Why do people have the impression that the FEDS will stop states from legalizing marijuana?
Day 17 Flowering Marijuana growing
September 11, 2010
Marijuana growing wild 2006
September 11, 2010
The Big A — American Agnostic Deist asked:
if you lived in where I live you would know the FED is a joke — oh sure they get a few big medical growers every year meaning people who grow 1000s of plants and they shut down some clubs but for the most part even under bush they left it up to the states.
9 Comments
Looking the other way and legalization are vastly different things.
Because Federal Law trumps State Law.
Because they always have and nothing has changed. States can assert states rights all they want, but the Federal government can always keep them in line by threatening to yank Federal dollars. That’s how the 55 mile an hour speed limit was imposed on all states, and it was only relaxed when the Federal government agreed to it.
Thumbs down??? Hey I’m not saying I agree with it but that’s how it is…
California will Legalize it, and they will do the same thing they did when Medical Marijuana was legalized.
California Judges, and Law Enforcement will follow California law, and not arrest people.
If the Federal Government wants to arrest people they will have to send Federal Agents to California to do so!
because they will…and you just said they do…
I don’t care about legalization as much as I do about decriminalization. There is no reason to have users in jail. Its a waste of time, money and energy.
During the Bush II administration, and in the first part of the Obama administration, the feds were raiding medical marijuana clinics in California and elsewhere. Generally speaking the feds were not getting involved for growing less then 100 plants which is why some medical guidelines (such as in Humboldt County CA) specify grows must be 99 or fewer plants.
The Obama administration has now come out and said it will not interfere with state medical marijuana rights. This is a very recent development.
HOWEVER, from the federal standpoint, all marijuana is illegal. Technically you can be arrested anywhere in the United States for possession, production, or use of marijuana.
Things work a little different here in California you see. We have this thing called Recall, and Initiative. The people of California have the ability to create an initiative, and then have it become California Law.
The Feds can tell us whatever they want, but in California we follow California Law not Federal Law.
If the Feds want to try and take away the rights that Californians voted for they will have to use Federal Resources in order to do it.
The Feds will use extortion – threaten the witholding of highway funds or some other nonsense – like it did back in the day to force states to up the legal drinking age to 21.
The real answer is: REVENUE. The local authorities receive big $$’s for pot busts through fines. Here in California, the local law enforcement is still trying to arrest folks for growing/distribution/use with the result being that these resources (police, courts) being overloaded with cases that are being thrown out of court everyday.
After reading that the American Medical Association (AMA) has REVERSED their opinion on the use of marijuana – previously they had maintained there was no medicinal value in weed – now the AMA says that medicinal marijuana DOES HAVE value. This is no small feat, getting the medical community to acknowledge this, and it does lend credence to what marijuana smokers have held for many years.
Time to come to your senses, America. Decriminalize marijuana so your police forces can concentrate on real crime.