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Learyfan
It's the psychedelic movement!



Registered: 04/20/01
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President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco
#21346652 - 03/01/15 01:30 AM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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Didn't see that anyone had posted this yet. I think it's a really important step. I personally haven't seen him go this far on the issue of marijuana legality. He doesn't go as far as we'd all like, but we're getting closer by the day..................
Quote:
President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco
Updated by German Lopez on February 27, 2015, 12:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, March 1, 2015
President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco but not legalize it. Wait, what?
President Barack Obama on Thursday said he wants to treat marijuana like tobacco, which is legal. But, in a bit of a contradiction, he also suggested he opposes marijuana legalization.
In an interview with Kansas City news station KMBC, Obama said states could change their marijuana laws to discourage pot use in the same way tobacco use is discouraged:
As a general matter, I think that we have to separate out legalization — you know, there's a lot of concern about drug abuse of any sort by our children and the general population — versus the heavy criminalization of non-violent drug offenses. And I think that a lot of states are taking a look to see, do we have proportionality in terms of how we are penalizing the recreational user? We still want to discourage that. But we've been able to discourage tobacco, we've been able to discourage a lot of other bad things that people do, through a public health approach as opposed to an incarceration approach.
The president drew a key distinction in his comments, which echo previous statements he made to CNN. He appears to support marijuana decriminalization, which would remove criminal penalties, particularly prison time, attached to the drug. But he doesn't seem to support marijuana legalization, which would remove even misdemeanor penalties, including small fines, and potentially allow retail outlets to sell pot.
There's an obvious contradiction in Obama's comments: he vouches for treating marijuana like tobacco, but tobacco isn't just decriminalized — it's legal and sold in stores, and excluded from the federal government's scheduling system, which evaluates drugs for medical value first and abuse potential second.
Despite its legality and availability, tobacco use plummeted in the past few decades, thanks to education campaigns, mandatory warning labels, public and workplace smoking bans, and higher taxes on tobacco products. Marijuana legalization advocates point to the trend as evidence that even a highly addictive substance can be legal and contained.
Most likely, the president is only endorsing the education campaigns, public smoking bans, and other public health measures that helped reduce tobacco use. But the exclusion misses how warning labels and higher taxes on tobacco managed to push down consumption over the decades — and neither of those approaches are possible in a black market in which regulations can't touch the product at all.
Obama's support of marijuana decriminalization but not legalization also helps show that marijuana policy reform can be handled in various ways — a point drug policy experts have tried to make in the past few years, as several states have moved to fully legalize pot.
"One of the things we've been working very hard in marijuana legalization discussions is to get people to recognize there are at least 10 different fundamental architectures for legalizing marijuana," Jon Caulkins, a drug policy expert at Carnegie Mellon University, recently said.
In a January report on marijuana legalization for the Vermont legislature, Caulkins and other experts outlined 12 alternatives to the current model of prohibition. Among the options: continued prohibition with decreased penalties, legalization with commercial sales, letting adults grow marijuana, allow distribution only within small private clubs, and have the state government operate the supply chain and sell pot.
The four states that voted to legalize marijuana chose to fully legalize and allow commercial sales, and Washington, DC, only legalized possession, growing, and gifting. But there's plenty of room in between commercialization and criminal prohibition, as Obama and policy experts have pointed out.
(http://www.vox.com)
-------------------- -------------------------------- Mp3 of the month: Sons Of Adam - Feathered Fish
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Observatory



Registered: 09/27/12
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: Learyfan] 1
#21346749 - 03/01/15 03:11 AM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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The fuck?
-------------------- Look around you
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zZZz
jesus


Registered: 12/28/07
Posts: 33,479
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: Observatory]
#21346826 - 03/01/15 04:31 AM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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Pretty much, he's trying to work something out..
I like the idea of treating it as tobacco in terms of legality, but I would not be too comfortable with the idea of the government meddling in all the marijuana affairs..
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tacodude
Old Soul

Registered: 07/20/10
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: zZZz]
#21346928 - 03/01/15 06:35 AM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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It should be legal to grow and share for free until they develop a system of quality control and sales. That way fields of cannabis can grow for anyone to take leaving it up to parents and doctors to educate kids on when the proper time to start using cannabis just like any plant including coffee beans and tobacco.
I don't see cannabis sold for recreation until quality testing is developed to understand the alkaloid content including what contributes to smell and taste. Plus of course pesticide and residual nutrient test.
GW pharmaceutical is already doing medical.... IMO the different cannabinoid should be individually formulated in either pill or liquid solutions like a tincture or sativex. Then the patient would get whatever ones they need whirling with the doctors to figure out when to take what. That way each person can utalize the specific cannabinoids at the right dose and time needed. That would be true medical use of cannabis imo, but if course that's expensive, requires tons of research, and on top of that a fuck ton of legal hoops to mage available to the public.
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jessepinkman
Stranger


Registered: 09/28/14
Posts: 308
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: tacodude]
#21347032 - 03/01/15 07:29 AM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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If they were to make it illegal to be fired for having marijuana in your system, then that would be news. Legalizing weed is a moot point. It is already freely available. If anyone wants it, they can get it. You don't get in trouble for it unless you're a retard. It is already "legal" in several states, yet you can get drug tested and fired still. How much sense does that make?? I think the focus needs to be on that issue, not legalization. The only people who get in trouble for pot these days are idiots who think it's smart to have a grow house full of pot you can smell down the street, or genius people smoking out their cars with a load of friends.
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LuSiD enthusiast
Stranger

Registered: 03/14/13
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: jessepinkman] 1
#21347130 - 03/01/15 08:18 AM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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Tobacco laws are total bullshit. It's stupid that they try to make it illegal for establishments to have smoking at all. If anything it should be up to the business owner's as to whether or not they want to allow smoking or not. As far as i'm concerned they need to either make tobacco illegal, or just fuck off of it already. I like that marijuana is slowly becoming legal, but i can't wait to see all the retarded rules and stipulations they want people to follow to be considered "law abiding". I don't really give a fuck, and i'll just smoke weed as i see fit and i'm sure many of you will do the same. (i do respect other people as in i don't smoke where second hand is an issue i don't even smoke cigarettes just an electronic one, and even then i'm not the type of person to flaunt it either)
I think the best way to fight the entire issue of smoking is to do what has been done to homophobes in the last ten years. Just make it incredibly embarassing to admit, and society will slowly push it out.
In a slightly unrelated note,(well entirely unrelated but not really) has anyone seen this "swipe left" anti smoking ad that afaik came out recently? It has some guy sitting in front of a table with all sorts of junk food(probably enough to give an elephant a heart attack), piled higher than his head rapping about how he was turning a girl down on facebook because she had a cig in her profile pic. At the very end some Totes random black guy pops into the bottom corner to yell "HASHTAG". They act like cigarette companies are making cigs look cool but the reality is the opposite, the anti smoking psa's are making non smokers look fucking ridiculous.
End rant.
-------------------- I'm addicted to coke, weed, booze, ludes and speed. Not LSD, you can't get addicted to LSD, it was built by scientists. I ain't got no demons that gonna get woke. In erowid we trust. Just take your damn pills and don't ask any questions, you'll be fine.
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SnowAiR


Registered: 07/06/14
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: LuSiD enthusiast]
#21347143 - 03/01/15 08:24 AM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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oh yeah, Obama is chill as nice dude he is.
love that dude whoever he is
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Konyap

Registered: 06/30/07
Posts: 33,945
Loc: Planet Piss
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: SnowAiR]
#21347864 - 03/01/15 11:44 AM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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It's a publicity stunt.
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misterogerz


Registered: 06/07/02
Posts: 1,433
Loc: Gulf Coast
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: Konyap]
#21347890 - 03/01/15 11:54 AM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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yeah, they are going to hand it over to the ATF from the DEA after those bills go through... rescheduling
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fapjack
Title



Registered: 07/26/07
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Loc: Central New Jersey
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: Learyfan] 1
#21347917 - 03/01/15 11:59 AM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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This could be really big or it could be nothing at all. Until he says more not enough to go on.
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aura8



Registered: 02/01/14
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: fapjack]
#21348073 - 03/01/15 12:37 PM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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its cool and id like to see it come about. even though thew government might want a hand or maybe two in the market for marijuana and even tho obama might be pulling a publicity move i still have faith in cannabis as a medecinal herb. i think when people smoke it, since it is psychotropic in nature no one is going to fuss over where they get it from, if anything they might say "hey this is nature, you cant own nature just like you cant make it illegal it belongs to the earth."
LETS GET STONED AMERICA
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Konyap

Registered: 06/30/07
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: aura8]
#21348085 - 03/01/15 12:39 PM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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If big business and the gov't stayed out of it that'd be wonderful
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aura8



Registered: 02/01/14
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: Konyap]
#21348093 - 03/01/15 12:42 PM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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it would be rad huh. making it legal WITHOUT controlling it by other means regardless
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Konyap

Registered: 06/30/07
Posts: 33,945
Loc: Planet Piss
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: aura8]
#21348119 - 03/01/15 12:48 PM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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PenelopeMushroom
☼☼☼




Registered: 01/31/15
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Loc: WI
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: aura8]
#21348127 - 03/01/15 12:50 PM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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Don't start jerking off onto your wax yet.
This guy is a puppet, as a President's job-title I'm not surprised, and he clearly doesn't want Marijuana legalized.
It says that in the damn paragraph.
Quote:
President Barack Obama on Thursday said he wants to treat marijuana like tobacco, which is legal. But, in a bit of a contradiction, he also suggested he opposes marijuana legalization.
He will never do it. It's going to be a state-by-state call until more than half of the union has done it. The federal government will not spear-head this until states have done it. They take too much risk and if they legalize it federally then many other issues arise: - can police officers then smoke marijuana? they're currently disallowed based on federal laws. even in CO/AK/WA and DC - can military members smoke? same point as above
It's going to be a long time before we see Federally legalized marijuana (at least 5 years). But I'd suspect at least 5 more states will come out with bills in the next 2 years (bar disaster in legal states).
I'll put my retirement on it.
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Edited by PenelopeMushroom (03/01/15 12:53 PM)
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Konyap

Registered: 06/30/07
Posts: 33,945
Loc: Planet Piss
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: PenelopeMushroom]
#21348141 - 03/01/15 12:52 PM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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Won't be legal, four five states then decriminaliz...
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misterogerz


Registered: 06/07/02
Posts: 1,433
Loc: Gulf Coast
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: Konyap]
#21348150 - 03/01/15 12:59 PM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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who gives a shit if big business wants a piece? grow your own damn weed, not everyone can or wants to do all that work. not everyone grows tobacco or brews beer...
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RickSanchezC137
Mad Scientist




Registered: 02/02/15
Posts: 127
Loc: Earth Dimension C137
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: Konyap]
#21348160 - 03/01/15 01:02 PM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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It would be nice if Obama did anything but blow smoke but im not holding my hit.
Real issue is if they dont pass federal legislation and a Republican (or more conservative democrat) gets into the office they could reverse a bunch of the policies and start actively trying to dismantle and raid states that have "legalized" it.
Until it gets rescheduled and there is a law on the books saying it is up to the states discretion were still in the Danger Zone.
The 1970 Controlled Substances Act, which created five tiers of restricted drugs, says the attorney general may "remove any drug or other substance from the schedules if he finds that the drug or other substance does not meet the requirements for inclusion in any schedule."
Yet Obama continues to just do nothing other than say some words every couple months. Dont really know why, hes not up for re-election if he wants it like tobacco drop it to Schedule 3 or else stop getting hopes up.
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aura8



Registered: 02/01/14
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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: misterogerz]
#21348176 - 03/01/15 01:06 PM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
misterogerz said: who gives a shit if big business wants a piece? grow your own damn weed, not everyone can or wants to do all that work. not everyone grows tobacco or brews beer...
yea i didnt say it out right but thats my general thought. ITS A PLANT GROW IT. they might call it illegal but regardles...
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anarchyfan
Stranger


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Re: President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco [Re: aura8]
#21348409 - 03/01/15 02:09 PM (9 years, 2 months ago) |
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I'm concerned with how genuine he may be. I don't agree with a lot of the decisions he has made as President, and I know that he often acts outside his bounds of power over what seem like hot headed issues. It is concerning that as President he frequently stretches the law for his own agenda while maintaining utmost distance and safety with the pot. I don't think it's unreasonable to presume that he's just playing politics with no intention- or even ability- to follow through.
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