White House hints at enforcing federal marijuana law in all states; compares weed to opioid crisis

[Miles Archer]

White House hints at enforcing federal marijuana law in all states; compares weed to opioid crisis



http://www.ktnv.com/news/national/white-house-hints-at-enforcing-federal-marijuana-law-in-all-states

While marijuana has remained a banned substance under federal law, eight states have approved recreational marijuana use. But those laws only protect citizens from prosecution from state and local officials.

"There is a big difference between (medical marijuana) and recreational marijuana," Spicer said. "When you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states, the last thing we should be doing is encouraging people. There is still a federal law we have to abide by."

It appears Spicer's comments would also have the backing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Sessions is on record in the past saying that “Good people don’t smoke marijuana” and that “marijuana is not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized” and that it is “a very real danger.”

[riversedge]

1. I knew this was coming--it was only a matter of time. They create a crisis and now Trump has to fit

it.

[underpants]

2. THAT dude does not abide

[vi5]

3. This(legalization) is one of those no brainer issues Dems should throw their weight behind....

Absolutely this was one of the missed opportunities of the Clinton campaign (and I feel many Democratic campaigns). I don't personally smoke but enough people do and enough of those people are passionate about the issue that they could have been a sizable enough voting block to swing an election. And yes, I know as with so many other issues Republicans will always be worse. But that's not the same thing as a campaign or candidate coming out forcefully for it and getting people to the polls with that issue.

At this point in time and in history nobody who still believes that pot is bad are going to vote for Democrats anyway, so staking a solid position and claim on this issue alienates absolutely no one.

[NoGoodNamesLeft]

12. This is one of the reasons I can never register as a Democrat.

I am passionately opposed to recreational use. My ex was addicted to marijuana, abused me and our kids, let us go without needs so he could buy it and get high and our children were forever traumatized because of it. I will never vote for anyone who supports recreational use.

[Calculating]

20. Wait, what?

I could replace cannabis in your story with alcohol, and it would be another one of millions of abusive alcoholic stories.

[Ohioblue22]

23. it was addiction that beat you up not cannibus

seems ridiculously myopic. you would permit the madness of trump

if hillary suppprted recreational pot? the democratic party supports recreational pot .

[Charles Bukowski]

4. Good luck enforcing that law, racist dipshit.

Are you going to have install checkpoints for pot-smokers all over the country?

[Miles Archer]

8. In theory, they could just set up a checkpoint at every dispensary

When you pay for a purchase at a dispensary they staple the bag and caution you against opening it because it could constitute an "open container."

But all the cops would need to do is see you enter, see you leave with that bag in your hand, pull you over, open the bag, and enforce the "federal regulations."

If Trump is willing to spend billions on mass deportations and his "wall," he'll spend billions on this too.

[Calculating]

10. Or people in these states could actually you know, fight back

Pretty sure they outnumber the enforcers by quite a large margin. Something something about second amendment solutions to tyranny like Trumpster was recommending if Hillary won.

[Miles Archer]

14. When I lived in Colorado Springs, the sole recreational facility was Maggie's Farm

In their first three months of operation, they sent about $1 million per month back to the county.

If Sessions decides to bring the hammer down on this, the people on the receiving end of those payments will not simply shrug their shoulders and say "OK."

[Charles Bukowski]

19. The local police have already made it pretty clear they're not going to act as Trump's Gestapo.

But if he's willing to spend billions hiring more federal agents, for the sole purpose of jailing pot-smokers (I feel insane just typing that), he's more than welcome to suffer the backlash such an idiotic move would cause.

[Caliman73]

5. Sean, the 80's called. They want their antiquated ideology back!

What a ridiculous bunch of shit! Comparing the opioid situation with cannabis use?

That piece of shit doesn't even understand or care that the opioid crisis was begun by the over prescription of medications, pushed by pharmaceutical companies and abetted by doctors who can charge clients for a quick fix rather than working responsibly on pain management through use of analgesics, physical therapy, and mental health counseling. They want to compare one of the most addictive substances to cannabis, which has habituation associated, but which has been actually shown to correlate with less use of opiates.

This is just about racism and punching hippies. They are going after the progressive states as revenge for the election.

[ecstatic]

6. And now, "Trump admin rescinds plan to reduce private prison use"

The Trump administration is rolling back an Obama-era plan to phase out the federal government's use of private prisons.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions sent a memo Thursday to the Bureau of Prisons rescinding the Obama administration's Aug. 16 order advising the bureau not to renew any contracts with private prisons, according to a copy of the letter.

Then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates had instructed officials to either not renew private prison contracts or substantially reduce the scope of such contracts to ultimately end the department's use of privately operated prisons altogether.


In a brief memo Thursday, Sessions said Yates’s order "changed the long-standing policy and practice, and impaired the Bureau’s ability to meet the future needs of the federal correctional system."
“Therefore, I direct the Bureau to return to its previous approach,” he wrote.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/320915-trump-admin-rescinds-plan-to-reduce-private-prisons

Hmmm I wonder if those two things are related. And what happened to all the "States rights" Spicer went on and on about during the SAME briefing? States rights for transgendered kids, but not when it comes to recreational / harmless drugs? I don't smoke, but this angers me on so many levels. I'm especially angry at all the people who actually smoke weed who didn't bother to vote.

[suffragette]

11. Very good point in connecting the two. Looks like another money making venture disguised

as safety concern.

Majority of these states did not vote for Trump. I'd bet these are the ones they'll go after hardest and first.

Pretty clear they only voice support of state rights when they disagree with a federal directive.

Money grubbing hypocrites.

[Calculating]

7. Hoping this is more 'fake news'

Overwhelmingly, the results in legal states have been positive. Big tax dollars are being brought in, jobs are being created, opiate use rates are going down, and we're no longer ruining lives over something less harmful than alcohol/tobacco/opiates. What better way to throw the 2018 elections to the dems, look like utter hypocrites on state rights, and screw over the economy of states which have legalized?

This is the Republican chance to show that they'll actually respect FREEDOM, and not try their usual shit where they force morality down everybody's throats. Is this REALLY the thing they want to alienate >50% of the country over?

[C_U_L8R]

9. If they really were concerned for the nation's health

They'd go after Rush Limbaugh and his Dr Feelgoods.

[BeckyDem]

13. How else will they fill the for PROFIT prisons?

[Calculating]

16. If our country had any decency whatsoever

Private profit prisons would be constitutionally illegal.

[BeckyDem]

18. Good thought, I wonder if they can attack it from a constitutional angle.

Appears to be a clear conflict of interest.

[JudyM]

15. Um, why not deal with the opioid crisis?

[Calculating]

17. Because that one makes money for big pharma

..

[JudyM]

21. Yep.

They want the states to be able to do whatever they want re: LGBT bigotry, abortion, guns, etc but not marijuana.

[tblue37]

22. Jerks. If people could use weed for pain relief, they would not need to turn to opioids.

Marijuana can relieve a lot of pain, and it doesn't carry the risks of opioids.