What's ahead for legalization

Last year was a good year for the legalization movement. Canada passed the Cannabis Act in June, becoming the first industrialized country to legalize recreational marijuana use.
Vermont and Michigan also approved recreational marijuana, bringing the number of states to 10.
Utah and Missouri voted to approve medical marijuana initiatives, bringing the number of states to have legalized some form of medical marijuana to 32.

The next most likely states for legalization are New York and New Jersey, but both of them have issues.

After years of leading the fight against progressive causes, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has finally changed his tune.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday explicitly said for the first time that he supports marijuana legalization in his state — and will make it a legislative priority in 2019.

“Let’s legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana, once and for all,” Cuomo said in a speech outlining his administration’s priorities for the first 100 days of 2019.

The governor did not reveal any specific details of what his legalization bill will entail, but one person working on the legislation told me that it may be introduced as soon as January.
...
It’s a big shift for the governor. As Tom Angell reported for Marijuana Majority, “As recently as a year ago he called marijuana a ‘gateway drug.’ But 2018 has seen Cuomo’s position on the issue change dramatically, beginning amid an unexpectedly strong primary challenge from Cynthia Nixon, a progressive candidate who ran on a legalization platform.”

Considering that it's Cuomo, he might be working to undermine the effort behind the scenes. Or not. There's no way of knowing.
But after progressives destroyed Cuomo's Independent Democratic Conference, there is nothing to stop legalization (except for Cuomo).

Before Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also promised to legalize marijuana in his first 100 days. That was several hundred days ago.
After dragging their feet for months and months, New Jersey politicians finally did something a few weeks ago.

Monday was a momentous day in Trenton, as lawmakers took the first concrete step toward legal weed in New Jersey.

Committees from the state Senate and Assembly in a joint hearing passed a bill that would legalize marijuana for adult use and create a weed industry, with growers and pot shops.

Legalization in New Jersey would also come with expunging criminal records.
The bill won't be voted on until next year.
Already 47 New Jersey towns have banned retail marijuana sales.

No other state is close to legalization.
However, Illinois is preparing itself for that eventuality.
Minnesota is now looking like a possibility.

Mexico has taken the step of consulting with Canada and Uruguay, which have already legalized cannabis, as well as studying legalization in U.S. states like California, Colorado and Nevada.
New President Manuel Lopez Obrador has already stated he favors legalization, but even more than that, the Mexican Supreme Court has ruled against Mexico War on Pot.

In Mexico, five rulings establish jurisprudence, and on October 31, decisions in a fourth and fifth case found that an individual's choice to consume marijuana trumps potential risks associated with it. As a result, the rulings overturned Mexico's ban on recreational use.

In response, Senator Olga Sanchez Cordero introduced a bill in the Senate last week that would create a new system that would allow marijuana to be grown, consumed, and regulated.

The bill introduced by Cordero, who is being tapped by Obrador for the job of interior minister once he takes office, would allow the commercial production, sale, and consumption of marijuana for medicinal and recreational use.

Marijuana may be legal from the Guatemala border to the Arctic Circle very soon (except for Texas, of course).

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Pricknick's picture

What is equally or more important, is the expunging of those who were convicted of marijuana offenses. I don't give a shit if it involved tons of weed. The new enterprises will be dealing in metric tons on a yearly basis.
Let our people go.

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

janis b's picture

@Pricknick

Let our people go.

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@Pricknick and give them something BACK to help integrate them into the community!

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Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .

Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .

If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march

Bollox Ref's picture

we've recently had a number of pearl-clutching letters in the local rag concerning the evils of the weed.

We're all going to die, or something.

(Edited)

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

janis b's picture

@Bollox Ref


attribution: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=pearl+clutching+images&t=h_&ia=images&iax=imag...

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snoopydawg's picture

@Bollox Ref

The voters here voted for MM and on 12/3 the legislature met and mostly gutted what people voted for. The Mormon church sat in on the meeting and got to input their wishes. The only way for people to get it now is to go to one of six places where it would be dispensed by a pharmacist. But since it's illegal at the federal level that's probably not going to happen. Here's what Huber says about it.

U.S. attorney for Utah reviewing how to deal with new medical marijuana law

SALT LAKE CITY — Federal law enforcement officials are reviewing Utah's new medical marijuana law to decide how it affects the job they do in the state.

"It’s of great concern to us, the marijuana impact in Utah. It was then, it is now," U.S. Attorney for Utah John Huber said. "It’s still against federal law, that cannot be forgot."

Utah voters approved a ballot initiative in November legalizing doctor-approved cannabis treatment for certain health conditions. State lawmakers this month replaced the measure with a law they say puts tighter controls on the production, distribution and use of the drug.

In September, Huber said the fact that marijuana use, production, distribution and transportation violates federal law was lost in the debate over the initiative.

Huber said the Department of Justice allows individual U.S. attorneys to decide how to enforce marijuana laws in their districts.

"What was a hands-off approach previously under the Obama administration, whatever handcuffs or restraints that were placed on me are gone, and I have a lot of discretion to see best how to use our limited resources," he said.

"I’ve got to think about these things with my partners to see where we should use our resources and what is drug trafficking and exploitation and profiteering."
*
Huber said federal authorities prosecute marijuana cases in the state every month.

"They take a toll on who we want to be as Utahns," he said.

No Huber. You meant to say that "they take a toll on who we want to be as Mormons you git!

Lots of people here think that if people can use it for medicinal purposes then kids will get their hands on it. These people must have been living in a bubble because people have always been able to get their hands on it. My friends and I did 40 years ago as do many people now.

It makes no sense to keep marijuana illegal for use as pain medication when people are getting addicted to opioids and when they are cut off people turn to street drugs and risk dying from over dose.

This is just one of the many reasons I dreaded moving back here. But needs must at the time.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

janis b's picture

@snoopydawg

It makes no sense to keep marijuana illegal for use as pain medication when people are getting addicted to opioids and when they are cut off people turn to street drugs and risk dying from over dose.

Here in NZ "Cannabis is the fourth-most widely used recreational drug, after caffeine, alcohol and tobacco, and the most widely used illegal drug. In the population of more than four million, 13.4% of those aged 16–64 use cannabis. This ranks as the ninth-highest cannabis consumption level in the world.[3]"

But, we're trying.

Synthetic drugs are a significantly greater problem.

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snoopydawg's picture

@janis b

Addiction is complicated and most people who use opioids for chronic pain do not become addicted to them because of how the body metabolizes them. I've been on very powerful ones for two decades and I don't get a euphoric high from them because the brain uses them to address pain not the euphoria center. I have become dependent on them and would go through withdrawal if I'm suddenly cut off them and because of the dosage it'd be damn dangerous if that happens. And this is constant threat because of the misinformation people get. And the damn war on drugs.

Some people who did get addicted to them were prescribed huge amounts for pain that went away but they kept taking them.

When people talk about opioid overdoses they aren't talking about prescription opioid ones, but from the street drugs they turned to. Or started using for whatever reason. And even some of this information is wrong because everyone is different. But one thing this is doing is making it harder for chronic pain patients to continue getting their drugs. The biggest issue that needs to be addressed is the social economic crisis that people are experiencing. But it's easier for the PTB to just blame people instead of fixing this problem.

After Amsterdam legalized most drugs the amount of people using them went down as did crime. But the war on drugs is a huge money maker for various departments here. The CIA is the biggest importer of drugs and they give drug lords protection for numerous reasons. Didn't they import it to Harlem in the 80's? ....Webb wrote about them and after newspapers published his work they went back on what they wrote and they hounded him into his grave. A movie was made about it but I can't remember the name. Some help anyone?

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

janis b's picture

@snoopydawg

I’m not so aware of how complicated addiction to pain killers can be, but I can imagine it’s unique to everyone.

It’s the addiction to money-making ventures, the worst of which is the military, that prevents everything else from getting the attention it needs to create a healthy society.

Did you mean the film Kill The Messenger? I haven’t seen it.

[video:https://youtu.be/GJkNEtgMulw]

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snoopydawg's picture

@snoopydawg

There is no power granted to the states to over ride a federal law. Therefore no state can legalize mj for any use. It is still illegal to us mj in any state. All state attorneys should simply reminder their governors of that and direct them to forbid all mj us in each individual state.

Huber is dead on. He sees the impact this is going to have on our society here in Utah. It's too bad there are those that will take advantage of MM and those who have it legally prescribed.

What impact? If you don't want to use it, don't use it. What other people do is no one's business.

Reply to above comment.

This is a very tired argument. Especially coming from someone who espouses leftest ideals. Society is built on norms and understanding that we all act a certain way. If I don't want something affecting me or any of my loved ones, I will try my hardest to lower those chances. And as any reasonable person can ascertain, the more accepted something becomes in a society, the higher the chances it will ultimately affect me.

Good I hope they prosecute every user and distributor!

And the winner is;

Interesting how he points out how President Obama put pressure on them to NOT enforce the laws concerning marijuana use. In my mind, that makes Obama no better than a common criminal, a law breaker. Isn't that what criminals do, ignore the law?

Sigh. You should read the comments whenever someone commits a crime. Or gets killed by cops or ...

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Our new Gov. JB Pritzker along with his buddy Rahm E. have been saying they would like to have it legal by the end of 2019. They are also saying they want retail stores open asap to beat the big rush to Michigan.

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Pricknick's picture

@pro left

Gov. JB Pritzker along with his buddy Rahm E. have been saying they would like to have it legal by the end of 2019

It will take a peoples movement or there will be a shit system put in place.
Time for a ballot initiative. I know you can do it.

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

janis b's picture

@Pricknick

disadvantages equal availability and affordable prices? It seems like that if the state sees a financial as well as political advantage, they can't legislate fast enough.

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Pricknick's picture

@janis b
a shit system is one that overtaxes so as it makes it unaffordable to all but the well off.
One that makes personal growing illegal is also shit as is the illegality of giving away what one can not consume.
As we've witnessed, if you give the government too much of a say, you've given up your right to speech.
The nothing to hide argument is a quandary that comes to mind.

"Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say."
Edward Snowden

I've got plenty to say.

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

janis b's picture

@Pricknick

I read this today, which is a NZ blogger's perspective that relate to your sentiments. This blogger talks a lot about the subject to NZers. I'm glad you have much to say, and reinforce free speech.

"Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say."
Edward Snowden

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Pricknick's picture

@janis b
Maybe now I understand why so many of wealth think your homeland away from home is where to hide.
Their only problem is that they've told us where to hunt.
Silly wabbits.

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

janis b's picture

@Pricknick

We're much too under the spell of the Ring, especially while the sun shines and the beach is beckoning ; ).

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@Pricknick The Dims have managed to make everything in this state a shit system, So yeah it probably wont be any different.

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janis b's picture

Committees from the state [NJ] Senate and Assembly in a joint hearing passed a bill that would legalize marijuana for adult use and create a weed industry, with growers and pot shops.

There's likely no way of knowing if Cuomo is working behind the scenes to undermine the effort, but it could be true. I didn’t know much about NJ so I had a look at NJ’s political climate. I was surprised to read of their more progressive policies regarding lgbt and gun issues. The state seems to be on the way to ticking off many boxes. In terms of transportation and waste among the environmental issues it certainly has a way to go. It is the most densely populated state in the country.

Thank you for the post.

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Everyone else does it too. But this shit does get tiring:

Marijuana may be legal from the Guatemala border to the Arctic Circle very soon (except for Texas, of course).

I left Texas now over 35 years ago, and I've been in Oregon for the last 25 (happy dance, legal, grow your own, OK to share it, but don't sell it without a license. I'm not a farmer, but I've cultivated a few...).

And...I still get my back up a bit about my former home. Admittedly, I was a farm boy and then a hippie in Austin, and then I left, but really? Texas is not so different than everyplace else (Ok, that's maybe unfortunate).

And really, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas and the Dakotas are to the north.
I would bet a bit that Texas will have legal weed way before most of those states.

And, it doesn't really matter that much either way. Decrimininalizing past weed offenses and expunging prison sentences? Now that is a state by state competition I would like to see get going. Thanks gjohn, if you haven't seen this I hope you enjoy:

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuMDG5RvdXs]

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boriscleto's picture

To put pressure on the police unions...

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