US Laxing Marijuana laws, no more medical raids!

[oxydose]

Did everyone else catch this? The Att Gen said in a press conference that it is now the govs policy to NOT raid medical marijuana grow ops, and to give states the right to make there own laws in regards to marijuana...

Not national decremilization but truely a great step in the right direction if they stick to it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjZeW2fcQHM

Thoughts?

[pinn3d]

Welll..... IT'S ABOUT FUCKING TIME!!!!!!

Seriously.... Jesus Christ I mean the amount of money that these medical grows contribute to local communities ALONE should be enough to get the gov't off their backs.....let alone Privacy Rights, Compassionate Usage for people who are in lots of pain and get RELIEF from cannabis.... When I lived in Mendocino County (part of the 'Emerald Triangle' in NorCal) I was blown away by how prevalent medical marijuana was------ Me, my friends, and a LOT of the people I met grew--- some small time, others more ambitious.....

I hope eventually it's decriminalized because it's just ridiculous and hypocritical that tobacco and alcohol are perfectly legal and socially acceptable, yet marijuana is an evil 'gateway drug'...... Think of the money it would generate if we taxed that shit!!! But, you see, there are industries that DO NOT want cannabis to be legal, because it would bring back HEMP---- and hemp can be used for EVRYTHING---- FOOD/ CLOTHING/ MEDICINE / SHELTER/ FUEL..... it's a wonderfully useful plant......

[SeVeN]

I hope so. Of course the guy didn't say anything specific, but it seems like he meant what he said.

[duck]

I'll believe it when it's written.

[oxydose]

Welll..... IT'S ABOUT FUCKING TIME!!!!!!

Seriously.... Jesus Christ I mean the amount of money that these medical grows contribute to local communities ALONE should be enough to get the gov't off their backs.....let alone Privacy Rights, Compassionate Usage for people who are in lots of pain and get RELIEF from cannabis.... When I lived in Mendocino County (part of the 'Emerald Triangle' in NorCal) I was blown away by how prevalent medical marijuana was------ Me, my friends, and a LOT of the people I met grew--- some small time, others more ambitious.....

I hope eventually it's decriminalized because it's just ridiculous and hypocritical that tobacco and alcohol are perfectly legal and socially acceptable, yet marijuana is an evil 'gateway drug'...... Think of the money it would generate if we taxed that shit!!! But, you see, there are industries that DO NOT want cannabis to be legal, because it would bring back HEMP---- and hemp can be used for EVRYTHING---- FOOD/ CLOTHING/ MEDICINE / SHELTER/ FUEL..... it's a wonderfully useful plant......

Most of these industries could profit themselves from hemp being avaliable again. The only industry I imagine that can REALLY and I do mean REALLY see marijuana decriminalization as a threat is the pharmaceutical industry, and I believe they have and still do secretly lobby to keep it demonized and illegal, the money they'd loose if folks could grow pot in there backyard is quiet huge. Call me insane but its already well known how much of a pull these companies have in drug laws, look at psuedoephedrine, they faught tooth in nail to keep the drug legal for years without the restrictions it now has...

Plus it always pissed me off when ppl say marijuana is a gateway drug, if someone smokes pot and desides to get hooked on heroin that is the persons own issues, not pots fault. And as a polydrug user/addict I can attest to myself and a lot of buddies who have noticed that when drunk we get a lot more willing to waste money on such hard drugs such as crack, I find alcohol much more of a gateway to more harder drugs...

its BS, the only fucking thing marijuana is a gateway to is the snack food isle of your the local 7-11 lol...

[Paregoric Kid]

http://forum.opiophile.org/showthread.php?t=22545

[oxydose]

http://forum.opiophile.org/showthread.php?t=22545

Whoops sorry, didn't see that...

We got hit real hard in my area with a icestorm this month, we was declared a disaster area, millions w/o power, just now got Net back up and working a few days ago, still haven't got caught up on new posts.

Anyone know of any posts about the midwestern ice storm anyone posted?

again sorry...

but still good news anyways ;p

[jacky]

wow.

I wasnt expecting Obama or anyone really to deal with this so soon.

the DEA made some raids a week or two after Obama came into office.

I expected he might put this issue off for as long as he could ....maybe not touching it at all if he could.

this is a great bit of news.

unfortunately the state I am in doesnt have medical cannabis. and probably wont for at least a few years.
if that.

this is a great thing for all the people involved in those states.

now the DEA will probably focus on busting the growers for diverting their cannabis.
everybody in the know, knows that because certian states have legalized home and organized grow operations, legally within the state to distribute to the legal medical cannabis clinics, that some growers are illegally diverting the material to people that dont hold prescriptions, or move the cannabis out of state to states that havnt legalized medical cannabis.
its this medically grown cannabis that has been competing a bit with the large BC push, and canadian cannabis that flooded the country in Bush's reign.
so there might still be growers that get busted, who are circumventing the true state and now federal laws.
there will also be alot of people growing illegally, that will go out and get their prescriptions, and keep up growing weed and selling to to people who are not supposed to have access to the plant material.

I also worry that once this balance starts to change, that the pharmaceutical companies are going to muscle in.
really, the whole way that this issue has become "legalized" is HIGHLY against standard protocols of making new substances into legal, recognized drugs.
usually, individuals, the patients, and small clinics, and inevitably people involved with them, are not allowed to be a source of medication/drug production in general.
this is like saying that soon all people on opiates, excluding the opioids, are going to be able to grow their own poppies, produce their own opium and opium isolations, for their and other clinic uses.

the pharm companies and the DEA and the FDA are probably going to fucking tripple whammy this whole thing in the ass, even as it continues to gain popularity.
believe me, the pharmaceutical companies right now are pissed. individuals and direct treatment clinics have just won the right to produce their own medicines.
outside of the FDA and pharmaceutical companies control. there are no standard really yet. the substances are regulated or checked for contaminants, etc.

I am HOPING that this doesnt happen...but I just dont see how it wont come to the attention of these companies and federal regulative agencys, etc.

Its possible though, that because its not a federal law yet, these agencys dont really have a relevance to control an activity that they deem illegal anyway.
I think that the pharmaceutical companies are going to scrambling to get the first patents going on human testing for synthetics to replace medical cannabis.

I am all for medical cannabis.
but in the same light, I wonder,...."well, .....if a cancer patient has the right to grow their own cannabis in some states,....why wouldnt they have the same reason to eventually fight for their rights to grow opium?"

I think that the medical cannabis laws on the state level are going to get a big shot of adrenaline from this.
more and more states are going to legalize now.
even in states where most people feel like its all in vain might start fighting harder for this, as now the feds seem to be willing to turn a blind eye.
so I think we are in store for an interesting few years. the issue will blossom now and start get some major media play perhaps.

the grumpy frumpy ass's standing in the way of people doing what they want will get grumpier.

I think as long as the states are making this legal, the companies might not have alot of pull.
so I think when the issues will get really heated , is when we get to the federal legalization of medical cannabis.
with federal legalization, which could happen if enough states are employing medical cannabis, we will probably see them legalize cannabis for medical use.
and the pharmaceutical companies and the FDA will fight to take hold of the ball and make it their goal to bring this wonderful medicine to the world.
if that happens...if might make it ALOT harder for the legalization of everyones right to smoke cannabis on a federal level.

I am not complaining here.
its just that this subject is alot more complex than I considered it 5-7 years ago.
back then I thought that medical cannabis would sweep the nation sooner.
but then Bush got re-elected, and he immediately helped operation web tryp, operation pipe dreams, and raided alot of clinics of medical cannabis all in the same few weeks.

I think these greedy bastard companies and the FDA are going to try and take this whole thing over.
they see it as their right.

to me, its sad that opium even gets a bad rap from the high times type of crowd, and the "just natural buds man" type of people. for treating illness and pain, opiates are just as important as cannabis.

but will we see the legalization of growing pods in your backyard to supplement your morphine prescription.?
oh hell no.
but its a good dream

I know one thing for sure, that a good argument for doing such a thing is that the drug companies and the FDA have created a process that ends up taking the costs of what should be a cheap compound to supply to people, and make it so costly that it destroys people.
the costs of the alternative for junkies to morphine and heroin, is methadone and buprenorphine.
I cannot afford buprenorphine at all.
I could afford methadone....but I dont think its legal in my county yet. a big change in policy this year, my home state of Idaho let at least one county move a methadone clinic in.
anyway, those compounds are so expensive really...and they shouldnt be.
and especially morphine and codeine, and possibly even some of the semi synths made from the opium alkaloids. those natural compounds shouldnt be expensive AT ALL...they should cost as much as friggin aspirin.
maybe people with insurance dont notice the high prices.
that is of course why the pharm companies like the synthetic patented compounds...big money.

you find that some sick people end up paying more for their pain relief a year than a junky would just having a good time and getting his daily fix.
its sickening.

the legalization of home treatment opium gardens and legal opium product clinics could really help some people with chronic pain, most people with chronic pain, and possibly those with terminal illnesses etc.

well...good news guys, thanks for pulling it to our attention.
I hope the DEA doesnt get nasty over all of this.

[Paregoric Kid]

I don't believe the pharmaceutical companies will be getting in on the action until it is rescheduled federally. there is likely to be some kind of rescheduling if sativex is approved in the US because sativex is made from the actual cannabis plant. there is of course the possibility that the DEA reschedules synthetic CBD and GW Pharmaceuticals reformulates sativex from being made from plant extract to dronabinol and synthetic CBD.
however if they legalized it federally I think the pharmaceutical companies would have competition from state approved dispensaries and home growers. the pharmaceutical companies getting involved wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, the price would drop significantly from current black market prices and I'm sure there would be some high quality forms of cannabis. in a true free market where the pharmaceutical companies didn't have a government sanctioned monopoly the competition between dispensaries would be a good thing because we would have many choices and cheap, good quality products at lower and lower prices.
and I'm with Jacky, its time to start a medical opium movement. of course opium tincture, paregoric, pantopon, etc. are legal prescription drugs, but I believe it should be legal for people to grow their own medicine. I think because they have legal opium is the reason there isn't much of an outcry for legalizing patients growing their own.
just wanted to repost what I said over on the other thread:
I'll believe it when I see the raids actually stop. this Holder doesn't believe the 2nd amendment is an individual right and supports censorship, he is a big douchebag. if this goes the way they say it will that will be fantastic and I can guarantee you will see many more states legalizing medical cannabis. New Hampshire is working on a medical cannabis bill, if that passes I am seriously considering moving there. check out the free state project. under the constitution (specifically the 9th and 10th amendments) the federal government does not have the authority to tell states what they can and can't do concerning cannabis (recreational or medical). a lot of states are passing resolutions that declare their sovereignty under the 9th and 10th amendments. NH, WA, OK, AZ, PA, HI, GA, CA, MO, MT, and other states are working on passing similar resolutions that declare their sovereignty. hopefully the government will listen and stop butting into the business of states.

[limitless_euphoria]

Welll..... IT'S ABOUT FUCKING TIME!!!!!!

A-FUCKIN-MEN!

You know, why not take it one step further--why not legalize it and impose a tax on it to help bail us out of the recession. It's funny because some of the weight-moving dealers I've heard voice their opinions over the years are probably afraid they'll be out of a job if it ever does become legal.

[clinton]

theyre going to treat it like someone who has pharms w/o a prescription
this isnt a step in the right direction, the raids have stepped up,they are going to
make the laws tougher! states rights are being trampled upon
ill add what i discovered a couple days ago later

[pinn3d]

Most of these industries could profit themselves from hemp being avaliable again. The only industry I imagine that can REALLY and I do mean REALLY see marijuana decriminalization as a threat is the pharmaceutical industry, and I believe they have and still do secretly lobby to keep it demonized and illegal, the money they'd loose if folks could grow pot in there backyard is quiet huge. Call me insane but its already well known how much of a pull these companies have in drug laws, look at psuedoephedrine, they faught tooth in nail to keep the drug legal for years without the restrictions it now has...

Plus it always pissed me off when ppl say marijuana is a gateway drug, if someone smokes pot and desides to get hooked on heroin that is the persons own issues, not pots fault. And as a polydrug user/addict I can attest to myself and a lot of buddies who have noticed that when drunk we get a lot more willing to waste money on such hard drugs such as crack, I find alcohol much more of a gateway to more harder drugs...

its BS, the only fucking thing marijuana is a gateway to is the snack food isle of your the local 7-11 lol...
I guess what I meant was that Hemp could replace or detract from other industries... like cotton for example...... its much more efficient to make clothes out of hemp than it is to make them out of cotton.... so you can bet all the cotton farmers don't want hemp to come along.....

There are other examples too..... but sure, if these industries just started using hemp, they would be fine, but it's the older sources/ suppliers that will suffer....

[Paregoric Kid]

hemp is amazing and has a ton of great uses but aside from rope, birdseed, and food products hemp is not really competing as a fuel or clothing material, that doesn't mean we can't use it. I mean we can import all the hemp we want so its not a problem of availability. the reason the DEA won't issue a license to farmers to grow hemp is probably because in their view hemp is marijuana. North Dakota changed their laws so that farmers can grow hemp even without obtaining a DEA license, although the farmers would be subject to DEA raids just like the medical marijuana growers. if they actually stop raiding medical marijuana patients and dispensaries maybe they won't raid hemp farms in states that have passed laws that permit hemp farming.

[KiloByte]

A-FUCKIN-MEN!

You know, why not take it one step further--why not legalize it and impose a tax on it to help bail us out of the recession.

Which is exactly what San Francisco is trying to do.


California would become the first state in the nation to legalize marijuana for recreational use under a bill introduced Monday by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco.

The proposal would regulate marijuana like alcohol, with people over 21 years old allowed to grow, buy, sell and possess cannabis - all of which is barred by federal law.
Ammiano, a Democrat in his third month as a state lawmaker, said taxes and other fees associated with regulation could put more than a billion dollars a year into state coffers at a time when revenues continue to decline.
He said he thinks the federal government could soften its stance on marijuana under the Obama administration.
"We could in fact have the political will to do something, and certainly in the meantime this is a public policy call and I think it's worth the discussion," Ammiano said. "I think the outcome would be very healthy for California and California's economy."
A spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Agency in Washington, D.C., declined to comment on the proposal. A White House spokesman referred to a statement on a question-and-answer section of an Obama transition team blog that says the president "is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana."
While Californians have shown some tolerance for marijuana, such as use for medical conditions with voters' passage of Proposition 215 in 1996, the proposal will face tough opposition in Sacramento.
A lobbyist for key police associations in the state called it "a bad idea whose time has not come."
"The last thing our society needs is yet more legal intoxicants," said John Lovell, who represents the California Peace Officers' Association, California Police Chiefs Association and California Narcotic Officers' Association. "We've got enough social problems now when people aren't in charge of all five of their senses."
But Ammiano's proposal has the support of San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey, who said the idea "should be the subject of legislative and public debate."
It also has the backing of Betty Yee, who chairs the state Board of Equalization, which collects taxes in California. An analysis by the agency concluded the state would collect $1.3 billion a year from tax revenues and a $50-an-ounce levy on retail sales if marijuana were legal.
The analysis also concluded that legalizing marijuana would drop its street value by 50 percent and increase consumption of the substance by 40 percent.
A spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates for reform in marijuana laws and is backing Ammiano's proposal, said any expected increase in consumption is a "false notion."
"They are making an intuitive assumption that a lot of people make that really does not have that much evidence behind it," said Bruce Mirken, the group's spokesman, who predicted it could take up to two years before the idea wins legislative approval.
"Don't tell me that doing something like (this) proposal is going to introduce another drug into society. That's a load of bull."


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/23/BAO416354C.DTL

[jacky]

absolutely mindblowing.

after the recent policy change regarding medicinal cannabis grow operations and clinics...
this is almost too much for me to believe.

if cannabis gets legalized in CA for recreational use,...the DEA is going to split taking a shit.

I know that SF and Santa Cruz city halls have supported and aided in trying to protect clinics, patients, and care givers in their rights to use cannabis. a few years ago, these city halls became the collection hub for those counties medical cannabis supply.

that this bill was even proposed is a huge step forward.

the fiscal reasoning alone is hard to argue with. the largest cash crop in the USA and many other countries probably, funding organized crime for all these years, is a crime in and of itself.