Marijuana must be legalized.

[Uncle Joe]

Link to tweet

[guillaumeb]

1. Recommended.

It is now legal for personal consumption in Illinois.

[mucifer]

2. Yup, I agree. But, not my number one issue. Might be number 10

[RandySF]

3. Agree but but as far as my list goes...

1. Beating Trump
20. Legal pot

[getagrip_already]

4. So what?

Legalization is already happening state by state. Governors are already doing this.

And that was going on even under jeff sessions.

Potus really doesn't have much to say about it. About the most a potus could do is reschedule it off of schedule 1 and remove it from the screening tests for federal workers.

If sanders were so concerned, why doesn't he sponsor legislation preventing companies from testing for it in the workplace?

It's just a talking point for him. He doesn't care. He has no power over it and wouldn't as potus.

[getagrip_already]

5. just for full disclosure...

I live in a rec legal state where I can consume, posses, grow, and even gift cannabis. I have plants (bodhi elfenstone) growing right now but I don't smoke personally.

So I obviously support legalization. I just don't think it's a huge deal for potus positioning.

[Uncle Joe]

10. To your previous post, the President has the power of the bully pulpit

to champion progressive change.

Furthermore Bernie isn't just for legalization but to also expunge the records of the millions of Americans convicted for non-violent cannabis possession, disproportionately affecting minorities and poor whites.

This is a civil rights issue as well.

[getagrip_already]

12. absolutely.. but

The next potus will have to rebuild a federal govt torn to shreds and stuffed with racists. The economy will be a hot mess; every remedy has already been recklessly spent - noo money forstimulus, no interest rate reductions possible - etc. We will be on the brink of several wars and our allies hate us. The environment is ready to collapse. The federal courts are a disaster. Scotus nearly so.

I can wait on cannabis bully. As long as the march in the states continues, the feds will soon follow - regardless of which party is in power.

I have a long list of musts. Cannabis reform is way, way down and not a must.

Fairness? How about imigration reform? How about voting protections? How anout military restructuring?

States are addressing the incarcerated. At least those with dem governors and state houses.

[Uncle Joe]

13. Bernie is not proposing cannabis legalization as the be all in his plethora of

policy proposals which include immigration reform, criminal justice reform, taking on the military industrial complex, the prison industrial complex, Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, free college and trade school tuition, wiping out medical and educational debt, raising the minimum wage to $15.00 an hour and voting rights reform etc. etc. etc.

[progressoid]

80. You can wait. Gee, that's nice.

Millions of Americans can't.

Every 25 seconds, someone in America is arrested for drug possession. The number of Americans arrested for possession has tripled since 1980, reaching 1.3 million arrests per year in 2015—six times the number of arrests for drug sales.

One-fifth of the incarcerated population—or 456,000 individuals—is serving time for a drug charge. Another 1.15 million people are on probation and parole for drug-related offenses.

...

Black Americans are four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana charges than their white peers. In fact, black Americans make up nearly 30 percent of all drug-related arrests, despite accounting for only 12.5 percent of all substance users.

Black Americans are nearly six times more likely to be incarcerated for drug-related offenses than their white counterparts, despite equal substance usage rates. Almost 80 percent of people serving time for a federal drug offense are black or Latino. In state prisons, people of color make up 60 percent of those serving time for drug charges.

In the federal system, the average black defendant convicted of a drug offense will serve nearly the same amount of time (58.7 months) as a white defendant would for a violent crime (61.7 months).

People of color account for 70 percent of all defendants convicted of charges with a mandatory minimum sentence. Prosecutors are twice as likely to pursue a mandatory minimum sentence for a black defendant than a white defendant charged with the same offense, and black defendants are less likely to receive relief from mandatory minimums.On average, defendants subject to mandatory minimums spend five times longer in prison than those convicted of other offenses.

...

Since 1971, the war on drugs has cost the United States an estimated $1 trillion. In 2015, the federal government spent an estimated $9.2 million every day to incarcerate people charged with drug-related offenses—that’s more than $3.3 billion annually.

State governments spent another $7 billion in 2015 to incarcerate individuals for drug-related charges. North Carolina, for example, spent more than $70 million incarcerating people for drug possession. And Georgia spent $78.6 million just to lock up people of color for drug offenses—1.6 times more than the state’s budget current for substance use treatment services.

In contrast, marijuana legalization would save roughly $7.7 billion per year in averted enforcement costs and would yield an additional $6 billion in tax revenue. The net total—$13.7 billion—could send more than 650,000 students to public universities every year.

...https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/criminal-justice/reports/2018/06/27/452819/ending-war-drugs-numbers/

[getagrip_already]

84. drug possession is a lot broader than cannabis possession....

Yes, there are still a lot of people who are cited for cannabis possession, but typically that is a citation and no arrest is made. It still involves court, and legal feesw, but getting caught with a joint isn't a felony. Getting caught with a pound is a different story. Getting caught with a grow is a different story again.

So yeah, that needs to be fixed. Penalties for possession of drugs not intended for sale needs to be addressed, but that includes meth, crack, heroin, and even molly.

The cannabis legalization train is moving fast. It will take longer in some places, but it will happen.

[progressoid]

85. Black Americans are 4 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana charges than their white peers.

That alone should be enough for any Democratic candidate to act.

Waiting for the states to fix this adds insult to injury to Black Americans.

[Thekaspervote]

15. All governors that are legalizing weed are exspuning criminal records

[mwooldri]

22. Cannabis still not legal at federal level.

Though you're right about one thing: Congress as a whole could legalise the stuff without Presidential approval.

Though with some safety critical stuff cannabis should still be tested for. I don't want a load of high truck drivers on the road.

[getagrip_already]

31. The problem with testing...

Is you can test positive for over 30 days after you last used it. There is no science linking it to impairment like their is for alcohol.

Thc is hydrophobic so it takes up residence in fat cells. As you burn fat, very small amounts get released and you will test positive but not be high.

So testing doesn't protect you other than assure you haven't used recently.

[dewsgirl]

29. For those of us stuck in Florida and other states with

Republican senators, it's an important one.

[George II]

6. How does he feel about penalties for powder cocaine vs. crack cocaine?

[Uncle Joe]

8. Aren't you from Canada George? Here is one of the responses to Bernie on the link.

[George II]

9. No I'm not, Joe.

[sheshe2]

38. No

George is not from Canada. He is a US citizen.

What a nasty attack on a DUer. Why do you do that?

PS. I am from MA and they just opened a Pot store a mile from my house.

Two things.

1 One not the most pressing issue on voters minds....

2 Already done in many states.

[Uncle Joe]

39. It wasn't an attack, it was a question,

George has the Canadian Maple Leaf as his avatar.

[Voltaire2]

43. So it is an insult to think somebody is Canadian?

Odd. I like Canadians myself.

[sheshe2]

44. Odd that you have no clue who George is.

He has made it clear to all that read knows he is an American voter.

You seem to know nothing of a man that has posted here since 2005. But you and Joe wish to call him out as Canadian and not a US citizen.

Odd that George. Sid And Nance are often called out for being Canadian and have no voice here. You have never seen that?

[Voltaire2]

47. I don't care who he is. Why is being Canadian an

insult?

[MrsCoffee]

52. The question appeared designed to dismiss the poster as not American, not important.

Why else throw that diversion in there at that point?

That’s how it was an insult.

[Uncle Joe]

62. "Not American not important" you say.

1. There was nothing dismissive about the post, being Canadian is not an insult, hell I admire them, they have more freedom than we do.

2. Being from Canada doesn't even mean you're not a U.S. citizen that can vote, anymore than being from Ireland, Egypt, Japan or anywhere else in the world as point of origin, now Trump might view such as an insult, but that's because he's a xenophobe.

[progressoid]

81. Here's a tip.

A lot of us don't have disposable time to spend making a list of every DUers personal life story.

[sheshe2]

86. I have a good memory.

I don't need a list. Nor do I need to know their whole life story, just an awareness.

[MrsCoffee]

50. Wtf? As usual, a swing and a miss.

This leap explains so much.

[GemDigger]

7. Bernie, If that is your "must" then I pity the country.

A fucking million things MORE important than fucking weed. I am a 50 year smoker so stop the fucking whining and grow the hell up.

[Newest Reality]

11. How do you feel,

about the effect of the penalties of its criminal status when it comes to the poor and minorities, (who are disproportionately affected) as well families and community that are impacted by that?

I haven't put the recreational use above the punitive aspects that are severely disruptive and damaging, again with concern for minorities as an important matter. I think that is the thrust of legalization. It is one thing to want to make it legal for the enjoyment of it and quite another when it comes to medical issues and imprisonment. Both of those are critical to me, still.

There are impediments involved with the federal scheduling at that level.

Is that important on the list?

[GemDigger]

14. Of course the system needs to be fixed but it is not the #1 issue

right now. This is not the year for it to be number one on my list. The past 10 years it was and maybe (all things going right) next year it will be again but not this election.

And the President doesn't have say on state rights. That is a local matter, Take it up with your state, start petitioning, gather signatures, make sure you vote the right people in EVERY election starting with dog catcher all the way up to governor.

[Thekaspervote]

16. Legalization is happening as we speak. Offenders are being set free with clean records

[Thekaspervote]

17. Amen to that one

[progressoid]

82. You know it is possible to do more than one thing at a time right?

I don't see where anyone is saying this is their one and only priority.

[melman]

18. Why is this the one issue where people feel comfortable saying

"it's not important if it's not important to me"? What an effed up way to look at the world.


This issue is important to many millions of people.

[Uncle Joe]

20. I believe that's from decades of demonization

by the corporate media conglomerates, "reefer madness," combined with so called "War on Drugs."

It's highly ironic but I believe every U.S. President after H.W. Bush smoked weed at some point in their lives except Trump.

[sheshe2]

78. Lol. nt

[The Valley Below]

19. It is important to me to keep marijuana use by teens down to a minimum

since heavy pot consumption by adolescents can cut 6-10 points of lifetime IQs, impair cognitive functioning, impair short term memory, make learning new subjects difficult, make it hard to retain information, can alter brain development, cause poor educational outcomes, increasing risks of school dropouts, diminish life satisfaction and achievement, and increase risks of psychotic disorders.

Not to mention exacerbating trends toward terrible political judgements.

The "legalization" here in CA has been a total disaster in terms of protecting teens and pre-teens. The "market" is now dominated by illicit and unregulated enterprises that often knowingly sell to minors.

No one wants adults going to jail over pot possession or consumption, but we need to do far (far) better that the wild west show here in CA as we have a public heath and education crisis in our schools that is being almost completely ignored.

We will pay a huge price as a society for being so reckless and irresponsible.

[Uncle Joe]

21. We have been paying a huge price with the highest prison population in the world

here in the land of the free.

Not to mention countless lives and families destroyed disproportionately minorities by our shortsighted draconian polices.

I agree that teens shouldn't use weed but our policies should be geared toward education, prevention and rehab treatment not incarceration into our "universities of crime."

[The Valley Below]

23. You don't solve one problem by creating another disaster.

Failure in school due to drug abuse will hit minority communities very hard. Don't kid yourself.

The CA experiment has been a complete failure when it comes to keeping THC products (and especially vape products) away from minors.

Any teen with a cell phone can get a vape pen delivered in minutes, no questions asked.

Concerned teachers are sending up red-flags that are being largely ignored.

We have a crisis on our hands that has not yet received the attention it deserves.

[Uncle Joe]

24. I believe much of that is due to the baggage carried forward from approximately

80 years of prohibition creating a strong black market to begin with combined that with some shortcomings in California's law which gives illicit operations too many advantages over their relatively few legal shops.

One thing is for certain you don't solve problems by repeating the sames mistakes over and over.

The war against cannabis has been a tragic long time failure and believe it or not there was cannabis use in schools long before this law was passed.

Here is a nice article on California's law and its' shortcomings.

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/12/californias-legal-pot-industry-is-struggling.html

[The Valley Below]

27. No. The black market has exploded since recreational use became legal.

Illicit dispensaries look like licensed dispensaries. Same with illegal delivery services. Both show up on services like Weedmaps.

These sorts of illegal enterprises largely did not exist under our previous legal medical marijuana scheme. And illegal vape products were not flooding the schools. The previous scheme worked well in providing any adult who wanted legal weed a lawful supply.

You say: "you don't solve problems by repeating the same mistakes over and over." I could not agree more.

States considering de-criminalization/legalization would do well not to make the same mistakes that we have made in California.

Legal pot enterprises are in financial trouble, the promised tax revenues are not being collected, and the illegal enterprises that do not pay for permits and do not pay taxes (and often do sell to minors) are booming.

This in an insane situation. And those being hurt the worst are students.

You are vastly underestimating the amount of pot (vape) consumption by high school and middle school students now vs decades past. The very easy access combined with the discrete nature of vaping means kids are now frequently getting high on campuses, and hitting vape pens during passing periods. Teaches here say they have never seen anything like it and are dismayed by the negative impacts on learning. Huge problem.

I hope other places don't make the same mistakes we have here. We have been both reckless and irresponsible in how we've dealt with legalization.

[Uncle Joe]

30. Provide some links to that please. n/t

[msongs]

33. you may find this odd but the illegal cartel undercutting high govt prices has no links lol nt

[Uncle Joe]

35. Surely there are publications on the issue with some form of statistics. n/t

[The Valley Below]

37. Nah. You can look for your own links. I deal with school officials and students in the real world.

I trust what these compassionate teachers and counselors and young people are telling parents.

I don't have a "link" for my real world experiences. This is not a game.

And as I said, this crisis is largely being ignored in the press. That can't last.

[tonedevil]

64. Not going to join your...

Weed with its roots in hell campaign. Enforcement may not be stringent enough, but nowhere that has legalized recreational use has allowed minors as part of that legislation. Not going to allow bullshit won't somebody think of the children to be used as an argument against adult use. No matter how bad marijuana might be for you, my 40+ year experiment indicates not that much, jail is worse.

[The Valley Below]

65. LOL. No "weeds in hell" campaign, pal.

Just a recognition that the CA implementation of marijuana legalization has been a total disaster.

Illegal enterprises dominate the market, which means promised tax revenues are down. More worrisome is the explosion of teens vaping THC (heavy usage) which is undermining academic performance and badly messing up student's futures.

You are not thinking clearly on this issue.

[tonedevil]

66. We distinctly are not pals...

nothing you say makes me think that legalizing recreational marijuana for adults is anything but a good idea. Since no one endorses recreational teen use regardless of form your beef is with enforcement.

[The Valley Below]

68. Pretty hostile responses.

There is virtually NO ENFORCEMENT of marijuana laws here is SoCal, along with many proponents denying that we've got a problem.

Including users attempting to shout down and insult people who see that we've got a serious issue with teen (and pre-teen) use by students at school.

This is a public health and educational crisis that is going to have massive costs as kids dropout of school or otherwise fail to thrive.

We can't afford to waste young people's potentials.

[tonedevil]

69. I still don't think...

recreational marijuana should be illegal for adults. As I said your beef is with enforcement.

[The Valley Below]

70. Did I say it should be illegal for adults? You are creating straw men.

But any sane legalization scheme had damn well better do a better job protecting young people that the failed system we have here.

Bill

[tonedevil]

71. Your beef is with enforcement....

the law is written to prohibit recreational use by minors.

[The Valley Below]

73. The law is also supposed to require that dispensaries and delivery services have permits.

That's not happening. And minors have open access.

Other states should learn from the catastrophic failure here in CA.

We have screwed up royally.

[tonedevil]

87. That's what I'm saying....

it's not that the law is improper it is a lack of enforcing it.

[The Valley Below]

88. It all goes together. I think any state that legalizes would be wise to require a large fund

funded by sales that makes sure the market remains highly regulated and well-policed.

We have chaos here, with no real enforcement and no funding set aside to pay for it.

Other states should be smarter than following CA's model. It is a disaster and the full extent of the problem with teen vaping has not yet hit the greater public consciousness. But teachers know. And they are really worried about the welfare for their students.

We screwed up.

[tonedevil]

90. I live in Northern California...

my experience is substantially different than yours. All I can speak of is my nieces and nephew in how legalizing has effected youth. They all seem to be doing OK, decent grades no arrests. I'm sure all but one go to parties where alcohol and marijuana are consumed and I imagine they have personal experiences with one or both. They don't seem to be navigating through their youth much differently than my, now adults in their thirties, daughters or even myself did for that matter.
I do not share your concern or conclusions. If teens in your area are gone wild maybe someone should be doing something about that. Turning back te clock on marijuana legalization doesn't strike me as the way.

[The Valley Below]

91. I'd suggest you check in with the locals schools. The ones here are reporting major problems.

I hope Northern California has been less negatively impacted, but highly doubt that's the case.

I'm sorry that you don't share my concerns about teens using at high rates at school. That's very unfortunate.

[tonedevil]

92. To whom are they reporting...

major problems? I know that candy flavored nicotine vaping is a well reported problem. What I haven't heard about is an epidemic of teenagers so whacked out on pot they are failing school en masse.
One thing I don't understand is what you think we are supposed to be doing. Do you think the legislation is inadequate? Is there some change or addition you would make to fix the problem you perceive? How is what you are describing not a problem of enforcement?

[The Valley Below]

93. They are telling parents. To whom else they are sharing the stories, I do not know.

I think there are a few problems.

One is total lack of enforcement, as no one seems to care anymore about enforcing drug laws--even when minors are harmed.

Two is that vape products are inherently discreet and selling fruit flavors is a way to hook kids on both nicotine and THC.

And third (and probably most significant) is having adults denying the harms of marijuana consumption on young brains is a serious problem. Too many people irresponsibly claim that marijuana is harmless, when that's just not the case.

[Mariana]

25. Is a higher percentage of minors using it than before legalization? nt.

[The Valley Below]

34. According to teachers and school staff in my local (Los Angeles) schools, yes. Massive increases.

They report a drastic upsurge in use by students on campus during school hours. Unprecedented levels of use.

They also report the predicable declines in learning, increased dropouts, and other problems associated with students being high at school.

Yet this remains a crisis that no one seems to be talking about or addressing yet. We will pay a big price for remaining blind to an obvious problem, methinks.

[58Sunliner]

56. I see problems with nicotine vaping-not necessarily THC. Do you have any links?

Do you have any proof that THC causes "increase risks of psychotic disorders"?
"Not to mention exacerbating trends toward terrible political judgements."-BS. As a native Californian, weed was always available as a teenager. The most intelligent, progressive students were the smokers. The hard part of life was the denial in society about violence, sexism, racism, and corruption.

[The Valley Below]

58. Here is some well-respected research on the increase risks of psychotic disorders in adolescents

who consume heavy amounts of marijuana:

23. Patton GC, Coffey C, Carlin JB, Degenhardt L, Lynskey M, Hall W. Cannabis use and mental health in young people: cohort study. BMJ. 2002;325:1195–8. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

24. Caspi A, Moffitt TE, Cannon M, et al. Moderation of the effect of adolescent-onset cannabis use on adult psychosis by a functional polymorphism in the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene: longitudinal evidence of a gene X environment interaction. Biol Psychiatry. 2005;57:1117–27. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

25. Di Forti M, Sallis H, Allegri F, et al. Daily use, especially of high-potency cannabis, drives the earlier onset of psychosis in cannabis users. Schizophr Bull. 2014 Mar 19; (Epub ahead of print) [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

As far as increased use and availability, the factors that have chanced are the ubiquity of vape pens that---unlike smoking joints, etc--are very stealthy and have lead to a massive increase of use on campus during school hours (which negatively impacts learning in a dramatic fashion) and the rise of illegal delivery services that supply any minors with a cell phone within the hour.

Heavy use my teen is causing serious problems and at a scale the schools have never (ever) witnessed before.

Shame on us if we stick out heads in the sand.

[The Valley Below]

74. Thank you for your insulting comments.

[58Sunliner]

89. I apologize. I was rude and have no excuse.

[The Valley Below]

94. Apology accepted.

I'm not a troll. Just a parent who is trying to figure out how to balance the rights and needs of all members of our society in a way that makes sense.

No hard feelings.

[apcalc]

83. Causes problems in older people too...

And is linked with incidence of increased auto accidents in states in which it has been legalized.

Personally, I think inhaling anything aside from air or oxygen is bad for the body.

MEDICAL USES ARE FINE. OTHERWISE COUNT ME A “ no”.

[ehrnst]

26. So how does a POTUS do that?

Exactly?

[Uncle Joe]

32. To begin with take it off schedule one while using the "bully pulpit" to support

legalization candidates at the federal, state and local levels.

[ehrnst]

36. Oh yes, the bully pulpit.

Guaranteed to work....

State governments will all just fall in line.

Just like they did with the ACA, during the Obama administration.

Remember when they just stopped passing laws to create obstacles to women getting abortions when Obama spoke about a woman's right to choose?

And they dropped the bathroom bills for trans women?

And police stopped shooting unarmed black men?

And sensible gun laws got passed?



BTW - how does the POTUS take a drug off schedule one?

[Autumn]

53. Cannabis may be rescheduled at the executive level by the President of the United States.

Also the HHS Secretary has the power to reschedule cannabis in their own right, if they so choose. So. The President, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Congress all have the power to reschedule cannabis. Looks like they can do a lot, without your mockable bully pulpit if they want to.

[NNadir]

40. Yeah, otherwise people might actually be able to think clearly.

Broader access to pot will definitely allow for marginal candidates with a noticeable inability to new idea since the 1960's, and still stuck there, to sound reasonable and presidential.

Personally, I recall a time when the "freedom" to be stoned was actually less important than, um, human poverty, environmental destruction, racism, etc...

I guess I'm old fashioned.

I think pot is bad for people.

[Uncle Joe]

41. You're not old fashioned for your beliefs regarding cannabis but

your point of view is highly restrictive to believe that because Bernie supports legalization of cannabis means that's the be all of his policies or the most important.

From my post# 13

"Bernie is not proposing cannabis legalization as the be all in his plethora of

policy proposals which include immigration reform, criminal justice reform, taking on the military industrial complex, the prison industrial complex, Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, free college and trade school tuition, wiping out medical and educational debt, raising the minimum wage to $15.00 an hour and voting rights reform etc. etc. etc."

[NNadir]

42. Well actually, I think this is Senator Sanders best idea of all.

That's not saying much.

He hasn't had, as far as I can tell, an original idea since, I don't know, maybe 1969. He's running a great campaign, but unfortunately he's running against Richard Nixon.

Sorry, but I prefer candidates with intellectual flexibility; including the ability to change one's mind. Senator Sanders clearly lacks that ability, and I want no part of whatever it is that his supporters are smoking.

[Polybius]

45. A 38 year old woman at my job just got fired for sneaking out to smoke pot

If it's not addicting then why did she have such an urge to sneak out and smoke it, rather than wait till after her shift? The world would be better off if no one smoked it.

[Uncle Joe]

46. What if she had snuck out to have a martini lunch,

should Prohibition against alcohol be reinstated again?

[MH1]

49. She might have lost her job for that, too

Depending on the employer.

And I don't disagree that someone should at least be reprimanded for consuming alcohol or psychoactive drugs DURING the workday. (And, did she drive to/from?) Losing their job .. to me that's harsh but if the penalty is clearly stated in the agreement of employment, that's life.

[Mariana]

67. That's completely different.

There is zero doubt that alcohol is addictive, and that withdrawal from it can be deadly.

[Demsrule86]

76. Driving and working under the influence of any drug or alcohol will never be permissible...and weed

can be psychologically addictive.

[MH1]

48. Not NEARLY as important as dumping Trump.

I agree marijuana should be legalized.

Capital punishment should end, too.

But neither is as important as dumping Trump.

[wendyb-NC]

51. I agree 100%.

[The Wizard]

54. Trump will win in a landslide

if he legalizes recreational cannabis. And he will legalize it as it isn't as severe as shooting someone on 5th Avenue or kidnapping at the southern border.

[lark]

55. I really like a lot of Bernie's policies,

it's the person himself I don't trust. Hiring as your top campaign staff 2 people who voted and worked for Jill Stein against Hillary is just disqualifying in my book.

Of course I will vote for him if he is our general nominee and will even work for his election - it's what has to be done in the face of an existential threat - drumpf's planned destruction of the USA in favor of Russia.

[Skid Rogue]

57. I would love to see marijuana legalized,

but it's not a priority issue. Our first priority must be putting a Democrat in the White House.

[Demsrule86]

59. Can I have a unicorn too? I have just as much chance of getting one as anyone has of getting

legalization through Congress...it will happen at the state level.

[gulliver]

60. A good argument suffers from an ineffective advocate.

Bernie shouldn't drag down progress on legalization by trying to harness it for his campaign. The states are leading the way and momentum is rapidly growing. We don't need legalization associated with Bernie's negatives.

He is not persuasive. That's his biggest problem. We need persuasive.

[beachbumbob]

61. It is in Illinois now

[Midnight Writer]

72. I like the State by State approach.

By all means, remove pot from the Schedule 1 register and expunge minor non-violent drug offenses.

But I like the idea of a diverse market, with lots of small business people running things. Most States require locally (in State) produced pot. Many "craft" producers putting out quality products with limited chemicals. Local jobs and lots of tax revenue going to local governments.

My fear is, as with everything else, the corporations and billionaires will take over. Employees will get screwed, quality will be sacrificed for cheap production, taxes will be evaded.

I prefer the the Main Street business model, with Mom and Pop stores that pay their taxes, reward their customers with quality products, and pay their employees and their taxes.

I also like the idea of Red Staters flocking to Blue States to buy pot, spending their money and giving us their tax dollars. Makes up for the subsidies we Blue folk have been providing to the Red folk. I know, before our State went legal, many folks were planning their vacations to go to legal States and stocking up. Get a little something you can't get at home.

Also, for now, a political wedge issue in Red States. You would be surprised at how many older conservative folks would like to buy pot in a well appointed store rather than in the alley behind the local Denny's, where the market is run by criminals with absolutely no assurance of quality.

[The Mouth]

75. It is a 'necessary' but not 'sufficient' condition

Anyone against legalization is a fascist asshole, period.

Fortunately, even Joe has come around

Even a fair number of conservatives realize it's the ultimate 'State's rights " issue.

[Mersky]

77. Legalization and the plight of the bees

Are two things that some tRumpers and I have nearly agreed on. However that, they cannot sit still for an explanation of democratic socialism. They just can’t hear the words I’m saying for all the anti-socialism and owning the libs claptrap ping-ponging around in their heads.

So Bernie is totally correct, but still has a steep hill to climb in other areas.

[walkingman]

79. Tell it!