Things get cloudier for medical marijuana

The White House has issued new guidelines to the Justice Department on medical marijuana: As long as someone is following their state's law on medical marijuana, it's not worth prosecuting them on the federal level, the administration says. That's not to say the feds CAN'T prosecute -- the guideline just says it should be a very low priority.

Don't break out the hacky sack just yet, hippies. The district attorney for Los Angeles says he plans to shut down every dispensary that's selling medical marijuana for profit. (Most of them, it sounds like.)

UPDATE: A California judge has temporarily blocked Los Angeles' move to ban medical-marijuana dispensaries.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Keith G in PV!

Comments

[Sasquach]

Why does the idea of legal marijuana terrify the govt? The worst consequence of smoking pot right now is the legal consequence.

[Concerned Parent]

As freedom-loving Americans, we would be wise to adopt an approach allowing individuals to grow a little marijuana for personal use. It will put the illegal drug dealers out of business in a year. Limit the size of the growing area or the number of plants, and put a small user-fee on it to cover administrative costs, something like a fishing license.

One possibility:$100 per year for a permit to cultivate a dozen plants.
It's a win-win.

[Rachel]

When are the politicians and the Government goign to realize that if you make the "weed" legal they can tax it, grow it, make paper, fuel, employ farms, make plastics etc and MAKE MONEY OF OF TAXES on the sale of the "weed". This could put a huge dent in the federal deficit, bring up a new cash crop for farmers and ease the oil fued with the middle east. The answer is pot, for smoking, growing, taxing and manufacturing. If we stopped procesuting pot heads, we would have room in jail for the real criminals and would not have to waste so much fedral $$ on the "War on Pot"

[JLB]

Just ignore the laws and don't get caught. If you do then move to Cal. Why is it right for one state but not the others.

[Mike Kravinsky]

Finally some reason. With the money that's wasted on police, courts and jails, this is very refreshing. Now on to the possible legalization in California and the end of Mexican cartels. Video on California efforts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdONwv51Wm0

[newageblues]

Sasquach asks "Why does the idea of legal marijuana terrify the government?" Good question, you'd think that a society that accepts alcohol use, with all the death and destruction it causes, would easily accept an alternative recreational drug/herb that is so far, far less dangerous to life and limb (and fetus). They ain't thinking of public health or safety when they decide to force people to use alcohol to get high, that's for damn sure.

[Pat, Sues boy]

Rachel, anything that makes that much sense will NEVER fly through congress. For it to go down your way would be good for the people, and Washington will have none of that!

[tgif]

Politicians are in the business of getting re elected, and they have too many constituents that will freak out and vote them out of office if they see the slightest hint of easing up on pot laws. Too many voters out there that are just against it, period. And they will never change their minds.

[Sasquach]

And those same voters are the ones who scream bloody murder every chance they get about social welfare spending. Ironic, eh?

[Searching]

Speaking of politicians.... shouldn't this District Attorney be worried about his job?

[Searching]

What's ironic is a lot of those people that are getting the welfare, are the same as the ones that are getting the pot...

[Drasil]

Too many voters out there that are just against it, period. And they will never change their minds.

Posted by: tgif | Monday, October 19, 2009 at 10:37 AM

I'm not so sure about that. I used to be anti-marijuana years ago. Now I could care less (and no - it's not that I started smoking it - I finally figured out that it was mostly a no harm, no foul situation.)

[dawg]

Pass the cheetos, dude.

[Jeff]

Most every one seems to notice the same thing I have noticed about the federal government's attitude towards Medical Marijuana. FEAR!!! What the heck are they afraid of? Marijuana is nothing new and neither are its safe and effective medical results. It disgusts me that people who are against medical marijuana hang onto their brainwashed "Reefer Madness" education while maintaining a closed, locked-up mind when it comes to marijuana and its incredibly therapeutic effects, like Rep. Mark Souder (R-IND) and Sen Chuck Grassley (R-Ia.) We are going to legalize Medical Marijuana in Iowa the right way, dispite Sen Grassley. By removing it from Schedule I and notifying the DEA that Marijuana no longer fits the classification of Schedule I by law.

[Pat Rogers]

There is nothing new about this disingenuous policy. It is what Obama has been saying out of one side of his mouth since taking office. Out the other side of his mouth is the caveat of "strict compliance" and federal support of local authorities. The feds investigate for pretexts and turn them over to zealous local prosecutors for action.

I wrote more about this here:

Drug Warrior Obama's Disingenuous "New" Medical Pot Rules
http://drugwartreason.blogspot.com/2009/10/drug-warrior-obamas-disingenuous-new.html

More change we can be deceived with.

[Pat Rogers]

If you want real change then write to your members of congress to support H.R.2835 "To provide for the medical use of marijuana in accordance with the laws of the various States." http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.2835:

[Drasil]

If a person doesn't cross state lines with marijuana, than how is this a Federal offense to begin with? Are states rights just a sham anymore?

[Barbara Lock]

While medical marijuana has a place, there is a risk that some prescribed marijuana will be diverted, either where it is grown, where it is dispensed, or by people who get prescriptions by deceipt. Marijuana is thought of as a 'relatively safe' recreational drug, but it does appear to precipitate psychosis and/or schizophrenia in between 1 out of 2800 young heavy users. That's no fun.

http://www.medpie.com/top-health-stories/featured-videos/risk-of-psychosis-from-cannabis-is-higher-in-younger-age-groups.html

[Matt Reagan]

There's a word for a government that doesn't agree with itself. DYSFUNCTIONAL. The state has the right to legalize marijuana. The Federal government needs to formally respect that.

[Sasquach]

Well Barbara,

the article after this link found rates of alcohol induced psycosis were quite a bit higher than 1 out of 2800. A couple of hospitals found the rate for alcoholics to be between 1 in 250 to 1 in 143.

So what you've told us only seems to confirm that marijuana is safer than alcohol.

[tgif]

I think I saw some cookies in the break room.

[gary]

This just in; over 85% of the white house staff seem to have some sort of an ailment & 85% of the white house staff now have prescriptions for medical marijuana + 98% of the Democrats in congress are getting their prescriptions filled as well. They say after smoking a few joints that all of Obama's programs now make sense...

[EZdidit]

I'm sure the politicians figure that most of the pro-pot voters will forget to vote.

[Pat, Sues boy]

98% of those who try it, like it.

The other 2% probably didnt inhale.

[Man in a Mission]

78.3% of statistics are made up on the spot.

[craigspr]

Great

http://www.craigspr.org

[Pat, Sues boy]

Mission Man-Dr Sidney Cohen is my source for the stat.

[TC]

CHEETOS!!!!!

[Derp]

When will they finally just legalize it? Sure we can cite numerous stats showing pot is not in the same realm as alcohol concerning the damage done by those drugs. We can also list the multiple benefits of pot (or more notably hemp). But, until people and Congress start thinking rationally, we will just be wasting breathe.

And funny thing; scour the internet for polls on whether people think pot should be legalized or not, and the overwhelming consensus amongst people (so long as it aint an extremely slanted site-such as Faux News, or Right Nation, or the ACLU) is that it is time to legalize it!!

Funny, I thought elected officials were there to serve us and our wants. Mmmmmmm

[james]

I smoke marijuana after I almost died from chrons disease, I believe marijuana saved my life, It is the best medicine for chrons disease...It definitely has medical benefits, I believe it should be legalized in all states, its not hurting nothing, just makeing everything better.

[Ignorance is Bliss]

Ouch... the author of this article doesn't know his stuff.

Trust me, it isn't just "hippies" that smoke/use marijuana. It isn't the 1960s. Terrible pun.

[Man in a Mission]

Pat -

I was snarking the throwing around of numbers by several people, without sourcing those numbers - not just you.

[gary]

and now for something completely different. Is Claire McCaskill a hot babe? if you answered yes then you must be a pot smoker. If you answered no it only proves you are still straight...next we will move on to a modern day Spainish Inquisition where nobody gets any cheetos...

[Hungry?]

Anyone want to order a pizza and watch Cheaters marathon?

[white]

just look at all these losers all doped out. what a disgrace. i used to smoke pot to get messed up in the head. but nowadays, these pansies hide behind fake medical conditions, and claim to be cripples. never mind most hippies are racist anyways. i have nothing but contempt for this crap. at least people who try and legalize other things like guns, claim it's a right, and don't make up lies and hide behind cancer victims as an excuse for what is nothing but a drug. pot is absolutely USELESS as a medicine, except for chemo users who need appetite stimulant. it causes anxiety and depression and is addictive. what a lame country this is. everyone is so weak and desparate to be labeled 'sick'.

[Caddywhompus]

I started smoking pot 2 years ago. I grew up all around it, and could have tried it any time, but wasn't interested. I don't believe in peer pressure, I was raised to think for myself. I decided I wanted to know what the experience was all about before I die. I was 34 at the time.

Honestly, my first smoke didn't go well. I overdid it and ruined a good night. It took a year before I had the nerve to try again, and since then I'm lovin' it. I think in many ways pot saved my life. I'm a better parent, easier to talk to and more understanding. I used to suffer from several types stress-aggravated physical illnesses (insomnia, IBS, anxiety attacks) that have all been greatly reduced since I have the ability to smoke a little pot and relax for a couple hours at the end of a day. My relationship with my wife couldn't be better (sex while high is something nobody should die without experiencing).

Knowing what I know now, I would recommend everyone of adult age give it a try. (Don't overdo it your first time!) Pot can ease all sorts of aches and pains a lot more gently than many other typical medicine, and it doesn't have the side effects most harsh prescription drugs come with. My mother in law spends $800 a month on Arthritis pain killers and treatments, and a little pot would ease most of her pains for a fraction of the cost and WITHOUT all the addictive tenancies prescription drugs offer.

So while I support medical pot legalization, I really hope for a day when I can buy a 1/4 of "good stuff" at my local Walgreens, over the counter right in between the Tylenol and the vitamins. The only restriction on pot should be to prevent kids from easily getting it, which is no different than cigarettes or beer.

We waste gobs of money on the "war on pot" every year, and put otherwise honest, upstanding citizens (I'm a Boy Scout leader) in jail for something that is much less damaging than having a beer and smoking a cigarette. Legalize it already, and put the money where it belongs, fighting REAL crime. Put a tax on it, and people will gladly pay it for the opportunity to safely and legally buy a little. I would!

[the other side of the issue]

as one who lived with a spouse for more than a decade while he put our family through misery due to his addiction, I will never endorse the legalization of "POT"

1. it makes a person lazy (you "potheads" know that)

2. it distorts your motor skills - I lost full use of my leg due to husband driving after a buzz and rear-ended a truck at a stop light. (20 years later & still living with pain; I will never have full use of this leg.)

3. Did I MYSELF smoke? NO WAY. Important note: after 2 miscarriages learned it was due to marijuana altering his sperm. Was told that only on rare occasion will it NOT alter sperm. (this per genetics physician)

4. Unbelievably, all my hard earned wages were used to buy HIS "pot" (more on that but I am writing a book as it is, here.)

5. Our marriage's "last straw": Later on, we had 2 children, both were born with heart defects that needed surgery. Thankfully, they pulled through! Costly! oh very costly and about sent us to divorce court, of course. I stopped giving him my salary for him to buy pot! Ticked him off. Well addicts get that way. So. One day. For the first time ever, I go to do grocery shopping without the children. Saying beforehand "please do not smoke while I am out .. you have to watch the kids!!" Like a fool, I believed he wouldn't. But, what do I find out after returning? one of the children fell down steep stairs outside and needed to go to ER (which he had NOT done yet! well duh, of course, he is stoned!)

His reply? "I couldn't get up to stop him, ma-n..." -- no more pretending we were a couple and a true family.

6. Rather recreational or "medicinal" it is not good for oneself, or society. Period. You are fooling yourselves, but that is what addicts do!

7. Remember alcohol was illegal at one time too! (there is a REASON why things are ILLEGAL! reasoning: BAD FOR YOU and/or OTHERS)

8. "Just a little is not abuse..." Riiight .. and the majority of recreational users stop at just a "buzz" ... well "just a buzz" causes serious accidents of many kind.

"Just a little" of any drug can harm. And like alchohol, pot IS addictive. You smokers know that! While maybe YOU have not had any "problem" that you know of related to smoking marijuana, it does not create a right or excuse to make it legal.

Go out jog, bike, hike, read, learn a new hobby, etc. Get to know LIFE! what it is and how to live it!

Lastly, GROW UP PEOPLE! I finally did at 35, and left an addict.

[the other side of the issue]

I left out saying that use for marijuana to stimulant appetite for cancer patients is an old excuse ... they use other herbal treatments in various asian countries. Research on the various uses of "kampo"!

[Burke]

Why take jobs away from honest cops and politicians who call for stricter and stricter punishment for victimless crimes?

[Margie from Michigan]

Caddywhompus you are a nut case. You know nothing about medical marijuana or for that matter marijuana period. As far as miscarriages go, Don't make me laugh, I think we would all know about it if marijuana caused miscarriages and it would be exploited by Fox News. Coffee drinking before and during pregnancy was associated with over twice the risk of miscarriage when the mother consumed 2-3 cups of coffee per day not to mention cigarette smoking. The real truth is you and your husband probably took all kinds of drugs, smoked cigarettes and drank while you were pregnant. Your husband was doing more than smoking pot or was just a total loser from the start. It is easy to blame your problems on someone else. I would like to hear x hubbys story, I bet it is different.