Marijuana | Boots & Sabers

Evers Wants to Get Wisconsin High

by Owen | 0733, 19 Feb 1919 | Politics - Wisconsin | 23 Comments

Gov. Tony Evers will propose legalizing medical marijuana in his state budget address later this month, the governor announced Monday.

The push for medical legalization will be accompanied by several other marijuana-related proposals, including legalization of small amounts of marijuana for personal use, establishing expungement procedures for people with marijuana possession on their criminal records and bringing state laws on cannabidiol, also known as CBD oil, in line with federal standards.

I suspect one of two things is happening here:

Evers is truly a leftist who wants to legalize pot. Or he has surrounded himself with advisers of that ilk. But if they truly believe in this, it seems disingenuous to put it in the budget instead of advocating it as its own bill.
This is a negotiating tactic for the budget. It is a common negotiating tactic to put things in a proposal that are intended to be jettisoned in exchange for something more important. For example, “sure, I’ll drop the weed proposal if you increase K-12 spending to my level.”

Be wary that this isn’t just designed to distract the public while they ram through massive new spending and taxes.

DOJ To Enforce Pot Laws

by Owen | 0925, 4 Jan 1818 | Crime, Politics | 0 Comments

Put another way, Trump’s DOJ returns to policies of Obama’s first term.

(CNN)In a seismic shift, Attorney General Jeff Sessions will announce Thursday that he is rescinding a trio of memos from the Obama administration that adopted a policy of non-interference with marijuana-friendly state laws, according to a source with knowledge of the decision.

While many states have decriminalized or legalized marijuana use, the drug is still illegal under federal law, creating a conflict between federal and state law.

The main Justice Department memo addressing the issue, known as the “Cole memo” for then-Deputy Attorney General Jim Cole in 2013, set forth new priorities for federal prosecutors operating in states where the drug had been legalized for medical or other adult use. It represented a major shift from strict enforcement to a more hands-off approach, so long as they didn’t threaten other federal priorities, such as preventing the distribution of the drug to minors and cartels.

The memo will be rescinded but it’s not immediately clear whether Sessions will issue new guidance in its place or simply revert back to older policies that left states with legal uncertainty about enforcement of federal law.

On the action itself, it is completely correct and appropriate. Whether the DOJ likes it or not, marijuana is illegal and they are tasked with enforcing the law whether they like it or not. They should be enforcing the law.

If the Congress wants to change the law, however, that is certainly something worth considering. I would start with asking whether this should even be a federal issue or not? While we can certainly debate the merits and demerits of decriminalization, I think it is more appropriately a discussion to have at the state level. Except for the case of border enforcement, this is an issue that is better handled in the states.

Feds to Enforce Pot Law

by Owen | 0819, 24 Feb 1717 | Politics | 2 Comments

This was an outstanding question for the Trump administration. Now we know the answer.

Washington (CNN)The White House said Thursday it expects law enforcement agents to enforce federal marijuana laws when they come into conflict with states where recreational use of the drug is permitted.

“I do believe you will see greater enforcement of it,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said regarding federal drug laws, which still list marijuana as an illegal substance.

That’s a reversal from the Obama administration’s stance, which laid out in an official memo that the federal government wouldn’t interfere in states where nonmedical use of marijuana is allowed.

Bad Pot

by Owen | 1003, 25 Nov 1515 | Culture | 1 Comment

It’s hard not to chuckle at the foibles in Colorado.

Pesticides that are illegal to use on marijuana plants in Colorado are being found in some recreational and medical pot products being marketed and sold to the public — leading to product recalls, plant quarantines and even a class-action lawsuit involving people who say they would not have inhaled the product had they known illegal pesticides were used on them.

Pesticide testing is not mandatory for pot businesses in Colorado, nor are they subject to random pesticide testing, as are other crops, according to Mitch Yergert of the state’s agriculture department. Pot businesses generally are left to self-regulate pesticides use, though officials say they are working to come up with a plan for better oversight.

Feds Destroy Tribe’s Stash

by Owen | 1225, 24 Oct 1515 | Law | 1 Comment

Heh.

KESHENA, Wis. (AP) — The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin says federal agents entered tribal lands and improperly destroyed a crop of industrial hemp.

But Acting U.S. Attorney Gregory Haanstad says the crop was an illegal marijuana growing operation. He says agents executed a search warrant Friday and seized about 30,000 marijuana plants weighing several thousand pounds.

The tribe legalized the growing of low THC industrial hemp on its lands in May. In a statement released Friday, the tribe says it has been at odds with federal authorities over whether the crop complies with the 2014 Farm Bill. The tribe acknowledged a portion of the crop was problematic, and said it had agreed to destroy that part of the crop itself.

That last sentence is priceless. “Sure… we know some of our weed is a problem, but we’ll get rid of it… by chopping it up into small portions, wrapping it in paper, and executing a controlled burn.”

Menominee Votes for Legalizing Pot

by Owen | 1357, 21 Aug 1515 | Culture, Politics - Wisconsin | 1 Comment

In an earlier post, I said:

I’m willing to be 4 oz of weed that the referendum comes back with strong support for legalization and that it will be made legal soon.

Nobody took me up on my bet. I would have won anyway;

The Menominee Tribe overwhelmingly approved two advisory referendum questions authorizing its legislature to legalize marijuana on its reservation, the tribe said Friday.

Tribal members voted 677 to 499 to legalize marijuana use for recreational purposes. Members approved marijuana for medicinal purposes 899 to 275. The voting was conducted Wednesday and Thursday and the results announced Friday morning.

The matter now moves to the tribe’s legislature, which will study the issue and likely approve ordinances legalizing marijuana.

Menominee Tribe Considers Legalizing Pot

by Owen | 1700, 23 Jul 1515 | Culture, Law | 2 Comments

I’m willing to be 4 oz of weed that the referendum comes back with strong support for legalization and that it will be made legal soon.

Menominee Indian Tribe members will have a chance to weigh in on whether marijuana should be legal for recreational and medicinal use on the reservation in northeastern Wisconsin.

The tribe plans a referendum next month to find out how its members feel about legalizing the drug. A two-question referendum on Aug. 19 and 20 will ask tribal members whether medical marijuana and recreational use for adults 21 or older should be legal on the Menominee Indian Reservation.

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