Senators Feinstein, Bayh and Grassley lead the fight against the pot brownies menace!

[Better Believe It]

Senate Votes to Double Fines, Jail Time for Pot Brownies
By: Michael Whitney
July 30, 2010

Last night the United States Senate voted to double the penalties for the nation’s newest existential threat: brownies made with marijuana!

The Senate unanimously passed Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)’s “Saving Kids from Dangerous Drugs Act of 2009″ (S. 258) that targets pot brownies and other marijuana edibles preferred by some medical marijuana patients. The bill next moves to the House; if it passes that chamber, anyone making pot brownies or similar products could be subject to double the fines and jail time for regular marijuana.

Marijuana prohibitionists often hide behind vague threats to children, and DiFi’s bill is no different. Her “Saving Kids from Dangerous Drugs Act” is framed to make politicians afraid to oppose. “How dare you voted against saving kids from dangerous drugs?”

But DiFi doubled down on the “Reefer Madness”-style hysteria. In championing this bill, Feinstein raised the spectre of “candy flavored meth” as the target of her bill. Something tells me that once, sometime, somewhere, someone claimed to have found candy-flavored meth, probably cut with pixie stix. DiFi ran with this to cover for her true target: marijuana edibles.

Really? Pot Brownies?

Yep. While DiFi’s public line was all “candy flavored meth,” the bill is written broadly enough that pot brownies and other marijuana edibles can be grouped into the law. She mentioned marijuana products in her support of the legislation, of course, but she sought to distract.

Dianne Feinstein is one of the most vocal opponents to Prop 19. Thought she’s not up for reelection, like other Democratic opponents of legalization in California, Feinstein not only opposes Prop 19, but is actively supporting the campaign to defeat the initiative. In order to help the cause of marijuana prohibitionists, she started to move her anti-pot brownie bill.

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/07/30/senate-votes-to-double-fines-jail-time-for-pot-brownies/


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The Senate voted to pass by unanimous consent (that it, without a roll call vote) S. 258, known colloquially as the Saving Kids From Dangerous Drugs Act of 2010, introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and co-sponsored by Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Charles Grassley (R-IA). While the bill is intended to keep drug dealers from cutting their product with sweets in order to make them more marketable to children, it applies to any drug mixed with with something that modifies its flavor -- as making pot brownies does -- if the person making the brownies "intends" to give it to someone under 18. At that point, the person making the pot brownies would be subject to twice the normal penalty of any person caught distributing weed.

Michael Whitney at Firedoglake reports that Feinstein is an active part of the campaign to defeat California's Proposition 19, which would legalize marijuana in the state. Medical marijuana is already legal in the state, and many people who use medical marijuana do so by mixing it with food in order to counteract the hazards of smoking.


http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/senate-cant-pass-tax-cuts-but-it-can-raise-penalties-on-pot-brownies.php?ref=mp

[Jackpine Radical]

1. WTF is wrong with these people?

Jesus, the country is sinking and these idiots are writing brownie legislation.

Shades of Anslinger and the Friendly Stranger who might put evil Marijuana in your tea and turn you into a raving addict with one little sip.


It's so...so...well, so...Republican of them.

[Hannah Bell]

6. lol - "brownie legislation"

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. True story

I got to treat, ok treat is not the right word, a few teens for ahem consuming some of these brownies oh back in the day. Parents called us since they were really worried after they discovered this.

So what did our patients have that was so damn life threatening?

A case of the giggles... no I am not kidding... these kids had a case of the giggles. I mean they were even laughing as we were taking a blood pressure reading.

So we told parents, as we released them... that after the giggles were over, and they climbed down, they'd be very, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, very hungry.

And yes I have heard all the horrors about how pot has become more concentrated... but jeesus age, the reason we got rid of a very useful plant, because of race issues...

[csziggy]

11. A worse problem is if people are given drugs unknowingly

And that would be the only case in which I would support increasing penalties (if I actually supported penalties) for mixing drugs into food.

When I worked for Workman's Comp, one of the cases that got passed around the office involved doping of the sales staff of a yacht dealership in South Florida. It seems an unknown person brought in a cake and left it in the staff break room. People ate pieces throughout the day, even after the first few started showing symptoms. I'm not sure if they ever identified the drug that was in the cake, but seventeen salesmen and a couple of secretaries ended up in the hospital because of various symptoms. One of the older men had a heart attack.

On the other hand, I've made pot brownies and pot granola and they can lead to extraordinary highs. The worst problem with them is knowing when to stop partaking since it takes longer to have an effect and lingers longer than you might expect. And you have got to watch out for the munchies and have some non-adultered snacks so you don't scarf up the entire pan!

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. There you entered into actual criminal behavior though

those kids, they knowingly consumed it.

[csziggy]

16. Yes, and that is the only time I would consider making pot brownies

An illegal act.

[Ramulux]

3. This makes no sense

I literally dont understand this at all. What is the reasoning behind this?

[Bobbieo]

10. Somewhere down the line - power and money, money, money and

good ole lobbying!!!

[napi21]

4. Is this MJ brownie thing really a big problem? I admit, I don't get out much,

so I dont know the latest thing, but this sounds pretty absurd to me to be attacking something like that unless it's a big problem. I would think if it was, evn I would have heard something about it.

[Autumn]

5. Thank God they are on top of that shit,

:puke: just like a politician on a quarter. How pathetic is that.

[Warren Stupidity]

7. So a 17 year old cancer patient - that is the victim we are protecting?

nobody eats meth.

Democrats are scared ass idiots. Seize on legalization and taxation of pot - it is popular and a winning issue and for once you wont look like total douche-bags.

[EC]

8. How are they ever going to enforce this?

Have narks out smelling the streets for the scent of fudgey brownies?

[CrownPrinceBandar]

9. These are the people running our country?.............

Jeebus, we're doomed.

[spanone]

13. fuck them all. one and all. everyone of them. pandering shits.

[Blue Owl]

14. I'm gonna start calling her DuFu

for Dumb Fuck.

[dogday]

15. Every time we make a step of progress, we get pulled back

two steps, and by our own party member. :thumbsdown: A real big :thumbsdown: