Category Archives: Politics

President Obama Backing Off Legailized Marijuana States

Posted on by

ObamaPresident Barack Obama says the federal government won’t go after recreational marijuana use in Washington state and Colorado, where voters have legalized it.

In a Barbara Walters interview airing Friday on ABC, Obama was asked whether he supports making pot legal.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Obama replied. “But what I think is that, at this point, Washington and Colorado, you’ve seen the voters speak on this issue.”

But the president said he won’t pursue the issue in the two states where voters legalized the use of marijuana in the November elections. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

“… as it is, the federal government has a lot to do when it comes to criminal prosecutions,” Obama said. “It does not make sense, from a prioritization point of view, for us to focus on recreational drug users in a state that has already said that under state law, that’s legal.”

Jimmy Carter Is For Legalized Marijuana

Posted on by

Jimmy CarterWho would of thought, one of our old Presidents of United States is stepping forward and saying legalizing marijuana is OK, and no it’s not Clinton.  Former President Jimmy Carter said that he favored legalizing marijuana during a panel discussion broadcast on CNN Tuesday.

I’m in favor of it. I think it’s OK,” Carter said at the forum, which was taped Friday. “I don’t think it’s going to happen in Georgia yet, but I think we can watch and see what happens in the state of Washington, for instance around Seattle, and let the American government and let the American people see does it cause a serious problem or not.”

Carter added that he thought it was appropriate to allow states like Washington and Colorado, which voted last month to legalize recreational marijuana use, to see how marijuana legalization would look.

“So I think a few places around the world is good to experiment with and also just a few states in America are good to take the initiative and try something out,” Carter said. “That’s the way our country has developed over the last 200 years. It’s about a few states being kind of experiment states. So on that basis I am in favor of it.”

He  also added that he did not think that legalizing drugs would lead to more drug users. “So I think a few places around the world is good to experiment with and also just a few states in America are good to take the initiative and try something out,” Carter said. “That’s the way our country has developed over the last 200 years. It’s about a few states being kind of experiment states. So on that basis I am in favor of it.”

The former president added that he did not think that legalizing drugs would lead to more drug users.

“When I was president, in 1979 I made my definitive speech about drugs and I called for the decriminalization of marijuana,” Carter said. “This was in 1979, not for the legalization but the decriminalization to keep people from being put in prison just because they were smoking a marijuana cigarette.”

Marijuana Still Illegal on College Campuses in Legal Marijuana States

Posted on by

College Campus MarijuanaEven though marijuana use is about to become legal in Washington and Colorado, that won’t mean it will be legal to use at the states’ colleges and universities. Instead, federal laws and college rules of conduct will combine to keep pot illegal on campuses.

Many young people had a hand in voting a few weeks ago to pass legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Colorado and Washington for people over 21.  However, most universities have codes of conduct banning marijuana use, and they get millions of dollars in funding from the federal government, which still considers pot illegal.  That means, these young folks will not be able to light up on school grounds, including their own dorms.

“Everything we’ve seen is that nothing changes for us,” said Darin Watkins, a spokesman for Washington State University in Pullman.

“If you possess marijuana and are over 21, you still may face discipline under the student code of conduct,” University of Colorado police spokesman Ryan Huff said.

The federal government i funding millions to the universities and the colleges which have have codes of conduct banning marijuana use which still considers pot illegal.  The federal government doesn’t seem to be easing up on the law anytime soon either.

The laws and regulations are going to be interesting going forward on how people will regulate the legal use of pot and as always the Feds will try to fight against it.  Until the law is in full swing, you can still get cited for small amounts of marijuana both state.

A similar story proves that pot isn’t legal until everything is in place, for instance: Cops in Fort Collins, CO. continue enforcing pot laws the same as before Election Day, when Colorado voters legalized marijuana.

Two dozen citations for simple marijuana possession were issued by local agencies in the three weeks since the vote passed Nov. 6. Prosecutors and police say that’s because the law has not yet officially changed.

Is 2012 the Year Marijuana Legalization will Pass? 6 States Decide

Posted on by

Vote for PotVoters in three states are deciding whether to legalize recreational marijuana. Three other states are casting ballots on marijuana for medical use.

Colorado, Oregon and Washington has placed legalization of marijuana for recreational use on their ballots.  While Washington, Arkansas and Montana are casting ballots to legalize the herb for medical use.  Below is a brief exclamation what each state proposes:

Colorado
Amendment 64 amends the state constitution to allow the personal use and sale of recreational marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. Tax revenues go to school construction and the state’s general fund.
Oregon
Measure 80, endorsed by Willie Nelson, legalizes the personal use and sale of marijuana by adults. Tax proceeds go to the state’s general fund and drug treatment.
Washington
Initiative 502 legalizes it — but only for people over the age of 21. And sorry green thumbs: personal cultivation without a license is still illegal.
Massachusetts
Question 3 follows the lead of neighboring Rhode Island, which has been copying all the medical marijuana in Narragansett Bay since 2006.
Arkansas
Issue 5 makes the state the first in the south to approve medical marijuana.
Montana
Initiative 124 ratifies restrictions on medical marijuana that the state’s legislature put in place in 2011.

Libertarian Presidential Candidate Promotes Marijuana in Colorado

Posted on by

Gary JohnsonGary Johnson, Libertarian presidential candidate and former governor of New Mexico is gathering supporters of legalizing marijuana in Colorado.  This may help draw more voters away from Obama and towards Romney.

Monday night, Johnson made his speech to about 400 people at the University of Colorado in Boulder.  Colorado voters will vote next week on Amendment 64, a ballot measure which would legalize marijuana and regulate it like alcohol. Johnson, who is also on the ballot as the Libertarian presidential nominee, supports legalized marijuana.

The race in Colorado is really tight between Obama and Romney, so any vote for Johnson from people who might ordinarily support Obama, such as liberals who want to legalize pot, would hurt the president’s campaign.  Obama is expected to visit the University of Colorado campus later this week.  Johnson will take his campaign to other battleground states, focusing on college campuses.

The major-party campaigns say a vote for Johnson is wasted because he has no chance to win the election. But Johnson said Monday night, “Wasting your vote is voting for someone you don’t believe in.”   Obama is expected to visit the University of Colorado campus later this week.

 

Detroit Preping to Vote on Marijuana Measure

Posted on by

DetroitThe people of Detroit are preparing to vote on a proposal that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, The Detroit News reports.

The ballot question, known as Proposal M, would allow adults over age 21 to possess less than an ounce of marijuana on personal property without criminal prosecution. It’s one of six issues facing city voters Nov. 6.

Proponents say Detroit no longer has the police resources to go after people using small amounts of marijuana at home. Opponents say it signals the city is soft on crime. Detroit is struggling with high crime and a budget that’s led to police cutbacks.

Michigan voters in 2008 approved the use of marijuana for medical reasons, but parts of the law are being challenged in court.

Colorado Getting A Big Check for Marijuana Campaigning

Posted on by

Colorado CampaignCampaigning can get very expensive and thats is also true for marijuana legalization campaigns. But Colorado is getting a little help. Kevin Bronner, a California businessman, is cutting a check to Colorado’s campaign for the amount of $50,000. Bronner is well known for big donations towards the marijuana legalization efforts.

Bronner owns a natural soaps company called Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps. He plans to make the donation in Denver.

Bronner says he wants to see pot legalized because his company imports 20 tons of hemp-seed oil each year from Canada Hemp cannot be grown legally in this country, and Bronner says legalization could save his company money.

Bronner also gave $75,000 to a legalization effort two years ago in California. His company is located in Escondido.

Gov. John Hickenlooper, of Colorado, signed into law an industrial pilot project on Monday. But that pilot is aimed at soil remediation, not commercial hemp production.

New Jersey’s Marijuana Bill Moves Forward

Posted on by

NJ WeedThe New Jersey Assembly Judiciary Committee voted 7-0 today on a bill that would lead to the decriminalization of marijuana possession for 15 grams or less. The bill will be forwarded to the full chamber.

The committee’s five Democrats and two Republicans heard almost uniformly supportive testimony for about an hour before the vote.

If passed by both houses of the Legislature and signed into law by the governor, it would downgrade possession of up to 35 marijuana cigarettes and drug paraphernalia, making both civil offenses punishable by fines of $100 to $500. Offenders under age 18 and those with multiple infractions would be referred for drug counseling.

“The time has come to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana,” Assemblyman Peter Barnes III, chairman of the committee and a Democratic sponsor of the legislation, said during the hearing.

The bill has the backing of 15 Democratic and three Republican co-sponsors. Gov. Chris Christie’s office said he hadn’t taken a position on the bill.

The Senate version of the decriminalization bill, introduced Thursday, hasn’t had a hearing.

R.I. House Approves Marijuana Dispensary Bill

Posted on by

Rhode Island THCThe Rhode Island House approved a revised bill Wednesday that supporters say should allow medical marijuana dispensaries to open without the fear of federal prosecution. This moves the state one step closer to opening three marijuana dispensaries for licensed patients in the state.

Under the bill, dispensaries would be allowed to possess up to 1,500 ounces of marijuana. The proposal would also allow law enforcement to inspect dispensaries and give the state police a seat on the board overseeing the facilities. All three provisions were added to assuage the concerns of federal authorities.

The bill passed by a 64-to-7 vote.

An identical bill passed the Senate last week by a 35-to-3 vote. In the coming weeks, Governor Chafee, who supports the legislation, will decide whether it will become law.

The dispensary operators say they could open for business in September.

Government Going Too Far in Marijuana Fight

Posted on by

Pot ObamaEven though The Department of Justice maintains that there has been no change in the Obama administration’s medical marijuana policy, we all know that is not true. In a recent statement to Rolling Stone, President Obama said, “I never made a commitment that somehow we were going to give carte blanche to large-scale producers and operators of marijuana – and the reason is, because it’s against federal law.”

However, it also was against federal law in 2008, when candidate Obama did say he would not “use Justice Department resources to try and circumvent state laws” authorizing medical marijuana. Today, the Department of Justice is waging a full-throated war against medical marijuana dispensaries in California and other states that have legalized it. Thousands of dispensaries have been threatened over this last year alone.

In October, a group of California U.S. attorneys announced that they would focus on medical marijuana outlets. They’ve been raiding area dispensaries ever since. Last week, the office of San Francisco U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag stepped up its offensive by going to federal court to force the landlords of Novato’s Green Door Wellness Education Center and Green Tiger dispensary to forfeit their properties.

Obama is right to note that even though California and 15 other states have legalized medical marijuana, its trade violates federal law. But it is one thing for federal law enforcement to investigate dispensaries that have sold marijuana for recreational use and prosecute offenders. It is overboard when prosecutors raid establishments on a wholesale basis, seize their records and assets, arrest individuals and otherwise attempt to drive dispensaries out of business, even if that means denying access to legitimate medical marijuana users. It is ridiculous when the feds go after landlords who rent to businesses that are legal under state law.