cannabisnews.com: MJ Advocates Cheer Obama Administration Stand
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MJ Advocates Cheer Obama Administration Stand
Posted by CN Staff on August 29, 2013 at 15:47:42 PT
By Ari Bloomekatz
Source: Los Angeles Times
Washington, D.C. -- Marijuana advocates in California and elsewhere cheered the Obama administration's announcement Thursday that it would not interfere with new laws in Colorado and Washington state permitting recreational use of cannabis. But the advocates cautioned there is still a ways to go before legalization. Dale Gieringer, a leading marijuana advocate in California, said he is encouraged by the new U.S. Justice Department memo, but he notes he has been encouraged by past memos only to see federal enforcement increase.
“There are some weasel words in this,” he said. "They’re not going to make a priority to do something, but that doesn’t mean they won’t do it.”The memo written by Deputy Atty. Gen. James M. Cole is a sharp turn from the last memo he wrote in 2011, in which he emphasized that commercial marijuana operations were not protected by their states’ laws.The document released Thursday said prosecutors “should not consider the size or commercial nature of a marijuana operation alone” as a factor for enforcement.“I hope the attorney general follows through with the spirit of their memo, but we’ll have to see,” Gieringer said. But at least in writing, the Justice Department has now decided against seeking to block new state laws in Colorado and Washington that legalize the recreational use of marijuana.They also said they will not bring federal prosecutions against dispensaries or businesses that sell small amounts of marijuana to adults.A department official stressed, however, that marijuana remains illegal under federal law, and that U.S. prosecutors will continue to aggressively enforce the law against those who sell marijuana to minors or to criminal gangs that are involved in drug trafficking.Atty. Gen. Eric Holder described the Obama administration’s middle-ground approach to marijuana enforcement in a call to the governors of the two states.Under the new guidance, a marijuana dispensary will not be targeted by federal prosecutors based on its size or its volume alone, an official said.This change could have an immediate effect in states where medical marijuana is legal under state law.Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said Thursday's announcement will reverberate not only in Washington and Colorado, but also in California and New York, and in other countries as well.In a phone interview from Jamaica, Nadelmann said that country is moving to legalize marijuana and that some officials had been expecting opposition from the U.S. But Nadelmann said he told them there was now a lot less to fear."With today's announcement, it reinforces what I was saying in a huge way," Nadelmann said. "I was expecting a yellow light, but this light looks a lot more greenish than I had expected.""The White House is essentially saying proceed with caution," he said.Nadelmann said the announcement is "significant for the growing number of the other states where the majority of the electorate favor legalizing marijuana and it has international implications" for countries like Jamaica and Uruguay. As for California, Nadelmann said "there's more or less a consensus among key allies to try and put this on the ballot in 2016."Times staff writer David Savage contributed to this report.Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)Author:   Ari BloomekatzPublished: August 29, 2013Copyright: 2013 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/zruSW5y5CannabisNews   -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #9 posted by BuddyBoy420 on August 08, 2015 at 18:08:27 PT:
Marijuana Legalization
Honestly, since weed isn't legal everywhere in the U.S., alcohol should be banned again. The hypocrisy is ridiculous! This is my favorite subject to write about. Marijuana dispensaries are businesses and being such there is going to be more and more pushback against the BS federal policies they have to deal with.Everyone will be able to buy weed online within the next 5 years, so stay strong everyone!
Marijuana Legalization
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Comment #8 posted by museman on August 30, 2013 at 10:27:08 PT
Weasels
“There are some weasel words in this,” he said.Anybody else see the weasels at work? Its just buying time so they can shore up all the holes that freedom lovers have put in their tapestry of lies.Yes. its a major step in compromise, but not necessarily on liberty.They are not going to admit that they are wrong until they have wrung every last drop of energy, money, and life force out of the cannabis users, so that all their 'justice system' constituents can get the payback for their investments in the for profit penal system.Common sense says, if the people say it should be legal, and it has been proven to be more than just "medically useful" what right does the federal government have to interfere in any way? If we still had a Constitution that wasn't raped and pillaged by the lawyers-who are also the politicians- then the law would be stricken from the well-cooked books.People can celebrate this incomplete victory, maybe as a battle won, but the war my friends, is far from over. I've only got it in me to celebrate when it is actually done. This is a couched slap in the face of true liberty, because cannabis prohibition has always just been a crux issue, a revealer of the true nature of our government.That nature has not changed in any way. But the weasels are showing their faces behind the smoke and mirrors. Look closely at their motives, methods, deeds, and actions. Their words begin and end with lies.LEGALIZE FREEDOM
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Comment #7 posted by runruff on August 30, 2013 at 09:12:28 PT
Legal like tomatoes.
To even compare alcohol to cannabis is like comparing a pizza to a Frisbee. One is food, the other is fuel. Legal like pizza! 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by Paint with light on August 30, 2013 at 00:39:08 PT
Change
We were told change had to come from the bottom up.Now thanks to all those efforts people in two states are actually going to be able to consume cannabis legally, equal with alcohol.......and with federal approval.Legal recreational cannabis use is here and it will spread quickly.Weird timing, coming hours after the anniversary of the "I have a dream" speech.Almost free at last, almost free at last.Legal like alcohol. 
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on August 29, 2013 at 19:17:26 PT
One More Thing
I thank the Obama Administration for trying to change the drug laws. It's been a long time coming and it isn't over but we are getting there.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on August 29, 2013 at 19:15:13 PT
Lessons
We need to move forward and try not to make the mistakes California made. They don't have that amount of trouble in Colorado.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on August 29, 2013 at 19:13:07 PT
Sam
I like how Ethan Nadelmann says it. I prefer people who can be happy for progress. Dale is from California and it is a whole different ball game then this current news I believe.
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Comment #2 posted by Sam Adams on August 29, 2013 at 19:01:26 PT
Thank you Dale G
Of course Dale is in constant touch with the people are suffering daily from prohibition, including the targets of the feds' devastating medMJ raids, and imprisoning/impovershing good people.So he's not going to be able to chug the Kool-Aid today either.
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Comment #1 posted by HempWorld on August 29, 2013 at 16:26:33 PT
Thank You Rocky!
Are you letting us have it? I still can't believe it. I have to sleep on it for a night and see how I feel waking up tomorrow.Now Uruguay, and I want to see a fresh poll on marijuana legalization in the US.Rasmussen, Gallup, Angus Reid, are you listening?
Marijuana Dispensary
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