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Delaware will become the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana

delawarebusinesstimes.com

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Re: Delaware will become the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana

#21

The 22nd state to stop separately making marijuana illegal on top of federal laws. Since federal law applies everywhere, marijuana is still technically illegal everywhere in the US. It’s fascinating, however, that under three presidents spanning both parties, the federal authorities have given up on enforcing the ban in states that have removed marijuana laws from their own books. Perhaps this is a glimpse into the l…

>Perhaps this is a glimpse into the long-term solution to the problem of the federal legislature being intractable deadlocked: states will simply start ignoring federal law more and more, and its relevance will fade over time. I feel that this may be the best way to do things, since each state is unique in it people and geography. I also feel like universal healthcare on a state level would be the only thing to work…

It's still super illegal to transport cannabis across state borders. This is true even when transporting between legal states that share borders.

It's mostly unenforced on the individual basis, but it is a huge aspect of the legal markets. Being able to do business across the entire country is a very large factor in USA's economic success. Removing the federal criminal laws on cannabis will remove this and many other inefficiencies of the cannabis industry.

Re: Delaware will become the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana

#22
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Perhaps this is a glimpse into the long-term solution to the problem of the federal legislature being intractable deadlocked: states will simply start ignoring federal law more and more, and its relevance will fade over time. I feel that this may be the best way to do things, since each state is unique in it people and geography. I also feel like universal healthcare on a state level would be the only thing to work…

> I also feel like universal healthcare on a state lev would be the only thing to work at this point Even Canada does it per province, and even there, doing it at a federal level would be too intractable.

Canada has a federal law requiring (functionally; if you don't, you also opt-out of federal funding for your system) every province to offer it, though, with a minimum standard, right? That's very different than California offering it on their own volition, and the other 49 states not.

Re: Delaware will become the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana

#23
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cool story, I disagree, it's legalized here in CA.

You can disagree all you want. It’s still illegal at the federal level. A fed could still cite you even though you are in CA, regardless of the CA legalization.

Caveat is Congress enjoined the DOJ from enforcing against medical marijuana use. Get a medical card (suuuuuuuper easy) and you’ve derisked. Sucks to have to hack around stupidity wrt federal policy on marijuana, but This Is America. It also reduces the tax you pay (typically, ymmv based on state) vs recreational purchases.

https://www.mpp.org/policy/federal/are-consumers-or-cannabis...

> There are some exceptions. In each fiscal year since 2015, Congress has included provisions in appropriations acts that prohibit the U.S. Department of Justice from using funds to prevent states from “implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.” In effect, Congress prevents the DOJ from enforcing federal law in medical marijuana states. Courts have held up the provisions, and federal prosecutions of state-licensed businesses effectively stopped when it went into effect. However, those same protections haven’t been extended to adult-use (recreational) program participants, who remain at risk.

(not legal advice, not an attorney, not your attorney)

Re: Delaware will become the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana

#24
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cool story, I disagree, it's legalized here in CA.

You can disagree all you want. It’s still illegal at the federal level. A fed could still cite you even though you are in CA, regardless of the CA legalization.

OK I'll keep disagreeing. It's legal here.

Re: Delaware will become the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana

#25
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can disagree all you want. It’s still illegal at the federal level. A fed could still cite you even though you are in CA, regardless of the CA legalization.

Caveat is Congress enjoined the DOJ from enforcing against medical marijuana use. Get a medical card (suuuuuuuper easy) and you’ve derisked. Sucks to have to hack around stupidity wrt federal policy on marijuana, but This Is America. It also reduces the tax you pay (typically, ymmv based on state) vs recreational purchases. https://www.mpp.org/policy/federal/are-consumers-or-cannabis... > There are some exceptions. I…

There are some federal forms that ask about drug use and will disqualify you for use of marijuana. For example, employment forms and firearm background checks. And if you lie, they are still enforcing those laws. So while you may not go to prison for smoking weed, you might go to prison for smoking weed while doing something else that is regulated.

Re: Delaware will become the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana

#26

The 22nd state to stop separately making marijuana illegal on top of federal laws. Since federal law applies everywhere, marijuana is still technically illegal everywhere in the US. It’s fascinating, however, that under three presidents spanning both parties, the federal authorities have given up on enforcing the ban in states that have removed marijuana laws from their own books. Perhaps this is a glimpse into the l…

The government has always selectively enforced laws, it’s simply beneficial in this case. 22 states have legalized recreational marijuana and the world hasn’t ended. Maybe it’s okay federal statute isn’t enforced in this particular circumstance, from a rationalist perspective. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_U.S....

The problem for the US is that the country went around the world arm-twisting for decades to get other nations to ban drugs. To legalize is obviously the just and correct decision, I think people are just embarrassed to do it at the federal level now purely because of the history.

Re: Delaware will become the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana

#27
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can disagree all you want. It’s still illegal at the federal level. A fed could still cite you even though you are in CA, regardless of the CA legalization.

OK I'll keep disagreeing. It's legal here.

Perhaps an explanation of why you can only buy it with cash would be helpful here.

Re: Delaware will become the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana

#28

The 22nd state to stop separately making marijuana illegal on top of federal laws. Since federal law applies everywhere, marijuana is still technically illegal everywhere in the US. It’s fascinating, however, that under three presidents spanning both parties, the federal authorities have given up on enforcing the ban in states that have removed marijuana laws from their own books. Perhaps this is a glimpse into the l…

In most cases I believe states are threatened with penalties or withdrawal of federal funding when they try and disobey federal law. Even with other drug laws like alcohol, states have been threatened with losing funding for roads if they were to lower the legal age to 18. Marijuana is simply too negligible of an issue for the federal government to really do anything about it. https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/Politics/s…

> Marijuana is simply too negligible of an issue

It's not that simple and not everyone agrees with the above statement. Harm reduction is not really emphasized with marijuana, yet it's increasingly necessary as concentrations increase. "Everything in moderation" seems to have been forgotten in that case.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9462911/

Orange man took notice, but he's wrong about everything, so carry on.

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/trump-suggests-genetically-e...

Re: Delaware will become the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana

#29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The government has always selectively enforced laws, it’s simply beneficial in this case. 22 states have legalized recreational marijuana and the world hasn’t ended. Maybe it’s okay federal statute isn’t enforced in this particular circumstance, from a rationalist perspective. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_U.S....

I never said it’s a bad thing that the feds aren’t enforcing this. All I said is: 1. It’s inaccurate to claim that marijuana is legal anywhere in the US, and 2. The situation is fascinating.

This is debatable depending on your precise usage of “legal.” Marijuana use, particular when compatible with the Attorney General’s 2013 memo regarding federal enforcement of the CSA, is widely considered to be de facto legal. There’s a reason the terms de facto and de jure exist when discussing jurisprudence.

Re: Delaware will become the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana

#30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The government has always selectively enforced laws, it’s simply beneficial in this case. 22 states have legalized recreational marijuana and the world hasn’t ended. Maybe it’s okay federal statute isn’t enforced in this particular circumstance, from a rationalist perspective. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_U.S....

The problem for the US is that the country went around the world arm-twisting for decades to get other nations to ban drugs. To legalize is obviously the just and correct decision, I think people are just embarrassed to do it at the federal level now purely because of the history.

"Worried about looking silly in front of people in other countries" is extremely far from the top of the list for half of Congress, and it's that half that would have more resistance to legalization.
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