Big Sur
Well-known member
As is happening with hemp in the US right now, legalizing marijuana is making headlines in the US and Australia this week. In Australia today the Greens Party called for making marijuana legal in Australia and allow for the licensing of growers and state control of the distribution (like in Nevada) and selling in licensed stores to anyone over the age of 18. 18! They are also calling for allowing people to grow up to 6 plants at home.
Former Speaker of The House John Boehner also made an announcement late last week that he is taking a position as a board member of Acreage Holdings, a marijuana investment company active in 11 US states. At the same time he is calling for the rescheduling of marijuana in the US. Which is a critical step in legalizing marijuana here in the states. If you do not know, marijuana was made illegal in the US in 1937 with the Marijuana Tax Act. Many states had made it illegal before then, starting with California in 1913. The Mj Tax Act was stricken down in 1969 by the Supreme Court, so Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act in 1970 to replace it and Emperor Nixon signed it into law. Emperor Nixon raised the level of marijuana to a Schedule 1 narcotic in his war on hippies, and raised the level of heroin to Schedule 1 in his war on blacks in order to get re-elected in 1972 (Why change Dicks in the middle of a screw, vote for Nixon in 72!). In 1973 Nixon created the DEA to fight his "War on Drugs". Which was really his war on hippies and blacks.
At any rate, as a schedule 1 narcotic, marijuana is defined by the DEA as a controlled substance with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence. As a result, doctors cannot legally prescribe Marijuana in the US. They can only write an "advisory" to use it. Also as a schedule 1 drug, no one can legally do research on marijuana without one of the extremely limited licenses issued by the DEA. Also only a few federal licenses have been issued for growing marijuana in the US, for research or 'clandestine' reasons. Since 1970, US marijuana research has been virtually non-existent. Moving marijuana lower to schedule 3 or 4 would open the gates for allowing marijuana Rx to be written, marijuana research to be done, and lessen the federal laws against growing and using marijuana. And perhaps the most critical of all, it would allow banks to do business with marijuana licensed growers, processors and retailers, which up to this point has been an all cash business. It would also put aside the RICO laws against marijuana and allow states more room for legalization.
Canada is also plowing along and is said to be on the path to legalizing marijuana in 2018. Mexico also made medical marijuana (really hemp) legal early in 2017 and they are calling for limited legalization of marijuana in 2018. So we are making global headway now in marijuana legalization. At least in North and Central America and Oz. Its a Brave New World. Meanwhile pot prices are plummeting where weed is legal. Last week I went to several shops in Portland and they were selling weed by the gram starting at $5 a gram, with tax. One store had an oz of GG#5 listed for $60. I have not seen good weed for $60 since... 1978 or so. I was spoiled in California in 1978. Cheap and good weed a plenty. The best of the best, imported from around the globe. Carter had virtually decriminalized it. Everyone git high then. Now it will all be restricted with endless regulations, but at least it will be legal. And I have my landrace seed collection here on ice.
To the future of legalized weed! I never saw this happening in my lifetime. The fight is not over yet, but we are gaining ground.
Former Speaker of The House John Boehner also made an announcement late last week that he is taking a position as a board member of Acreage Holdings, a marijuana investment company active in 11 US states. At the same time he is calling for the rescheduling of marijuana in the US. Which is a critical step in legalizing marijuana here in the states. If you do not know, marijuana was made illegal in the US in 1937 with the Marijuana Tax Act. Many states had made it illegal before then, starting with California in 1913. The Mj Tax Act was stricken down in 1969 by the Supreme Court, so Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act in 1970 to replace it and Emperor Nixon signed it into law. Emperor Nixon raised the level of marijuana to a Schedule 1 narcotic in his war on hippies, and raised the level of heroin to Schedule 1 in his war on blacks in order to get re-elected in 1972 (Why change Dicks in the middle of a screw, vote for Nixon in 72!). In 1973 Nixon created the DEA to fight his "War on Drugs". Which was really his war on hippies and blacks.
At any rate, as a schedule 1 narcotic, marijuana is defined by the DEA as a controlled substance with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence. As a result, doctors cannot legally prescribe Marijuana in the US. They can only write an "advisory" to use it. Also as a schedule 1 drug, no one can legally do research on marijuana without one of the extremely limited licenses issued by the DEA. Also only a few federal licenses have been issued for growing marijuana in the US, for research or 'clandestine' reasons. Since 1970, US marijuana research has been virtually non-existent. Moving marijuana lower to schedule 3 or 4 would open the gates for allowing marijuana Rx to be written, marijuana research to be done, and lessen the federal laws against growing and using marijuana. And perhaps the most critical of all, it would allow banks to do business with marijuana licensed growers, processors and retailers, which up to this point has been an all cash business. It would also put aside the RICO laws against marijuana and allow states more room for legalization.
Canada is also plowing along and is said to be on the path to legalizing marijuana in 2018. Mexico also made medical marijuana (really hemp) legal early in 2017 and they are calling for limited legalization of marijuana in 2018. So we are making global headway now in marijuana legalization. At least in North and Central America and Oz. Its a Brave New World. Meanwhile pot prices are plummeting where weed is legal. Last week I went to several shops in Portland and they were selling weed by the gram starting at $5 a gram, with tax. One store had an oz of GG#5 listed for $60. I have not seen good weed for $60 since... 1978 or so. I was spoiled in California in 1978. Cheap and good weed a plenty. The best of the best, imported from around the globe. Carter had virtually decriminalized it. Everyone git high then. Now it will all be restricted with endless regulations, but at least it will be legal. And I have my landrace seed collection here on ice.
To the future of legalized weed! I never saw this happening in my lifetime. The fight is not over yet, but we are gaining ground.
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