Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think the problem is more fundamental than that. There’s no mechanism in the system for feedback on improving the system itself because it would disadvantage the people who have been elected by the current system (since those are the people that have figured out how to exploit it the best). The only current method would be to somehow convince the people in power that they will need to overhaul the system to stay in…
What’s the Wyoming rule?
Cannabis is legal in most US states but federal laws block businesses from banks
221–230 of 247 posts
Re: Cannabis is legal in most US states but federal laws block businesses from banks
#222Earlier quoted context omitted.
> My comment is that making the 2024 election a referendum on legalization My take is that most people don't see cannabis legalization as an important-enough issue. It's kind of "would be nice" issue that's overweighted by issues like economy, democracy, and immigration. I'm not in the US, but that's my only explanation for why hasn't cannabis been legalized on the federal level yet, i.e. that people simply don't car…
That's totally possible. There is definitely a potential timeline where it just gets basically ignored. The big divide is really by age. Older voters (in both parties) tend to oppose it. 72% of people under 30 are pro-legalization, but only 30% of people older than 75 are. The average for all US adults is 60%. Younger voters' low turnout messes up the calculus here. But as soon as the number of young voters you'd gai…
Re: Cannabis is legal in most US states but federal laws block businesses from banks
#223Earlier quoted context omitted.
There are also lots of references to being "raided by the feds" which I don't understand. Is it still a federal offense even though it is legal at the state level?
The concise “yes” is correct, but a more explanatory answer might be helpful. Cannabis is still a schedule 1 substance by federal law. Almost all federal jurisdiction in state matters is derived from the interstate commerce clause in the constitution. When the first states passed legalization measures, the DOJ issued a memo (Cole) basically saying they would not intervene in states with well defined rules for trackin…
Re: Cannabis is legal in most US states but federal laws block businesses from banks
#224Earlier quoted context omitted.
It sucks how everything is a political football instead of just doing the right thing. They had full control and could have legalized it. But no, they keep holding onto just to drag voters along every election.
It sucks how uneducated about basic things US voters are. The Affordable Care Act is probably the most impactful law passed by Democrats in the recent past. In a survey of 2000 voters, a staggering thirty-five percent did not know [1] that the ACA and the colloquial "Obamacare" were the same thing. Bizarrely, an additional number didn't know that 'Obamacare repealed = ACA repealed'. I cannot blame either party for pl…
Even Massachusetts elected a Republican Senator!
Even now I don’t think the Democrats gain much from bringing it up,
Re: Cannabis is legal in most US states but federal laws block businesses from banks
#225Earlier quoted context omitted.
It sucks how everything is a political football instead of just doing the right thing. They had full control and could have legalized it. But no, they keep holding onto just to drag voters along every election.
Really we should blame all the executive administrations for not forcing the DEA to do their job properly. Keeping cannabis as a Schedule 1 is completely scientifically unjustified. There was already an existing legal framework available to legalize the drug. But since the DEA/FDA is so corrupt, we have to fall back to checks & balances available in the states and Congress.
The DEA regularly describes it as dangerousness: “Schedule I is the most dangerous!”
But it’s not dangerousness, it’s whether there is a medical use.
Marijuana didn’t have a medical use, because it’s not very powerful. It makes you feel dizzy and hungry. If it was a drug, spinning around in circles would he schedule I.
Heroin is powerful enough to be a legit pain killer, so it’s Schedule II.
This really is a case of reporters not doing their job.
Re: Cannabis is legal in most US states but federal laws block businesses from banks
#226Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is valid for alcohol too (father of ex-gf had schizophrenia triggered by alcohol binge at 18 and had to take strong meds for rest of his life, brain half vegetable). Or stressful event - we should ban those too. In the same time we let people freely get drowned in one of strongest addictions - nicotine. Oh but we banned (in some places) advertisement for it. We even get kids get hooked on it for life too via vap…
Your comment demonstrates a lack of reading comprehension. I don't care what we "let" people do, as I stressed in my comment. The actual point was that it's not as "safe" as many of its most blinkered advocates say it is.
Re: Cannabis is legal in most US states but federal laws block businesses from banks
#227Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just because there’s a jurisdictional overlap doesn’t make it illegal at state level.
Federal law supercedes State law. That is why the Constitution is "the highest law of the Land". It's also why so much is pushed for to be done at the Federal level, because it completely sidesteps the chance for States to make their own local laws on the matter. The danger there, is that as it turns out, different places/populations have different views on things, which often do not exactly line up with D.C.'s. Henc…
Re: Cannabis is legal in most US states but federal laws block businesses from banks
#228Earlier quoted context omitted.
Federal law supercedes State law. That is why the Constitution is "the highest law of the Land". It's also why so much is pushed for to be done at the Federal level, because it completely sidesteps the chance for States to make their own local laws on the matter. The danger there, is that as it turns out, different places/populations have different views on things, which often do not exactly line up with D.C.'s. Henc…
The constitution is above both federal and state laws, which are much more on par than you're suggesting.
The Constitution is a subset of federal law
> which are much more on par than you're suggesting.
The Constitution disagrees; Art VI ¶ 2: This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
Re: Cannabis is legal in most US states but federal laws block businesses from banks
#229Earlier quoted context omitted.
The constitution is above both federal and state laws, which are much more on par than you're suggesting.
> The constitution is above both federal and state laws, The Constitution is a subset of federal law > which are much more on par than you're suggesting. The Constitution disagrees; Art VI ¶ 2: This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and…
I said "laws" specifically so the ambiguity you are using would not exist.
Re: Cannabis is legal in most US states but federal laws block businesses from banks
#230Prediction: Dems will make a move on federal legalization in the months before the 2024 presidential election, or at least make federal legalization a major election issue. A lot of right wing / libertarian adjacent people were hoping Trump would come out in favor of it as a 2020 election issue, to outflank Biden on at least one issue. It didn't happen, but I bet it would have made the election a bit closer -- it wou…
It sucks how everything is a political football instead of just doing the right thing. They had full control and could have legalized it. But no, they keep holding onto just to drag voters along every election.
Every decision will result in some people supporting you and others working to kick you out of office.
If you don’t tread carefully you won’t be in power long.
It has nothing to do with the American system and everything to do with democratic representation in government.