U.S. Drug Policy Would Be Imposed Globally By New House Bill

[vinevamp]

Thanks for pointing me to the news area. I went and looked at that and saw the post by Karma back in June that the local officials are off the hook for enforcing this until 2015. I saw some later posts about some coffee shops being closed because of their proximity to schools but nothing new on issues with tourists entering coffee shops in Amsterdam.

 

[rootfingers]

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?threadid=222643

 

[vaped]

If I were a police officer I would be angry at laws politicians pass that allow a citizen to shoot them under the second amendment.

I dont really get where this post was coming from or means.

 

[DεvíLδck]

Thats the big Rs idea of small government. lol. cough cough hypocrites cough cough.

 

[vinevamp]

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?threadid=222643

Thank you for posting that link. Though unless I missed something (which is quite possible) the article it is referencing only applies to Maastrict. I have seen where yes Maastricht has implemented the "weed pass" but it is distant from Amsterdam. Everything I have seen about Amsterdam has indicated that the local government in Amsterdam, and Haarlem for that matter, will not implement the tourist ban and is protected from being forced to do so until at least 2015.

 

[whadeezlrg]

.

 

[rootfingers]

I see now, I think you are correct. My understanding of the zoning, jurisdiction or boundaries involved with Dutch politics are pretty limited. Seems then if they cannot enforce that law widely until at least 2015 you are better off, for now at least?

Far as the US bill at hand, I feel if you truly believe everybody in office is bad or corrupt you are not watching enough c-span or paying close enough attention to local politics. There are many many good things you do through your government (I assume you are a US citizen) that are carried out by good, honest, hard-working people some who are elected and most not. Of course like anything there will be some corruption but it is up to you who is chosen to represent your interests, whether they be in a killing field or inspecting your produce.

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

FEDS ARE GOING TO SHUT DOWN ICMAG!

FEDS ARE GOING TO SHUT DOWN ICMAG!

Watch the out GN!!! The U.S. Government is making their move on us. Total global fascist Domination is their goal and we are on their list. Mozeltov, We are the Demonized Minority. Does this remind anybody of the 1940's yet? Is anybody else willing to get a rifle yet. GN you tried to escape tyranny but It just as any unchecked tyranny, it will follow you. The only way to stop it is to oust the U.S. government with whatever means necessary.

U.S. Drug Policy Would Be Imposed Globally By New House Bill

The House Judiciary Committee passed a bill yesterday that would make it a federal crime for U.S. residents to discuss or plan activities on foreign soil that, if carried out in the U.S., would violate the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) -- even if the planned activities are legal in the countries where they're carried out. The new law, sponsored by Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) allows prosecutors to bring conspiracy charges against anyone who discusses, plans or advises someone else to engage in any activity that violates the CSA, the massive federal law that prohibits drugs like marijuana and strictly regulates prescription medication.


"Under this bill, if a young couple plans a wedding in Amsterdam, and as part of the wedding, they plan to buy the bridal party some marijuana, they would be subject to prosecution," said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates for reforming the country's drug laws. "The strange thing is that the purchase of and smoking the marijuana while you're there wouldn't be illegal. But this law would make planning the wedding from the U.S. a federal crime."

The law could also potentially affect academics and medical professionals. For example, a U.S. doctor who works with overseas doctors or government officials on needle exchange programs could be subject to criminal prosecution. A U.S. resident who advises someone in another country on how to grow marijuana or how to run a medical marijuana dispensary would also be in violation of the new law, even if medical marijuana is legal in the country where the recipient of the advice resides. If interpreted broadly enough, a prosecutor could possibly even charge doctors, academics and policymakers from contributing their expertise to additional experiments like the drug decriminalization project Portugal, which has successfully reduced drug crime, addiction and overdose deaths.

The Controlled Substances Act also regulates the distribution of prescription drugs, so something as simple as emailing a friend vacationing in Tijuana some suggestions on where to buy prescription medication over the counter could subject a U.S. resident to criminal prosecution. "It could even be something like advising them where to buy cold medicine overseas that they'd have to show I.D. to get here in the U.S.," Piper says.

Civil libertarian attorney and author Harvey Silverglate says the bill raises several concerns. "Just when you think you can't get any more cynical, a bill like this comes along. I mean, it just sounds like an abomination. First, there's no intuitive reason for an American to think that planning an activity that's perfectly legal in another country would have any effect on America," Silverglate says. "So we're getting further away from the common law tradition that laws should be intuitive, and should include a mens rea component. Second, this is just an act of shameless cultural and legal imperialism. It's just outrageous."

Conspiracy laws in general are problematic when applied to the drug war. They give prosecutors extraordinary discretion to charge minor players, such as girlfriends or young siblings, with the crimes committed by major drug distributors. They're also easier convictions to win, and can allow prosecutors to navigate around restrictions like statutes of limitations, so long as the old offense can be loosely linked to a newer one. The Smith bill would expand those powers. Under the Amsterdam wedding scenario, anyone who participated in the planning of the wedding with knowledge of the planned pot purchase would be guilty of conspiracy, even if their particular role was limited to buying flowers or booking the hotel.

The law is a reaction to a 2007 case in which the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals threw out the convictions of two men who planned the transfer of cocaine from a Colombian drug cartel to a Saudi prince for distribution in Europe. Though the men planned the transaction from Miami, the court found that because the cocaine never reached the U.S. and was never intended to reach the U.S., the men hadn't committed any crime against the United States.

But the Smith bill goes farther than necessary to address that outcome in that case. "They could have limited this law to prohibiting the planning of activities that are illegal in the countries where they take place," Piper says. "That would have allowed them to convict the guys in the Miami case. There was an amendment proposed to do that and it was voted down on party lines. They intentionally made sure the bill includes activities that legal in other countries. Which means this is an attempt to apply U.S. law all over the globe."

It wouldn't be the first time. Over the last several years, a number of executives from online gambling companies have been arrested in U.S. airports and charged with felony violations of U.S. gambling, racketeering and money laundering laws, even though the executives were citizens of and the companies were incorporated in countries where online gambling is legal.

Last May, one U.S. citizen saw how the policy can apply in reverse. Joe Gordon, a native of Thailand who has lived in America for 30 years, was arrested while visiting his native country for violating Thailand's lèse-majesté law, which bans criticism of the Thai royal family. Gordon had posted a link on his blog to a biography of Thailand's king that has been banned in Thailand.

In recent years, officials have also attempted to impose U.S. white collar crime policies on other countries as well, such as pressuring Switzerland to soften its privacy laws to help American officials to catch tax cheats and money launderers.

But Silverglate says the Smith bill breaks new ground. "I'm horrified by the pressure on Switzerland, and that's probably the libertarian in me, but at least there you have an argument that there's an American interest at stake. Here, I don't see any interest other than to a desire to impose our moral and cultural preferences on the rest of the world."

 

[Acotaco]

Wow. How fucking ridiculous. Is this. Getting persecuted for planning to smoke while on vacation fuck the us gov

 

[resinryder]

Damn. If passed this bill could convict damn near anyone of anything they wanted to charge you with. With all the problems we have in the world today it seems congress would have better, more important things to work on.
But just keep on voting for republicans and democrats folks. Seems to be working so far.

 

[Hash Zeppelin]

^the bill is Stalinist style fascism from the U.S. government.

Also I just realized there is 2 more threads with this article. so I say in advance to the admins..... go ahead combine them.

 

[Harry Gypsna]

No surprise really.
Frankly Im surprised that ICMag still exists at all now-as all ther other UK based seed sellers shut down their grow forums due to the conspiracy laws over here-lots of shops had to choose-seeds or cannabis growing books, growshops had to stop selling seeds and cannabis books.
So how Ic is still here I dont know

 

[SeaMaiden]

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-313

 

[GP73LPC]

exactly what we need.

MORE PEOPLE IN PRISON... 2 million+ is not enough.

Our politicians have lost their minds.

"VOTE OUT ALL INCUMBENTS AT EVERY SINGLE ELECTION AND AT EVERY LEVEL OF GOVT, LOCAL TO NATIONAL."

this ^^^^ is the only way to take our country back without violence

 

[greenpharmd]

We just need to push the reset button on this country of ours. I am strongly pro american but equally anti US.

 

[bentom187]

i know who im votin for.

 

[pine boy]

So,I guess for buying seed from overseas,Americans will be judged as some kind of conspiring bad guys.
Digital footprints could squash us all like they were huge jack boots.
Anybody else feeling this?

 

[Smoke Buddy]

...

edit- not really on topic...

Lamaar Smith needs to go!

Vote Ron Paul!

 

[guest86120975]

...

 

[guest8905]

fuck...wtf is going on?