[RetroGrow]

These guys just never give up, especially when their jobs are on the line. They could care less about us or putting people in cages, as long as they get paid. The lies & disinformation continue:

"CHICAGO — Eight former U.S. drug chiefs warned the federal government Tuesday that time is running out to nullify Colorado and Washington's new laws legalizing recreational marijuana use, and a United Nations agency also urged challenges to the measures it says violate international treaties.

The former Drug Enforcement Administration chiefs criticized Barack Obama's administration for moving too slowly to file a lawsuit that would force the states to rescind the legislation. Marijuana is illegal under federal law.

"My fear is that the Justice Department will do what they are doing now: do nothing and say nothing," former DEA administrator Peter Bensinger told The Associated Press in an interview Monday. "If they don't act now, these laws will be fully implemented in a matter of months."

Bensinger, who lives in the Chicago area, said if the federal government doesn't immediately sue the states it'll risk creating "a domino effect" in which other states legalize marijuana too. The statement from the DEA chiefs came the same day the International Narcotics Control Board, a U.N. agency, made its appeal in an annual drug report, calling on federal officials to act to "ensure full compliance with the international drug control treaties on its entire territory."

But Brian Vicente, co-author of the Colorado pot legalization law, said a handful of North American countries have expressed support for legalization. "You have two states revolting and they're saying it doesn't work in their state and their community and it sends a strong message globally," he said.

A lawyer who led Washington's legalization campaign said the focus should be on reconciling the Colorado and Washington votes with federal law and treaty obligations. "Ultimately, we do need to see these laws and treaties change," Alison Holcomb said Tuesday. "We're not going to get resolution overnight."

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told a meeting of state attorneys general last week that he is still reviewing the laws but that his review is winding down. Asked Monday for a comment on the criticism from the former DEA administrators, Holder spokeswoman Allison Price would only say, "The Department of Justice is in the process of reviewing those initiatives."

The department's review has been under way since shortly after last fall's elections. It could sue to block the states from issuing licenses to marijuana growers, processors and retail stores, on the grounds that doing so conflicts with federal drug law. Alternatively, Holder could decide not to mount a court challenge.

The ex-DEA heads are issuing the statements through the Florida-based Save Our Society from Drugs. One of its spokesmen is based in Chicago. The former DEA administrators are Bensinger, John Bartels, Robert Bonner, Thomas Constantine, Asa Hutchinson, John Lawn, Donnie Marshall and Francis Mullen. They served for both Republican and Democratic administrations.

Holder is scheduled to appear Wednesday before a U.S. Senate judiciary committee hearing. The former DEA chiefs want senators to question Holder on the legalization issue. Advocates of legalization have welcomed Colorado and Washington's new laws, arguing that criminalizing drugs creates serious though unintended social problems. The ex-DEA heads say they disagree with that view.

After votes last fall, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize marijuana's recreational use — putting federal authorities in a quandary over how, or whether, to respond. Washington state officials responsible for creating a regulated marijuana system have said they are moving forward with a timetable of issuing producer licenses by August.

Bensinger — who served as DEA administrator under Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan — said the supremacy of federal law over state law when it comes to drug laws isn't in doubt. "This is a no-brainer," he said. "It is outrageous that a lawsuit hasn't been filed in federal court yet."

Advocates of less stringent drug laws criticized the ex-DEA heads later Tuesday. Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the New York-based Drug Policy Alliance, said the eight are destined to share the legacy of agents who enforced alcohol prohibition before that policy was deemed a failure and reversed in 1933.

"The former DEA chiefs' statement can best be seen as a self-interested plea to validate the costly and failed policies they championed but that Americans are now rejecting at the ballot box," Nadelmann said.

https://www.mail.com/news/politics/19...-stage-hero1-6

[wantaknow]

they are no longer in office there voice counts as one vote at the ballot box ,no more no less ,what they say it strickly opinion ,and if the goverment wants a war then override the ballot box in defiance of the people and see what happens

[vein5]

yeah I agree. Only reason I voted obama bc I thought he would take some action. I guess we need to wait for the old politicians to drop dead. I contacted my state representative and he wrote back he will not support the bill. Its like what now, turn to violence to get our point across....

[MedicalGrower]

Why?

Is the truth so hard to REALLY GRASP?

Seems if a lie is repeated often enough it soon becomes the truth?

Can't reason rule anymore?

With all the problems, deaths and ruined lives generated from abuse of Alcohol and big pharma drugs I would think our leaders would be pushing a safer organic medicine that has been proven less harmful and will not kill a soul!

Witch hunts be dammed...

Originally Posted by wantaknow

they are no longer in office there voice counts as one vote at the ballot box ,no more no less ,what they say it strickly opinion ,and if the goverment wants a war then override the ballot box in defiance of the people and see what happens

[Hydro-Soil]

Doesn't matter what they do.

Colorado put citizens first with Co64. Regardless of what the 'commercial' end turns out like or what the feds WANT to do... they're NOT going to be storming house to house in Colorado trying to eradicate every grow.

Local law enforcement will NOT help the feds with this, in most counties of this state. The Feds NEED local support, whether it's cops or socialist citizens with pine trees up their butt... they need the tips/info or they're dead in the water.

Now... what does this mean? This means that the people of colorado are going to slowly decline their alcohol consumption, Rx consumption, healthcare costs, cannabis costs, lack of jail/prison time messing with your life and so on... You cannot put a value on this it's priceless!

That information is going to travel to friends, family, strangers in other states. You cannot stop information when people can freely talk about it. The only thing that will slow this down is that people in other states are still 'afraid' to talk about it.

Fear chokes the flow of information and allows the huge mass of misinformation around cannabis to breed.

Talk. Teach. Share. Heal.

It will take time but this country is on it's way.

Stay Safe!

[watts]

feels good rebelling against all these clowns

[maryjaneismyfre]

The UN does not respect the rule of their own law...

https://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
Get your laws off my human rights or speak to my shotgun! No state has the right under international law to schedule the medicines of their citizens and imprison them for not complying. It is disrespectful of MANY of your and my rights as recognized by the UN itself.

Tyrants can go and F themselves. Overgrow the planet IMO, to NOT do so is immoral! Cancer is going to get these idiots and we will outlive them.

[gaiusmarius]

you can bet your bottom dollar that the pharmaceutical industries are getting armies of lobbyist organized to pay off and blackmail the politicians in to attacking the new cannabis laws of WA and CO.

[draztik]

Originally Posted by gaiusmarius

you can bet your bottom dollar that the pharmaceutical industries are getting armies of lobbyist organized to pay off and blackmail the politicians in to attacking the new cannabis laws of WA and CO.

And big oil is right there with them making sure that hemp doesn't interfere with their energy/oil monopoly. Remember these bastards say competition is a sin. With millions of products that are petroleum based like plastics along with their petroleum based agriculture these robber barons have a lot to loose if the secret gets out that their corporations are salting the earth.

[ChemDgMillionre]

Well, they didn't lie about one thing.......

....... The domino effect is coming!