The Galaxy Lounge

Cannabis | Marijuana => Cannabis General => Topic started by: Uruk-High on April 14, 2018, 09:02:34 AM

Title: Trump, Gardner strike deal on legalized marijuana
Post by: Uruk-High on April 14, 2018, 09:02:34 AM: Just gotta play the long game folks. Not quite what I want to see yet, but progress nevertheless. :horns up :Smokey:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-gardner-strike-deal-on-legalized-marijuana-ending-standoff-over-justice-nominees/2018/04/13/2ac3b35a-3f3a-11e8-912d-16c9e9b37800_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.a117beea37a0

President Trump has promised a top Senate Republican that he will support congressional efforts to protect states that have legalized marijuana — defusing a months-long standoff between Sen. Cory Gardner and the administration over Justice Department nominees.

In January, the Colorado Republican said he would block all DOJ nominations after Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo that heightened the prospect of a federal marijuana crackdown in states that had legalized the substance. Gardner’s home state made recreational marijuana legal in 2014.

In a phone call late Wednesday, Trump told Gardner that despite the DOJ memo, the marijuana industry in Colorado will not be targeted, the senator said in a statement Friday. Satisfied, the first-term senator is now backing down from his nominee blockade.

“Since the campaign, President Trump has consistently supported states’ rights to decide for themselves how best to approach marijuana,” Gardner said Friday. “Late Wednesday, I received a commitment from the President that the Department of Justice’s rescission of the Cole memo will not impact Colorado’s legal marijuana industry.”

He added: “Furthermore, President Trump has assured me that he will support a federalism-based legislative solution to fix this states’ rights issue once and for all. Because of these commitments, I have informed the Administration that I will be lifting my remaining holds on Department of Justice nominees.”

Gardner, who heads the campaign operation charged with hanging on to the Republicans’ Senate majority, was irate in January when Sessions revoked guidance from the Obama administration, known as the Cole memo, that had discouraged prosecutors from enforcing federal marijuana laws in states that had legalized the drug.

Especially infuriating, from Gardner’s perspective, was that Sessions had pledged during his confirmation process for attorney general he would leave states that had legalized marijuana alone, according to the senator.

[‘That’s the model’: Republican Cory Gardner stands up to President Trump]

The January memo from Sessions stated prosecutors should use their discretion in weighing whether charges were warranted, rather than abiding by the Obama-era guidance.

Trump has held a sharply different view from Sessions on the issue. During the presidential campaign, Trump said in an interview with KUSA-TV in Colorado that he said “it’s up to the states” on the marijuana issue.

Trump “does respect Colorado’s right to decide for themselves how to best approach this issue,” White House legislative affairs director Marc Short said in an interview Friday.

Gardner held up about 20 Justice nominees, a significant number considering Senate Republicans and the White House have for months accused Democrats of slowing down consideration of other Trump picks.

“Clearly, we’ve expressed our frustration with the delay with a lot of our nominees and feel that too often, senators hijack a nominee for a policy solution,” Short said. “So we’re reluctant to reward that sort of behavior. But at the same time, we’re anxious to get our team at the Department of Justice.”

A bill has not been finalized, but Gardner has been talking quietly with other senators about a legislative fix that would, in effect, make clear the federal government cannot interfere with states that have voted to legalize marijuana.

“My colleagues and I are continuing to work diligently on a bipartisan legislative solution that can pass Congress and head to the President’s desk to deliver on his campaign position,” Gardner said.
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In addition to Gardner’s holds, DOJ has faced notable bipartisan pushback from Capitol Hill when it comes to marijuana.

Sens. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) wrote to Sessions this week, urging him to back off efforts to curtail medical marijuana research at the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Washington Post reported in August that Sessions’s DOJ was effectively hamstringing the agency’s research efforts by making it harder to grow marijuana.

Separately, former House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) announced this week he is joining the board of directors for a cannabis company and engaged in efforts to allow veterans to access marijuana for medicinal use. He has opposed decriminalizing the substance as an elected official

Free da weed!
:weedspin :weedspin :weedspin
Title: Re: Trump, Gardner strike deal on legalized marijuana
Post by: jones on April 14, 2018, 12:07:55 PM: So in other words, the Trump admin stand off was mainly a threat in order for Pres Trump to use the issue as leverage to get him some new toys...
Title: Re: Trump, Gardner strike deal on legalized marijuana
Post by: KratomToke on April 16, 2018, 12:04:20 PM: All I know is Jeff Sessions needs to be replaced ASAP. I don't see him really doing much except for going after MJ tokers like we are on cocaine or something.

:goodpost :goodpost
Title: Re: Trump, Gardner strike deal on legalized marijuana
Post by: jones on April 16, 2018, 12:12:50 PM: Quote from: KratomToke on April 16, 2018, 12:04:20 PM
All I know is Jeff Sessions needs to be replaced ASAP. I don't see him really doing much except for going after MJ tokers like we are on cocaine or something.

:goodpost :goodpost

I understand Sessions is heavily invested in private prisons and needs marijuana offenders to help fill up these for profit
prisons
Title: Re: Trump, Gardner strike deal on legalized marijuana
Post by: orthene on April 16, 2018, 04:08:52 PM: (https://dispatchesfromtheformernewworld.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/you_doodle_2017-10-30t18_43_55z.jpg?w=640)
Title: Re: Trump, Gardner strike deal on legalized marijuana
Post by: jimijams on April 25, 2018, 08:38:37 AM: I truly hope he doesnt flip-flop back and forth on this-- lets just legalize it- get it over with-
Title: Re: Trump, Gardner strike deal on legalized marijuana
Post by: Ozone on April 26, 2018, 01:40:42 AM: Give me a break.

Don't hold your breath.
Title: Re: Trump, Gardner strike deal on legalized marijuana
Post by: jones on April 26, 2018, 05:57:04 PM: Quote from: Ozone on April 26, 2018, 01:40:42 AM
Give me a break.

Don't hold your breath.

From what I've read legally getting marijuana removed from schedule 1 is a major undertaking
and is only required if the feds were gonna try to control it--I much prefer state's rights, as
Constitutionally speaking, marijuana & other drug use shouldn't be regulated by the feds anyhow
because as it is not an enumerated right (not mentioned in the Constitution) it is therefore reserved by the
States.
Title: Re: Trump, Gardner strike deal on legalized marijuana
Post by: Uruk-High on April 27, 2018, 08:58:16 AM: Quote from: jones on April 26, 2018, 05:57:04 PM
Quote from: Ozone on April 26, 2018, 01:40:42 AM
Give me a break.

Don't hold your breath.

From what I've read legally getting marijuana removed from schedule 1 is a major undertaking
and is only required if the feds were gonna try to control it--I much prefer state's rights, as
Constitutionally speaking, marijuana & other drug use shouldn't be regulated by the feds anyhow
because as it is not an enumerated right (not mentioned in the Constitution) it is therefore reserved by the
States.

I tend to agree with on this one, jones, but we need some change at the fed level on this one. The current system aint cutting it. Can't have the federal threat always looming over states that decide to legalize. It's just hard to beat down 80 years of negative propaganda in some folks' minds. It's going to happen though.

:weedspin :weedspin :weedspin
Title: Re: Trump, Gardner strike deal on legalized marijuana
Post by: ÂçïÐ_Rëƒlü×® on April 27, 2018, 08:39:36 PM: (https://i.imgur.com/NBNlaiu.gif)
Title: Re: Trump, Gardner strike deal on legalized marijuana
Post by: orthene on April 28, 2018, 01:39:35 PM: I have no way to share it here, but a video just popped up on my timeline from RxLeaf. It was of Chuck Schumer saying he was introducing a bill to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. Again, it's one of those wait-and-see things for concerned citizens, but at least the conversation is out there at that level. Let's just hope it's not only lip service.
Title: Re: Trump, Gardner strike deal on legalized marijuana
Post by: Ozone on April 29, 2018, 04:16:01 PM: NJ Governor Phil Murphy also ran on a platform where he explicitly stated that he would sign a bill (or whatever the necessary undertakings) to legalize recreational marijuana within his first 100 days in office. We're literally right around 100 (give or take a few) and it hasn't happened yet.
How much has to happen in this world before yall realize politicians (or whatever you classify Trump as) can't be trusted as far as you can throw them?