News:

Welcome to week4paug.net 2.1 - same as it ever was! Most features have been restored, but please keep us posted on ANY issues you may be having HERE:  https://week4paug.net/index.php/topic,23937

Main Menu

The Political Pot Thread

Started by Undermind, October 01, 2012, 10:45:45 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

runawayjimbo

Quote from: Guyute on October 05, 2012, 04:36:52 PM
Quote from: PIE-GUY on October 05, 2012, 04:18:03 PM
Quote from: Guyute on October 05, 2012, 03:47:44 PM
Connecticut decriminalized and medical use went into effect on 10/1.
Prescription time

Decriminalized is really all I could hope for. A $50 fine and no criminal record for amounts up to 4oz? That works for me. Seriously.

Yeah, just a ticket so it doesn't appear on job apps even if caught.  I suddenly have a bunch of professional friends who are no longer hiding the fact that smoke and everyone seems to now have it on hand.  Sudden change

Hedge funds, LOL

Of course, you guys realize you are still criminals in the eyes of the Feds and there's really nothing that can ever be done about that. Ever.
Quote from: DoW on October 26, 2013, 09:06:17 PM
I'm drunk but that was epuc

Quote from: mehead on June 22, 2016, 11:52:42 PM
The Line still sucks. Hard.

Quote from: Gumbo72203 on July 25, 2017, 08:21:56 PM
well boys, we fucked up by not being there.

Hicks

Quote from: runawayjimbo on October 05, 2012, 04:49:59 PM
Quote from: Guyute on October 05, 2012, 04:36:52 PM
Quote from: PIE-GUY on October 05, 2012, 04:18:03 PM
Quote from: Guyute on October 05, 2012, 03:47:44 PM
Connecticut decriminalized and medical use went into effect on 10/1.
Prescription time

Decriminalized is really all I could hope for. A $50 fine and no criminal record for amounts up to 4oz? That works for me. Seriously.

Yeah, just a ticket so it doesn't appear on job apps even if caught.  I suddenly have a bunch of professional friends who are no longer hiding the fact that smoke and everyone seems to now have it on hand.  Sudden change

Hedge funds, LOL

Of course, you guys realize you are still criminals in the eyes of the Feds and there's really nothing that can ever be done about that. Ever.

People that hide their weed habits from you because it's illegal aren't your "friends" in my book.
Quote from: Trey Anastasio
But, I don't think our fans do happily lap it up, I think they go online and talk about how it was a bad show.

runawayjimbo

Quote from: Hicks on October 05, 2012, 05:16:28 PM
Quote from: runawayjimbo on October 05, 2012, 04:49:59 PM
Quote from: Guyute on October 05, 2012, 04:36:52 PM
Quote from: PIE-GUY on October 05, 2012, 04:18:03 PM
Quote from: Guyute on October 05, 2012, 03:47:44 PM
Connecticut decriminalized and medical use went into effect on 10/1.
Prescription time

Decriminalized is really all I could hope for. A $50 fine and no criminal record for amounts up to 4oz? That works for me. Seriously.

Yeah, just a ticket so it doesn't appear on job apps even if caught.  I suddenly have a bunch of professional friends who are no longer hiding the fact that smoke and everyone seems to now have it on hand.  Sudden change

Hedge funds, LOL

Of course, you guys realize you are still criminals in the eyes of the Feds and there's really nothing that can ever be done about that. Ever.

People that hide their weed habits from you because it's illegal aren't your "friends" in my book.

Well he did say "professional" friends. That's like "people I get along with at work but who I'd rather never see in an actual social setting" anyway. Kinda like our relationship, Hicks. :wink:


Also, the GOP Senate candidate in WA supports the state's legalization efforts; the Democratic Senator opposes it. Uh oh. What do you do, whatapiper?!??!?!

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019335269_apwalegalizingmarijuana3rdldwritethru.html

Quote
GOP Senate hopeful latest to endorse legal pot
The campaign to legalize and tax marijuana for adults in Washington state is rolling as next month's vote approaches, with more than $1 million in new contributions reported since last week and a surprising endorsement Wednesday from Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Michael Baumgartner.

SEATTLE —

The campaign to legalize and tax marijuana for adults in Washington state is rolling as next month's vote approaches, with more than $1 million in new contributions reported since last week and a surprising endorsement Wednesday from Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Michael Baumgartner.

The money, most of it from retired Progressive Insurance founder Peter Lewis, means Initiative 502's backers have raised nearly $4.1 million over the course of the campaign, with $1.2 million left to spend. Alison Holcomb, campaign manager for New Approach Washington, says her group is planning a broader television campaign than the three-week advertising blitz it ran in Western Washington in August.

Meanwhile, Baumgartner's decision to endorse the initiative in an interview with The Associated Press gave the campaign one of its highest-profile Republican supporters yet. Baumgartner, a state senator from Spokane, is running a longshot bid to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, who came out against I-502 Wednesday afternoon.

Baumgartner said drug law reform isn't typically supported by his party, but he believes I-502 is a good step toward changing what he described as a wasteful policy of marijuana prohibition.

"It's taking a different approach to a very expensive drug war, and potentially a better approach," Baumgartner said. "They've checked all the boxes as far as what you would want to see happen in terms of provisions to keep it away from children and limiting access in the public space. I've just been impressed with the initiative and the people running it."

Asked for her position, Cantwell issued a written statement.

"While I remain a strong supporter of our state's medicinal marijuana laws, I don't believe it should be legalized for recreational purposes based on concerns expressed by law enforcement and the current drafting of the initiative," she said. "Whatever the result, I will honor the will of the voters' decision in November."

I-502 would legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana under state law for those over 21. The state would license growers, processors and retail stores, and impose 25 percent taxes at each stage. State analysts have suggested it could bring in hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

The measure, which polls show leading, would also set a blood-test limit for driving under the influence and prohibit public use of the drug.

Marijuana would remain illegal under federal law, and the burning question remains whether the Justice Department would sue to try to block I-502 from taking effect if it passes, on the grounds that it conflicts with federal law. The DOJ could also simply seize any tax revenue as proceeds of illicit drug transactions.

Washington is one of three states, along with Oregon and Colorado, considering legalization measures this year.

I-502 has received high-profile endorsements from former Seattle FBI head Charles Mandigo, former U.S. Attorneys John McKay and Kate Pflaumer (FLAU'-mer), both candidates for sheriff in King County, and the nonprofit Children's Alliance, which argues that drug laws disproportionately hurt minority children.

The initiative's only formal opposition comes from a group representing medical marijuana patients who say the DUI limit is so strict it could prevent them from driving at all, but some other organizations, including the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, are also opposed.

Steve Freng, of the federally funded Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, said he worries about the effect on children, especially on the modeling behavior of parents who might start smoking weed openly in the home if it's legalized.

Baumgartner responded: "That's a concern, but we have to be realistic about what's going on in people's homes today. Usage stays constant regardless of drug policy."

Baumgartner served as a civilian State Department contractor in Afghanistan, where he advised an Afghan counternarcotics team in Helmand Province. He said one of his primary motives in supporting I-502 is to bring the U.S. marijuana trade out of the shadows and regulate it. If elected, he said, he'd support allowing states to draft their own drug laws "in a responsible manner."

He said he hoped voters who care about the issue would appreciate his taking a stand.

"I really don't know the direct political ramifications," Baumgartner said. "I always think if you get the policy right, the politics will follow."
Quote from: DoW on October 26, 2013, 09:06:17 PM
I'm drunk but that was epuc

Quote from: mehead on June 22, 2016, 11:52:42 PM
The Line still sucks. Hard.

Quote from: Gumbo72203 on July 25, 2017, 08:21:56 PM
well boys, we fucked up by not being there.

Hicks

My "professional" friend is my weed dealer.

That's just how I roll.
Quote from: Trey Anastasio
But, I don't think our fans do happily lap it up, I think they go online and talk about how it was a bad show.

Undermind

Sucks about Texas PG.  In Maine it is decriminalized and has been for a long time now.  Up to 2 Ounces.  The quality is amazing these days up here too, with all of the medicinal growing and the associated knowledge.

My boss knows I smoke and has for years.  No worries there for me anyway.
Trey at Darien Music Center on 8/13/09 while paying respect to Les Paul
Quote...and hopefully we'll be playing well into our nineties and hopefully you guys will be there too


Phish Video Collection Blog

Undermind

Oakland is suing the Feds to keep the countries largest dispensary open.  Pretty cool imo and I hope they succeed.
Trey at Darien Music Center on 8/13/09 while paying respect to Les Paul
Quote...and hopefully we'll be playing well into our nineties and hopefully you guys will be there too


Phish Video Collection Blog

runawayjimbo

Quote from: Undermind on October 10, 2012, 07:24:17 PM
Oakland is suing the Feds to keep the countries largest dispensary open.  Pretty cool imo and I hope they succeed.

I don't. Federal law is the supreme law if the land and we can't have states just going out all willy nilly and making their own laws that contradict that. I mean, how would we know which laws to enforce?!

I'm just glad that the current administration knows they have to stand up to punks like Harborside and the junkies who call themselves "patients".
Quote from: DoW on October 26, 2013, 09:06:17 PM
I'm drunk but that was epuc

Quote from: mehead on June 22, 2016, 11:52:42 PM
The Line still sucks. Hard.

Quote from: Gumbo72203 on July 25, 2017, 08:21:56 PM
well boys, we fucked up by not being there.

nab

Quote from: runawayjimbo on October 10, 2012, 11:48:20 PM
Quote from: Undermind on October 10, 2012, 07:24:17 PM
Oakland is suing the Feds to keep the countries largest dispensary open.  Pretty cool imo and I hope they succeed.

I don't. Federal law is the supreme law if the land and we can't have states just going out all willy nilly and making their own laws that contradict that. I mean, how would we know which laws to enforce?!

I'm just glad that the current administration knows they have to stand up to punks like Harborside and the junkies who call themselves "patients".


I lol'ed and face palmed.  Or, did I face palm and lol?  Not sure. 

Undermind

This could get interesting!

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/10/16/maine-police-return-stolen-marijuana-plants-worth-nearly-13000/#.UH2OS5OgqGI.facebook

QuotePolice in Ellsworth, Maine did something very unusual on Monday: they returned stolen marijuana plants.

The plants were allegedly swiped from licensed medical marijuana caregiver Thomas Davis, according to reporter Mario Moretto at Bangor Daily News. Maine resident Aaron Pert, 32, was arrested for the theft last week.

After witnessing a Jeep roll through a stop sign, an officer reportedly claimed to smell marijuana in the vehicle, which was being driven by one of Pert's friends. A search revealed that Pert was carrying a loaded firearm and a small amount of marijuana, allegedly plucked from one of the stolen plants.

He posted bond that Thursday night and was released, but it wasn't long before the law was on Pert's tail yet again. Davis discovered the burglary at his grow house on Friday, October 12, and immediately called police.

It didn't take long to put the two incidents together. Acting on an alleged confession, police said they discovered 17 marijuana plants worth approximately $12,800 hidden in a nearby wooded area.

It is illegal under federal law to distribute marijuana to anyone for any reason, and Ellsworth police were fully aware of that fact, but remained unclear on whether state law would give them leeway to return the stolen property.

It's a touchy subject, too: there was a time when even so much as passing a joint could get a first time offender locked up for dealing drugs, and the potential for exposing state employees to federal prosecution has been a concern for governors in states that have legalized medical marijuana.

Despite the uncertainty between state and federal law, police said Monday that they'd returned the stolen marijuana to Davis, who told Bangor that he'd only be able to salvage about 15 percent of the grow.

Since the government prohibited doctors from recommending marijuana in 1943, just 17 states and Washington D.C. have legalized the drug for medical uses, although an additional seven states are voting on similar laws later this year. Polls show the vast majority of likely voters believe that the government should not prohibit doctors from recommending marijuana to people with certain medical conditions.

While the Obama administration says it does not consider medical marijuana patients to be a high priority for law enforcement officials, critics say the Democratic president has been tougher about medical marijuana crackdowns than any of his predecessors. Whether or not the feds will go after police in Ellsworth remains to be seen, but chances are they've got bigger, wealthier targets in mind.
——
Trey at Darien Music Center on 8/13/09 while paying respect to Les Paul
Quote...and hopefully we'll be playing well into our nineties and hopefully you guys will be there too


Phish Video Collection Blog

Undermind

Trey at Darien Music Center on 8/13/09 while paying respect to Les Paul
Quote...and hopefully we'll be playing well into our nineties and hopefully you guys will be there too


Phish Video Collection Blog

UncleEbinezer

Quote from: PIE-GUY on October 05, 2012, 04:18:03 PM
Quote from: Guyute on October 05, 2012, 03:47:44 PM
Connecticut decriminalized and medical use went into effect on 10/1.
Prescription time

Decriminalized is really all I could hope for. A $50 fine and no criminal record for amounts up to 4oz? That works for me. Seriously.

x2
Quote from: bvaz
if you ever gacve me free beer, I'd bankrupt you  :-D

runawayjimbo

USA Today thinks you stoners should STFU about your legalization efforts. That's right, all your favorite Reefer Madness scare tactics are here including: "Pot Is Soooooo Much Stronger These Days", "Pilots & Train Engineers Will Obviously Get Stoned Before Work", and what compilation of dooshbag cliches would be complete without "Think of the Children!!!"

Then again, who the fuck reads USA Today anymore anyway?

http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/1666755

Quote
Editorial: Don't legalize pot just for the high of it

by The Editorial Board, USA TODAY

Published: 10/29/2012 04:33pm

Legalize pot? The nation has flirted with the idea before: Jimmy Carter supported decriminalization in his 1976 campaign, but the idea died after his chief drug adviser was reported to have used cocaine at a Washington, D.C., party.

Almost four decades later, though, a pot renaissance is sweeping parts of the USA: Seventeen states and the nation's capital now allow the use of medical marijuana with a doctor's order, which in some places is ludicrously easy to get. Thirteen states have decriminalized pot, which generally means that the punishment for first-time possession of small amounts is a fine with no jail time.

National opinion is shifting, as well. Gallup reported this month that, for the first time, 50% of Americans think marijuana should be legal; in 1970, just 12% were for legalization. While fewer than one-third of voters 65 and older favor legal pot, the number rises to almost two-thirds among voters 18 to 29.

Now three Western states could be taking the next step.

On Nov. 6, Colorado, Oregon and Washington will vote on whether to make pot legal for anyone 21 or older. Approval could mark a historic change — and the emergence of a huge new industry to rival those for cigarettes and alcohol.

But the fact that legal pot has growing momentum doesn't mean it's a good idea, or that it's inevitable:

Marijuana is still illegal under federal law. Those who can grow or sell pot legally under state law can be, and have been, busted by the feds. Although the Obama administration ordered a hands-off policy in 2009 for medical marijuana operations in compliance with state laws, there's no sign that federal drug enforcers would wink at full-blown legalization.

The Obama administration remains strongly opposed. Supporters of state legalization want this confrontation on the grounds that it will change federal law. Maybe, but a more likely scenario is that states will end up in costly litigation while pot users are left in legal limbo.

Modern marijuana can be very powerful, potent enough to make it dangerous to drive or operate other machinery under the influence. Backers of legal pot wisely advocate tough penalties for driving while stoned, but do we really want to add another widely available drug to roads where alcohol already causes mayhem? And do we want to worry (more than we already do) that pilots or train engineers or others are high when they come to work? That would be more likely if pot were legal.

"Reefer madness" scare stories killed the credibility of anti-marijuana crusaders decades ago, but that doesn't mean marijuana is a benign drug, especially for children. A study by Duke University and King's College London found that kids who start smoking as teenagers and become "persistent users" — at least four times a week — typically lose 8 IQ points and never get them back. Beyond IQ points, many lose motivation to succeed in school.

Doctors have split over whether marijuana causes lung cancer the way smoking cigarettes does, though evidence seems to be accumulating that it could. A recent study at the University of Southern California found a link between recreational pot use and testicular cancer in men from their teens to the mid-30s.

Advocates of legalization make some good points, particularly about the waste of law enforcement resources in enforcing marijuana laws, and the way the illegal market enriches criminal gangs and drug cartels.

Their arguments demonstrate how imperfect the current legal regime is, but they downplay the risks of legalization. Making marijuana available for medical use is a humane and sensible policy, despite the likelihood of wider use and abuse. Doing the same thing simply to allow adults to get high legally isn't worth the inevitable cost.
Quote from: DoW on October 26, 2013, 09:06:17 PM
I'm drunk but that was epuc

Quote from: mehead on June 22, 2016, 11:52:42 PM
The Line still sucks. Hard.

Quote from: Gumbo72203 on July 25, 2017, 08:21:56 PM
well boys, we fucked up by not being there.

Hicks

Did anyone with half a brain ever read USA Today?

How the hell is such a piece of shit paper even still around?
Quote from: Trey Anastasio
But, I don't think our fans do happily lap it up, I think they go online and talk about how it was a bad show.

emay

Quote from: Hicks on October 30, 2012, 10:19:52 PM
Did anyone with half a brain ever read USA Today?

How the hell is such a piece of shit paper even still around?

:hereitisyousentimentalbastard

PIE-GUY

I've been coming to where I am from the get go
Find that I can groove with the beat when I let go
So put your worries on hold
Get up and groove with the rhythm in your soul