Representative Lou Correa (D-CA) has introduced the Sensible Enforcement Of Cannabis Act which would essentially codify the protections that were outlined in the now-rescinded Cole Memo.
Upon the introduction, Rep. Correa said, “To date, eight states have legalized recreational cannabis, and twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia, representing more than half of the American population, have enacted legislation to permit the use of cannabis. Attorney General Sessions’ decision to rescind the “Cole Memo” created great uncertainty for these states and legal cannabis businesses, and put citizens in jeopardy for following their state laws.
In my state of California, voters want legal cannabis. It boosts our economy and is a strong medical tool. By 2020, revenues from cannabis sales taxes could reach $1 billion annually for California. This bill will protect California and other states from federal overreach and ensure the will of the American voter is respected.”
Essentially, the Sensible Enforcement Of Cannabis Act would give peace of mind to lawmakers, regulators, 149,000 workers, and the millions of patients and consumers who are dependent on the normalization of lawful marijuana markets. The most essential component in creating a stable business environment to meet consumer demand is certainty and that is what states would have with Reps. Correa’s legislation to protect state-lawful programs from militant marijuana prohibitionist Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Looks like a move to the right path for the medical cannabis patients it’s about time
People like Sessions have never smoked, and actually believe some of this shit. He probably also gets a paycheck for pushing these anti-marijuana laws too. What some of these politicians are not keeping in mind is, the majority of the country wants it legal.
Protections are necessary. Should just be de-scheduled off their list. Cannabis is not dangerous. Cannabis does not lead to hard drugs.
Signing Off Lightly Blazed. 😉
govenrment dont care about the majority as we all can see we give them our vote they stick up our arse never gave a shit never will
Probably the only thing they see is $$ signs. If they can make a buck, then legalize a strict low amount. The Government will never do it by its citizens alone. They find a way to make a buck though, they will be on this train.
Pharmacuetical corporations use kickbacks, campaign donations and stock option incentives to buy poiticians like Sessions, who has a long history of taking blood money from HealthSouth, CVS and Abbott Laboratories. The numbers are available on http://www.opensecrets.org But with enough effort and a subpoena we’ll have him singing to Judge Hellerstein about how he’s protecting synthetics from prosecution while whole plant remedies like marijuana remain on schedule 1.
The voices of the people are being heard. Finally the majority of people are going to be recognized. Make America great by listening to the people who make up this great nation.
This sounds good.
The best news I’ve heard, has been yesterday’s order from Maine Labor Dept – that businesses cannot test for marihuanas anymore.
I think it’s a bandaid. What needs to happen is to de-schedule and decriminalize cannabis. Its the right thing to do and will take care of the rest of it.
Please let us have medical if nothing else. This really helps my pain better than pain medication. I have energy also. This one plant would take care of the three pills I take and reduce my pain. Praying in Virginia
Excellent Judge! Trump and Congress should Legalize ASAP
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I have been seeking help for my Fibromyalgia, its constant pain. I have suffered since I was only 21 yr.s old. Nothing has helped me as much as cannabis has. My hands used to treble all the time. Now they are steady again. I also suffer from seizures. Ever had one. If you ever did you’d see what God created for medicine used to help control them. Lets stop demonizing weed and help our people. this country was already Great let’s keep it that way. Freedom from prosecution.finally.
Unfortunately, there sense to be absolutely nothing remotely sensible about the way the Republican leaders are doing things.
I swear that if not for cannabis, I would loose my mind over all the anger I feel towards them and especially towards Trump!
All of us have got to get out to vote whenever we can to throw these republican bums out!
Here in Virginia I have found that contacting our so-called representatives has accomplished nothing so I’m wondering if I should even bother any further… I think we just have to get rid of them and hope that their replacements are an improvement.
I am glad I have a place to vent here on the NORML blog. I’m so pissed right now at America’s leaders I could scream. They are worse than useless and that is especially true for Trump and his evil little elf; Jeffrey Sessions.
Me too, Miles. And I do the same thing: smoke till I chill. My slogan will be from now on: don’t get mad, get registered! Payday will be Election Day.
It seems that many in our country are speaking out against gun violence and the utter stupidity of elected paid off officials to support the right of people to own assault weapons. They serve no purpose beyond killing and it should stop.
But you know what, ruining people’s lives is almost, if not just, as bad as killing them. That is what happens when a good person gets put in jail or prison for a cannabis offense.
In both cases the majority of people in this country want it to stop. First, let’s get the dangerous weapons out of the hands of non-military/non-law enforcement personnel. Next, let’s end the idiotic war against cannabis consumers. Both of these extreme positions coming from the far right Republicans (primarily) have done extreme harm to our nation.
I really wish that news organizations would all start pushing legalization agenda and end the incredible stupidity of having the largest incarceration rate in the world because of bad drug laws.
For God’s sake, if someone has a drug problem help them! Locking them up for years does not one bit of good. Why can’t these people (e.g. most Republicans) understand that?
I’m an ex-marine and I still care about my country. However, I really feel mostly hate when I think about the people running this country; especially the sociopathic moron who got elected president; with the help of the Russians!
Word is getting out, Miles. The NRA is being exposed for what they are; fraudulent threats to our national security that never stood up for marijuana patients in possession of a firearm. Republican state lawmakers in Florida were busted trying to ease gun access even further the day after the Florida shooting;
https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/florida-gop-blocking-background-checks-after-school-shooting?akid=16736.2366751.hi5rHw&rd=1&src=newsletter1088857&t=30
(Woops, I was trying to make you glad, not more mad!) Here’s the “glad” part… Florida will show these clowns out of office in November. All this corrupt crony contracting after Hurricane Maria brought a flood of Democratic voting Puerto Ricans to register in Broward County. I wouldnt mind seeing Tim Canova take Debbie Washmoney Shultz out of office so Dems can clean house too.
What was our top law enforcer, Jeff Sessions doing on Jan. 5th when a tip on Cruz was being reported to the FBI? Oh, he was busy reversing the Cole memos even though studies show a reduction in violence around medical marijuana dispensaries. And Trump? He actually slashed funding to investigate extreme right wing white supremacy;
https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/trump-actually-slashed-funding-fight-white-supremacist-violence-prior-florida?akid=16736.2366751.hi5rHw&rd=1&src=newsletter1088857&t=36
America, we are infected with racist prohibition of marijuana whose only remedy is our vote: Our participation in the legislative process.
Miles,
A year after the 2016 election, people are starting to get their head around the fact that we have a goddamn Russian operative, and a traitor, sitting in the Oval Office!
An American Dictator. A puppet of Putin. People think it couldn’t happen here? Wrong! There he golfs.
He calls himself “Trump!”
But as psychotic as Trump is, he would have been just another porn star, if only the Republicans had faithfully executed their sworn responsibilities as public servants. And all would have been right with the world.
But they didn’t.
That’s why we have to punish ALL Republicans SO HARD on Election Day. Enjoy your payback, I say, but remember: The goal is not revenge; the goal is HARM REDUCTION. We NEED to get rid of the Corporate-owned fuckers, so that we The People can live free from tyranny!
And Trump can rot in a Siberian Prison for the rest of his life. And don’t forget to take your girlfriend Sessions with you!
I heard a really, really good idea recently: just like with NASCAR, stock car racing and so forth, we The People should absolutely insist that elected politicians wear stickers, all over them from head to toe, stickers with all the corporate logos of all their corporate donors: Exxon; Lilly Pharmaceuticals; Budweiser; etc.
Isn’t that a fantastic fucking idea? So Apple Pie!
Of course, the idea is not new… It’s just that parody is dead. Check out the 1999 movie “Mystery Men” with Janeane Garofalo and Ben Stiller.
NRA…
Sounds good, Mark, but we would have to include a Patent Tracker App with red flags for private profit over people’s public property.
If they would reschedule to level II the amount of research would probably double, how many more people have to suffer and die before people are put in front of big Pharma. It is about money, Trump gets we could save people and billions and maybe trillions if there were better non addictive drugs for many.
Tammy, cocaine is a schedule 2 drug. Rescheduling marijuana to schedule 2 will NOT end federal prohibition. In fact, it’s exactly what Big Pharma wants.
Let’s DEschedule marijuana.
Mnuchin, what the hell does this mean?
Issuing updated marijuana banking guidance is “at the top of the list” for the U.S. Treasury Department, according to Sec. Steve Mnuchin.
https://www.thecannabist.co/2018/02/15/marijuana-banking-treasury-blumenauer-mnuchin/99123/
I’m hoping the Mnuchin Memo will do everything that’s in this Sensible Enforcement of Cannabis Act anyway in case this legislation dies in committee like all so often happens.
Just freakin’ legalize it already!
Congress just keeps stretching it out longer till legalization. I don’t see this tide changing. You’re going to get to a point some time when you say cumulatively there are enough states with medical marijuana, enough with adult retail implemented or not, and you have all these other states jumping on the unimplemented bandwagon because they putting off the actual cannabis shops like the Least Coast Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, oh yeah and Canada, too. Everybody’s stretching things out.
Well, it undoubtedly helps our cause greatly that the GOP’s obscene gerrymandering in Penna has been challenged by the Penna Governor and the state supreme court. Replace those undemocratically elected GOPers with Dems, and there’s far better chance for legalization. We’ll see how this plays out in the coming months.
And then there’s Pennsylvania in the news touting its now running medical marijuana program. I am happy for the people who can be helped by it. But as someone who has been battling cancer for years the fact that you can’t buy the dried female flowers still makes it an absolute shit law for everyone who could vape the flower with a Volcano or something. When you look at what they are saying the per dose cost it and you compare how many treatments you could get in bud using the adult retail state cost (Colorado, Oregon, etc.) this is far too much. It’s not covered by insurance and so people have to pay more unnecessarily.
Snippet 1
A 2016 state law restricts the drug to pills, oils, vapor or liquid marijuana, but not in smokable form or what are considered edibles.
Snippet 2
Chris Goldstein, a cannabis consumer advocate with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said the restrictive nature of Pennsylvania’s law may make it challenging for dispensaries to turn a profit.
https://www.thecannabist.co/2018/02/15/pennsylvania-medical-marijuana-dispensaries-open/99108/
Duh, Harrisburg!
Hear that?! The restrictive nature of the law will make it difficult to make a profit in Pennsylvania.
https://mjbizdaily.com/many-new-york-medical-marijuana-patients-still-buying-black-market/
New York state lawmakers voted to legalize marijuana for medical use in 2014, and Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law last June. The new law just took effect on January 6 — but it hasn’t made it any easier for sick New Yorkers to get high. Among the 23 states that now allow some form of legal weed, New York’s law is among the most restrictive. Only a handful of serious conditions qualify for a prescription, and so far there are only 71 patients in the entire state. The patients are only allowed to use tinctures and oils, which can be vaporized, inhaled, or consumed orally in capsules. Smoking or growing marijuana is still strictly forbidden.
https://news.vice.com/article/how-new-york-totally-screwed-up-legalizing-medical-marijuana
New York went MMJ in 2014. Then Pennsylvania went to New York state’s government web site and copied their MMJ legislation and then used Find Replace to change New York to Pennsylvania. After that all the Pennsylvania prohibitionists had a turn tweaking and proofreading it. Just legalize adult recreational to get your construction money, rather than putting the financial pain on. I mean, when you see New York getting burned why wouldn’t you want to avoid that mistake?!
Pennsylvania is a state with really dumb, lazy plagiarizing politicians.
Pennsylvania! We need a Mokum in Philly! Instead, folks will be going to New Jersey. Where is the Ross Perot of Pennsylvania? Who, besides Eugene dePasquale will get out the message about that loud sucking sound of the money flowing out of state to NJ?
Man, Harrisburg, talk about dumb!
Legalize it in Indiana hell they should they just got sued for not letting a 7 yr old girl do the cbd oil for medical reasons.