lol....yes it is great states keep passing laws for medical and recreational.
it is still against federal law.
i'm a little concerned about what the new administration will do......time will tell.
I hear ya.
Imagine if krispy kremes or rudy 911 is attorney general.
So much for those states rights they keep harping about.
I could be mistaken but didn't Marijuana win more states than Hilary on election day ?
Failed in AZ again. That makes something like 7 times weed got smacked down there. Arizona has sucked for quite a while now. Last decent pol out of there was McCain, who I voted for btw. Interesting too, after watching how Obama demonstrated a total disregard for states' rights, I am hoping that Trump will show more respect in this. Which will be great if you live in a state that has policies you support, a bummer if you are a Mississippi Hippie.
My hope is the momentum at the state level is simply too strong for the feds. to clamp down even with hot head Rudy running the Justice Dept. Should he get the Sec. of State gig, maybe we can rest a little more comfortably.
However, what scares me nearly as much is how much power Pence may wield and what exactly may be in his sights for this new administration to take aim at. Weed may be on his list too.
This morning CBS and NBC confirmed a senator from Alabama will go though the nomination process for Attorney General. I know nothing about him. Any thoughts regarding him as it relates to this thread's topic?
Sessions also remarked that he thought the KKK was OK until he found out they smoked marijuana, according to Figures. The statement was made in connection with the prosecution of a Klan member who had hanged a black man.
so to paraphrase.....he hates weed more than the KKK
Trump’s pick for attorney general not fan of legal weed
President-elect Donald Trump selects Sen. Jeff Sessions as U.S. attorney general; if confirmed, will new head of U.S. Department of Justice change course of federal marijuana enforcement?
Sessions, who has railed against marijuana legalization, could play a prominent role in the future of the burgeoning $7.4 billion industry. After November’s election, 28 states and Washington, D.C., have approved medical marijuana programs, and eight have expanded to full adult use of recreational cannabis.
While both Sessions and Trump have spoken in favor of states’ rights, some of Sessions’ recent and past comments about marijuana — among other racial and social issues — have stoked concerns among some industry members and observers.
At a U.S. Senate Drug Caucus hearing in April on whether the Justice Department was too lax in its marijuana enforcement, Sessions ripped laws allowing marijuana use:
“We need grown-ups in charge in Washington to say that marijuana is not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized, it ought not to be minimized, that it’s in fact a very real danger,” he said, noting statistics on accidents and traffic fatalities.
“To give that away and make it socially acceptable, creates the demand, increased demand that results in people being addicted or impacted adversely,” Sessions said.
Sessions’ previous comments related to marijuana have not been terribly favorable either, and the 69-year-old, four-term senator also has been chastised for racially charged comments and actions, including one that placed marijuana use as worse than the Ku Klux Klan, according to The New York Times:
While serving as a United States prosecutor in Alabama, Mr. Sessions was nominated in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan for a federal judgeship. But his nomination was rejected by the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee because of racially charged comments and actions. At that time, he was one of two judicial nominees whose selections were halted by the panel in nearly 50 years.
In testimony before the committee, former colleagues said that Mr. Sessions had referred to the N.A.A.C.P., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and other civil rights groups as “un-American” and “Communist-inspired.” An African-American federal prosecutor then, Thomas H. Figures, said Mr. Sessions had referred to him as “boy” and testified that Mr. Sessions said the Ku Klux Klan was fine “until I found out they smoked pot.” Mr. Sessions dismissed that remark as a joke.
“He is someone who would have been a federal judge, but allegations of racism made it to be too challenging to allow him to take the federal bench,” said Hudak, senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution.
“He is, frankly, a very extreme Republican who enjoys states’ rights only when they work for the policy he wants them to work for,” said Hudak, who added that Sessions could approach this position not from a policy lens, but a subjective human lens.
And as such, Sessions could be a danger to the cannabis industry that exists today. Federal enforcement in legalized states has been mostly “hands-off” under the Obama administration because of the 2013 Cole Memo that spelled out guidelines for federal agencies. Those non-binding guidelines could quickly be rescinded.
In light of Sessions’ record of controversial remarks and his “over-sized view of the federal government’s role in law enforcement,” his Senate confirmation may not be a slam-dunk, Hudak said.
“I think you’ll see significant opposition to his nomination,” he said, referencing that may come from both Democrats and Libertarian Republicans alike.
The view from Colorado, the first state to have legal sales of cannabis for adult use, is cautious.
The state’s marijuana czar, Andrew Freedman, said regulators are in a wait-and-see position.
“I think it’s still up to where Trump is (on the issue),” Freedman said, noting Trump’s states’-rights stance. “Beyond that, I think we would hope to be part of a conversation so that any movement on the federal level doesn’t risk public health, public safety and black market concerns in the state.”
Gov. John Hickenlooper said he had never met Sessions, but he is aware of his political history.
“It concerns me,” Hickenlooper said, “what his intentions are and what his focus will be.”
As for legalized marijuana, Hickenlooper said the president is ultimately the boss in policy decisions. So far, Trump “for the most part has been laissez faire on it.”
Nothing has indicated, thus far, that approach will change.
Trump has wavered on the marijuana legalization issue, but said on the campaign trail that he favors states’ rights and would not interfere even with legal recreational-use states such as Colorado. He’s been more open about medical marijuana, but at the same time, he has not prioritized drug policy in any way, Hudak said.
When no mandate from the president exists, those decisions are typically delegated to Cabinet heads, he said.
“If that is the case, Sessions could have profound authority in this area,” he said.
The federal government may lack the capacity to shut down every marijuana business or jail every operator, but “can make life absolutely miserable” for states with reform measures in place. That could come from both enforcement and litigation, he said.
Not having clear definitions of Trump’s policy positions makes it harder to determine what this industry may look like in 12 months, Hudak said.
“I think there is a chance that, a year from now, the marijuana industry looks exactly like it does today,” he said. “I think there’s a pretty big chance that the marijuana industry looks very different and finds itself in the throes of battling an activist attorney general.”
The Cannabist has contacted Sessions’ office for comment but has not heard back.
Some industry representatives and members are cautiously optimistic in their outlooks for the future.
The National Cannabis Industry Association this week sent a briefing to its members laying out a host of information on the positions of Trump and his transition team, the economics and growth projections for the industry, and a pledge to advocate for the “continued respect of state laws regarding legal cannabis programs.”
Following the Sessions announcement, Taylor West, deputy director of NCIA, said the trade organization would continue to ask Congress to respect the will of the voters and try “to build on the relationship that we’ve already developed to ensure that our voices be heard.”
Andrew Schrot, founder and chief executive of Denver-based edibles company BlueKudu, said he’s not surprised that the attorney general nominated by Trump would have negative views on pot.
“We have a lot to focus on here in Colorado with our business; it’s easy for us to wait and see what Sessions does, but he’s going to have a lot to do,” Schrot said. “As far as marijuana, it’s tough to say where that will rank in terms of his priorities.”
Tom Angell, founder of the pro-legalization Marijuana Majority who wrote about Sessions’ selection on Marijuana.com, said that the nomination “isn’t good news for marijuana reform”:
“I’m still hopeful the new administration will realize that any crackdown against broadly popular laws in a growing number of states would create huge political problems they don’t need and will use lots of political capital they’d be better off spending on issues the new president cares a lot more about,” Angell said in a statement.
“A clear majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana and supermajorities across party lines believe that states should be able to implement their own cannabis laws without federal interference. The truth is, marijuana reform is much more popular with voters than most politicians are, and officials in the new administration would do well to take a careful look at the polling data on this issue before deciding what to do.
“During the campaign the president-elect clearly pledged to respect state marijuana laws, and he should keep his word — both because it’s the right thing to do and because a reversal would be a huge political misstep.”
Kevin Sabet, co-founder of legalization opponent Smart Approaches to Marijuana, said Sessions’ nomination comes at a time of extreme uncertainty for the marijuana legalization debate.
“I don’t think they will be going in guns blazing, nor should they, in legalized states,” Sabet wrote in an e-mail to The Cannabist. “However, there are many things you can do with a letter and a stamp that would stop marijuana businesses from flourishing.”
Denver Post staff writer Noelle Phillips contributed to this report.
Don't complain to me, I voted for Gary Johnson. 😉
.................................Whites & Wine...
and show me a sign
I smoked legally in MA 12/26.
Nice feeling to know that smoking a bowl in the hotel parking lot was just fine and dandy.
My girlfriend was a little paranoid about it.
Old ways die hard.
No doubt. It is a permanent psychological scar. I smoke once in a long while here in Oregon, and still feel the heat. It is like PTSD.
I suppose this is as good of forum to ask this question.
I don't like smoking weed any more. I say anymore...when I was out of high school and early 20s in the 1990s I enjoyed it socially with friends. Then I went for 15+ years of not smoking. I just lost interest, grew up (don't take that the wrong way) or whatever, getting high wasn't important to me anymore and I stopped. I only ever really did it with others at parties anyway, wasn't a big part of what I liked to do.
So the last 2 years I've smoked with a friend or two a handful of times and every time I didn't like it. I either felt like I was too high, then when I consciously took smaller hits or fewer hits I still got weird feelings, not really paranoid, but not a relaxing at peace feeling, more anxious or nervous. I've had both sativa and indica and got similar weird results.
I'm quite sure it is a "me problem". I know weed is much different now that it was 20 years ago. My question is has anyone else experienced this or know of somebody else who has?
For sure, weed is insanely strong these days. The leaves they trim and throw away are way more powerful than the "grass" we used to smoke. I only use it for emergencies, pain, or it is a great tool for shifting your chemistry out of a bad anxiety attack, that kind of thing. When I am feeling ok and balanced I have zero need for it, or alcohol.
I suppose this is as good of forum to ask this question.
I don't like smoking weed any more. I say anymore...when I was out of high school and early 20s in the 1990s I enjoyed it socially with friends. Then I went for 15+ years of not smoking. I just lost interest, grew up (don't take that the wrong way) or whatever, getting high wasn't important to me anymore and I stopped. I only ever really did it with others at parties anyway, wasn't a big part of what I liked to do.
So the last 2 years I've smoked with a friend or two a handful of times and every time I didn't like it. I either felt like I was too high, then when I consciously took smaller hits or fewer hits I still got weird feelings, not really paranoid, but not a relaxing at peace feeling, more anxious or nervous. I've had both sativa and indica and got similar weird results.
I'm quite sure it is a "me problem". I know weed is much different now that it was 20 years ago. My question is has anyone else experienced this or know of somebody else who has?
No, you're not alone....My interest has waned significantly over the years and I might smoke half a dozen times a year now as compared with 2-3 times per week in my 20's and 30's. Now it's usually at a concert or music festival or party.
Regarding the strength of weed these days, for many years now I've avoided the high potent strains as I simply don't want to be that high and for that long. I prefer sativa dominant strains that are relatively low in THC and high in CBT. I find they give me an energetic type of mental high with late onset munchies.
Occasionally I might smoke with a friend who sometimes has very potent high THC strains and remember very quickly why I usually avoid it. Mostly because the next day my mind is mush and I'm in a slight fog for a day or two.
So nebish, you're not alone and I honestly know of a few of my friends who have experienced the exact same thing. One of my dearest friends is in his early 60's and around his mid 50's he went through it as well. He rarely smokes these days and when he does it's one toke and always in the early evening and never mid-day. I think it's a natural progression for some of us. Especially if you began smoking fairly early in life.
[Edited on 12/30/2016 by Chain]
I thought it was something going on inside me with how it interacts with my body that has changed over time. Thanks for the feedback.
I doubt anyone longs for the days of paraquat.
It did have folks freaked for awhile.
I doubt anyone longs for the days of paraquat.
It did have folks freaked for awhile.
LOL, I remember paraquat.
as far as smoking habits today. most of the time i visit my disabled buddy once a week and smoke with him. sometimes he'll give me a tiny bud for the weekend. and that tiny bud lasts me the weekend. once a year i will buy an ounce or a 1/2 oz. when that happens i smoke everyday after work and all weekend. after a couple weeks you can really feel it hanging in your body all the time whether you smoked or not. i don't like that. todays pot is too strong. i wish someone would create some good lower potency strains.
The trimmings are plenty good enough if you have low tolerance, any grower will usually give them to you free. Steer clear of the buds if you want to remain earthbound. The leaves from the old days "shake" had no kick at all.
For the most part I only have a bowl before bed, it helps me get right to sleep.
I smoked more after my hip replacement to control the pain without taking any of the hydrocodone crap they sent me home with.
I doubt anyone longs for the days of paraquat.
It did have folks freaked for awhile.LOL, I remember paraquat.
as far as smoking habits today. most of the time i visit my disabled buddy once a week and smoke with him. sometimes he'll give me a tiny bud for the weekend. and that tiny bud lasts me the weekend. once a year i will buy an ounce or a 1/2 oz. when that happens i smoke everyday after work and all weekend. after a couple weeks you can really feel it hanging in your body all the time whether you smoked or not. i don't like that. todays pot is too strong. i wish someone would create some good lower potency strains.
Hit your local smoke shop, Legliz....(I seem to recall you mentioned before that you live in a legal state, correct?). Or simply buy some seeds and grow your own from reputable websites. With a little research you can find seeds of low potent strains or already grown and packaged for resale buds.
One thing that is a real benefit of the changes in various states is that you can easily find properly grown, cured and safe weed that is tailored to your needs. That is if it's from a top notch provider. And given the competition in the early states like California, Washington, Colorado, Alaska, etc., there's excellent providers everywhere.
I have a water pipe ( bong ) I put a little pinch in it and if that's not enough I smoke another little pinch that way I don't get to high , I enjoy a little buzz but hate being really high and the weed here has been high grade for years now , I don't mind that because I prefer to smoke as little as possible to get a buzz . Water is a good filter It cools the smoke and removes some of the toxins ,
I have a water pipe ( bong ) I put a little pinch in it and if that's not enough I smoke another little pinch that way I don't get to high , I enjoy a little buzz but hate being really high and the weed here has been high grade for years now , I don't mind that because I prefer to smoke as little as possible to get a buzz . Water is a good filter It cools the smoke and removes some of the toxins ,
You should try a vaporizer....Not necessarily a very expensive hand held type, but one of the many very inexpensive variety found on-line or in your local smoke shop. I've had one for years and prefer using it when I do choose to indulge.
CNN Politics
January 10, 2017 3:43pm
Exchange indicates Trump admin will send legal pot up in smoke
From CNN's Eli Watkins
The federal government and many of the states are at odds when it comes to marijuana.
The federal government calls pot a Schedule I narcotic – of no medical value and on par with heroin in terms of danger. Meanwhile, several states and the nation’s capital have made pot a legal prescription drug or an outright legal recreational product on par with alcohol.
The Obama administration has opted to allow states to “experiment” with legalizing pot and its Justice Department has allowed many legal operations to continue without laying down the full weight of federal law against them.
“There are federal laws prohibiting the use of marijuana, the sale of marijuana, the production of marijuana, that apply regardless of whether a state has independently criminalized the drug,” Sen. Mike Lee said.
As with so many other issues, Trump could upend this fragile status-quo. An exchange with Utah Sen. Mike Lee revealed Sen. Jeff Sessions attitude towards the situation: The Department of Justice should not look the other way when states like Colorado, California and Washington decriminalize marijuana.
Lee asked Sessions if the Obama Administration’s approach “contravene the understanding that we (the Congress) are the lawmaking body.”
Sessions responded that Congress had made pot illegal and that if criminalization of marijuana is “not desired any longer, Congress should pass a law to change the rule.”
He added, “It’s not so much the attorney general’s job to decide what laws to enforce. We should do our job and enforce laws as effectively as we’re able.”
Sessions’ comments were not particularly surprising. As recently as last April, according to the USA Today, Sessions said, “Good people don’t smoke marijuana.”
Sessions’ comments were not particularly surprising. As recently as last April, according to the USA Today, Sessions said, “Good people don’t smoke marijuana.”
Kind of like saying "good people go to church"...in a 1950s kind of picture of America.
A curious challenge for the new Republican adminstration. A respect for states rights? Or imposing one-size-fits-all big federal government?
I don't know where it would've come from, but wasn't there something stating it wasn't recommended to use or smoke marijuana on federal land (national forest, BLM, national parks for instance) even if in a legal state? Meaning it was kind of tricky situation even under the current/former administration, it's about to get a whole lot trickier.
