Jump to content

slipstar059

Members
  • Posts

    612
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    3

Recent Profile Visitors

675 profile views

slipstar059's Achievements

Advanced Member

Advanced Member (3/3)

  1. http://www.house.mi.gov/MHRPublic/PlayVideoArchive.html?video=JUDI-050715.mp4 Almost every patient testifying about oils/edibles didn't get the help they needed from dispensaries, and obtain their cannabis/edibles/oils from caregivers, or make it themselves. They also talked about having the cannabis tested before their medicine was extracted. So it seems if you go the extra mile help is available.
  2. You beat me to the punch but I'll add another link: http://www.theweedblog.com/bernie-sanders-proposes-de-scheduling-marijuana/
  3. I called bush v. clinton while I was fishing ice last winter, my father-in-law (Republican conservative) said no way Jeb hasn't even decided if he's running yet... I'd love to be wrong, we're not supposed to have an oligarchy in the U.S. So far none of the working class (R's) I've talked to want another Bush in the White House, and I've spoken with quite a few.
  4. How about this piece by high times them published Aug 1, 2015. While marijuana legalization continues to become more widespread across the United States, it seems that government officials have found a way to perpetuate the perils of prohibition by imposing ridiculous levels of regulation and high taxes on the herb that prevents users from vacating the black market. Although one of the primary selling points for legal cannabis involves pulling pot patrons out of the black market and dropping them into the civil sector, eliminating a myriad of social and public safety concerns, a recent article by Reason’s managing editor J.D. Tuccille suggests that legalization has created a unique environment where the war dogs of the drug war and the underground dealers are both winning. Despite four states and the District of Columbia having legalized recreational marijuana, at least to some degree, “[the] warriors and dealers are doing just fine,” writes Tuccille, adding that the terms “legal” and “illegal” do not always stand before each other as arch nemesis. “All too often, they're just points on a spectrum,” he writes. “Something can be banned, with the law so ignored that people forget it's there. And something can be permitted, but so restricted that everybody gets warm and fuzzy accolades for reform while underground business remains the only practical access.” The primary reason this is happening is because regulators have made it difficult for legal markets get both legs out of the circle of prohibition. Therefore, while cannabis is technically legal in these areas, the hounds of the drug war have continued to flourish, and so have the street dealers. The majority of the issues that simply fade the lines of prohibition but do not eliminate them altogether stem from conflicting state and federal law. One of the biggest concerns is the banking restriction imposed on statewide cannabis markets, dealings that have been marked “OK” by the Obama Administration, but still pose a threat to the industry because no definitive law has been put on the books. However, in Washington, the financial conundrum is the least of their concern. Lawmakers there recently imposed a 37 percent excise tax and restricted the number of retail locations (161 legal pot stores statewide), putting the legal market in a state of non-competitiveness with the underground trade. A recent report from KIRO Radio indicates that all of the restrictions on Washington weed commerce “requires serious dedication” to “switch to legal pot.” Tucille goes on to explain that the black market in Colorado has continued to thrive due to its taxing trifecta, keeping legal pot more expensive than it is on the street. Not to mention, he says, state regulators make it next to impossible for pot shops to open by forcing them to pay in upwards of “tens of thousands of dollars” just to obtain a license. So far, Oregon seems to have implemented the smartest legal market in the nation, keeping taxes lower as well as passing legislation that will allow hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries to begin selling recreational weed while the Oregon Liquor Control Commission hashes out the full scope of the state’s cannabis market. However, some of those medical marijuana dispensaries complain that the yearly fees paid to the city and state to continue playing the marijuana game is making it difficult to survive. “Arguably, the marijuana market is a new one in this country, relegalized after decades in the shadows, and with our last above-ground experience predating a popular taste for the stuff,” writes Tucille. “Officials need time to experiment and find out what works.” “But marijuana isn't really all that unique a product,” he explains. “It's a substance that people consume because it makes them feel good. And it's a product (or range of products) disapproved of by many politicians and pundits for reasons both puritanical and presumptuous. The market for marijuana, and policy toward it, closely resembles the treatment of both alcohol and tobacco. And our experience with those markets provide valuable lessons for anybody who cares to pay attention.” In the end, or at least until the federal government gets more hands on with its approach to how the nation regulates marijuana, prohibitionists in legal states are going to find ways to enable the black market, while consumers are going to be forced to decide whether to frequent the legal or the illegal market. On a side note, legalizing medical marijuana on a federal level, which seems to be the focus on Capitol Hill, would contribute to this problem on a much larger scale. While patients needing medicinal cannabis would finally have the appropriate access, a street market of immense proportions would undoubtedly emerge across the nation for those wanting to consume it recreationally. With that said, it is of my opinion that the only way to truly eliminate the issues outlined above is to repeal prohibition altogether and allow citizens to purchase and use the plant as they see fit.
  5. Capital issues, and large fees for licensing, limit Minorities from entering into the Cannabis industry. The rules and regulation also prohibit anyone with drug felonies, to enter the market.
  6. They better find a jury that has never used cannabis, or been around someone who has. Which may prove difficult in CO.
  7. Bernie says he would personally vote yes on current legalization initiatives, wants to rethink the war on drugs, and our criminal justice system. Hillary just isn't ready to make a decision, she supports medical marijuana, but still needs to see more research.
  8. No need to dig through the trash to collect DNA samples anymore, just test the suspect for drugged driving, and it's all good.
  9. In a 2013 article on Mlive they reported there were 11,000+ caregivers, in 6 counties in Michigan. I don't know current stats (which I assume have grown substantially statewide), but even if all 16 explosions had happened in those 6 counties in 2013, it's only a 0.00145454545455% chance of incidence. "These type of grow operations, that are not only dangerous but usually coincide with heavy traffic and a "skunk" smell that permeates the air nearby, should be regulated and relegated to industrial-zoned section of the city. "This is not the first time," Fouts said. "There have been other instances in Warren where fires have been started related to a marijuana grow operation." Fouts said there have been 16 other fires or explosions in Michigan caused by the butane THC extraction process, and 31 cases in Colorado. "I'm not against medical marijuana if it helps people have a better quality of life," Fouts said. "What I do object to is having medical marijuana grow operations within residential areas."
  10. Come on who doesn't know that "the high life" isn't what happens when you medicate, it's what happens when you drink the champagne of beers. ????
  11. It's got to be hard to spend money on a campaign when your candidates for president are planning on shutting you down. They have to be banking on a Rand Paul win.
  12. GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A former state representative allegedly admitted to police that he was selling marijuana to at least 20 people after drug team officers found three pounds of marijuana at one West Side residence and 71 marijuana plants at another, court records show. Roy Schmidt, who represented Grand Rapids' West Side in the state legislature for two terms as a Democrat between 2008 and 2012, told police he was a medical marijuana patient and a caregiver, according to a probable cause affidavit seeking a warrant for his arrest. Kent County Sheriff's Detective John Tuinhoff said Schmidt, 61, admitted to "selling to at least 20 people who are not his registered patients with the state of Michigan or had a medical marijuana card." The Kent Area Narcotics Enforcement Team raided Schmidt's home in the 1800 block of Seventh Street NW on Wednesday, June 10, and found three pounds of marijuana there, Tuinhoff said in court records. Authorities also searched a home rented by Schmidt in the 800 block of Myrtle Avenue NW, where they claim to have discovered 71 marijuana plants growing in the residence, documents show. Schmidt was arrested Thursday. Schmidt allegedly told investigators that the drug distribution occurred at his home as well as other locations. Kent County Undersheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young said Thursday that the investigation has been underway for about a month. Schmidt, 61, is scheduled for arraignment this afternoon before Grand Rapids District Court Judge Donald Passenger on two counts of delivery/manufacturing of marijuana. Depending on the total weight of the marijuana in question, Schmidt could be facing maximum penalties of four, seven or 15 years in prison. The harshest penalty of for a weight of more than 45 kilograms, or nearly 100 pounds. Operation under the state's medical marijuana laws allow a caregiver to have up to 6 patients and grow 12 plants per patient. Sales are not allowed to people who do not have a state-issued card or to users who are not registered patients of the caregiver. Schmidt lost his position in state government as he was seeking a third and final term in the House. In a last-minute maneuver, he switched to the Republican Party and conspired with then-Michigan House Speaker and Republican Jase Bolger. Schmidt tried to have a family friend run in the Democratic primary as a straw candidate, but he ended up losing to Democrat Winnie Brinks in the 2012 general election. A grand jury did not indict Schmidt and Bolger for their actions. Prior to his entry into state politics, Schmidt was a 16-year Grand Rapids City Commissioner representing the West Side. He remains in the Kent County Jail at this time awaiting arraignment when the judge will determine a bond amount.
  13. My bad, I didn't notice, was about to show a couple other people, and thought better, they got me too.
×
×
  • Create New...