5 ms·

Legal weed is not "almost here". It's still a schedule 1 controlled substance at the federal level, and in theory you can spend a year in a federal penitentiar

Legal weed is not "almost here". It's still a schedule 1 controlled substance at the federal level, and in theory you can spend a year in a federal penitentiary for possession of any amount. That's what I'd like to see changed. This legal twilight zone isn't good for anybody.

wallace_f 9y ago
I'm not sure what our government is thinking. Police in 2016 used a "military helicopter to descend on an 81-year-old Grandmother's home to seize a single marijuana plant." "Mr Holcomb said he was told that as long as he did not demand that a warrant be provided to enter the property or otherwise escalate the situation, authorities would file no criminal charges." So, give up your fourth amendment rights, or else? For having 1 marijuana plant? Source: www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/national-guard-and-police-in-military-style-helicopter-descend-on-81-year-old-s-home-to-seize-one-a7348666.html
sputr 9y ago
Two things: 1. Legal weed is not almost here because of the 68' treaty that strictly prohibits it. That's the reason we see all of these "decriminalized" and "tolerated" scenarios. No one has yet to decide to just ignore the (very tiny) part of the full text that covers cannabis and no one is willing to step away from the rest of the text. Canada is showing signs they might do it, which will trigger a landslide, but at the moment that's only speculation. My country would have passed legalization months ago if not for this treaty :/. So the USA screwed everybody in 68' and they are still doing it. 2. The twilight zone is good for exactly one group of people: illegal dealers and growers. Imagine: the police don't prosecute you as aggressively anymore (or at all), the populous treats it as a legal substance, that's still incredibly popular (funny, it's culturally accepted, but still an act of defiance against the authority) ... and you have no taxes because you still can't buy it legally. I've personally seen dealers agents masquerading as pro-canabis campaigners derail political alliances that would have made realistic progress towards legalization.
- QAPereo 9y ago
  It's good for massive companies positioning themselves to monopolize the legal market when it emerges, bad for everyone else.
- int_19h 9y ago
  > No one has yet to decide to just ignore the (very tiny) part of the full text that covers cannabis and no one is willing to step away from the rest of the text. Uruguay has fully legalized - not just decriminalized - cannabis, and they're a signatory of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which I think you are referring to? (although it was adopted in 1961, not 1968)
  - sputr 9y ago
    Yes, the one. Unfortunately at least for my country Uruguay does not seem to be a valid trendsetter and are still waiting for a western nation to do it.
- mgbmtl 9y ago
  > "Canada is showing signs they might do it, which will trigger a landslide, but at the moment that's only speculation." Speculation? The federal government of Canada has passed a law to legalize cannabis as on July 1st, 2018. Implementation is left to the provinces, who can set target prices, who/how will sell it, how much it will be taxed, etc, but the law also explicitly allows shipping cannabis through the post across provinces, as a way to go around any restriction a province might impose. The effects are already very present on the stock market. This will have a very big impact on the US, one can suspect the same as the end of alcohol prohibition in the 30s (where Canada played an important role).
  - sputr 9y ago
    Seems I have been, and not been, missinformed :). They have passed a law, but as it does not yet break the treaties they still have "time" to do something about it. http://globalnews.ca/news/3606927/after-blowing-july-1-deadline-canada-seems-likely-to-legalize-pot-while-ignoring-un-treaties/ http://globalnews.ca/news/3606927/after-blowing-july-1-deadl...

wallace_f 9y ago

I'm not sure what our government is thinking. Police in 2016 used a "military helicopter to descend on an 81-year-old Grandmother's home to seize a single marijuana plant." "Mr Holcomb said he was told that as long as he did not demand that a warrant be provided to enter the property or otherwise escalate the situation, authorities would file no criminal charges." So, give up your fourth amendment rights, or else? For having 1 marijuana plant? Source: www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/national-guard-and-police-in-military-style-helicopter-descend-on-81-year-old-s-home-to-seize-one-a7348666.html

sputr 9y ago

Two things: 1. Legal weed is not almost here because of the 68' treaty that strictly prohibits it. That's the reason we see all of these "decriminalized" and "tolerated" scenarios. No one has yet to decide to just ignore the (very tiny) part of the full text that covers cannabis and no one is willing to step away from the rest of the text. Canada is showing signs they might do it, which will trigger a landslide, but at the moment that's only speculation. My country would have passed legalization months ago if not for this treaty :/. So the USA screwed everybody in 68' and they are still doing it. 2. The twilight zone is good for exactly one group of people: illegal dealers and growers. Imagine: the police don't prosecute you as aggressively anymore (or at all), the populous treats it as a legal substance, that's still incredibly popular (funny, it's culturally accepted, but still an act of defiance against the authority) ... and you have no taxes because you still can't buy it legally. I've personally seen dealers agents masquerading as pro-canabis campaigners derail political alliances that would have made realistic progress towards legalization.

QAPereo 9y ago
It's good for massive companies positioning themselves to monopolize the legal market when it emerges, bad for everyone else.
int_19h 9y ago
> No one has yet to decide to just ignore the (very tiny) part of the full text that covers cannabis and no one is willing to step away from the rest of the text. Uruguay has fully legalized - not just decriminalized - cannabis, and they're a signatory of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which I think you are referring to? (although it was adopted in 1961, not 1968)
- sputr 9y ago
  Yes, the one. Unfortunately at least for my country Uruguay does not seem to be a valid trendsetter and are still waiting for a western nation to do it.
mgbmtl 9y ago
> "Canada is showing signs they might do it, which will trigger a landslide, but at the moment that's only speculation." Speculation? The federal government of Canada has passed a law to legalize cannabis as on July 1st, 2018. Implementation is left to the provinces, who can set target prices, who/how will sell it, how much it will be taxed, etc, but the law also explicitly allows shipping cannabis through the post across provinces, as a way to go around any restriction a province might impose. The effects are already very present on the stock market. This will have a very big impact on the US, one can suspect the same as the end of alcohol prohibition in the 30s (where Canada played an important role).
- sputr 9y ago
  Seems I have been, and not been, missinformed :). They have passed a law, but as it does not yet break the treaties they still have "time" to do something about it. http://globalnews.ca/news/3606927/after-blowing-july-1-deadline-canada-seems-likely-to-legalize-pot-while-ignoring-un-treaties/ http://globalnews.ca/news/3606927/after-blowing-july-1-deadl...