a part of popular opinion, and struggle to keep whatever parts of the drug war you can salvage. War is the health of the state and the drug war is no exception, so you can bet the Feds will do all they can to keep the drug war alive.
In the coming months you’ll see more acceptance of marijuana legalization from people ‘at the top’, while they argue for very large restrictions to remain in place. Their goal is to dampen the drug law reforms that are coming from the people at the state level and in so doing dampen any additional Federal law reforms should we the people start to get any other ‘bright ideas’. In order to keep up appearances they have to attack this idea that ‘the people won’ by any means possible. They’ll say that it’s ok to legalize marijuana for consumption but that it must be regulated by them. And you can bet that anyone who makes and sells marijuana outside their system will still be considered a criminal.
The truth is the states created the Federal government and not the other way around. The Federal government is nothing more than a co-op put in place by the states to make certain functions easier and more efficient. Co-ops aren’t supposed to call the shots, they are supposed to provide service to their members.
The states have the true power and the public has shown it is aware of this fact on the issue of Marijuana. Someday soon Americans will come to understand this truth on all issues not delegated to the Federal government by the U.S. Constitution, and when they do it will be a great step towards restoring our republic.

The Tenth Amendment:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

http://libertycrier.com/real-reason-federal-government-coming-around-marijuana-legalization/
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[zymos]

The Feds are going to do what they want. If they are keeping their hands off of CO and WA, it has nothing to do with the 10th amendment.

 

[Ga farmer]

HAHAHAHA. The marxist regime we have now could give two shits about the constitution. They use it for toilet paper. They want VOTES!!!!

 

[jburns]

I was thinking... cannabis was made illegal not to interfere with all the paper business right. ie. Randolph hurst


now, paper is dead for the most part. and there is room for cannabis industry.

it makes perfect sense. and im feeling positive about all this.

 

[iBogart]

The feds are dealing with recreational the same as they dealt with medicinal, so I would expect some raids.

 

[1TWISTEDTRUCKER]

The Feds are going to do what they want. If they are keeping their hands off of CO and WA, it has nothing to do with the 10th amendment.

The feds can only do what they want if the states wont exercise Our 10th amendment rights.
For to long the States have written all sorts of laws,,, 55mph speed limit imposed by the Feds. Do it or loose federal Hihgway funds.
Drop the BAC to .08, or we will take Your federal Highway funds, just to name a couple.
How do they get that money???
From the Tax payers of the States.
We have allowed the Feds to bully us, through our apathy.
Our rights are only as strong as Our will to tell the Feds to FUCK OFF, and assert Out States Rights.
The more States that assert their rights on any thing that We choose to fight for, the less control the feds will have.
If we take the apathetic Fatalist views that have gotten us the government that we have allowed to take root and CRUSH them, then things will change.

Peace; 1TT

 

[DIDM]

real reason

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

saving it and earning it, at the same time, talk about budget reform

 

[Jhhnn]

The Feds are going to do what they want. If they are keeping their hands off of CO and WA, it has nothing to do with the 10th amendment.

There it is- the simple truth.

Tenthers seem to think that they can just ignore the supremacy clause in the Constitution, which isn't true at all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supremacy_Clause

While Colorado & Washington have chosen to do away with cannabis statutes paralleling federal law at the State level, the Feds are still free to enforce federal law as they see fit. Of course they could bust anybody & everybody in violation of federal MJ laws, if they had the manpower & the support of the people.

State LEO's simply lack the authority to enforce federal law. They need state statutes to enforce, now lacking or altered in both Colorado & Washington.

I think the reason he Feds are going along with Colorado & Washington is because of a demographic & perceptual shift among the electorate. If Colorado's Amendment 64 could magically appear on ballots in other states, more than a few would pass it. Getting it on the ballot has been the hard part, not passing it in more progressive states.

That doesn't account for poorly conceptualized initiatives, like the one that failed in California. Existing MMJ businesses need to be given some concessions if they're not to fight us.

As the older generation passes on, Boomers are becoming the oldest generation, and damned few of us actually believe that MJ should be illegal. We smoked it ourselves, some of us have smoked it all along, and we all know that the Reefer Madness propaganda is a lie. Our kids & grandkids smoke the stuff, too, and we don't want them going to prison over it like too many of us and of Gen-Xer's have in the past.

We're from the 60's, remember?

 

[Hydrosun]

Existing MMJ businesses need to be given some concessions if they're not to fight us.

No concessions to ANYONE. Fuck any person, group, or business that would stand in the way of cannabis freedom.

Let any and all fight against freedom and truth. The tipping point has been reached. It is time to stand tall and cast off all shackles and restrictions. What I do with my property and my body is my business, so long as I don't harm anyone else. Well cultivating plants and consuming what I grow is my NATURAL right. There are no legitimate arguments to sacrifice my NATURAL rights to fear mongering NAZIs.

 

[Bag]

first in with foil hat ! winning ! first page pow !

 

[fatigues]

That doesn't account for poorly conceptualized initiatives, like the one that failed in California. Existing MMJ businesses need to be given some concessions if they're not to fight us.

While I agree with most of what you post here from time to time Jhhnn, there is no evidence -- absolutely ZERO evidence -- that "existing MMJ businesses" had any effect on the outcome of the vote for Prop 19, pro or contra. There is no evidence that it was "poorly conceptualized", either.

The only effect that any canna business measurably had was Oaksterdam which financed the signature gathering campaign. The End. The rest is smoke and light.

The grim reality is that Prop 19 was lost because those who were middle-aged parents of teens voted against legalization when victory appeared to be imminent. They saw the reality of legalization and they blinked. They did so even though they personally do not have a problem with cannabis and they smoked it when they were younger, too. Their votes were illogical, hypocritical and difficult to parse out on a rational basis -- but that's because those parents voted out of emotion and fear, not reason.


"Not Your Father's Pot"

In my opinion, a significant element in this voting decision is the insidious allegation that today's pot is not the pot of the 60s, 70s and 80s. It is a brilliant piece of propaganda by the prohibitionists that drives a wedge between the older voter's personal experience and their confidence that they are well familiar with today's cannabis. In my view, the "Not Your Father's Pot" argument needs to be met head on and relentlessly treated as another myth. Because make no mistake, it is one of the best political arguments that the prohibitionists have.

These are important lessons to learn and, respectfully, I don't think you learned them. It was never about the details of what was in Prop 19 for the broad mass of voters.

Those middle-aged voters in Cali who voted against their own personal experience with pot didn't go away. They are still likely to vote the same way next time, too. This is a HUGE problem for the legalization movement and nobody knows how to address it. Mostly, people "address it" by ignoring the statistics and demographics and pretending that what happened, didn't and somehow, next time it will all be better.

If next time is 10-12 years from now, maybe. By then, enough of the hardcore prohibitionist seniors will be dead that it might have a chance. Otherwise, unless the rules of the road are fundamentally altered, the same result at the ballot box is likely.

 

[dank.frank]

it's called trying to save face...because people are expressing a semblance of free will about something...

Consider this - it has taken how many years, how many people, how many organizations, how many millions of dollars of lobbying and court costs... to get (force) the government to reconsider granting one single right (back)...errrr....privilege..????

How many rights do we want back, again...wait, how many have we lost...???





dank.Frank

 

[OrganicBuds]

You guys have it all wrong. Obama has been opening up the Choom Gang membership, and John McCain wants to be him like Obama. Also, Holder is always holding.

 

[OGEvilgenius]

I was thinking... cannabis was made illegal not to interfere with all the paper business right. ie. Randolph hurst


now, paper is dead for the most part. and there is room for cannabis industry.

it makes perfect sense. and im feeling positive about all this.

Logging companies do more than cut trees for paper remember.

Then there's oil companies threatened by it's ability to produce bio diesel.

Then there's pharmaceutical companies threatened by it's ability to heal.

Then there's the alcohol industry threatened by recreational use.

 

[lemongrove]

The real reason is always the same in the USA. Money. Corporate dollars own the government; I don't think anyone would dispute that. Corporate powers care about one thing in a capitalistic society and that is of course capital. With the hundreds of billions of dollars, possibly trillions, to be had on the sales and tax revenues generated, it was only a matter of time before governements, state and federal, came around.
With state governments strapped for cash, they suddenly forgot all of their arguements against marijuana and saw dollar signs. With the states setting up systems where only lots of corporate cash will allow you to get into the game,it's the same old story.
Corporate cash put legislators in office, legislators give the corporations what they want, they both stick their hands in your pocket and the sheep follow along. Same tune, different song.

 

[bigshrimp]

If the federal government wanted to it could just withhold all the grants they normally give to the states. That is how they have been enforcing policy for years.

So tired of wingnut libertarian crap about states rights, that battle was fought 150 years ago. Get with the times, cause your no different than some Marxist- spouting a program that is long since irrelevant..

 

[Hydrosun]

Acting openly oppressive against the sheeple is not the look they are going for. They can't sell that tune anymore. The libertarian freedom arguments may seem old and worn out to you, but they are carrying the day.

The marxist, collectivist, or war mongering solution require a great deal of cost and there is no will to pay the bill anymore. Arguing against cannabis freedom is like arguing against gay rights. NO ONE WANTS TO PAY FOR THAT BULLSHIT HATE ANYMORE.

 

[bigshrimp]

Sorry, i cant take somebody who describes the US political/economic system as "Marxist" seriously.

 

[Ga farmer]

Sorry, i cant take somebody who describes the US political/economic system as "Marxist" seriously.

 

[Ga farmer]

If the federal government wanted to it could just withhold all the grants they normally give to the states. That is how they have been enforcing policy for years.

So tired of wingnut libertarian crap about states rights, that battle was fought 150 years ago. Get with the times, cause your no different than some Marxist- spouting a program that is long since irrelevant..