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legalizing marijuana at the federal level for the first time

Chappi

Active member
WASHINGTON — The Democratic-controlled House will vote on legalizing marijuana at the federal level for the first time in the chamber's history later this month, a hurdle Democrats and advocates are celebrating as Congress grapples with a host of pressing issues before the November election.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the House would vote on the MORE Act during the week of Sept. 21. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., would remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances and expunge some marijuana-related criminal records, though it would still be up to states to pass their own regulations on the sale of marijuana.

"It's about time," Nadler told USA TODAY, calling it a "historic vote" marking the beginning of the end of the federal government's "40-year, very misguided crusade" against marijuana.

Maritza Perez, director of the office of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance, a group advocating for the decriminalization of drugs, said her organization was "thrilled," saying the bill would "begin to repair some of the harms caused by the war on drugs in communities of color and low-income communities."

The House's vote comes as views of marijuana have changed in Washington and increased numbers of Americans support the legalization of the drug, whether for recreational or medicinal purposes. And while this bill is likely to fail in the Republican-majority Senate, advocates still saw the vote as a step forward.

"I don't even know if two years ago, I would have said that an act like this would have passed," said Adam Goers, the vice president of corporate affairs at Columbia Care, which operates marijuana dispensaries across the country.

According to a 2019 Gallup survey, 66% of Americans supported legalization, though support did differ by party. More than three-quarters of Democrats said they supported legalization, as opposed to about half of Republicans.

"I don't even know if two years ago, I would have said that an act like this would have passed," said Adam Goers, the vice president of corporate affairs at Columbia Care, which operates marijuana dispensaries across the country.

According to a 2019 Gallup survey, 66% of Americans supported legalization, though support did differ by party. More than three-quarters of Democrats said they supported legalization, as opposed to about half of Republicans.

Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., told USA TODAY, "the country has moved" its views on marijuana.

With Congress' action, "there's a recognition of where the states are, and we're not going to put the genie back in the bottle when it comes to cannabis," he said, referring to the states who have already legalized marijuana in some form. "And we just need to move forward with these pieces of legislation and get the federal and state laws to align with each other."

Marijuana is currently regulated by a patchwork of laws at the state and federal levels, and Goers said legalization at the federal level would add "normalization" for businesses and states by legalizing marijuana at the federal level.

Eleven states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana, and 33 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have legalized medical marijuana, but marijuana is still illegal at the federal level.

Both President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump declined to enforce federal prohibitions on marijuana against states that legalized it for recreational or medicinal use. As president, Obama supported the decriminalization of marijuana, though not its full legalization.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, has called for the decriminalization of marijuana and the expunging of convictions for marijuana use, though he expressed skepticism about the legalization of the drug during the Democratic presidential primary. Biden's website says he supports the legalization of medical marijuana and would leave decisions on recreational use up to the states.

The continued difference in laws at the federal and state level, is complicated for dispensaries and other marijuana-related businesses.

Many banks are less willing to work with dispensaries and other marijuana companies because of the federal ban, according to a report from the nonpartisan National Conference on State Legislatures. The inaccessibility of banks means many marijuana-based businesses are cash-only and are more vulnerable to theft.

A blanket federal legalization of marijuana would help add clarity and allow more marijuana-based businesses to access capital and banking, Goers said.

Nadler said he was sure the bill would pass the House, telling USA TODAY the bill had "probably unanimous" Democratic support and "considerable Republican support" but was unsure of its fate in the Senate.

The bill has one Republican cosponsor, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, and 86 Democratic cosponsors.

Speaking on his “Hot Takes with Matt Gaetz” podcast, Gaetz called the bill's removal of marijuana from the federal controlled substance list "absolutely a step in the right direction."

Gaetz criticized a provision in the bill that creates a 5% sales tax on the sale of marijuana to fund community programs benefiting people previously convicted of marijuana-related offenses. The Florida Republican dismissed it as a form of "reparations" but said he would still vote for the bill when it came to the House floor.

Nadler said the provision was about "making people whole from harms suffered directly as a result of the marijuana ban," which he noted had disproportionately affected racial minorities.

An ACLU report analyzing marijuana-related arrests from 2010 to 2018 found that Black people were 3.64 times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession.

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., the Democratic vice presidential nominee, introduced the Senate's version of the bill, though it has not made any progress beyond the Senate Committee on Finance and has no Republican cosponsors.

Republican Finance Committee spokesperson Michael Zona told USA TODAY there was "no plan" to move forward on the Senate bill.

Despite the bill's odds in the Senate, advocates were still pleased. The Global Alliance for Cannabis Commerce called the planned vote the "greatest federal cannabis reform accomplishment in over 80 years."

The vote on legalizing marijuana finds itself in the middle of a crowded legislative calendar and a bitterly divided Congress with only three weeks of session to pass crucial legislation before the Nov. 3 election. Congressional leaders and Trump's White House appear no closer to a deal on more coronavirus relief than they were a month ago as millions struggle financially from the pandemic. Plus, the entire federal government shuts down if the two sides don't pass a funding plan by the end of the month.

One House Republican expressed skepticism about the timing of the bill amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In the midst of an increase in opioid addiction deaths during the coronavirus pandemic, it seems strange that the focus of House majority leadership would be to fully legalize marijuana, a known gateway drug to opioid addiction," Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., said in a statement. Harris criticized the bill for legalizing recreational marijuana and using "hard-earned taxpayer dollars to help subsidize the marijuana industry.”

A provision originally authored by Perlmutter allowing marijuana businesses to access banks was included in House Democrats' $3.4 trillion COVID-19 relief package, but its inclusion was derided by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as part of "strange new special-interest carveouts for the marijuana industry" and is unlikely to be included in any final COVID-19 relief package.
 

PDX Dopesmoker

Active member
So they wanna steal everyone's source of income and dish it out their friends by using the red tape on everyone else during the licensing process. They must be desperate for cash. LOL poor ppl.
 

Amynamous

Active member
So they wanna steal everyone's source of income and dish it out their friends by using the red tape on everyone else during the licensing process. They must be desperate for cash. LOL poor ppl.

“The measure, sponsored by Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., would remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances and expunge some marijuana-related criminal records, though it would still be up to states to pass their own regulations on the sale of marijuana.”

I’m not crazy about the 5% federal tax, otherwise i say it’s about frickin time!
 

armedoldhippy

Well-known member
Veteran
“The measure, sponsored by Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., would remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances and expunge some marijuana-related criminal records, though it would still be up to states to pass their own regulations on the sale of marijuana.”

I’m not crazy about the 5% federal tax, otherwise i say it’s about frickin time!

another step toward where we want to be...let's get to the Promised Land before we start bitching that the streets are paved with silver instead of gold.
 

subrob

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
The only benefit to this would be people getting out of jail. And, frankly, from my perspective, maybe it's worth it for that.
But I can 100% guarantee the war on cannabis will ramp back up. History tells us it will probably be elevated on black market growing. And it won't take long before virtually everything is black market growing again. Why would the federal government LET us have, for example, 4 plants flowering? If 5 million, or 10, or 30 people end up growing their own you know how much money that's worth to the gubnt? Now multiply that by 20, and that's what said government will THINK it's worth. They will not stand for that for very long. I've spent 35 years thinking we could "over grow the government". The capitalists have smelled the money. No pun intended. Just a matter of time.
 

PDX Dopesmoker

Active member
Thats pie in the sky bullshit. How old are you? Do you remember two pounds of shit in a one pound bag and the rest of the gang ever doing anything good during the past few decades? No? Why do you expect them to start now? Seems completely irrational to me. Why do people who've never given a fuck about legal restrictions on marijuana in the past even care if its legal or not? Physical restrictions are the only thing that really matters; is the pipe within arms reach or not, is it unclogged and do i have a functional lighter?
100% mortal lock guarnatee or double your money back that federally legalized weed means that you're allowed to buy chinese weed from amazon for $15/g plus 25% vice tax and the delivery drone doubles as surveillance against illegal grows.
Just have a look at what the same gang of buttfuckers did to the law with legal weed in Oregon, they used legalization to find all sorts of new ways to charge people with marijuana crimes. In Oregon owning more than 10 seeds without having a commercial or medial license is illegal, before legalization owning a million seeds was legal for anyone. They can arrest you for owning hash oil without a receipt proving that its legally manufactured dabs. All the taxes collected go to fund new government weed cops to make sure that the government revenue stream is maxed out.
I can't fucking wait until weed is legal and you have to fill out a form, pay a fee, show proof of auto insurance and health insurance before you can get daddy government's seal of approval before every bong hit of amazon's latest chinese manufactured artificial buds sprayed with THC
 

Chappi

Active member
Not very hopeful either but getting this shit off schedule one opens up a lot of opportunities currently not available especially and purposefully those that can prove the plant to be effective at treating disease and being mostly harmless to the majority of the public. Decriminalization and legalization are not the same thing. Legalization creates systems like those you mention in Oregon and elsewhere but removing it from schedule one is more of the decriminalization route. The plant should be treated like a tomato plant but that’s impossible. I would be happy with lifting all restrictions for personal use and taxing and regulating the selling of it like they do everything else(realistically).
 

PDX Dopesmoker

Active member
I'd rather that the harmful bullshit artists who've been purposefully tormenting you with endless promises of "Just donate your money and vote Democrat, legalization is sure to follow" for 50 years not get any wonderful new medicines. Who but an utter moron would care to help people they'd be better off without? Isn't caring for one's tormentors commonly referred to as "stockholm syndrome" these days? We should tell the bigwigs that cyanide cures cancer instead of pot, none of them would know they difference. The craven manipulators who are yet again getting everyones hope up by waving pie-in-sky under their noses don't deserve to have valuable new medicines available to them, they haven't earned it, we'd be better off if they died young and painfully, they're a lower class of people, they haven't done what they needed to in order to be worthy of the good stuff, they've been irresponsible with their time on this planet and their suffering is their consequence. There is nothing at all wrong if those people agonize through chemotherapy before dropping dead young side when they could've been eating RSO and achieving immortality instead, they get what they wanted out of life, if they wanted something different they'd have behaved differently, made different choices, you can't teach them, they can't be lead and don't want to learn, its not your responsibility to care for them, you're not a savior, you're just another human animal. Just be happy that you weren't born brain damaged like most of the rest of them and that you're intelligent enough to have figured out whats what when others can't seem to, be happy your mom didn't guzzle too much booze while she was carrying you, many people don't get so lucky.
 

aridbud

automeister
ICMag Donor
Veteran
It would remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances (Schedule I drug, with supposedly no health benefits according to Sched I drugs), and allow those taking Rx opioids NOT be tested and expunge some marijuana-related criminal records....that, to me, WIN/WIN.
 

flylowgethigh

Non-growing Lurker
ICMag Donor
Write whitehouse.gov and tell trump to expand his EO on "hemp" to include high percent THC cannabis, and make it not illegal federally. Then get the feds out of the way, and let the states compete. Just like the 10th amendment stated. States are using the fed schedule to keep pot illegal. And the fact that they are broke, and need your money.
 

aridbud

automeister
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Actually I want Cannabis to be DESCHEDULED. Trump won't do that. Hemp is already regulated.

Marijuana is currently a Schedule 1 Drug. Marijuana should be immediately rescheduled to Schedule 3, and I think that's what Nadler, Harris and others may be trying to accomplish.
Marijuana is less harmful than heroin, cocaine, and crystal meth, with accepted medical uses in the United States, moderate potential for physical dependency in some populations and high potential for psychological dependency in some populations.
 

MindEater

Member
I like the token tax stamp thatll make selling a single joint a huge offense. How do they have a tax figured when they don't have any proposals on production distribution or retail?

I've never done time for weed, but I've never had the IRS stalking me either.
 

trichrider

Kiss My Ring
Veteran
mcconnel won't let it past the door.
nadler just trying to get support for the tax monies he sees from regulating.
never will be legal as long as you can't grow your own, as much as you want.
 

flylowgethigh

Non-growing Lurker
ICMag Donor
Growing is the key to pot freedom, legislation wise, IMO. Otherwise, it's not legal.

They have those stamps here, although I haven't heard of that being used against people. But I don't spend any time looking into such things either.

Right now, with the broke jurisdictions, it is all about asset confiscation. What a country...
 
X

xavier7995

Eh, I will just keep on growing weed. If it becomes illegal and valuable again then thats cool, back to making some extra cash. I dont believe that will happen though. Will just not spend and arm and leg for shitty shit and enjoy my gardening time. My ideal would be to have it treated like tomatoes, I just want to flip shit at a farmers market.

I think some of people's views are formed by what "illegal" looked like in their area. West coast and the northeast have long been pretty liberal on it, you aren't winding up in jail over a joint and haven't for a long time. Get pulled over in Colby Kansas though...gonna have a way different experience. I'm all for people not going to jail for weed so I back anything towards those ends. The long term gray market of CA has made the conversation a bit complicated as they have had like 20+ years without any real regulations so this stuff does appear to be new or more restrictive, and the Californios are a large voice in weed.
 

Amynamous

Active member
There’s limits on how much beer you can brew at home and how much tobacco you can grow at home. Why would pot be any different? Deschedule and allow each state to make their own laws.
 

KONY

Active member
Veteran
another step toward where we want to be...let's get to the Promised Land before we start bitching that the streets are paved with silver instead of gold.


That logic is absolutely nuts. Legalization needs to be passed in a way to benefit the average joe/little man way more than big business. I am not sure exactly how to do this, however don't just pass whatever legalization is offered to have legal weed.
 

TahoeTops

Active member
I just want to be able to get a ride to a smokers lounge, just like a liquor bar, and puff as much as I see fit. One day, I will open my own lounge, with laser shows every day due to all that smoke!


Federal legalization opens the door, back up, to us having freedoms that were taken away by fearful people! It's a plant! How can something, naturally occurring, be made illegal by people that feel they need to control more rather than less?


One day, it will happen. Why not now?
 

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