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So the companion bill to HR 420 introduced last month, but in the Republican controlled Senate? Not really much newsworthy here.

briandear 8y ago
This isn’t a partisan issue. Diane Feinstein, for example opposed California’s legalization in 2016 and has opposed it at the federal level. Rand Paul supports legalization (or at least leaving the decision to the states. Democrats owned the legislative and executive branches a few years back and yet didn’t legalize. The point is that politicians in both parties have opposed and supported legalization. This, however, is an issue that could be bipartisan similar to Trump’s prison reform bill. As a conservative myself, legalization is at the very heart of a philosophy of limited government; for liberals, this issue is a chance to actually be liberal. Unfortunately true conservatism and actual liberalism have lost all meaning. Now it’s just tribes trying to “win.”
- carlivar 8y ago
  Precisely. Ron Paul (R) and Barney Frank (D) introduced a legalization bill in 2011 which didn't get anywhere. https://www.thestreet.com/story/12789013/1/ron-paul-barney-frank-introduce-pot-legalization-bill.html https://www.thestreet.com/story/12789013/1/ron-paul-barney-f...
- learc83 8y ago
  You're correct that there are Republicans who support legalization, and there are Democrats who are against it. But if you look at the demographics of who supports legalization, it's clear which party will eventually pass legislation to legalize. Republicans are increasingly dependant on their aging, white base, and that's the exact demographic that still supports prohibition. The Republican party as a whole has no reason to support legalization until they decide to try to broaden their appeal, which exactly what they planned on doing after their defeat in 2012. But the rise of Trump changed that. Look at who Trump appointed as his first Attorney General--a man who pined for the Reagan era war on drugs--a man who urged prosecutors to use the death penalty to fight drug trafficking. If they lose in 2020 and decide to rebrand, who knows, but as of right now there is no chance of a Republican Senate passing legalisation, and I think a small but non-zero chance that a Democratic Senate would.
  - powerslacker 8y ago
    I think you may be underestimating how much value conservatives place on improving the economy. Legalizing the marijuana market on the federal level will create a gold rush in the financial markets. New tax sources, new jobs, stacks of hidden money being deposited in banking institutions, marijuana securities, licensing fees -- all brought in by a relatively safe drug. I wouldn't be surprised if the bill gets passed.
    - camel_Snake 8y ago
      How many conservative states have legalized cannabis? I find pragmatism rare in politics.
  - blackflame7000 8y ago
    It's safe to say that Trump regretted his AG pick almost immediately and frankly, Sessions isn't that popular among conservatives. Also Trump has come out in support of ending a federal ban https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/06/08/donald-trump-likely-support-bill-end-federal-pot-ban-cory-gardner-elizabeth-warren/685997002/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/06/08/dona...
    - learc83 8y ago
      >It's safe to say that Trump regretted his AG pick almost immediatel Yes because he recused himself from overseeing the Russia investigation, not because of his drug policies. >and frankly, Sessions isn't that popular among conservatives. Only because Trump spent time attacking him for recusing himself, not because of his drug policies. >Also Trump has come out in support of ending a federal ban Trump also signaled that he was going to sign the spending bill before he shut down the government for 33 days. He signaled that he was will to accept money for his wall to made DACA permanent. He's changed his position on H-1Bs at least 3 times. He comes out in support of a lot of things, because he speaks off the cuff, and changes his mind often. His public statements are so loosely correlated with his future actions that with the exception of a few topics where he's been consistent, I mostly ignore any statement that doesn't include an executive order or a signature on a bill.

briandear 8y ago

This isn’t a partisan issue. Diane Feinstein, for example opposed California’s legalization in 2016 and has opposed it at the federal level. Rand Paul supports legalization (or at least leaving the decision to the states. Democrats owned the legislative and executive branches a few years back and yet didn’t legalize. The point is that politicians in both parties have opposed and supported legalization. This, however, is an issue that could be bipartisan similar to Trump’s prison reform bill. As a conservative myself, legalization is at the very heart of a philosophy of limited government; for liberals, this issue is a chance to actually be liberal. Unfortunately true conservatism and actual liberalism have lost all meaning. Now it’s just tribes trying to “win.”

carlivar 8y ago
Precisely. Ron Paul (R) and Barney Frank (D) introduced a legalization bill in 2011 which didn't get anywhere. https://www.thestreet.com/story/12789013/1/ron-paul-barney-frank-introduce-pot-legalization-bill.html https://www.thestreet.com/story/12789013/1/ron-paul-barney-f...
learc83 8y ago
You're correct that there are Republicans who support legalization, and there are Democrats who are against it. But if you look at the demographics of who supports legalization, it's clear which party will eventually pass legislation to legalize. Republicans are increasingly dependant on their aging, white base, and that's the exact demographic that still supports prohibition. The Republican party as a whole has no reason to support legalization until they decide to try to broaden their appeal, which exactly what they planned on doing after their defeat in 2012. But the rise of Trump changed that. Look at who Trump appointed as his first Attorney General--a man who pined for the Reagan era war on drugs--a man who urged prosecutors to use the death penalty to fight drug trafficking. If they lose in 2020 and decide to rebrand, who knows, but as of right now there is no chance of a Republican Senate passing legalisation, and I think a small but non-zero chance that a Democratic Senate would.
- powerslacker 8y ago
  I think you may be underestimating how much value conservatives place on improving the economy. Legalizing the marijuana market on the federal level will create a gold rush in the financial markets. New tax sources, new jobs, stacks of hidden money being deposited in banking institutions, marijuana securities, licensing fees -- all brought in by a relatively safe drug. I wouldn't be surprised if the bill gets passed.
  - camel_Snake 8y ago
    How many conservative states have legalized cannabis? I find pragmatism rare in politics.
- blackflame7000 8y ago
  It's safe to say that Trump regretted his AG pick almost immediately and frankly, Sessions isn't that popular among conservatives. Also Trump has come out in support of ending a federal ban https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/06/08/donald-trump-likely-support-bill-end-federal-pot-ban-cory-gardner-elizabeth-warren/685997002/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/06/08/dona...
  - learc83 8y ago
    >It's safe to say that Trump regretted his AG pick almost immediatel Yes because he recused himself from overseeing the Russia investigation, not because of his drug policies. >and frankly, Sessions isn't that popular among conservatives. Only because Trump spent time attacking him for recusing himself, not because of his drug policies. >Also Trump has come out in support of ending a federal ban Trump also signaled that he was going to sign the spending bill before he shut down the government for 33 days. He signaled that he was will to accept money for his wall to made DACA permanent. He's changed his position on H-1Bs at least 3 times. He comes out in support of a lot of things, because he speaks off the cuff, and changes his mind often. His public statements are so loosely correlated with his future actions that with the exception of a few topics where he's been consistent, I mostly ignore any statement that doesn't include an executive order or a signature on a bill.