House would block Feds from interfering with state pot laws

[TorturedSoul]

Time to contact your representatives (in both Houses) to voice your support for this. An actual letter, sent registered / signature required is best.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic-controlled House has voted to block the Justice Department from interfering with states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use.

The bipartisan 267-165 vote represents a breakthrough for advocates of legalizing pot, who have unsuccessfully pressed the idea in the past under GOP control of the House. Although 11 states have legalized marijuana for personal use, possessing and selling the drug remains a federal offense. Lawmakers have already enacted protections for the 47 states where medical marijuana is legal in some form or another.

Attorney General William Barr said during his confirmation hearing in January that the Justice Department would not go after marijuana companies in states where cannabis is legal, even though the drug is outlawed under federal law.

Barr vowed not to use limited government resources to target cannabis businesses that are complying with state laws. Many of those businesses had relied on guidance from the Obama administration that kept federal authorities from cracking down on the pot trade in states where cannabis is legal. But those guidelines were rescinded by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

“We are watching the growth of this industry — a multibillion-dollar industry,” said sponsor Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. “We are watching state after state move forward.”

The vote came on an amendment to a pending House bill that sets the Justice Department’s budget, and if put into place would apply for the 2020 fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. There are also efforts afoot in Congress to pass permanent protections that would apply to states that have legalized cannabis for either medical or recreational use, with Sens. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., offering a leading proposal dubbed the States Act. It has yet to advance.

“I certainly think it has support over here,” said Gardner, whose home state has a thriving legal marijuana economy. “While appropriations riders are important in the interim, we do need the long-term certainty of the States Act.”

The amendment passed over the opposition of conservative Republicans who say the benefits of medical marijuana are overblown.

“This amendment that is before us sends the wrong message about widely abused drugs in the United States,” said Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala. “The Drug Enforcement Administration says more young people receive treatment for marijuana dependency than for alcohol and other illegal drugs combined. The amendment ignores the problems with abuse and sends the false message to youth that smoking marijuana is healthy.”

Original article:

https://www.apnews.com/dbc5f186271949e3863539904aea1cd4

 

[Alafornia]

Robert Alderholt needs to educate himself, if that is even possible.

I hope the Senate passes it as well, although descheduling it altogether would be ideal.

 

[Koolbudz]

For anyone interested....

Cannabis will not be legal till the gov sniffs out the right payday for themselves no matter which side is in power. Congress and Senate do nothing to fix what they dont feel is an issue, cannabis is not an issue for them, they just have not been offered a big enuff payoff to cover all their friends so not enough support for fed legalization.

 

[CO Finest]

I would say the feds are not the real problem they just add tax like on everything else and get there money. The true force behind she shadows that puts up the blackmail and money to block it is the pharmaceutical industry. That is a trillion dollar industry that knows it can not produce the medicine and over charge the people to fill there pockets with a product you can grow anywhere. They also know if they create a med it will be copied very quickly by many others so there is no ruling the market and that is something they love to do. Now it also feeds many states with easy money for there local law enforcement by not being legal which many people get it twisted that's not feds that's local states and them local states go to the gov to not give in and take there easy money away. We all know the systems are corrupt in many many different ways, By now you should have seen this with whats going on now. There are states saying right now you can not by garden supplies because they say it is not a necessity for you to grow your own food to eat but go buy a beer, so do you think some states what you to grow your own meds? We can go on and on but it is just going to take people in each state that's not legal to push and hope you can out number the haters as well. Remember one thing, if your voting for red or blue or for skin color or gender and not for someone that stands for your own beliefs we already lost as a country.

 

[Koolbudz]

There are states saying right now you can not by garden supplies because they say it is not a necessity for you to grow your own food to eat but go buy a beer, so do you think some states what you to grow your own meds? We can go on and on but it is just going to take people in each state that's not legal to push and hope you can out number the haters as well. Remember one thing, if your voting for red or blue or for skin color or gender and not for someone that stands for your own beliefs we already lost as a country.

Welcome to Michigan....The dumb thing is we can buy those products we just cant buy them 'at' the store, or some other items in certain store sections....The work around is order online then pickup in store at kiosk. One big screw is if you cant find it on their site you cant buy it.... If you look at Youtube and just type in Lansing Protest you can see what they think around these parts.

 

[CO Finest]

I loved seeing that protest. I have respect for the people not laying down and taking them kind of rules. Sad to see that state gov is weak and very easy to persuade to make rules like they have done. Now we can see the true faces coming out.

 

[Koolbudz]

I loved seeing that protest. I have respect for the people not laying down and taking them kind of rules. Sad to see that state gov is weak and very easy to persuade to make rules like they have done. Now we can see the true faces coming out.

I wrote her a few letters....