it's just so anachronistic that it's still illegal anywhere. nobody deserves criminal prosecution for any drug, let alone marijuana. it should be trivial paper shuffling to fix it too, it's not like it needs funding or infrastructure. just hit the fucking button!
this post was submitted on 08 Nov 2023
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I think it actually requires passing a federal bill, but I'm not honestly sure. Either way I'm with you, it should never have been made illegal and it certainly didn't still be federally illegal today...
AFAIK the DEA and drug scheduling is under the executive branch so someone like Biden should be able to have it rescheduled, but so far all we've gotten from him is a committee to study whether marijuana is dangerous or not as roughly half the country have already fully legalized it and probably 2/3 have it legal for medicinal purposes.
The President can't just order DEA to unschedule it because it would very likely be a violation of the Administrative Procedures Act (the same thing that the Supreme Court said Trump violated when he tried to end DACA). Just ending the scheduling altogether with no strings attached would really need an act of Congress to be safe from being overturned by the SCOTUS.
A few months ago, Biden's Department of Health and Human Services submitted a formal recommendation to the DEA to reschedule cannabis to Schedule III. It's now in the DEA's hands. Schedule III means if you have a prescription, you can no longer get fired for it if you test positive and it's recognized as having real medical value with moderate to low physical dependence. Not ideal, but complete unscheduling is something the DEA would never go along with. Rescheduling or an act of Congress are the best bets, and Biden has formally requested the DEA to do the former.
I think weed is an issue where Biden's personal life experience and age show more than just about anywhere else. He's an old devout Catholic boomer that doesn't even drink and has a son that's had a very public struggle with drug addiction. I don't think he's ever going to exactly be a champion of legalization.
It's definitely something that can be criticized, but in the grand scheme of things, given that federal prosecution of marijuana "crimes" are basically non-existent nowadays anyway, it's a pretty small matter for me. You are right though that he has taken a step towards potentially rescheduling it, which is definitely a step in the right direction.
While people aren't really being federally prosecuted, the ban still does have far reaching effects like not being able to cross a state border while in possession, get a federal job, or open a bank account as a dispensary (except in some circumstances). Our state department of revenue had to spend millions of dollars to build a giant vault in order to collect millions of dollars in cash from the tax revenue.
I just find it frustrating since I think there's plenty of political will to just end this draconian prohibition nationwide relatively easily, but nobody seems willing to step up to the plate regardless of party.
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More importantly, Ohio voted to protect reproductive rights!!! 👍
OK OK there are like 10 posts about that already, let us have our marijuana thread. 😉
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OHIGHO
It's right there in the NAME!!! (gestures wildly)
Between the marijuana and women's rights, conservatives must be losing their goddamned minds with rage right now.
I think weed is probably a pretty divisive issue in the party. I love in Oregon and know a ton of die-hard, Trump lovin' Republicans who love weed and have long before it was legalized. I think it's mostly the religious fundamentalists in the south and places like Utah/Idaho who oppose it while the rest probably don't care at this point.
The Tea Party rode their way up on the coattails of classic Libertarians. The basically want to legalize everything from smoking weed to killing gays and owning people. "Freedom"
When it looks like Republicans are confused and cannibalizing themselves, it's because of the bloc that married Trump.
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Holy shit I didn't know it was that many
And if you count the states that have it decriminalized and or offer prescriptions from Dr. Nick or Dr. Spaceman, then there aren’t very many holdouts left.
Biden should just run on abortions and weed next year. Make it federal if the democrats can take back enough of the house and hold the senate.
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It's not enough. And it should be federally legal.
Just a reminder as people mostly know but it's worth repeating: Marijuana is a schedule 1 substance in the same category as heroin, fucking heroin, which is absolutely fucking asinine. Psilocybin is up there too and also just as retarded.
This all being said at least we're making some slow progress.
Almost half
Seems like it is more than time to legalize it nationally
Hope it lasts. The problem is it’s an initiated statute rather than a constitutional amendment, so that means the can be repealed or amended by the gerrymandered state legislature anytime, and Republicans are already threatening to do just that.
I say, go ahead and do that. This passed in a landslide, and I'm looking forward to a blue Ohio where Gym Jorden and the worthless Republicans flushed down the toilet like the stale turds they are.
The legislature is gerrymandered so bad, there would be no consequences. The Republicans have safe seats. Ignoring the voters will have no consequences. We need another decade for more Boomers to die to turn blue.
It passed by a 14-point margin. That means Republicans in republican districts voted for this.
The thing is with gerrymandering of seats? The margins are razor thin. You lose a couple of percentage points, and you lose that seat. Fighting this, and you lose more than a few percentage points.
Oh, they are not that thin. Most R seats are safe. And just because some Republicans voted for marijuana doesn’t mean the will vote for a Democrat. They make like legal weed, but they HATE Democrats.
The fact is, they were already planning to change it the second it passed. I bet they eliminate the home grow provision, cut THC limits, and raise the tax rate to make it unaffordable.
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So PA is going to be officially surrounded by legal states, while only having medical
This is worse than the fireworks.
I feel like they are just fleecing people through the medical system at this point. ID cards, goofy doctors, etc. Enough is enough.
The system is growing exponentially. I was given those numbers by one of the goofy doctors. Pretty remarkable!
We New Hampshirites are as well.
Our state is called the "Live Free or Die State" too. So much for that bullshit as long as Republicans are in charge.
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Don't worry. Many lawmakers in Ohio have already said they'll immediately overrule it via legislation. Dunno the legality of what they've said, but I wouldn't put it past them.
Many lawmakers in Ohio have already said they’ll immediately overrule it via legislation.
I would imagine any legislative actions would be ruled unconstitutional as the method of legalization was a state Constitutional amendment.
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Imagine being so brazenly undemocratic that you'd try to overturn the will of the people themselves. 😩
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Same in Indiana, and we don't even have medical.
Ohio: Hotbed of liberal hippies.
Wow Ohio, that's a surprisingly not insane move! Soon you won't be the Florida of the north if you keep this up.
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Why is Pennsylvania so late on this?
Man NC is moronic. Replace all the lost tobacco money with weed money… I mean come on. Should be a no brainer.
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Welcome to the club!
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