Author Topic: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question  (Read 143876 times)

Dos Equis

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #625 on: April 02, 2018, 04:47:15 PM »
Nevada Makes $30 Million In Marijuana Taxes During First Six Months Of Sales
Mona Zhang , CONTRIBUTOR
FEB 26, 2018
I cover cannabis policy, business, and culture 
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

A customer pays for cannabis products at Essence Vegas Cannabis Dispensary after the start of recreational marijuana sales began on July 1, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The Silver State’s marijuana industry is still in its infancy, but the cannabis market has raked in more than $30 million in tax revenue for the state so far. Retailers in Nevada have sold more than $195 million in cannabis during the first six months of its adult-use market.

Unlike other states (including California, Maine and Massachusetts) that legalized recreational marijuana in 2016, Nevada implemented its program a full six months ahead of the new year. The state charges a 15% tax on wholesale marijuana and a 10% tax on retail sales. That netted the state nearly $3.7 million in tax revenue for July 2017 – its first month of recreational sales. Tax revenue hit a peak of nearly $5.84 million in October 2017.

The state has seen its marijuana sales soar past Colorado's cannabis sales during the first months of its legal market. Cannabis analytics firm New Frontier projects Nevada’s state-legal marijuana market to be worth $622 million by 2020.

Much of the market’s success can be attributed to the tourist-friendly Las Vegas. McCarran International Airport, which serves Las Vegas, recently installed about 20 marijuana “amnesty boxes” on its premises. The boxes allow tourists to safely dispose of cannabis before boarding a flight. Local laws also prohibit marijuana on airport property.

While there has been some political wrangling over how that marijuana money gets distributed, the state is sending a good chunk of it towards education. Other cannabis-legal states have done the same – in Colorado, wholesale pot taxes are set aside for a public school fund, in addition to paying for regulatory oversight, youth drug prevention, and substance abuse treatment.

All of that tax revenue has caused some cash-strapped states to consider legalizing marijuana. The potential of legal cannabis to help balance the budget has been key to the legalization debate in Connecticut. While state Governor Dannel Malloy has been an opponent to legalizing cannabis, he included the possibility of recreational legalization as an option to consider for balancing the budget.

But lawmakers who are considering cannabis reform as a means to help fill state coffers should reconsider their motivations. Andrew Freedman, Colorado’s first marijuana czar (who now has his own consulting business) told me in 2016 that potential tax revenue shouldn’t factor into the legalization discussion: “People truly overestimate what you can do with marijuana money,” he said.

“At the end of the day, the debate shouldn’t be about tax revenue. ‘Should we lock up fewer people for marijuana?’ vs. ‘Is this going to create more of a burden on public safety?’—that’s where the debate should be.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/monazhang/2018/02/26/nevada-makes-30-million-in-marijuana-taxes-during-first-six-months-of-sales/#553758ac3a7f

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #626 on: April 04, 2018, 06:54:42 PM »
:o

Major drug bust in affluent Georgia homes yields $7M in marijuana, 9 arrests, officials say
By Lucia I. Suarez Sang, Fox News



The basements in six Georgia homes were converted into indoor greenhouses for marijuana production, cops say.  (Hall County's MANS)

Georgia police discovered a "highly" sophisticated indoor pot operation in a Gainesville home, where a basement was converted into a greenhouse holding more than 500 marijuana plants, officials told Fox News.

“The photos really don’t do it justice,” Lt. Dan Scalia, who is in charge of the Hall County Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad, told Fox News on Thursday. “Some of the plants were taller than me.”

The home was part of a large-scale indoor marijuana growing network in northeast Georgia, officials said. Five other homes were searched, and authorities said they seized more than 300 pounds of marijuana and more than 1,500 plants totaling an estimated value of $7,168,900.

“It's the biggest drug network that I have ever been a part of,” Scalia said.


Authorities reported seizing more than $7 million in marijuana in Georgia.  (Hall County Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad)
The investigation began in early September after the narcotics squad received a tip about a possible grow house in the area. A three-week investigation led them to uncover a major network of interconnected homes, Scalia said.

Nine people have been arrested in connection with the operation.

Minh Luong, 53, of Gainesville; Phi Ngoc Luong, 25, of Hoschton; Henry Nguyen, 48, of Gainesville; Hang Nguyen, 53, of Duluth; and Thao Phoung Nguyen, 26, of Hoschton, were taken into custody on Sept. 18.

Trung Bui, 47, of Flowery Branch; Nam Van Dao, 46, of Gainesville; and Thu Thai Phan, 50, and Binh Van Hoang 52, both of Flowery Branch, were taken into custody several days later.


Top, left to right: Nam Van Dao, Phi Ngoc Luong, Minh Luong, Thi Thi Phan. Bottom, left to right: Bin Van Hoang, Thao Phoung Nguyen, Hang Nguyen, Henry Nguyen. A mugshot for Trung Bui was not available.  (Hall County Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad)
All nine suspects were charged with manufacturing, trafficking and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Additional arrest warrants were issued for Vinh To, 63; Sen Thi Do, 46; and Dung Nguyen, 47, all of Flowery Branch.

Scalia said the suspects were very stealthy in how they ran the operation – keeping a low profile, being considered good neighbors and maintaining the homes. He said basements were modified with special heat lamps and a custom ventilation system.


Authorities seized more than 300 pounds of marijuana and more than 1,500 plants.  (Hall County Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad)
“Nothing [suspect] was visible on the outside of the homes,” he added. “The basements were modified to handle the capacity.”

Scalia said the narcotics squad is working to determine how long the network has been operational and where the drugs were being distributed to.

The FBI North Georgia Major Offender Task Force and the Georgia National Guard Counter Drug Task Force aided Hall County’s squad.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/10/12/major-drug-bust-in-affluent-georgia-homes-yields-7m-in-marijuana-9-arrests-officials-say.html

Huge case of this has surfaced to record.  Involving the Chinese (i beleve) and will post as it develops a little further. 

Problem for them, is that they allowed many (and I mean many) individual cases to exist on a single trail.  Maybe they became intoxicated by the smoke of money -- forget the marijuana.

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #627 on: April 04, 2018, 07:04:35 PM »
(KCRA) Hundreds of federal and local law enforcement agents have seized roughly 100 Northern California houses purchased with money wired to the United States by a Chinese-based crime organization and used to grow massive amounts of marijuana illegally, authorities said Wednesday. The raids culminate a months-long investigation focusing on dozens of Chinese nationals who bought homes in seven counties. Most of the buyers were in the country legally and came from as far away as Georgia, Illinois New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott said.

(KCRA)

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #628 on: April 04, 2018, 07:11:07 PM »
Fresh Off the Boat!  (...and right to the vice!)

 :P :P

No, we've only ourselves to blame for all of it.  100% serious.

Agnostic007

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #629 on: April 05, 2018, 08:55:52 PM »
is it strange that some people on this site are anti drivers license for illegal immigrants but pro marijuana? Is is hypocritical to say in one thread the law is the law when it comes to drivers license for illegals, and pro marijuana? Asking for a friend?

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #630 on: April 06, 2018, 02:10:33 AM »
is it strange that some people on this site are anti drivers license for illegal immigrants but pro marijuana? Is is hypocritical to say in one thread the law is the law when it comes to drivers license for illegals, and pro marijuana? Asking for a friend?

DE isn't pro-marijuana, tmk.

Dos Equis

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #631 on: April 06, 2018, 10:21:20 AM »
DE isn't pro-marijuana, tmk.

Don't try and confuse him with the facts. 

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #632 on: April 06, 2018, 02:26:43 PM »
Don't try and confuse him with the facts. 

Yes, and with all due respect, the idea of comparing an inside issue (marijuana use by Americans) with one that comes entirely from outside (illegal entry into the country) doesn't sound too consistent.

Agnostic007

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #633 on: April 06, 2018, 04:55:56 PM »
Yes, and with all due respect, the idea of comparing an inside issue (marijuana use by Americans) with one that comes entirely from outside (illegal entry into the country) doesn't sound too consistent.

Yeah, I agree. It was a stretch

Dos Equis

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #634 on: April 16, 2018, 10:57:20 AM »
Trump, Gardner strike deal on legalized marijuana, ending standoff over Justice nominees
By Seung Min Kim April 13, 2018

President Trump has promised a top Senate Republican that he will support congressional efforts to protect states that have legalized marijuana — defusing a months-long standoff between Sen. Cory Gardner and the administration over Justice Department nominees.

In January, the Colorado Republican said he would block all DOJ nominations after Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo that heightened the prospect of a federal marijuana crackdown in states that had legalized the substance. Gardner’s home state made recreational marijuana legal in 2014.

In a phone call late Wednesday, Trump told Gardner that despite the DOJ memo, the marijuana industry in Colorado will not be targeted, the senator said in a statement Friday. Satisfied, the first-term senator is now backing down from his nominee blockade.

“Since the campaign, President Trump has consistently supported states’ rights to decide for themselves how best to approach marijuana,” Gardner said Friday. “Late Wednesday, I received a commitment from the President that the Department of Justice’s rescission of the Cole memo will not impact Colorado’s legal marijuana industry.”

He added: “Furthermore, President Trump has assured me that he will support a federalism-based legislative solution to fix this states’ rights issue once and for all. Because of these commitments, I have informed the Administration that I will be lifting my remaining holds on Department of Justice nominees.”

Gardner, who heads the campaign operation charged with hanging on to the Republicans’ Senate majority, was irate in January when Sessions revoked guidance from the Obama administration, known as the Cole memo, that had discouraged prosecutors from enforcing federal marijuana laws in states that had legalized the drug.

Especially infuriating, from Gardner’s perspective, was that Sessions had pledged during his confirmation process for attorney general he would leave states that had legalized marijuana alone, according to the senator.

The January memo from Sessions stated prosecutors should use their discretion in weighing whether charges were warranted, rather than abiding by the Obama-era guidance.

Trump has held a sharply different view from Sessions on the issue. During the presidential campaign, Trump said in an interview with KUSA-TV in Colorado that he said “it’s up to the states” on the marijuana issue.

Trump “does respect Colorado’s right to decide for themselves how to best approach this issue,” White House legislative affairs director Marc Short said in an interview Friday.

Gardner held up about 20 Justice nominees, a significant number considering Senate Republicans and the White House have for months accused Democrats of slowing down consideration of other Trump picks.

“Clearly, we’ve expressed our frustration with the delay with a lot of our nominees and feel that too often, senators hijack a nominee for a policy solution,” Short said. “So we’re reluctant to reward that sort of behavior. But at the same time, we’re anxious to get our team at the Department of Justice.”

A bill has not been finalized, but Gardner has been talking quietly with other senators about a legislative fix that would, in effect, make clear the federal government cannot interfere with states that have voted to legalize marijuana.

“My colleagues and I are continuing to work diligently on a bipartisan legislative solution that can pass Congress and head to the President’s desk to deliver on his campaign position,” Gardner said.

In addition to Gardner’s holds, DOJ has faced notable bipartisan pushback from Capitol Hill when it comes to marijuana.

Sens. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) wrote to Sessions this week, urging him to back off efforts to curtail medical marijuana research at the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Washington Post reported in August that Sessions’s DOJ was effectively hamstringing the agency’s research efforts by making it harder to grow marijuana.

Separately, former House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) announced this week he is joining the board of directors for a cannabis company and engaged in efforts to allow veterans to access marijuana for medicinal use. He has opposed decriminalizing the substance as an elected official.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-gardner-strike-deal-on-legalized-marijuana-ending-standoff-over-justice-nominees/2018/04/13/2ac3b35a-3f3a-11e8-912d-16c9e9b37800_story.html?utm_term=.9dd8de72d4ac

Dos Equis

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #635 on: April 16, 2018, 10:58:56 AM »
Ex-Speaker John Boehner Joins Marijuana Firm’s Advisory Board
By Jennifer Kaplan
April 11, 2018

The U.S. marijuana industry has a new spokesman: John Boehner.

The Republican former Speaker of the House has joined the advisory board of Acreage Holdings, a company that cultivates, processes and dispenses cannabis in 11 U.S. states. Boehner’s endorsement, after saying nine years ago he was “unalterably opposed” to legalization, could be considered a watershed event: Marijuana has gone mainstream.

“Over the last 10 or 15 years, the American people’s attitudes have changed dramatically,” he said in an interview. “I find myself in that same position.”

Sixty-four percent of Americans, including a majority of both Republicans and Democrats, want to legalize it, according to an October Gallup survey. That’s the most since the pollster began asking the question in 1969, when 12 percent of the population favored legalization.

Former Massachusetts Governor William Weld will join Boehner on the advisory board of Acreage, which holds 35 licenses for cannabis businesses in the U.S. Boehner, 68, was first elected to the House of Representatives from Southwest Ohio in 1990. He was Speaker from 2011 to 2015, when he resigned amid problems with an increasingly fractious Republican caucus.

Since then, he’s served as a board member for tobacco company Reynolds American Inc. and adviser for global law firm Squire Patton Boggs US LLP. Weld, 72, who was governor from 1991 to 1997, was the Libertarian Party’s candidate for vice president in 2016.

‘Immensely Positive’
“We view this advocacy that we get from these two gentlemen as immensely positive for the industry,” said George Allen, Acreage’s president.

The politicians are a sign of a watershed moment for the industry, according to Vahan Ajamian, an analyst at Beacon Securities Ltd.

“It is difficult to overstate the impact of this monumental event for the U.S. cannabis sector,” he said in a note Wednesday after Bloomberg broke the news.

The two former Republican politicians join Acreage as current officeholders vacillate on their support for weed. President Donald Trump has gone back and forth, while Attorney General Jeff Sessions is a longtime opponent. The Justice Department in January rescinded the Obama-era policies that allowed state legal pot markets to flourish.

Both Boehner and Weld say they’ve never tried the drug, but adult recreational use is legal in nine states and Washington, D.C. That means more than one in five American adults can partake. Twenty additional states allow for some form of medical marijuana. The legal market is expected to reach $75 billion by 2030, according to the investment bank Cowen & Co.

Still, the drug remains federally illegal and is classified as a Schedule I narcotic, the harshest of five government ratings.

Supported Referendum
Weld said he’s been in favor of medical marijuana since 1992 and supported the referendum that legalized recreational pot use in his home state in 2016.

“I was a little bit ahead of the field there,” he said in an interview.

Even so, his belief in the functionality of the plant has grown, he said, especially when it comes to easing the opioid crisis.

“Cannabis could be perceived as an exit drug, not a gateway drug,” he said.

Boehner said his perspective shifted after he saw the plant’s efficacy in helping a close friend deal with debilitating back pain. Marijuana’s potential use as a treatment for veterans helped sway him, too. Plus he’s been studying the problems of the U.S. criminal justice system for years.

“When you look at the number of people in our state and federal penitentiaries, who are there for possession of small amounts of cannabis, you begin to really scratch your head,” Boehner said. “We have literally filled up our jails with people who are nonviolent and frankly do not belong there.”

10th Amendment
On top of all those reasons to support the plant, Boehner and Weld say the debate over legalization is, at its core, a discussion of the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which allows states to do what they want.

“If some states don’t want marijuana to be legal, that’s their prerogative,” Weld said. “But that shouldn’t be dictated by the nanny state in Washington.”

Despite the GOP mostly lauding the amendment, Republican politicians have been split on the cannabis issue. Sessions’ harsh words for marijuana, and his decision to roll back Obama-era protections, didn’t deter Boehner or Weld’s decisions to get involved with the industry, they said.

“When I saw the announcement, I almost chuckled to myself,” Boehner said, referring to the policy reversal. “I don’t know why they decided to do this. It could be that the attorney general is trying to force the Congress to act.”

Winding Road
The politicians’ years in public office may help the company navigate the winding road to federal legalization.

“When it comes to an issue like this, that has what I’ll call murky legal issues and political issues, we’re there to provide advice to Acreage in terms of how they work with state and federal governments, how they work with local governments and advice on what states look promising,” Boehner said.

Neither Boehner nor Weld has made a financial investment in Acreage, though Weld says he’s considering it.

“Millennials who will inherit the kingdom before long, they are even more positive about cannabis than the populous at large,” Weld said. “You can look at the trend of millennial opinion and you can see the future.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-11/ex-speaker-john-boehner-joins-marijuana-firm-s-advisory-board

Agnostic007

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #636 on: April 16, 2018, 11:00:10 AM »
Politics at its worst. Blocking nominees regardless of qualifications in order to get a pass for his state. Now I'm all for de criminalizing marijuana, but this kind of politics is whats wrong with washington

Dos Equis

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Dos Equis

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #638 on: May 01, 2018, 12:09:37 PM »
Former NBA, NFL athletes estimate marijuana use among players is higher than 80%
Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports
Published April 20, 2018

Twenty-nine states and Washington D.C, have legalized the use of medical marijuana and on top of that, nine states have legalized recreational pot. But the question is, why was it illegal in the first place? Just the FAQs

Former NBA player Kenyon Martin, the No. 1 pick in the 2000 draft, said in an interview with Bleacher Report published Friday that he believes “85% of the league” smoked marijuana during his career.

Former tight end Martellus Bennett thought the number was even higher in the NFL, where injuries and physical pain are more prevalent.

"I want to say about 89% (of the NFL used marijuana)," Bennett told Bleacher Report in a separate interview among former NFL players.

Marijuana is one of the NBA and NFL's banned substances, with a failed drug test leading to a suspension and fine — even for players in states where marijuana is legal. Former NFL player John Moffitt noted that the league is essentially "looking away" by only testing once a year.

Matt Barnes, another former NBA player who retired after the 2016-17 season, said he smoked pot before games throughout his 14-year career. He also said there was hypocrisy among NBA teams' top brass when it came to marijuana use.

"The GMs, coaches, presidents (were smoking). I mean, it goes deeper than what you think," Barnes said. "Some of the people that are cracking whips and suspending us are smoking weed."

Former NFL defensive lineman Shaun Smith said he used to smoke "two blunts before every game" over the span of his 10 seasons in the league. He echoed Barnes' point.

"Shoot, coaches do it. Personnel does it, people upstairs do it," Smith said. "Quarterbacks, guys that are your captains, leaders of the team smoke.

"Everybody has their reason. They do it for their pain."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2018/04/20/former-nba-nfl-athletes-estimate-marijuana-use-players-high/536254002/

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #639 on: May 01, 2018, 02:51:01 PM »
Quote
Former NFL defensive lineman Shaun Smith said he used to smoke "two blunts before every game" over the span of his 10 seasons in the league.

This guy had "Smoke Two Joints" on is mind when he gave that quote.  You just know it.  Get some new material already.

 ::)  lmao

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #640 on: May 01, 2018, 04:37:30 PM »
Okay, a few little tips thrown down for fun.  I don't think, necessarily, anyone should use/grow pot.  But it'd be dumb to believe no GBers do, and that one or two may follow this thread.  This is a safety concern more than anything else, so it needs to be said.  And as long as those few things are true, then it's in the best interest to cover a few issues on the subject.  So, from an above post:



Don't put your light/lights on the ceiling.  That's a common, but very dumb mistake.  To begin with, your chance to detect electrical trouble is reduced with it/them placed up high.  If that's "not good enough" for you, then you should know your plants will fulfill their potential with light much closer to them.  A complete, 180 degree difference.

Put the energy required into cooling the plants in a reasonable way, to have the light as close to them as possible.  You'll find it shouldn't be unreasonable to maintain a good temp at about six inches from the tallest points.  You'll notice, this way, your plants won't stretch for light, meaning much less stem will be created.  That's what you should want, if you expect them to use their energy for flowering.  I'm sure you do, unless you're in the hemp business.  They've only so much of that energy to spend, then, is what you should know.

You should (in effect) want maximum wattage per foot in the immediate range of the plant's growth, to say that a light source on the ceiling isn't the way to go - and it's possibly very dangerous as well.  Don't take the lead from people in the above stories - they're clueless.  The Asians are scoring on the world, though, and it's disgraceful.

Dos Equis

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #641 on: May 14, 2018, 11:06:25 AM »
High times for pot profit seekers
Steve Kurtz By Steve Kurtz, Kristine Kotta | Fox News

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/08/high-times-for-pot-profit-seekers.html

Dos Equis

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #642 on: May 14, 2018, 11:07:48 AM »
Kamala Harris backs Booker bill to legalize marijuana
BY ARIS FOLLEY - 05/10/18

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), a potential 2020 White House contender, is joining Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who is also speculated to be a possible presidential candidate, in the fight to legalize marijuana under federal law.

Harris announced Thursday that she will be co-sponsoring the Marijuana Justice Act, which Booker introduced in August.

The legislation would eliminate marijuana's status as a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substance Act. The move would also require federal courts to expunge the records of Americans who have prior marijuana convictions related to use or possession.


“It’s the right thing to do. And I know this as a former prosecutor. I know it as a senator,” Harris said in a video announcing her decision with NowThis. “I just look at what we want as a country and where we need to be instead of where we’ve been.

“African-Americans use marijuana at roughly the same rate as whites but are approximately four times more likely to be arrested for possession,” Harris said. “The fact is marijuana laws are not applied and enforced the same way for all people.”

Harris believes the move to decriminalize marijuana will prevent the Justice Department from enforcing laws that are “unjust and unfair.”

“The war on drugs was a war on communities,” Harris said, adding that police should be dealing with more serious drugs and crimes. “Not somebody smoking a joint.”

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in February announced that she would co-sponsor the act with Booker. Gillibrand is also considered to be a potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, as is Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who backs the bill as well.

So far, nine states and Washington, D.C. have legalized the drug for recreational use for adults over the age of 21. Michigan will hold a vote to legalize recreational pot this year, potentially making it the 10th state and first in the Midwest to legalize.

http://thehill.com/regulation/legislation/387101-kamala-harris-backs-booker-bill-to-legalize-marijuana

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #643 on: May 24, 2018, 04:24:44 PM »
Joint effort: cannabis lobby heads to Washington to woo US lawmakers
Industry leaders descended on the capital this week amid hopes the country at large is slowly embracing legalization
Sabrina Siddiqui in Washington
 @SabrinaSiddiqui
Thu 24 May 2018 06

More than 200 cannabis industry leaders descended upon Washington this week in the hopes of persuading the US Congress to embrace the growing movement for marijuana legalization.

The marijuana business owners and advocates bustled between the hallways of the House and Senate, meeting with hundreds of congressional offices and rallying on the Capitol lawn over a three-day lobbying tour organized by the National Cannabis Industry Association.

The event, which brought members representing 23 states and the District of Columbia, was not the first of its kind. But the advocates hailed a new front in the battle for federal marijuana reform against the backdrop of a rapid evolution on how the issue is perceived in the nation’s capital.

“There’s an air of legitimacy around our group that makes me hopeful that the stigma is going to fall away,” said Blake Mensing, a cannabis attorney from Massachusetts who helps clients obtain local permits and state licenses for adult use cannabis businesses.

With public opinion polls showing record support among Americans for marijuana legalization, it’s little surprise that the high has spread to Congress.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have taken a flurry of actions in recent months that signal the shifting tides.

Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate majority leader, fast-tracked a bill in April that would legalize industrial hemp. The historical ban on hemp, which is derived from the cannabis plant, has long imposed barriers on the agriculture industry.

McConnell found an ally in his daily sparring partner Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, who announced his support for the proposal this month.

The marijuana industry’s efforts include pushing for legislation that would grant legal marijuana businesses access to financial services, among other measures to prevent the federal government from prosecuting businesses that are in compliance with state laws.

“The states have already proven that replacing the criminal marijuana markets with tightly regulated and transparent small businesses is working,” said Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA). “Now the responsibility falls on Congress to reform federal laws so that the legal cannabis industry can be treated fairly, like any other legitimate business sector.”

To further its case, the NCIA released a report highlighting economic benefits in the five states – Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington – that taxed and regulated the commercial production and sale of marijuana in 2017.

Those states collected more than $790m in state tax revenue that year, the report found, with tax revenue reaching $247m in Colorado alone. The analysis also cited a 445% increase in the number of marijuana industry job postings in 2017, according to the job placement firm ZipRecruiter, compared with an increase of 18% the year before.

Even longtime foes of marijuana legalization efforts have joined the bandwagon.

Last month the former House speaker John Boehner sent shockwaves through Washington by joining the board of Acreage Holdings, a firm that cultivates, processes and dispenses marijuana in 11 US states. The move marked a stunning reversal for the Ohio Republican, who once said he was “unalterably opposed” to decriminalizing marijuana.

In a statement provided to the Guardian, Boehner said there were a number of issues that had prompted the change. “My thinking, like that of millions of other Americans, has evolved as I’ve learned more about the issue,” he said, pointing to the use of medical marijuana to treat patients of opioid addiction and the country’s veterans.

Descheduling the drug, Boehner added, “will reduce the conflict between federal policy and state programs”.

Even Donald Trump’s administration has shown signs of easing its proposed crackdown on states that have legalized marijuana.

The US attorney general, Jeff Sessions, rescinded an Obama-era policy of non-interference with marijuana-friendly state laws, raising alarms of a forthcoming federal crackdown.

The move prompted Senator Cory Gardner, a Republican from Colorado, to block all of Trump’s nominees to the justice department in a bid to compel the administration to reverse course. Last month, the president agreed his administration would not target the marijuana industry in Gardner’s home state, ending a three-month standoff.

Sessions even acknowledged the potential for some benefits from medical marijuana in a recent Senate hearing.

Charles Smith, a New York attorney and cannabis regulatory and compliance consultant, said the Trump administration had largely maintained the status quo on the drug.

“The rescinding of the [Obama-era] guidance did cause a chilling effect,” he added. “There were deals lost, there were investors that backed out.

“But we haven’t seen it on the ground where they’re carrying out enforcement actions, despite what the attorney general has said.”

Some critics nonetheless view the evolution of Boehner and other former proponents of so-called ‘tough-on-crime’ policies as cashing in on what is now a burgeoning industry.

Shanita Penny, president of the board of directors at the Minority Cannabis Business Association, said: “It’s not enough to just participate in this industry from a stance of wanting to make money.”

Penny reiterated a similar message to lawmakers this week as she implored action on criminal justice reform.

Penny’s group is focused on removing barriers that prohibit those with previous marijuana convictions from participating in the industry as a patient, employee or operator. Among the most pressing issues, from their vantage point, is reinvesting in the communities that have been disproportionately affected by the mandatory sentencing laws of years past.

“You have to be willing to look at the harm that was done to communities that were over-policed, that were over-sentenced, that was destroyed because of the war on drugs and be ready to do some of the work to heal,” Penny said.

“We need the industry to start thinking about social responsibility and not let this be something that we address in hindsight.”

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/24/cannabis-industry-lobby-washington-legalization

Agnostic007

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #644 on: May 24, 2018, 07:50:47 PM »
I don't smoke pot ( or ciggs, cigars) or drink any booze or use any rec drugs.
I even competed in NON-tested NPC shows without using any steroids in the 90's.

I've tried drinking, pot, etc and never experiences any great high or buzz.
I personally have no desire to use any rec drugs or booze.

Having said THAT, I see no reason to make pot legal and make tax $$ from sales.

My main issue with any drug use or drinking is having tax payers on the hook for rehab treatments.
If you get addicted , too bad. The person decided to use the drugs ( or booze), they can be responsible for their rehab.

with all dur respect.. I think it is archaic to keep marijuana illegal.

Dos Equis

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #645 on: May 31, 2018, 11:23:57 AM »

David Sloan, who is a multiple sclerosis patient and user of medical marijuana, exhales smoke from medical cannabis concentrate given to him with help from his caregiver, at Sloan's home in Highlands Ranch, south of Denver, in this photo from 2015. Brennan Linsley AP
STATE POLITICS
Judge strikes down Legislature's ban on smoking medical marijuana
BY ELIZABETH KOH
Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
May 25, 2018

A Leon County circuit court judge ruled Friday afternoon that the state’s ban on smoking medical marijuana is unconstitutional, setting up continued legal fights as the state appeals the decision.

In a 22-page order, Judge Karen Gievers said that the Legislature's ban on smoking medical cannabis conflicted with the intent of a constitutional amendment that had broadly legalized the drug for medical use after voters approved it in 2016.

She concurred with arguments made last Wednesday by Jon Mills, an attorney for the plaintiffs, contending the definition approved by voters included "all types of medical marijuana," including forms that can be smoked. Mills had also argued that the amendment implicitly recognized smoking in private by recognizing that there was no right to smoke it in public places.

Gievers, in striking down the ban, invoked both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson in her decision and highlighted Washington's characterization of the constitution as a "sacred obligation."

"Just as no person is above the law, the legislature must heed the constitutional rights Floridians placed in the Constitution in 2016," she wrote. "The conflicting, overreaching 2017 statute, while presumably adopted in good faith and with good intentions, cannot be allowed to overrule the authority of the people to protect rights in the Constitution."

Devin Galetta, a spokesman for the state Department of Health, said it would appeal the verdict, resulting in an automatic stay. The notice of the appeal was filed Friday night.

"This ruling goes against what the legislature outlined when they wrote and approved Florida’s law to implement the constitutional amendment that was approved by an overwhelmingly bipartisan majority," he wrote.

About 71 percent of Florida voters had approved Amendment 2 in 2016, authorizing the use of marijuana as a medical treatment for people with debilitating conditions. But in a bill implementing the amendment the following year, lawmakers limited the scope of its use to only oils, sprays, tinctures, vaping and edibles.

Lawmakers excluded smoking as a method for medical treatment, arguing that smoking would be a "backdoor attempt" at allowing recreational use.

Gievers heard arguments in a one-day trial last week for the case, which was brought against the state last July by John Morgan, an Orlando attorney who also financed the campaign behind the successful constitutional amendment.

His suit, filed on behalf of two patients and two advocacy organizations, asked the court to invalidate the implementing law passed by the Florida Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Scott.

Defense lawyers for the state Department of Health and the Office of Medical Marijuana Use had argued that the implementing law was constitutional because the state "has a role in setting parameters and it can absolutely base those parameters on health and safety concerns."

Ben Pollara, who managed the political campaign that helped push the constitutional amendment, said the ruling was a victory both for Florida patients and for voters who supported the amendment.

"The court reaffirmed the will of the voters pretty explicitly," he said. "There's no reason the state should continue to expend resources on [an appeal]."
But the verdict changes little immediately for patients — smokeable forms of medical marijuana are not legally available, and Gievers said last week that she expected whatever decision she made to be appealed. Morgan said, depending on the First District Court of Appeal's response to the state's appeal, he will seek to expedite it to the state Supreme Court on behalf of the patients named in the lawsuit.

"The voters of Florida wanted this," he said. "It was clear in the intent language and in the ballot language. ... Smoked marijuana is the most effective and quickest delivery system, period."

He cautioned that Scott, who is running for the U.S. Senate, should reconsider continuing to fight for the smoking ban.

"What I would say to Rick Scott and [Attorney General] Pam Bondi is, 'If you decide to appeal this verdict, I think Rick Scott will lose the U.S. Senate race on this issue alone,' " he said.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article211954564.html

Dos Equis

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #646 on: October 22, 2018, 05:44:28 PM »
Record-High Number Of Americans Support Legalizing Marijuana
Sixty-six percent are on board with legal weed, according to a new Gallup poll.
By Lydia O’Connor
10/22/2018

Roughly two-thirds of Americans support legalizing marijuana, marking a record-high approval rate, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

Sixty-six percent of survey respondents support legalizing weed ― a stance more and more Americans have taken this stance since 2000, when 31 percent endorsed legalization.

The survey found that support for legalization among Americans 55 and older had also increased, jumping from 50 percent to 59 percent since last year. Support across the East, West, South and Midwest regions is now about equal. 

“Like support for gay marriage ― and in prior years, interracial marriage ― support for marijuana legalization has generally only expanded, even if slowly, over the course of multiple decades ― raising the question of where the ceiling in support might be,” Gallup’s Justin McCarthy wrote.

Legal weed is now supported by a majority of Americans across various demographics.
The record-high support comes in spite of Attorney General Jeff Sessions rolling back Obama-era legislation on marijuana usage and paving the way for federal crackdowns on states that have legalized the drug. Twenty-nine states and Washington, D.C., have passed laws authorizing use of recreational marijuana, medical marijuana or both. 

The substance remains federally classified as a Schedule I drug that has “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” despite broad research findings to the contrary. And although there are no recorded instances of anyone dying from a fatal dose of marijuana alone, the federal government considers it to be more dangerous than cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl.

The Gallup poll was conducted from Oct. 1 to Oct. 10, just before Canada became the second country in the world to legalize marijuana. Meanwhile, in the U.S., voters in four states are considering ballot measures in the upcoming midterm elections that would allow recreational or medical marijuana use.

Past Gallup polling has indicated support for legalizing marijuana across political demographics. For the first time, the majority of Republicans joined Democrats last year in supporting legalization.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/record-high-number-of-americans-support-legalizing-marijuana_us_5bce01d9e4b055bc94835cd6

Kwon3

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #647 on: October 22, 2018, 05:45:40 PM »
It's legal in Canada and I sampled myself some the other day, as I was visiting. It's of great quality/potency, if somewhat pricey. But it's legal nationwide, coast to coast, and I have to admit I want the same thing for the U.S.

Agnostic007

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #648 on: October 22, 2018, 07:46:06 PM »
It's legal in Canada and I sampled myself some the other day, as I was visiting. It's of great quality/potency, if somewhat pricey. But it's legal nationwide, coast to coast, and I have to admit I want the same thing for the U.S.

One thing we agree on

OzmO

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Re: Legalized Marijuana and the Crime Question
« Reply #649 on: December 06, 2018, 02:49:18 PM »
I don't smoke pot ( or ciggs, cigars) or drink any booze or use any rec drugs.
I even competed in NON-tested NPC shows without using any steroids in the 90's.

I've tried drinking, pot, etc and never experiences any great high or buzz.
I personally have no desire to use any rec drugs or booze.

Having said THAT, I see no reason to make pot legal and make tax $$ from sales.

My main issue with any drug use or drinking is having tax payers on the hook for rehab treatments.
If you get addicted , too bad. The person decided to use the drugs ( or booze), they can be responsible for their rehab.

People are addicted anyway.

More money to help fund rehabs, hence more rehabilitated people.