Eric Holder Says DOJ Will Let Washington, Colorado Marijuana Laws Go Into Effect
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I can't rock with you on this at all and I usually do. I ripped Holder the most when the feds first decided to prosecute this last year. So basically you have the states moving to decriminalize marijuana, an AG for the first time in (basically forever) saying,but we will go after these specific circumstances, and that gets NO props. That sounds backwards. He should get props for breaking the trend alone...when literally last year the DOJ said they're going to prosecute these people regardless. Less than a YEAR ago. I had entirely given up on them in this area. There's a difference between being cautiously semi-optimistic (like I am) and just straight acting like it's insignificant just because you don't like the person who delivered the memo. We're not going to flip from the War on Drugs to the War on Poverty like Pac said overnight. He's let me down a lot, but he gets at least a
for this one.
I'm saying actions speak louder than words tho. What comes after this is what I'm interested in. Seeing as how they've been waging war on the community for decades now I'm not gonna exactly give props. That's like the General tellin his troops to fall back, in this case prolly just a handful of them. Good to see I'll admit, but lets see what comes of it.
ltheghost
Payin Debts.... N40
I guess we are going to war in Syria then. I know how this game is played. lol
Mr. Somebody
Friend Of A Friend
Disgusting. The nation is broke so now they're looking to further poisoning the community with drugs to make back the money they mismanaged and lost for Americans. Making a deal with the devil.
Its so demonic, friends
Its so demonic, friends
ill
Superstar
Weed is not demonic. Ignorant a$$holes are, friend.
This is a huge step for the industry. Holder had been at odds with Obama since the start about allowing states right on pot. Finally, we have clear direction that he will do what he can do NOT get involved. That's huge. States will finally not have to worry about the fed and can proceed with their medical programs. It lowers the risk by a lot and encourages states to develop great programs.
This is a huge step for the industry. Holder had been at odds with Obama since the start about allowing states right on pot. Finally, we have clear direction that he will do what he can do NOT get involved. That's huge. States will finally not have to worry about the fed and can proceed with their medical programs. It lowers the risk by a lot and encourages states to develop great programs.
the next guy
Superstar
Hey I mean friend, look at what the war on drugs has done to the black community. They have boxed themselves into a corner friend.Disgusting. The nation is broke so now they're looking to further poisoning the community with drugs to make back the money they mismanaged and lost for Americans. Making a deal with the devil.
Its so demonic, friends
Bernie Madoff
Banned
This is part of the reason I'm so fukk the government. Because Patrick Kennedy is a weak minded addict who crashed his car all over Washington, He has influence over laws that affect regular guys who work 60 hours a week, pay a higher % of taxes in regards to income, drink a couple beers, and smoke a joint every now and then?
Mr. Somebody
Friend Of A Friend
These individuals that manage the money really have no idea what they're doing it seems. If they arent killing someone, its as if they have no idea how to earn an honest buck. Now, realizing that they need demonic filth to prosper, they turn back to an age old tradition going back to Queen Victoria, drug peddling. They'r really out here supporting drug dealing wow. Its so demonic, friends.
U.S. allows states to legalize recreational marijuana within limits
By David Ingram
WASHINGTON | Thu Aug 29, 2013 7:01pm EDT
(Reuters) - In a move marijuana advocates hailed as an historic shift, the Obama administration on Thursday began giving U.S. states wide leeway to experiment with pot legalization and started by letting Colorado and Washington carry out new laws permitting recreational use.
The Justice Department said it would refocus marijuana enforcement nationwide by bringing criminal charges only in eight defined areas - such as distribution to minors - and giving breathing room to users, growers and related businesses that have feared prosecution.
The decisions end nearly a year of deliberation inside President Barack Obama's administration about how to react to the growing movement for relaxed U.S. marijuana laws.
Advocates for legalization welcomed the announcement as a major step toward ending what they called "marijuana prohibition."
"Today's announcement demonstrates the sort of political vision and foresight from the White House we've been seeking for a long time," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, an advocacy group.
"I must admit, I was expecting a yellow light from the White House," he said in a statement. "But this light looks a lot more green-ish than I had hoped. The White House is basically saying to Washington and Colorado: Proceed with caution."
Marijuana remains illegal and tightly controlled under federal law, even as about 20 states, plus the District of Columbia, allow the use of medical marijuana. Voters in Colorado and Washington legalized recreational use in groundbreaking ballot measures in November 2012.
Obama had signaled he did not want a new crackdown, telling ABC News in December: "It does not make sense, from a prioritization point of view, for us to focus on recreational drug users in a state that has already said that's legal."
The leeway for the states will go only so far, though, if Colorado, Washington or other states show they are unable to control the drug, the Justice Department said in a statement.
Forty-two percent of Americans age 12 or older have used marijuana at some point, according to a 2011 survey by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Obama has said he used marijuana when he was young.
One opponent of marijuana legalization said his group would redouble efforts to spread word of the negative effects the drug can have on adolescents.
"This is going to really quicken the realization among folks that more marijuana in our communities is not a good thing," said Kevin Sabet, a co-founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the Obama administration should not decline to enforce laws that it finds inconvenient or that it does not like.
"This sends the wrong message to both law enforcement and violators of federal law. Apprehending and prosecuting illegal drug traffickers should always be a priority for the Department of Justice," Grassley said in a statement.
EIGHT AREAS IN FOCUS
The Justice Department could have sued to block the Colorado and Washington laws from taking effect under the theory that they conflict with the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, the primary U.S. anti-drug law.
Coupled with the decision not to sue, the Justice Department sent a four-page memorandum to federal prosecutors nationwide outlining eight priority areas for marijuana enforcement.
While department officials said they are committed to enforcing federal restrictions on marijuana, prosecutors have now been told not to expend effort on cases unless they fall in one of the eight areas.
The areas include distribution to minors, situations when marijuana revenue is going to other criminal enterprises, trafficking across state lines and growing on public land.
The criteria mean, for example, that federal prosecutors will not charge a marijuana dispensary simply because it is large or profitable, said a Justice Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
But the criteria also stop short of guaranteeing immunity for anyone, leaving business and individuals open to prosecution if the case fits one of the eight areas, the official said.
Colorado and Washington will need to have regulatory systems to protect against those types of crimes, or else risk giving up the whole experiment, the department said in a statement.
Attorney General Eric Holder had a phone call on Thursday with the governors of Colorado and Washington to inform them of the decisions and told them there would be a "trust but verify" relationship between the Justice Department and the states, said the department official.
State officials said they shared Holder's concerns.
"This reflects a balanced approach by the federal government that respects the states' interests in implementing these laws and recognizes the federal government's role in fighting illegal drugs and criminal activity," Washington Governor Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson, both of whom are Democrats, said in a statement.
By David Ingram
WASHINGTON | Thu Aug 29, 2013 7:01pm EDT
(Reuters) - In a move marijuana advocates hailed as an historic shift, the Obama administration on Thursday began giving U.S. states wide leeway to experiment with pot legalization and started by letting Colorado and Washington carry out new laws permitting recreational use.
The Justice Department said it would refocus marijuana enforcement nationwide by bringing criminal charges only in eight defined areas - such as distribution to minors - and giving breathing room to users, growers and related businesses that have feared prosecution.
The decisions end nearly a year of deliberation inside President Barack Obama's administration about how to react to the growing movement for relaxed U.S. marijuana laws.
Advocates for legalization welcomed the announcement as a major step toward ending what they called "marijuana prohibition."
"Today's announcement demonstrates the sort of political vision and foresight from the White House we've been seeking for a long time," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, an advocacy group.
"I must admit, I was expecting a yellow light from the White House," he said in a statement. "But this light looks a lot more green-ish than I had hoped. The White House is basically saying to Washington and Colorado: Proceed with caution."
Marijuana remains illegal and tightly controlled under federal law, even as about 20 states, plus the District of Columbia, allow the use of medical marijuana. Voters in Colorado and Washington legalized recreational use in groundbreaking ballot measures in November 2012.
Obama had signaled he did not want a new crackdown, telling ABC News in December: "It does not make sense, from a prioritization point of view, for us to focus on recreational drug users in a state that has already said that's legal."
The leeway for the states will go only so far, though, if Colorado, Washington or other states show they are unable to control the drug, the Justice Department said in a statement.
Forty-two percent of Americans age 12 or older have used marijuana at some point, according to a 2011 survey by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Obama has said he used marijuana when he was young.
One opponent of marijuana legalization said his group would redouble efforts to spread word of the negative effects the drug can have on adolescents.
"This is going to really quicken the realization among folks that more marijuana in our communities is not a good thing," said Kevin Sabet, a co-founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the Obama administration should not decline to enforce laws that it finds inconvenient or that it does not like.
"This sends the wrong message to both law enforcement and violators of federal law. Apprehending and prosecuting illegal drug traffickers should always be a priority for the Department of Justice," Grassley said in a statement.
EIGHT AREAS IN FOCUS
The Justice Department could have sued to block the Colorado and Washington laws from taking effect under the theory that they conflict with the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, the primary U.S. anti-drug law.
Coupled with the decision not to sue, the Justice Department sent a four-page memorandum to federal prosecutors nationwide outlining eight priority areas for marijuana enforcement.
While department officials said they are committed to enforcing federal restrictions on marijuana, prosecutors have now been told not to expend effort on cases unless they fall in one of the eight areas.
The areas include distribution to minors, situations when marijuana revenue is going to other criminal enterprises, trafficking across state lines and growing on public land.
The criteria mean, for example, that federal prosecutors will not charge a marijuana dispensary simply because it is large or profitable, said a Justice Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
But the criteria also stop short of guaranteeing immunity for anyone, leaving business and individuals open to prosecution if the case fits one of the eight areas, the official said.
Colorado and Washington will need to have regulatory systems to protect against those types of crimes, or else risk giving up the whole experiment, the department said in a statement.
Attorney General Eric Holder had a phone call on Thursday with the governors of Colorado and Washington to inform them of the decisions and told them there would be a "trust but verify" relationship between the Justice Department and the states, said the department official.
State officials said they shared Holder's concerns.
"This reflects a balanced approach by the federal government that respects the states' interests in implementing these laws and recognizes the federal government's role in fighting illegal drugs and criminal activity," Washington Governor Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson, both of whom are Democrats, said in a statement.
the next guy
Superstar
I agree friend. But they have no choice. They could have more anti drug programs rather then just put users in jail ( I believe you know this friends but most of the black men in jail are not there for violent crime) now that marijuana has become part of mainstream culture they have lost friend. It's so demonic, friend.These individuals that manage the money really have no idea what they're doing it seems. If they arent killing someone, its as if they have no idea how to earn an honest buck. Now, realizing that they need demonic filth to prosper, they turn back to an age old tradition going back to Queen Victoria, drug peddling. They'r really out here supporting drug dealing wow. Its so demonic, friends.
Mr. Somebody
Friend Of A Friend
Anti drug? Why not taking a stronger stance against drug importation like individuals do against leaders in foreign nations. They know where all the drugs are being made. Those are the individuals they need to say, hey, stop importing drugs to. As it relates to America, friend, sadly, the incarceration of black males from drug offenses is due to police actively seeking out individuals of African descent to arrest. Last i checked, werent all races doing drugs.
Its so demonic, friends.
the next guy
Superstar
Friend it would be so easy to go at drug importation, but where would the rich white kids get their jollies? Those drug are made because Hollywood buys them. Singapore does what you suggest and they have great success. It's so demonic.Anti drug? Why not taking a stronger stance against drug importation like individuals do against leaders in foreign nations. They know where all the drugs are being made. Those are the individuals they need to say, hey, stop importing drugs to. As it relates to America, friend, sadly, the incarceration of black males from drug offenses is due to police actively seeking out individuals of African descent to arrest. Last i checked, werent all races doing drugs.
Its so demonic, friends.
