3 ms·

I've read so much hand-wringing German coverage of this issue, and while sometimes comparisons are made to other countries, it's almost never mentioned that can

by TillE 3y ago

I've read so much hand-wringing German coverage of this issue, and while sometimes comparisons are made to other countries, it's almost never mentioned that cannabis has been legal for half of the US population for years now, and the sky hasn't fallen. The system set up by this law is extremely dumb, but at least small home grows are legal, and the government is still exploring a path to commercial sales that would be compliant with EU law.

bregma 3y ago
Cannabis is still illegal for 100% of the US population under federal law.
- rob74 3y ago
  What does that mean in practice? It's legal in California, but the FBI might arrest you if you go to Yosemite National Park with cannabis?
  - bregma 3y ago
    For a start it means no bank can legally lend you money for your cannabis business or they would be subject to prosecution.
    - kjkjadksj 3y ago
      A cursory google search shows that as a result of that stipulation there are in fact financing packages or lenders that acknowledge the risk and seek to meet that demand.
  - alistairSH 3y ago
    And airports and other places that are nominally under federal control. That said, airports generally care more about bombs and hard drugs, but the risk is higher than a bottle of bourbon. It's also still a disqualifier for federal employment.
aqme28 3y ago
It’s been (effectively) legal in neighboring Netherlands for even longer
- dubbel 3y ago
  As far as I know the Netherlands only legalized consumption and sale, but not production? Which just lead to higher demand for products what were still largely supplied by criminal groups.
  - aden1ne 3y ago
    Possession is still technically illegal, tho it hasn't been enforced since the 1970s. That said, since December 2023 there has been fully legally-produced cannabis on the Dutch market. While media tends to call it "state weed" ("staatswiet"), it's not nationalized, it's just licensed production. Currently it's only available in a number of cities, chiefly in the South of the country, but more cities should be onboarded onto the system this year.
lucb1e 3y ago
Comment made little sense to me so I looked it up: "hand-wringing: an overwrought expression of concern or guilt" (Merriam Webster) TIL this is the polar opposite from the Dutch expression to rub your hands together which means "being happy about a success; being content; expressing happiness" (Ensie, translated by me) Asking my german partner, they say it's a thing you'd do when plotting something evil, so more negative than positive I guess, but there is no expression to go with it like "hand wringing" or "in de handen wrijven" are common expressions. I would subscribe to it being a plotting thing in Dutch as well, but that also doesn't work with the US English definition and the way that you used it Do people from the USA also use it this way in a physical sense, rubbing hands together when they are concerned or feeling guilty or is it just an artifact of history similar to "hanging up" a phone? In the Netherlands I've definitely seen rubbing hands for excitement
- d_k_f 3y ago
  A slight addendum from another German: we have the adjective "händeringend", which is the verbatim translation of "hand wringing-ly". It's usually not used in a negative, scheming connotation, though - if you look/search for something "händeringend", your are desperately looking for that something. The actual act of wringing your hands is associated with generic Bond villains, though. Language is weird.
- DaedPsyker 3y ago
  There is the expression in English, rubbing your/their hands with glee. All context dependent as for the physicality. Someone holding their hands tightly and rubbing them might be nervous for example. Someone fast moving them but not cold could be more joyous.

by TillE 3y ago

bregma 3y ago

Cannabis is still illegal for 100% of the US population under federal law.

rob74 3y ago
What does that mean in practice? It's legal in California, but the FBI might arrest you if you go to Yosemite National Park with cannabis?
- bregma 3y ago
  For a start it means no bank can legally lend you money for your cannabis business or they would be subject to prosecution.
  - kjkjadksj 3y ago
    A cursory google search shows that as a result of that stipulation there are in fact financing packages or lenders that acknowledge the risk and seek to meet that demand.
- alistairSH 3y ago
  And airports and other places that are nominally under federal control. That said, airports generally care more about bombs and hard drugs, but the risk is higher than a bottle of bourbon. It's also still a disqualifier for federal employment.

aqme28 3y ago

It’s been (effectively) legal in neighboring Netherlands for even longer

dubbel 3y ago
As far as I know the Netherlands only legalized consumption and sale, but not production? Which just lead to higher demand for products what were still largely supplied by criminal groups.
- aden1ne 3y ago
  Possession is still technically illegal, tho it hasn't been enforced since the 1970s. That said, since December 2023 there has been fully legally-produced cannabis on the Dutch market. While media tends to call it "state weed" ("staatswiet"), it's not nationalized, it's just licensed production. Currently it's only available in a number of cities, chiefly in the South of the country, but more cities should be onboarded onto the system this year.

lucb1e 3y ago

Comment made little sense to me so I looked it up: "hand-wringing: an overwrought expression of concern or guilt" (Merriam Webster) TIL this is the polar opposite from the Dutch expression to rub your hands together which means "being happy about a success; being content; expressing happiness" (Ensie, translated by me) Asking my german partner, they say it's a thing you'd do when plotting something evil, so more negative than positive I guess, but there is no expression to go with it like "hand wringing" or "in de handen wrijven" are common expressions. I would subscribe to it being a plotting thing in Dutch as well, but that also doesn't work with the US English definition and the way that you used it Do people from the USA also use it this way in a physical sense, rubbing hands together when they are concerned or feeling guilty or is it just an artifact of history similar to "hanging up" a phone? In the Netherlands I've definitely seen rubbing hands for excitement

d_k_f 3y ago
A slight addendum from another German: we have the adjective "händeringend", which is the verbatim translation of "hand wringing-ly". It's usually not used in a negative, scheming connotation, though - if you look/search for something "händeringend", your are desperately looking for that something. The actual act of wringing your hands is associated with generic Bond villains, though. Language is weird.
DaedPsyker 3y ago
There is the expression in English, rubbing your/their hands with glee. All context dependent as for the physicality. Someone holding their hands tightly and rubbing them might be nervous for example. Someone fast moving them but not cold could be more joyous.