New bill would ease state-federal pot conflict

[buckaroo bonzai]

[h=1]New bill would ease state-federal pot conflict[/h]By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press April 12, 2013 5:50PM




SEATTLE (AP) — A bill introduced in Congress on Friday would fix the conflict between the federal government’s marijuana prohibition and state laws that allow medical or recreational use.
California Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said his bill, which has three Republican and three Democratic sponsors, would ensure that state laws on pot are respected by the feds.

The measure would amend the Controlled Substances Act to make clear that individuals and businesses, including marijuana dispensaries, who comply with state marijuana laws are immune from federal prosecution.
“This bipartisan bill represents a common-sense approach that establishes federal government respect for all states’ marijuana laws,” Rohrabacher said in a news release. “It does so by keeping the federal government out of the business of criminalizing marijuana activities in states that don’t want it to be criminal.”
Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have medical marijuana laws, and two states, Washington and Colorado, last fall became the first to pass laws legalizing, taxing and regulating marijuana.
The U.S. Justice Department has not said how it intends to respond to the Washington and Colorado votes. It could sue to block legal pot sales from ever happening, on the grounds they conflict with federal law.
President Barack Obama has said going after marijuana users in states where it’s legal is not a priority. But the administration has raided some medical marijuana dispensaries it sees as little more than fronts for commercial marijuana sales.
Several other measures have also been introduced to change U.S. marijuana laws, including moves to legalize the industrial production of hemp and establish a hefty federal pot tax in states where it’s legal. Any changes this year are considered a longshot.
Republican Reps. Justin Amash of Michigan and Don Young of Alaska and Democratic Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Steve Cohen of Tennessee and Jared Polis of Colorado co-sponsored Rohrabacher’s bill.
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[h=1]New Law Would Help California Pot Clubs Get The Feds Off Their Backs[/h]
By Erin Sherbert Fri., Apr. 12 2013 at 1:03 PM

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Categories: Marijuana

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Today, a California Congressman introduced legislation that would finally give pot clubs the smoke break they deserve.Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) rolled out a new bill that would modify the federal Controlled Substances Act so anyone complying with state marijuana laws, (i.e. pot clubs and pot smokers with medical marijuana cards) would be immune from federal prosecution.
The Respect State Marijuana Laws Act (H.R. 1523) would clear not just marijuana consumers, but also medical and non-medical marijuana businesses operating in states where medical marijuana is legal.
And for good reason.
The Pew Research Center released a study last week which found that 60 percent of Americans believe the feds need to back off states where marijuana is legal. As of now, 18 states, including California, allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to people with chronic pain and other conditions. In November, voters in Colorado and Washington State approved measures making marijuana legal for adults 21 and older and directing state regulatory bodies to create regulations for businesses to cultivate and sell marijuana to adults.
In California, a bill like this would mean no more federal crack-downs on pot clubs that are legally operating in the state. Since 2011, the Department of Justice has been shutting down permitted medical marijuana clubs across San Francisco (it's for the children!).

"This bipartisan bill represents a common-sense approach that establishes federal government respect for all states' marijuana laws," Rohrabacher said in a statement released today. "It does so by keeping the federal government out of the business of criminalizing marijuana activities in states that don't want it to be criminal."
It's not the first time legislators in D.C. have tried to protect medical marijuana-loving states from the federal government. Some (social) Republicans like Rohrabacher have been motivated by money, specifically the mounting money the feds have spent to enforce federal marijuana laws in states where pot is legal. However, that legislation failed to even make it past congressional committee hearings.
So will this bill die like the rest of them, or do we have reason to believe finally the political will is there?

"Marijuana prohibition is on its last legs because most Americans no longer support it. This legislation presents a perfect opportunity for members to embrace the notion that states should be able to devise systems for regulating marijuana without their citizens having to worry about breaking federal law," said Steve Fox, national political director for the Marijuana Policy Project. "If a state chooses to take marijuana sales away from cartels and the criminal market and put them in the hands of legitimate, tax-paying businesses, it should be able to do so without federal interference."

 

[Rare D MI]

Won't go anywhere, wish it would though.

 

[Medical420MI]

They will just stall this bill until it dies. It makes too much sense. Lol.

 

[Sir Stanky]

of course it makes too much sense, but it exists now and people are talking about it and this bill would be unheard of just a few years ago. The old timers in charge are starting to die off or change their ways....

 

[slumdog80]

Too many of the most populated states are non med. CA is the only one in the top ten. Even when NY goes med it still does not
have chance.

 

[slumdog80]

What we need to do is show up in numbers to every federal cannabis trial with Jury Nullification signs.

 

[ozzrokk]

I do believe in our lifetime we will see such things come about. How soon I do not know but it is coming. I know something that makes this much sense is above the politicians head but it cannot be denied forever and once they come to the realization that they might as well cash in on it since it is happening anyway... Well then you will see a change.

 

[buckaroo bonzai]

found this today.....

sure is getting alOt of natiOnaL press ..>>>>if iTs doA

....kinda like the ""Michigan"" PR campaign that's >nOt< goinG to coMe oNline....?

am I the only one that sees all the 'corporate' dominoes lining up ??

>and all these people -""groups""-lawyers- drs--disp ...hiding behind >""pts""rights<< that R helping to bring this pLan to fruition--
>>>(where's all the pt groups fighting for >their< rights??)

>>these dominoes...
once they start to fall.....
will allow aLL these corporations
>>w products and serviCes access to the markets
--am i a conspiracy theorist?

nO--it's gonna happen....donT feAr thE reApeR

forget cottage industry tho IMO-
it will be mostly wiped out

they allready have aLL thE produCts everyonE is tryinG to produCe reaDy to be marketEd....ALL of theM!!

>>opportunities > ""will"" < be available to those$ folks$ that have positioned themselves on the chess board in the right places
(we are aLL pieCes on a board in a biG gaMe)

BUT--
>>paTienTs???
>>caregivers??
>>pawns on these legs/lawyers chess boards$$

farmers markets??
right-

the whole mmj movie> big picture to me looks like...

>all these bills and zoning regulation rules and laws are for >"distribution-and ""safe""access delivery$$ rights" formats< (duh-)
--A naTional bussiNess modeL foRmat

>it lOOks likE ""A"" natiOnaL effoRt anD pLan and business model $$forMat that iS about tO comE onLine (???)

the model is>not for us >LittLe>> pts/CG/groEr....few rights we think we have
their regulatinG theM morE and morE w eacH new bill

>yeS >we< will not lose our basic 'gRow' rights and access....we have them now soRt of-

....but is our metHtoDs ???>>safe for the chilDreN??[joke]
--->we need to b >reGulateD

>it is alWays going to be 'legal'' now for medical

>but it is the > ""safe"" >access and distribution that all this posturing is about.....

-who?$...
-how?$...
-what?$....
-and especially --->where?$
-----business model...

>they are effectively setting up a giant distribution framework w aLL this--

-->one that will benefit large grows and corp and businesses (disp)
-->above< small time boutique pharmers ..medibles producers.....RSO producers....extraction phreAkS....""rights"".....IMO

seems coincedence (??)
>that every mmj state is wrestling ,with zoning laws rules and regulations for distribution all at the >same< time??

>cg will be seen as >>'dispensing' meDs soon and home based "business" and subject to all the local zoning rules$ and regulations$

>only those CG working w and for disp will be able to comply and >>$afford to be CGs for pts >>IMO

>or> if they (cg) are willing to have bio-metric monitoring of their activities
[mediswipe -tracking]
.....seed>sale........

>>they can be closely monitored
....taxed
....regulated
.....monitored
......and scrutinized w their activities to stay compliant-
>Colorado model

lOOks like a giAnt feDerAl expeRimeNt!

the new rules and regulations that will be online within the next yr or so -IMo

>will effectively hand > ""safe"" access and distribution rights$ over to disp anD biGbusiNess$$ and monitoring --IMO
>pushing aloT oF cottage industry out

>>there are aloT of ""groups""....people...""lawyers""$$ [especially] .....working on this here in Michigan secretly and some openly to bring all this oNline

once this aLL comes onLine-
>>they will tightly monitor aLL CG-growers and everything they do if they want to be 'compliant'

i find it interesting also that MPP....
who wrote ...
anD drafted....
oUr laW
but >>did noT help get implemented ...

--are endorsing "businesses" rights over pt/CG rights

..as seen by our loss of the 'legal' ability to share
.....unless its thru a dispensary where everything can be taxed regulated monitored

hmmm does anybody else see mayb they had a hidden agenda ??
--a larger pLan??

when they wrote drafted and got passed the law that >>now needs clarification by >new ""business"" rules that will allow total monitoring and conTrol ...seed>sale...Colorado......framework

As Steve Fox, political director for the Marijuana Policy Project, said Friday:

&#8220;If a state chooses to take marijuana >>sales<<away from cartels and the >criminal (pts??) market and put them in the hands of legitimate, >>>tax-paying >>businesses(disp), it should be able to do so without federal interference.&#8221;



IMO that's what they have been after the whole time....mayb I'm just stoned conSpiraCy nuT

yes be on the look out for the neW ATFM -buReau of alCohoL tobbaCco fiRearms and mariHuna-

coming to a city near yoU-

The Pot Blog

A bipartisan, liberal-libertarian coalition in Congress is backing legislation that would amend the federal Controlled Substances Act so that anyone acting in compliance with a state marijuana legalization or medical marijuana law would be immune from federal criminal prosecution.
The legislation has Alaska&#8217;s crusty, conservative Republican Rep. Don Young &#8212; remember him from his recent characterization of immigrants as &#8220;wetbacks&#8221;? &#8212; as a cosponsor, along with libertarian-minded GOP Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan and vintage Reaganite Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of California.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will soon explain how the federal government views our legal marijuana laws. House members&#8211; but home from Washington &#8212; want to tell him to respect decisions by states.

Curiously, not a single Washington House member has signed on, even though Washington and Colorado voted in November to legalize, tax and regulate the growing and sale of marijuana for recreational use by those over 21.
Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson has been waiting for word of what the Justice Department will do about a state law that legalizes a drug that is both criminalized and stigmatized under the Controlled Substances Act. (Marijuana gets a more severe classification that cocaine or meth.)
Attorney General Eric Holder has demanded assurance, and proof, that marijuana grown in Washington will stay in Washington. Inslee has responded with a lengthy letter on how the Evergreen State will keep its pungent green product for domestic consumption.
President Obama did say that the feds have &#8220;bigger fish to fry&#8221; than enforcing marijuana possession laws, of which he was a violator while a high school student in Honolulu.
The conservative Rohrabacher and a pair of liberal Democrats, Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and Jared Polis of Colorado, have taken the lead in marijuana reform legislation on Capitol Hill.
They have introduced legislation that would take regulation of marijuana away from the Drug Enforcement Administration, and put it under a renamed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms Enforcement. They would apply taxes to marijuana similar to those imposed on alcohol.
And, above all, they would recognize states&#8217; ability to set policy for cannabis, whether it is medical marijuana &#8212; now legalized in 18 states and the District of Columbia &#8212; or the &#8220;Full Monty&#8221; approach approved in November by Washington and Colorado voters.
Curiously, not a single member of the Washington Congressional Delegation has been involved or signed on as a cosponsor of the reform proposals.
The new H.R. 1523, the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act, would immunize not only individual marijuana users, but also medical and non-medical marijuana businesses operating in states where they are legal.
&#8220;This bipartisan bill represents a common-sense approach that establishes federal government respect for all states&#8217; marijuana laws: It does so by keeping the federal government out of the business of criminalizing marijuana activities in states that don&#8217;t want it to be criminal,&#8221; said Rohrabacher, in a classic conservative framing of the argument.
Initiative 502, the marijuana legalization measure approved by Washington voters, had such backers as the former head of the Seattle FBI office, two former U.S. Attorneys, the Seattle City Attorney, and leaders from the Washington State Medical Association and Washington State Bar Association.
After 40 years of the &#8220;War on Drugs,&#8221; and billions of dollars spent, the public appears to believe this is no longer a war worth fighting. The latest Pew Research poll found that six in ten Americans believe the federal government should butt out of enforcing federal marijuana laws in states where cannabis is legal for medical or recreational use.
As Steve Fox, political director for the Marijuana Policy Project, said Friday: &#8220;If a state chooses to take marijuana sales away from cartels and the criminal market and put them in the hands of legitimate, tax-paying businesses, it should be able to do so without federal interference.&#8221;





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[buckaroo bonzai]

starting to look exactly like I posted above^^^

>>Mediswipe Inc. >>Announces Opinion on New Proposed Federal Legislation Regarding Medicinal Marijuana States and>> Provides Michigan Update

LOS ANGELES, April 15, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediSwipe Inc. (www.MediSwipe.com) (MWIP), a patient security solutions and financial products company for the medicinal marijuana and health care industry, today announced information and a corporate opinion regarding a bill introduced in Congress late Friday which would pose a solution to the conflict between the federal government's marijuana prohibition and state laws that allow medical or recreational use.
California Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said his bill, which has three Republican and three Democratic sponsors, would ensure that state laws on marijuana are respected by the federal government. The measure would seek to amend the Controlled Substances Act to make clear that individuals and businesses, including marijuana dispensaries, who comply with state marijuana laws are immune from federal prosecution. "This bipartisan bill represents a common-sense approach that establishes federal government respect for all states' marijuana laws," Rohrabacher said in a news release. "It does so by keeping the federal government out of the business of criminalizing marijuana activities in states that don't want it to be criminal."
Presently, eighteen states and the District of Columbia have medical marijuana laws, and two states, Washington and Colorado, last fall became the first to pass laws legalizing, taxing and regulating marijuana. Several other measures have also been introduced to change U.S. marijuana laws, including moves to legalize the industrial production of hemp and establish a hefty federal pot tax in states where it's legal. Republican Reps. Justin Amash of Michigan and Don Young of Alaska and Democratic Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Steve Cohen of Tennessee and Jared Polis of Colorado co-sponsored Rohrabacher's bill.
The entire article by the Detroit Free Press may be read here:


http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013304120193



"It seems obvious that based on recent events in Michigan as well as Colorado and California, the need for >one system or application that will allow >>>patients to receive their medication directly from their caregiver, in a safe, secure manner while meeting the demands of each state and eventually the federal government, is now needed more than ever.
(I thought that's wha our law was for....???BB-)

The MediSwipe DMS will prove to be that solution,

>>starting with scanning the patient record from the very beginning at patient certification,

>>to the tracking of >the purchase of medicine through our proprietary barcode system.

We will soon be able expand to all legal jurisdictions as we continue to improve our software to meet the needs of each state requiring tracking and data from seed to plant to patient, to sale, and prove we are the most viable solution.

Our software applications are set to cover the entire process of this industry, and will not be affected by a few dispensaries in one state that might have acted questionably.

We are a patient and caregiver based solution.

It is our >goal,
as always,
to take the question marks out of the equation, and provide all the data necessary from seed to patient

>through specialized barcodes,>> ""biometrics""

and our >>>patient portal for >>"""tracking of transactions"""moving toward a multi-jurisdictional model," stated B. Michael Friedman, CEO for MediSwipe.


http://finance.yahoo.com/news/mediswipe-inc-announces-opinion-proposed-131608309.html

--->
my question is why do they keep mentioning Michigan as if it's a done deal....???

we don't even have dispensary laws YET...
mayb they know somthing we don't....?


why didn't they start this in one of the other 'legal' states first....?

--because my forensics tells me Michigan is part of 'the plan' and this is what to expect...IMO
itsa giant federal experiment and format about to come online....

this has been the goal all along-IMO
thats why our rights went away so quick and they were an illusion of freedom...

 

[Rare D MI]

True that. Michigan is part of the plan. Same orginizations are making their way across the country lobbying and implementing their business models into the fabric of the laws.

 

[DaleRoberts]

Let's get involved....what can RIU do to pump this thing up a little bit? I bet we can make a push here!

 

[buckaroo bonzai]

Let's get involved....what can RIU do to pump this thing up a little bit? I bet we can make a push here!

your ok with having a mediswipe card to track everything you do?

do you think the dispensaries have the right to grow transfer and trade unlimited quantities of medicine like the new provision bill outlines?

or provision center employees are completely immune from any prosecution on any level
but us pts/CGs have to be accountable for our actions if we are ever questioned?

do you belive in bio-metric patient ID?

or being registered with the county you live in as a CG so you can be monitored?

or taxed (up to 75%) if you ever use the mediswipe card to transfer meds to your patients...?

or ???
--->you are just a patient who doesn't grow meds and thinks this would make it better for everyone?

im curious--?

you also are ok with the new proposed alcohol tobacco and marijuana enforcement bureau??

http://cannabispolicy.wordpress.com/category/a64-new-marijuana-tax-act/

do you think we don't have enough police?

do you think we need a special new marijuana enforcement bureau like the FBI?

for tax enforcement to get the taxes out of everyone growing it for others-?
just curious-

would you also let them inject you with an RFID chip?....just curious also-

i will not take the mark of the beast no matter what...

 

[slumdog80]

Though there are a few scenarios that scare me, I do not see any of
them happening in the very near future.

State politicians in their greed, will chomp at fictitious tax revenue streams,
while simultaneously taxing themselves right the fuck out of the game.( Like
WA is soon to find out) They underestimate/misunderstand the MJ market on
so many levels it is laughable.

The ten year market picture, everyone with a little bit of the tricks and quick's will
be alright. I just feel bad for those poor cartels and their stress weed. And the
canucks too! My heart aches for them all.

 

[BigEasy1]

I think we have come along way in the last few years by even getting a US Senator to write a bill like this. The national conversation has started and I predict good things once people realize there is no real evil involved. Patience grasshopper............
..........

 

[Rare D MI]

You guys are pretty naive. Check out Colorado. The plan is in place..

 

[slumdog80]

I do not think I am being naive, I think I could easily carry
out my personal objective in CO. And I think I could do it there
in 10 years from now as well. Though I agree, CO is the toughest
market, cars have wheels.


Everyone has a different goal, freedom ain't cheap.

 

[VaporTrail]

IMO As always its about greed. Until they figure out how Big Business, Wall Street,and Big Pharmacy can regulate its sales it will remain illegal in this country.

 

[Rare D MI]

I do not think I am being naive, I think I could easily carry
out my personal objective in CO. And I think I could do it there
in 10 years from now as well. Though I agree, CO is the toughest
market, cars have wheels.


Everyone has a different goal, freedom ain't cheap.

Yeah right dude, are you aware of the regulation there? I have friends that are some of the best growers in Colorado that are shut out of the industry now. They owned popular dispensaries or supplied multiple spots until the regulation came down in '11. Caregivers are null an void in the medical industry. Small growers will be SOL there too. Especially since for the recreational law non businesses will hardly be able to grow anything at all.

 

[slumdog80]

We are talking apples and oranges mate. I meant nothing argumentative.

In ten years time, there will still be a market in my opinion. Regardless,
of full on legalization in CA, WA,CO that coupled with the feds minding
their business.

I just lived in a city with 350+ dispensaries and never really had to mess
with them. Units will always find a home in a country 350 million people.
Where they go is none of my business.

I just know, in the foreseeable future, I am not going to lose sleep about
1,000,000 watt corporate grows and their sub par work. Paperwork is
nice but, if I do not have it, it is not going to stop me from eating. If I have to
go lay it up and play chess with bernie madoff for a minute, shit happens.

 

[Rare D MI]

You're talking about an unregulated market that you've been in still man. If the state was involved with regulating the game, your clientele would go where it's cheaper. Cali is a state with 35 million people in it. Of course you can find someone to sell to. The population is 7x bigger than Colorado. People I know in Colorado have to export out of state if they aren't in the industry, because the going rate for herb is so cheap, that their top shelf indoor organic will only pull 2700 a lb or less, if they can get rid of it. If you want to work in the black market still, fine, but that's not what this thread is about...