HOUSE Votes to Stop Medical Marijuana and Hemp Prosecutions

[Torie]

Rohrabacher was going crazy in his speech. He sounded like a maniac.

He didn't say anything that isn't true.

Well it doesn't change the fact he sounded crazed. This is atrocious legislation.

If you can come up with one argument based on logic and sound reason why people should be punished for producing HEMP, then I will eat my hat.

It encourages disrespect for the laws and authority.

If it becomes legal, then there is no remaining issue as to the above, no?  I don't understand what is going on in your head here, Simi. One can argue that Medical Marijuana is a joke camouflaging functional legalization (which it is, at least in CA, because getting a "prescription" is in fact automatic, for a small fee of $30 to $75 per year paid to a pot doc), that legalized pot will lead to more pot usage, with negative societal consequences, etc., all of which are empirical issues, that turn on what the data actually is out there, and how reliable it is, and balance all of that off against the freedom to choose one's favorite high, that reasoning process I  understand. Yours is more of a riddle within an enigma to me.

[CLARENCE 2015!]

A positive step

[CatoMinor]

Also then Simfan, would you defend prosecuting people who housed runaway slaves? As that certainly disrespected law and authority.

This is racist, to say nothing of its hyperbolic strawman-ism. The law also deals with marijuana for consumption, but that's beside the point.

I'd oppose legalising marijuana even if it brought us world peace and ended Eritrean independence- it's a matter of eroding authority. We took a position, and it would be perilous not to stand by it.

That is not racist, I would have used that example regardless of who I was responding to.

And don't just say they were other matters, the point is that bad law is bad law and shouldn't be defended simply because someone has a fetish for state authority. What do you think honestly makes the country worse off image wise, having terrible laws and doubling down on them, or fixing the mistakes when we realize the laws are awful?

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Simfan is another poster who seems to have a pathological aversion to independent thought.

No, that's not (normally) it, he's actually being unusually intransigent on this issue. In that his position itself is in accordance with his views in general, certainly, but how unreasonable he's being about it (which I think may be mostly posturing, granted, but I'm not entirely sure) is a far cry from the way he treats most issues.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

It is a waste to waste money on such matters regardless so a positive development.


All this talk of Hemp and Slavery reminds me of one of my favorite Marlon Brando movies, that would be of course, the movie "Burn!".

"I'll show you how load it. First, a measure of powder, then the hemp, a measure of lead, again the hemp (cocks rifled musket), the rifle is ready".

[Meursault]

I meant that literally, in the sense that Simfan is obsequious to authority simply by dint of the fact that it is authority.

"Respect for the law" is a vagary, an abstraction with little to no tangible reality.

[tik 🪀✨]

I meant that literally, in the sense that Simfan is obsequious to authority simply by dint of the fact that it is authority.

"Respect for the law" is a vagary, an abstraction with little to no tangible reality.

Upon a passing pondering it was made evident your point's prevalent irrelevance to the precedent set by the Elephant. Then this thought tumultuously tumbled towards turning the thread to trainwreckage. We should embrace the herb in question instead of smoking sage - I agree. Simfan's trolling is plain to see.

[LeBron]

I don't have as much a problem in stopping raids for growing hemp when it's technically less dangerous and it's used for more beneficial purposes, but medical marijuana is where I draw the line. This is just what young people wanted because if they live in one of the 22 states with medical marijuana, they can easily trick a doctor into believing they have a certain illness and then prescribe them for it. It's completely undermining and as Simfan said, disrespectful to authorities who would otherwise be defenseless in most states. The DEA has a right to do their jobs and help these people rethink their treatment decisions. Not to mention the people who are honest and actually are ill would just increase the chances that they would abuse the drug and get themselves even more hurt. There's no rational basis in swapping pain from arthritis or Alzheimer's disease for more health problems and depression which in itself could lead to suicide. I just saw a Harvard study that compared drug-free people to marijuana smokers which said people, especially young 18-25 year olds, who smoke only a little bit of marijuana have lower life satisfactions and motivation in life and parts of their brains are affected that result in less "pleasure." So that goes against those who say that the ill who use marijuana in moderation are safe when they're really not. I'm happy to pay taxpayer dollars to fund these raids if deemed necessary, but what I'm not fine with is giving the feds even less power by prohibiting them from alleviating situations by making sure nobody can use marijuana, especially parents who choose to give their children parts of it instead of giving them an approved, safer drug like aptiom.

I'm not necessarily surprised Boehner allowed a vote on this given he is a smoker and he'll put his own selfish habits before his caucus, but at least Cantor voted against it so here's another reason for the Tea Party to oust Boehner. What I am surprised at though is that even with Broun and Stockman sponsoring this, it's amazing how many Tea Partiers tagged along with them including a majority of the KY delegation. This amendment pass was really a fluke though because it just barely passed and ever since the last failed vote on this, Republicans have moved farther right and most of them probably only voted for it just to "stop our oppressive government and protect our state's constitutional rights!"

I'm absolutely appalled that Kaptur voted for this as well as the other OH House Dems and Joyce because if the signatures are approved for medical marijuana this year and it passes, then the legality of medical marijuana in our state would end all federal prosecutions for it. Reid is likely to take this up since he supports med. marijuana so he's useless in stopping this bill, but I trust Senate Republicans to uphold the law and make sure this doesn't pass.

[Meursault]

**** your communitarianism.

[H. Ross Peron]

Rohrabacher was going crazy in his speech. He sounded like a maniac.

He didn't say anything that isn't true.

Well it doesn't change the fact he sounded crazed. This is atrocious legislation.

If you can come up with one argument based on logic and sound reason why people should be punished for producing HEMP, then I will eat my hat.

It encourages disrespect for the laws and authority.

[free my dawg]

I don't have as much a problem in stopping raids for growing hemp when it's technically less dangerous and it's used for more beneficial purposes, but medical marijuana is where I draw the line. This is just what young people wanted because if they live in one of the 22 states with medical marijuana, they can easily trick a doctor into believing they have a certain illness and then prescribe them for it. It's completely undermining and as Simfan said, disrespectful to authorities who would otherwise be defenseless in most states. The DEA has a right to do their jobs and help these people rethink their treatment decisions. Not to mention the people who are honest and actually are ill would just increase the chances that they would abuse the drug and get themselves even more hurt. There's no rational basis in swapping pain from arthritis or Alzheimer's disease for more health problems and depression which in itself could lead to suicide. I just saw a Harvard study that compared drug-free people to marijuana smokers which said people, especially young 18-25 year olds, who smoke only a little bit of marijuana have lower life satisfactions and motivation in life and parts of their brains are affected that result in less "pleasure." So that goes against those who say that the ill who use marijuana in moderation are safe when they're really not. I'm happy to pay taxpayer dollars to fund these raids if deemed necessary, but what I'm not fine with is giving the feds even less power by prohibiting them from alleviating situations by making sure nobody can use marijuana, especially parents who choose to give their children parts of it instead of giving them an approved, safer drug like aptiom.

I'm not necessarily surprised Boehner allowed a vote on this given he is a smoker and he'll put his own selfish habits before his caucus, but at least Cantor voted against it so here's another reason for the Tea Party to oust Boehner. What I am surprised at though is that even with Broun and Stockman sponsoring this, it's amazing how many Tea Partiers tagged along with them including a majority of the KY delegation. This amendment pass was really a fluke though because it just barely passed and ever since the last failed vote on this, Republicans have moved farther right and most of them probably only voted for it just to "stop our oppressive government and protect our state's constitutional rights!"

I'm absolutely appalled that Kaptur voted for this as well as the other OH House Dems and Joyce because if the signatures are approved for medical marijuana this year and it passes, then the legality of medical marijuana in our state would end all federal prosecutions for it. Reid is likely to take this up since he supports med. marijuana so he's useless in stopping this bill, but I trust Senate Republicans to uphold the law and make sure this doesn't pass.

As someone who smokes occasionally to deal with a mental disorder he has, I believe I have the right to say this:

F**k your authority. My health comes first.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

Rohrabacher was going crazy in his speech. He sounded like a maniac.

He didn't say anything that isn't true.

Well it doesn't change the fact he sounded crazed. This is atrocious legislation.

If you can come up with one argument based on logic and sound reason why people should be punished for producing HEMP, then I will eat my hat.

It encourages disrespect for the laws and authority.

You're an underage drinker...

[Хahar 🤔]

I don't have as much a problem in stopping raids for growing hemp when it's technically less dangerous and it's used for more beneficial purposes, but medical marijuana is where I draw the line. This is just what young people wanted because if they live in one of the 22 states with medical marijuana, they can easily trick a doctor into believing they have a certain illness and then prescribe them for it.

Oh, believe me, there's no trickery necessary. Everyone knows a doctor who will readily prescribe marijuana for whatever headache you have.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

I don't have as much a problem in stopping raids for growing hemp when it's technically less dangerous and it's used for more beneficial purposes, but medical marijuana is where I draw the line. This is just what young people wanted because if they live in one of the 22 states with medical marijuana, they can easily trick a doctor into believing they have a certain illness and then prescribe them for it.

Oh, believe me, there's no trickery necessary. Everyone knows a doctor who will readily prescribe marijuana for whatever headache you have.

Even if you don't know a doctor, you can pay for one. At least that's what I've heard from my Californian friends.

[Joe Republic]

Oh goodness, just take a walk around Venice Beach some day and you'll practically find yourself stumbling into a dispensary and being given a medical marijuana card in exchange for $50 or so.

There's still a couple of these billboards dotted around Vegas:



(Although the proprietor was busted and jailed by the feds a while back for opening up a dispensary before such a thing is actually legal here yet.)

[memphis]

The rules for medical weed are different in each state that has it. California is notoriously permissive. I bought some in Oakland with no doctor's note at all, just because they didn't care. Other states require a legit and serious diagnosis like AIDS or cancer. In any case, it's hilarious that somebody would use life satisfaction as a basis for prohibition. I wonder what the life satisfaction is for people in prison.

[Simfan34]

I'm amused but rather disturbed people think I would support keeping something illegal for no reason whatsoever besides the fact it was already illegal. I don't actually believe that. Do I think that sometimes? Perhaps, but it's not what I would ever deem a logical opinion. But do I think legalisation for medical purposes is often a complete sham? I do.

[greenforest32]

A sham medical program is certainly better than unjust asset forfeiture and incarceration.

Which has less credibility; medical marijuana or marijuana prohibition? The answer is clear.

[politicallefty]

If you need even one reason to take a negative look towards the DEA, look at its leader, Michele Leonhart. She makes no differentiation among what are currently Schedule I drugs. In other words, there's really no difference between marijuana and heroin. And I can't forget to mention this:

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I'm very impressed that the House managed to get these passed, particularly the medical marijuana prosecutions. Of course, if they were truly serious on the matter, they would remove marijuana from Schedule I classification.

[AggregateDemand]

Texas representatives are not watching the polls. I understand we have drug cartel problems, which make our reps skeptical of loosening drug enforcement, but the vote was almost universally no, with several Democrats voting no or ditching the vote.

Texas Republicans should have voted like Utah Republicans

[Simfan34]

F[inks] Jared Polis, the punk.

[Iosif]

Do I really believe that? I don't think so. But I oppose marijuana legalisation, health effects be damned. That is my honest belief. It is a matter of people challenging authority without consequence for their own selfish pleasure. Slavery and civil rights were other matters entirely.

What's with this hard on you have for authority?

[ElectionsGuy]

Thanks somewhat sane republicans.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

F[inks] Jared Polis, the punk.

Wait, what did Jared Polis do? Does he smoke pot now?

[free my dawg]

I'd bet good money on Polis toking.