By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
The United States House of Representatives passed a bill preventing federal prosecutions against patients who use prescribed marijuana and cultivation where it is legal in the various states. If passed by the Senate and signed by the President it would mark a profound reversal in federal marijuana policy.
The House voted 219-189 in favor to an amendment of an appropriations bill. The amendment strips the Department of Justice of all funds for enforcing marijuana laws in states where medical marijuana is legal. This would not only include the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) but all other agencies as well as DOJ prosecutions, theoretically if signed into law prosecutions already in process must halt as well. With the recent signature by Minnesota’s governor, twenty two states and the District of Columbia have medical marijuana statutes.
During debate on the House floor, California Representative Dana Rohrabacher called for compassion, saying: “Some people are suffering, and if a doctor feels that he needs to prescribe something to alleviate that suffering, it is immoral for this government to get in the way.”
In addition, the House also passed two amendments that would strip funds in federal intervention of state hemp cultivation and research.
Aaron Houston, a marijuana lobbyist and advocate, called the vote a “tipping point” on marijuana. He noted that this amendment has been offered six times before over the course of 11 years and never before gained traction.
Marijuana Majority Chairman Tom Angell stated “It’s clear that more politicians are beginning to realize that the American people want the federal government to stop standing in the way. If any political observers weren’t aware that the end of the war on marijuana is nearing, they just found out.”
It seems inertia is now favoring the end of Refer Madness.
By Darren Smith
Sources:
Think Progress
Washington Times
Amendment to HR 4660 Offered by Mr. Rohrabacher of California
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Jamie Dimon – bankster:
“It’s still amazing that so many House members voted against the bill”
We should be sure to point out exactly which house members voted against the bill, especially since 91% of the Democrats voted for it.
Nick ~ Did you know that the U of Miss is home to the feds stash of mj which they have been researching for nearly 50 years? http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pot-monopoly-20140529-story.html#page=1
John:
“Is it a “blessing of liberty” to have Mz. Obama dictate to Americans what they should eat?”
What law was passed by Mz Obama dictating what you can eat?
“She should resign her position”
What? You mean divorce the President?
“where she can preach to the residents all day long”
You want a list of Republicans who encourage people to eat better and exercise? Would that help?
“Elected officials and their spouses are elected to “serve” not command.”
91% of Democrats in the house voted to leave medicinal marijuana alone. Only 22% of Republicans did. Seems if you want to go after the authoritarians, you’re aiming at the wrong people.
“American freedom has been replace with the dictatorship of the proletariat.”
AGAIN: 92% of House Democrats want to leave medicinal marijuana alone. Only 22% of Republicans do.
You’re mixing up collectivists with authoritarians. Authoritarians on both the right and the left want government to tell you what to do in regards to medicine, etc.
Libertarians on both the right and left don’t.
“Elected officials have turned into oppressive tyrants who think it is their superior position to tell us how to live ”
Again, on this issue, 78% of House Republicans are tyrants, while 91% of House Democrats aren’t.
“make government “serve” Americans and limit it to security and infrastructure”
Obama has a $300 billion infrastructure bill on the hill that Republicans won’t pass.
If terrorist were killing as many Americans as our crumbling infrastructure, how much would the GOP borrow and spend to invade the wrong country?
Spinelli:
“Simms, I forgot the other force against legalization, that being the cartels, cutting people’s heads off, importing and distributing cannabis. Funny, I wondered aloud a week or so ago if maybe the cartels had gotten to Holder.”
The cartels big money is in cocaine, which is, shockingly, not a schedule one drug. Pot is bulky and harder to smuggle.
Holder has been the most lax AG on enforcing federal laws against marijuana since the issue started coming up. He is working with Colorado and Washington on relaxing banking laws for the legal shops, he’s put an end to arresting patients in medicinal states, and I haven’t heard of any feds going after a dispensary in a while, although prosecutorial discretion certainly gives them the right to.
“Holder’s apologists jumped all over me!”
As well we should. You seem to have your facts wrong when you publish your slurs against him.
There were no laws against any substance use, drug use or pharmacological products in the past. Free Americans shall have the right to choose and use substances. Consumers should be able to choose. There is a limit to intoxication no matter how many different substances a person uses. A person can overdose into unconsciousness on legal alcohol.
Don’t judge a person by what he imbibes, judge him by his behavior. What must be controlled is behavior. Assault, battery, robbery, DUI, etc. It is up to parents to teach children how to live.
Marx, Lenin, Stalin and the collectivists believed the state should direct every aspect of the lives of citizens. In America, the law is that we are, first of all, to be free; to enjoy the “blessings of liberty” through our right to operate businesses without governmental interference, own private property, as welfare is limited to General excluding individual welfare.
Is it a “blessing of liberty” to have Mz. Obama dictate to Americans what they should eat? Of, course, it is absolutely none of her business and she should keep it to herself. She should resign her position and open a private and privately funded home for the incompetent and intellectually challenged where she can preach to the residents all day long. Elected officials and their spouses are elected to “serve” not command. Preposterous. American freedom has been replace with the dictatorship of the proletariat. The Founders got rid of the monarchy and dictating kings – that is the point of America and its Preamble and Constitution. Elected officials have turned into oppressive tyrants who think it is their superior position to tell us how to live when the exact opposite is true and was set out in the Declaration of Independence, Preamble and Constitution – elected officials are servants.
Demand that Americans be self-reliant. Get the government out of our lives, make government “serve” Americans and limit it to security and infrastructure as the Preamble says. If we have the right to private property, redistribution is unconstitutional – that eliminates most of the governmental programs, departments and agencies. Privatize the education, healthcare, charity and all industries. Give Americans back their “blessings of liberty” and private property and freedom.
Freedom.
Period.
Whew! Thank you.
Schulte: “why haven’t we had legal pot before?
Me: “We have.”
“Began to seperate the Male from the Female hemp at Do.&—rather too late.”–George Washington, Donald Jackson, ed., Diaries of George Washington, (Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1976-1979), 1:340.
There is only one reason to separate the males from the females.
The Pure Food and Drug act of 1906 required labeling of any cannabis in over the counter remedies.
Our modern prohibition against pot has it’s history in racism, especially against Mexicans.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dope/etc/cron.html
Spinelli:
“Just one or two people can ruin a thread.”
Would that be the person who wants his authoritarian government to get between you and your doctor, or the person who pointed out that 91% of Democrats voted for this, while only 22% of Republicans did?
And some people love stirring the pot.
Spinelli:
“Eric Holder’s DOJ went after the dispensaries in San Diego County. ”
I responded to this in the other thread and you ignored it.
Holder sent a letter saying stop arresting patients. They did. Duffy went after the dispensaries, but arrested no patients that I can find news of.
Further, the fact that she backed off and allowed new dispensaries tells me that something came down from on high in the DoJ that you’re not mentioning…
“When Holder was closing down dispensaries”
And yet you have 30 now. What gives?
“Holder’s DOJ has gone after cannabis dispensaries MUCH more aggressively than Bush.”
Prove it. Bush arrested patients. Nothing is worse than that in my book.
“The forces against cannabis are powerful.”
Yeah, like Paul Schulte. And I know Feinstein is anti legalization (as are many people), but I was unaware that she’s against medicinal. I’d like to see proof of that allegation too.
“Then there’s big Pharma. They would rather sell addictive pain meds and other expensive products that don’t work as well as natural cannabis.”
Now there’s the big problem. Upwardly redistributing market riggers using men with guns to squash the competition.
“But, this is becoming a bipartisan issue. It was a Rep Dana Rohrbacher who wrote this into the Appropriation Bill.”
He had many co-sponsors, and he was part of the 22% of House Republicans who voted the right way along with the 91% of House Democrats.
“Then, we have to wait and see if our lawless AG abides the law.”
You mean the AG who ignored the federal law about schedule one drugs when he sent out the letter telling US Attorneys to stop arresting patients?
Simms, I forgot the other force against legalization, that being the cartels, cutting people’s heads off, importing and distributing cannabis. Funny, I wondered aloud a week or so ago if maybe the cartels had gotten to Holder. Holder’s apologists jumped all over me!
I’m chuckling. This has been a thoughtful, respective, thread discussing this important topic. The same topic is being “discussed” on the Great Excuse thread from a couple days ago. Just one or two people can ruin a thread. Darren put up a great topic and everyone so far has been very respectful.
BFM, The Federal govt. did indeed interfere w/ cannabis research over decades. Now, they just don’t encourage or fund it, but have stop interfering for the most part. NORML has been key in calling out the Feds for their intransigence. Much of the research on cannabis[and other out of the box research is out of Australia]. I read a study from Perelman School of Medicine when I was researching for a dear friend w/ Parkinson’s a couple years ago. He has since died. And, recently the NIH published a report showing significant results in both tremors and pain . Just Google Cannabis Parkinson’s and those studies and more will pop up. If you get to the point where your friends want to try it I would suggest edibles, drinkables, of lollipops. The ingested cannabis stays effective for 4-6 hours. It takes longer for the body to metabolize[30-60 minutes], but it lasts MUCH longer. Smoking provides instant results, but an hour is about the most the relief will felt. The upside w/ smoking, is not only instant relief, you are much less likely to take too much. Inpatient people taking edibles will eat a dosage, wait 30-45 minutes, and say “Nothing.” They’ll then ingest another dose. And, BAM!! the first and then the 2nd kick in and you’re damn near trippin’. I had a very knowledgeable bud tender[cannabis dispensary clerk] warn me about an edible. Well, I waited an hour and was not able to sleep w/ pain. I was going to take an opiate but then decided to take another cannabis dose[bubble hash brownie]. I fell asleep, had dreams like Fantasia, and then woke up in a sweat. I learned the hard way to be patient. A good system is to smoke a few puffs, get the immediate relief, then take an edible. I will do WHATEVER I CAN to help your friends. Just ask me questions. I’ll give you my email. I have helped many people like your friends. Like I said previously, I see cannabis for Parkinson’s being a breakthrough treatment, maybe more than any so far.
davidm2575:
“Time to give the Republicans in the House some credit here.”
OK, I give the 22% of Republicans in the House some credit here. Just like I give the 91% of the Democrats in the House some credit here.
” I am so tired of the war on drugs.”
I take it this is a new development for you? Moving on from “just say no or we’ll throw you in prison?”
“Drugs are very bad in society”
I agree. Alcohol and tobacco are very bad for society. Perhaps we should ban them?
Oh, wait, we tried that with booze and it didn’t work too well…
“but I prefer education to throwing flash bombs on toddlers.”
Again, if you’re new to this position, welcome on board.
“Let’s hope the Democrats in the Senate and the President have the fortitude to follow through with this.”
Again: 91% of the Democrats in the House voted for this, only 22% of the Republicans. I don’t think the Senate Democrats are the problem. I think 41 Republican Senators are the problem.
Schulte:
“I think anything that will cramp the style of the DOJ will have trouble getting through the Senate and signed by Obama.”
Well, then this should fly right through the Senate, since this DoJ has been getting out of the medicinal marijuana tinkering.
“there is not an inalienable right to pot. I do not remember that anywhere”
The 9th and 14th give us the right to privacy, which means you authoritarians don’t get to get between me and my doctor.
“why have we not had legal pot before?”
We have.
Paul C. Schulte
Warspite – there is not an inalienable right to pot. I do not remember that anywhere.
=========================================================
It doesn’t have to be spelled out.
“Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”
Simms – if this is true, why have we not had legal pot before?
We have had legal Pot before. Marijuana was completely legal up until the 1920’s.
You ask that as though you actually expect the fact that we possess a right that isn’t enumerated in the Constitution to affect how the Government views and /or denies us access to that right.
Since when have the rights intrinsic to the people ever been part of our legal decisions before? Why would you expect them to be now?
On Sat, May 31, 2014 at 2:02 PM, JONATHAN TURLEY wrote:
> Paul C. Schulte commented: “Simms – if this is true, why have we not > had legal pot before?” >
@Nick Spinelli “The forces against cannabis are powerful. They are in both the private and public sector.”
Not to mention the “illegal sector.” I doubt major illegal distributors are happy with marijuana decriminalization.
Paul C. Schulte
Dredd – it is against medical marijuana, not all marijuana. Geez.
===============================
Who or what subject are you responding to?
It is inchoherent as a response to anything I said.
Typical.
Now does the comment make sense?
The seizure disorder cannabis oil is saving children’s lives. And here is the ironic and karma like point. The cannabis oil that has been proven to stop debilitating seizures that some children experience, sometimes hundreds a day, has virtually no THC, the active ingredient to get you high. A few drops is the dosage and one would need to chug a tumbler full to get high. It’s like near beer!
@Paul C. Schulte “I find sticky notes or Trello are a big help”
The only problem is by the time I get all those sticky notes up on the monitor, I can’t see a damn thing. I may have to give that Trello thing a try.
BFM, I have studied cannabis medicinal qualities extensively. One of the more promising uses is for Parkinson’s and MS. Here is where there is little controversy of cannabis effectiveness, nausea for chemo patients and pain, and seizure disorders. There are 2 strains of cannabis, sativa and indica. The sativa is best for increasing appetite in cancer/Aids patients. Indica is best for pain. There are also many hybrids but I’ll keep it simple. Cannabis dispensaries make edibles and drinkables for chemo patients. Lollipops, tinctures added to tea, etc. are very effective. I know of no doubters on this. Pain is not as totally effective.
Opiate receptors in our nervous system are what makes opiates very effective on pain. However, some peoples opiate receptors are not efficient and opiates actually have little or no neuralgic effect on these people. They are rare. Cannabis receptors are virtually identical to opiate receptors in our nervous system. However, they do not have the high % of efficacy that opiate receptors have. I have read pain patients who use indica cannabis have anywhere from 40-60% effectiveness. Opiate is up in the 90th %. I am a fortunate person. Cannabis does work on my pain. It has been a God send. It helps me sleep through the night, something I had not done in years. That’s a brief synopsis. If you have any questions I’ll try and answer them.
Thanks Nick.
I have two close relatives with Parkinson’s. I would be interested in any cites you would care to suggest.
It is a bit of a tangent. But my impression is that the federal government has interfered with the scientific evaluation of the medical properties of marijuana. If so, I think that is absolutely appalling.
“I don’t see that a right to use medical marijuana interferes with a right not to perform. Seems to me to be two different issues.”
Maybe I should have spent an extra minute or two trying to clarify this.
To try to put a finer point on the issues, it seems that one question is: can the state prevent an individual using a medical treatment known to be appropriate for their condition. The second question is can the individual compel another to provide or assist with that service.
Those seem to be very different questions to me.