What is going to happen in Washington and Colorado with the legalization of marijuana?

[twa]

I see Mexico is going to review it's enforcement on the border in light of the legalisation

Next they will be suing the states for Free Trade infringements

[Larry]

Next they will be suing the states for Free Trade infringements

Now that, was funny.

[SnyderShrugged]

Interesting twist of events.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/marij...allot-rollback

UN official calls for marijuana ballot rollback

VIENNA—The head of the U.N. drug watchdog agency is urging U.S. federal officials to challenge ballot measures in Colorado and Washington that decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana for adults 21 and over.
Raymond Yans says the approvals send "a wrong message to the rest of the nation and it sends a wrong message abroad."
Yans heads the International Narcotics Control Board. He told The Associated Press on Tuesday he hopes Attorney General Eric Holder "will take all the necessary measures" to ensure that marijuana possession and use remains illegal throughout the U.S.
Both states are holding off on plans to regulate and tax the drug while waiting to see whether the Justice Department will assert federal authority over drug law.
The INCB has no enforcement ability.

[twa]

http://www.economist.com/blogs/ameri...drugs-business

"[E]ither the United States and its society, its government and its congress decide to drastically reduce their consumption of drugs, or if they are not going to reduce it they at least have the moral responsibility to reduce the flow of money towards Mexico, which goes into the hands of criminals. They have to explore even market mechanisms to see if that can allow the flow of money to reduce.

"If they want to take all the drugs they want, as far as I’m concerned let them take them. I don’t agree with it but it’s their decision, as consumers and as a society. What I do not accept is that they continue passing their money to the hands of killers."

Not so long ago these comments would have been unthinkable. Cast your mind back to 1998, when the UN Drug Control Programme (since absorbed by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, or UNODC) held a session on the “world drug problem” entitled: “A Drug-Free World: We Can Do It”. Since then it has become painfully clear that, so far at least, We Cannot Do It. Since 1998 global consumption of both cannabis and cocaine has risen by about 50% and opiate consumption has nearly trebled, according to the UNODC’s own figures.

[Elessar78]

There was a really cool interview on NPR last week (All things considered?) The guy on it painted a very cool picture of the Marijuana farmers in Colorado. He said gone, there, are the days of aged, compressed, stemmy Marijuana (because it mostly comes over in a concealed manner). He was saying the buds looked almost crystalline, fresh. The "farmers" were basically shirtless, um, hippies and they'd be blasting music they feel the plants would respond to inside this cavernous grow area. It was just an interesting description of the whole operation.

[visionary]

https://twitter.com/BreakingNews

Ahead of state law change, US Attorney's Office says marijuana possession illegal 'under federal law' -

http://www.kentreporter.com/news/182266431.html

U.S. Attorney's Office issues statement about marijuana law

"The department’s responsibility to enforce the Controlled Substances Act remains unchanged. Neither states nor the executive branch can nullify a statute passed by Congress. In enacting the Controlled Substances Act, Congress determined that marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance.

Regardless of any changes in state law, including the change that will go into effect on Dec. 6 in Washington state, growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Members of the public are also advised to remember that it remains against federal law to bring any amount of marijuana onto federal property, including all federal buildings, national parks and forests, military installations and courthouses."

[Stadium-Armory]

The wheels are turning here in Boulder:

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_22126673

Boulder City Council: No ban on recreational pot shops for now
By Erica Meltzer Camera Staff Writer

Boulder will face tight deadlines to come up with its own recreational marijuana regulations, and there's a small chance retail pot stores could open before the city gets its rules in place unless officials ban such businesses soon, City Attorney Tom Carr said Tuesday night.

Despite the concerns of the city attorney, the Boulder City Council held off on any action, saying they needed more information and public input before they could even consider a ban.

Councilwoman Lisa Morzel cited the high level of support for Amendment 64 among Boulder voters as she said she could not in good conscious support a ban.

"Invoking a ban would be so non-democratic and would provoke the wrath of the public to such an extent that it would not be a good idea politically," she said.

Carr has recommended the city not allow the stores because the window for the state to write its regulations and the city to start issuing business licenses is only a few months, which isn't much time for a thorough public process around what regulations the city should adopt.

There's also a slim possibility stores could open after the state approves its regulations this spring but before Boulder has regulations in place in the fall, he said.

In a memo to the City Council, he asked the council for feedback on what members would like to do and suggested they could revisit the issue in 2014, after the market and regulatory climate has evolved.

At the council meeting, Carr said moving slowly would be better for both the city and marijuana business owners.

More after the jump

[SkinsHokieFan]

https://twitter.com/BreakingNews



http://www.kentreporter.com/news/182266431.html

If Republicans were smart, they would come in, support the will of the people and make an impassioned defense of the 10th amendment.

No surprise that the President will continue to incarcerate marijuana users. He is quickly become one of the most authoritarian Presidents we have ever seen

[Special K]

Well, hope Colorado voters are going to enjoy having the feds up their asses in the near future. I didn't think the feds were going to crack down and try to make an example of our state...but it's becoming increasingly clear that they are.

Talk within the law enforcement and public health community is that we're going to see an unprecedented amount of DEA agents invading our state.

Have fun ya'll, I'm outtie in a week

[Stadium-Armory]

Well, hope Colorado voters are going to enjoy having the feds up their asses in the near future. I didn't think the feds were going to crack down and try to make an example of our state...but it's becoming increasingly clear that they are.

Talk within the law enforcement and public health community is that we're going to see an unprecedented amount of DEA agents invading our state.

Have fun ya'll, I'm outtie in a week

Maybe so, only time will tell. But will they be spending time investigating individual citizens for carrying 2oz around in their pocket? I doubt it. And on that front, this is a big win.

[Special K]

Maybe so, only time will tell. But will they be spending time investigating individual citizens for carrying 2oz around in their pocket? I doubt it. And on that front, this is a big win.

Well, Holder has already met with Hickenlooper to discuss how this is going to work...and I don't think it's a coincidence that Hickenlooper has become inscreasingly opposed to this law behind the scenes.

You're right though, the feds aren't going to be wasting their time investigating and arresting individual users. They're going to go after the businesses and their owners.

[SkinsHokieFan]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/...y.html?hpid=z2

Justice to Wash. state: Pot still illegal under federal law

On the eve of marijuana becoming legal in Washington state, the Justice Department warned that the possession, growing or use of the drug remains illegal under federal law.

“Regardless of any changes in state law, including the change that will go into effect on Dec. 6 in Washington state, growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law,” said a statement issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle on Wednesday evening.

Voters in Washington state and Colorado approved ballot initiatives last month that decriminalized the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by adults. The Washington state law goes into effect Thursday and Colorado’s law will change in the coming weeks.

Authorities in both states have already started dismissing hundreds of misdemeanor cases and retraining state and local police for dealing with the change.

The Justice Department position sets up a potential court fight between the federal government and the states.

Though the measures violated federal drug laws, Justice had refused to provide any guidance despite requests from both states. But the statement made clear that, at least from Justice’s perspective, federal law should prevail. Under federal law, marijuana is considered a Schedule 1 drug, the same category as LSD and heroin.

Link for rest

[No Excuses]

“Regardless of any changes in state law, including the change that will go into effect on Dec. 6 in Washington state, growing, selling or possessing any amount of marijuana remains illegal under federal law,” said a statement issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle on Wednesday evening.

[youngchew]

**** the feds man...when's the last time a pot smoker went on a killing spree, sold a baby for more pot, or hit and killed a mom because he was driving under the influence.

still tokin' well down here on the south side in Parker.

[Skinz4Life12]

federal law is ****ed up on this subject