Rolling Cannabis Politics Thread

state of the doobin'

i'm thinking about investing in some publicly traded mj companies

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/01/why-obama-should-back-drug-sentencing-reform-in-the-state-of-the-union/283302/

The most cynical part of me is whispering in my ear that the war on drugs has finished the work it was designed for, acting as a weapon against the poor and minorities, with which the authorities could crush any lingering aspirations from the social justice movements of 1950-1980. Now that things are back under control, it's time to sell society a new anodyne drug and make some eye-popping profits at the same time. Something along the lines of the British opium trade out of India into China.

Somebody slap me, ok.

I disagree w/ that analysis. But even if it were true, certainly the value of not jailing citizens for possession of marijuana is a worthwhile consequence of ending the war on drugs, even if there are ulterior motivations.

I guess I see it as the people who make or will make money from selling weed finally out-influencing the people who make money from locking people up

i hope you're right about that, but i still get google alerts about CCA almost every day, sometimes stock reports :(

xp - I agree that ending the prohibition on mj is far, far better than keeping it in place. I do wonder how the powerful will try to bend it to their advantage, bcz maneuvering themselves into positions of advantage is what they do.

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2014/feb/20/marijuana-high-and-low/

Hemp, Inc., (OTC:HEMP) America's first all-industrial hemp public company, applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for legalizing the cultivation of hemp. For the first time in decades, the Federal government is allowing farmers to cultivate hemp. As of Wednesday, January 29, 2014, pursuant to the passage of the farm bill, the cultivation of industrial hemp is legal on a Federal level and is clearing the way for industrial hemp pilot programs in states such as Colorado, Washington, California, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont and West Virginia, where growing the plant is legal.

The bill was originally introduced as an amendment by Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO), Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). The provision allows universities, and now also state departments of agriculture, to grow hemp for academic or agricultural research purposes; however, it only applies to states where industrial hemp farming is already legal under state law.

Senator Mitch McConnell, who worked to retain and strengthen the provision, was the lead negotiator in getting hemp included on the Farm Bill was quoted, "We are laying the groundwork for a new commodity market for Kentucky farmers."

Bruce Perlowin, CEO of Hemp, Inc. said, "I said it before and I'll say it again... these are monumental steps for the industry. What we are all trying to get people to understand is that this will finally unlock a clean 'American Industrial Revolution' that will not only be economically sound, but environmentally advantageous." Soon companies like Hemp, Inc. (OTC:HEMP) will not have to import their hemp fabrics, hemp seeds, hemp hearts and hemp hurd for their hemp products.

According to the Associated Press article, written by Kristen Wyatt, "The plant's return to legitimacy could clear the way for U.S. farmers to compete in an industry currently dominated by China. Even though it hasn't been grown in the U.S., the country is one of the fastest-growing hemp markets.

"In 2011, the U.S. imported $11.5 million worth of legal hemp products, up from $1.4 million in 2000. Most of that growth was seen in hemp seed and hemp oil, which finds its way into granola bars and other products." Other estimates place the U.S. 2013 hemp sales at half a billion dollars ($500 million).

Hemp has thousands of uses. From rope and clothing, to soap and lotions and nutritional additives in everything from milk to cooking oil. Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp before the Federal government banned the plant in its anti-drug efforts through the 1970 Controlled Substances Act. According to the aforementioned article, it wasn't until 1999 that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a hemp permit for an experimental plot in Hawaii on a quarter acre of land.

Now the passing of the farm bill is a big first step towards allowing American farmers to once again grow industrial hemp, and giving Hemp, Inc. enormous new economic opportunities.

"hemp hurd"???

great news, about time, etc.

http://www.vocativ.com/02-2014/grow-houses-holy-land/

lol i have some money in HEMP and it went up 4.20% today

lol

http://www.capitalgazette.com/blogs/under_the_dome/annapolis-police-chief-cites-hoax-story-in-opposition-to-marijuana/article_97c304e5-b485-5981-9197-9b5f9f5f97e7.html

*dies*

― sent from my butt (harbl), Tuesday, February 25, 2014 6:16 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

bummer

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/02/no_rules_bar_ebt_cards_in_pot_shops_yet

"I'm prepared to defend cries of hypocrisy from now until whenever," Councilman Dave Ettl said.

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/crime/article/Despite-banning-legal-pot-Yakima-seeks-tax-money-5280665.php

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/mommy-lobby-emerges-as-a-powerful-advocate-for-medical-marijuana-for-children/2014/03/02/296ad1e2-9a38-11e3-b88d-f36c07223d88_story.html

The biblical roots of Jews and marijuana
Doctor, mohel, and former IDF lieutenant Yosef Glassman finds surprising links between controversial plant and ancient Judaism.

http://www.haaretz.com/mobile/1.562450?v=A44710E3CABB5183B61385097AA3C713

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-brito/momentum-builds-in-puerto_b_4914245.html

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/michelle-alexander-white-men-get-rich-legal-pot-black-men-stay-prison

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/04/02/americans-finally-understand-that-marijuana-is-less-harmful-than-alcohol/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/files/2014/04/reefer-madness.jpg

cool. now let's wait 20+ years for the federal government to reclassify the drug.

but yea mordy that graph is something. i did not expect that, especially among 65+

65+ = boomers

I wonder how those results would compare to the question "Should marijuana be legal?"

Did I first see this here on this thread?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSxJs0WQhGk

man bill hicks is really annoying

That's what made him ahead of his time

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/maryland-gov-omalley-will-sign-marijuana-decriminalization-bill-senior-aide-says/2014/04/07/d50ec44c-be8f-11e3-bcec-b71ee10e9bc3_story.html

So, as far as I can tell, I would still have to actually meet a weed dealer and get to know them and then sometimes wait around many hours for? I really want to start smoking weed again, but probably not enough to break through my crippling social anxiety and low-grade misanthropy.

yea. it's decriminalized here in MA but that doesn't solve my problem of having to ask around all the other parents of small children that i hang out with if they know where i can buy pot. i haven't smoked in a long time because i don't know anyone who smokes pot (or better stated, i don't know whether they smoke pot and i haven't asked if t

it's a step though, i admit. decriminalization is ultimately a good thing to put MA on the path to legalization

i don't know anyone who smokes pot (or better stated, i don't know whether they smoke pot and i haven't asked

I was in this situation for a while but then realized that one of my former co-workers has a long pony tail and plans his summer vacation around Phish shows. Only a couple months til this is a just a historical artifact.

xp: yeah, having kids definitely causes me to place more stringent criteria on who I let myself associate with and how.

http://americanlivewire.com/wp-content/uploads/139161893742-551x400.jpg

oh plz plz plz pennsylvania

i heard somewhere that legalization may be on the ballot in MA in 2016. i don't know if i'll still be here but that would be rad. i also spend enough time in VT that i'll take it there, too

but i was told crime rates would rise

http://rt.com/usa/colorado-crime-change-legalization-study-017/

The scientists determined that medical marijuana did not contribute to higher crime levels and may even contribute to lower levels of crime, particularly homicide

Omg the stoners were right: reefer will lead to world peace

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2014/04/colorado_s_stanley_brothers_and_their_pot_farm_leading_evangelicals_to_embrace.html

http://www.policymic.com/articles/88283/an-ohio-newspaper-just-accidentally-ended-the-legalize-marijuana-debate

http://media2.policymic.com/cea556b52e8fe0357610efd58697a3fe.jpg

Piece in nytimes about the Brooklyn DA not planning to prosecute low level pot offenses.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/nyregion/in-brooklyn-proposing-to-end-prosecutions-for-low-level-marijuana-offenses.html

hey, any word on all the "no cannabis money in banks" stories of last year? has any of that been resolved?

also, what's going on in washington? anyone there would wants to comment? seems like i only hear about stuff going on in colorado

WA has been slow to roll this out, though a few weeks ago they announced the locations where sales will take place (hey, a block from my house! that'll be weird). Right now they are awarding licenses to growers, processors, and sellers. No one business can do more than one step, and each step is taxed, and each step is permitted. WA liquor control board is a very conservative body, and unsurprisingly way slower than CO. The growers can now start legally growing, I think, or we're close to it, and then in 12 weeks it can start to be processed, then sold. So we're looking at summer.

in the meantime dozens of quasi-legal delivery services have popped up. I mean of course there's always been delivery, but now the feeling is that no one is going to F with what they're doing. supposedly they (I) pay sales tax.

the sales location thing has been fascinating to watch. being in the city a thousand feet from a park, school, police station, federal building, transit center (and more) has made for very few locations. None in downtown seattle, none on capitol hill (1 at 23rd and union but more CD), six in Sodo, an industrial area. At least one of those is near a light rail station. None in the majority-minority part of the city. one a block from my house.

can't be a 1,000 ft from a police station? that's weird.

frankly the only one of those that makes any sense is a school. and that's still dumb.

yah what if booze had the same restrictions

whoops not cop shops but A new state law says you can have a licensed retail store for recreational marijuana, but it can’t be located within 1,000 feet of many facilities: schools, parks, transit centers, arcades, or libraries. In Seattle, that 1,000-foot rule means most of the city is off-limits. Smaller cities may have no eligible sites.