It might not be by coincidence that marijuana is becoming such a serious issue during the current state of our economy. Is it possible after being prohibited and looked down on, that marijuana could be what breaths life back into the United States? Experts and officials are starting to say yes.

Recently 300 economists signed a petition all agreeing that the legalization of marijuana could save the federal government $13.5 billion a year, simply by cutting prohibition enforcement and taxing cannabis sales. This might not seem like much when looking at our $1.5 trillion deficit, however it’s financially a step in the right direction, and a huge step forward to using marijuana to it’s full possible potential.

California officials are looking at the math as well seeing how the state can save money by taxing legalized pot. Tom Ammiano announced the introduction of a bill similar to Washington’s and Colorado’s legislation to be voted on this November. This bill aims to tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol in the state of California, making the state billions a year.

"With the state in the midst of an historic economic crisis, the move towards regulating and taxing marijuana is simply common sense. This legislation would generate much needed revenue for the state, restrict access to only those over 21, end the environmental damage to our public lands from illicit crops, and improve public safety by redirecting law enforcement efforts to more serious crimes," Ammiano said.

But why stop there?

Marijuana is a %100 useable non-waste crop with multiple uses, and it’s cheap and easy to grow. Cannabis and hemp could be use to bring industry and wealth back to the United States as argued in last years documentary "WeedGeist". Continue Reading….
Via Marijuana and our economy

‘D-U-High’ bill fails in Colorado state Senate | The Raw Story

The Colorado state Senate rejected a bill Tuesday that would have created a blood alcohol limit for marijuana use for drivers. The so-called ?D-U-High? bill, which would have banned drivers with more than 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood, failed to break a tie of 17-17 in the Senate?s special session, according to the Associated Press.

The bill, which aims to put the same standards in place for marijuana users that are already in place for alcohol users, passed the Colorado House late Monday, but failed to make it through the Senate. The bill was also introduced and failed by a single vote during Colorado?s regular legislative session.

Opponents of the bill doubted the its efficacy. ?I don?t think it?ll make our roads any safer,? argued Democratic Sen. Pat Steadman to the AP.

According to Colorado?s 9 News, one state senator who was absent during the vote Tuesday, Sen. Nancy Spence, voted for the bill during the regular session.
Via ?D-U-High? bill fails in Colorado state Senate

I just started my second crop. (Sadly I found this forum too late for my first crop…RIP)

I have two plants in the very early veg state, that is, they have just opened their leaves on their second node. They are bag seeds, and I’m using miracle gro organic soil under two CFL bulbs (100/26w daylight 1625 lumens). The leaves are incredibly wide! I’ve come to realize that it could indicate that they’re indicas, but since they’re just bag, I find it hard to believe that I hit the lottery, so to speak… Anyone have any thoughts?

I’ll post a picture once I figure out how!
Via strange-looking leaves

The U.S. House is expected to vote soon ? possibly today ? on a bipartisan amendment to the Commerce-Justice-Science spending bill that would prohibit the Department of Justice from undermining state medical marijuana laws.
About the author

Charles Shaw is a writer and activist living in the Bay Area of San Francisco. He is the author of Exile Nation: Drugs, Prisons, Politics and Spirituality ↑ and serves as editor for the Dictionary of Ethical Politics and the oD Drug Policy Forum.

Thank our friends at the Drug Policy Alliance ↑ for this speedy release on what could be one of the most important actual votes on US drug policy in years.

As the release reminds us, Obama campaigned on the promise to end, once and for all, the Federal raids on state medical cannabis providers. Instead of honoring his promise, he played a bait-and-switch.

Following the 2008 election, Obama’s inauguration, and an announcement by Attorney general Eric Holder that the Feds would cease raids on medical cannabis providers, many providers made the fatal mistake of relaxing and letting down their guard. They pushed ahead and expanded their client bases, made some money, and then the onslaught of State, County and Municipal law enforcement raids began, in place of Federal raids. These ended up as little more than smash-and-grab jobs, where dispensaries were cleaned out of cash and inventory by law enforcement agencies dependent upon "drug seizures" to survive. It was the proverbial fattening of the calf before slaughter.

But all that changed recently with a flurry of Federal raids all across the US. In Oakland, the epicenter of the movement and the front lines of the war, every dispensary was shut down, and the Feds added insult to injury by raiding Richard Lee’s Oaksterdam University, a cannabis cultivation and business management school that taught prospective dispensary owners the ins and outs of the business.

At one of these raids, a colleague of mine asked one of the lead DEA agents in charge (name withheld by agent) why these raids were happening. According to my colleague, who posted this on Facebook, the agent in charge replied, "Because your President is losing support among California conservatives and needs to look good to him. So, you guys are the sacrificial lambs."

The agent purportedly went on to state that as far as he and the DEA were concerned, they were committed to continuing drug prohibition, because "it drives the product into the black market and the price increases, and the dealers make more, and so we make more in seizures."

The biggest problem the US faces in attempting to shift drug policy is that the drug war has been a major economic engine for over 40 years, and now more than ever, police departments and correctional systems are dependent upon it to survive. There are over 2.5 million people employed by the American criminal justice system, a system that spends over $200 billion a year. Before any conversation can begin to change, those jobs need to be repurposed. But drug policy change in America is a Sisyphean struggle against massive, entrenched corporate interests, as show in this recent piece by Alternet ↑ on why cannabis is still kept illegal despite overwhelming support in favor of taxation and legalization. With Connecticut just this week announcing it has voted to become the 17th state to legalize medical cannabis, it’s clear the people want change. Now we get to see if the Obama Administration cares or not.

If anything, the "Obama experience" taught us that us that policy is being dictated elsewhere than the Congress and White House, and nowhere is that more evident than with the War on Drugs. ~ CS

# # # #

U.S. House to Vote on Bipartisan Amendment Blocking Funding for Obama?s Attack on Medical Marijuana Patients Protected Under State Law.

Conflict Coming to a Head as More States Pass and Implement Medical Marijuana Laws While Obama Administration Escalates Assault on Patients and Providers

Drug Policy Alliance: Obama Will Continue to Suffer Politically for Ignoring Public Opinion on Medical Marijuana

The U.S. House is expected to vote soon ? possibly today ? on a bipartisan amendment to the Commerce-Justice-Science spending bill that would prohibit the Department of Justice from undermining state medical marijuana laws. The amendment, co-sponsored by Rep. Rohrabacher (R-CA), Rep. Hinchey (D-NY), Rep. McClintock (R-CA) and Rep. Farr (D-CA), is a rebuke of President Obama?s aggressive assault on medical marijuana patients and providers.

?Both Democrats and Republicans are telling the Obama administration: enough is enough, stop wasting taxpayer money to undermine state medical marijuana laws,? said Bill Piper, director of national affairs of the Drug Policy Alliance. ?President Obama needs to realize his assault on patient access is not just immoral ? but a serious political miscalculation. For more than a decade, polling has consistently shown that 70 to 80 percent of Americans support medical marijuana.?

On the presidential campaign trail in 2008, then-Senator Obama said his administration would not waste resources undermining state medical marijuana laws, especially if people were following their state?s law. Shortly after Obama was elected president, the Department of Justice issued a memorandum to U.S. Attorneys urging them not to waste taxpayer dollars and law enforcement resources arresting and prosecuting people following their state?s medical marijuana law. In the last year, however, the administration has reversed course and launched an attack on state medical marijuana laws that is far more aggressive than the Bush Administration’s medical marijuana policy.

The DEA is raiding many licensed and regulated medical marijuana providers that are legal under state law. The ATF is discriminating against medical marijuana patients by prohibiting them from owning firearms. The IRS is rejecting standard tax deductions from legitimate medical marijuana businesses operating in full compliance with state law. And federal threats have intimidated banks and landlords into refusing to do business with the medical marijuana industry. Even free speech is under attack ? at least one federal prosecutor is threatening to target newspapers that accept medical marijuana advertising.

?History is calling on President Obama to protect terminally ill patients from suffering, and he is dangerously close to falling on the wrong side,? said Piper. ?He will continue to pay a political price as long as his administration continues to waste taxpayer money undermining state law.?

News Hawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: openDemocracy
Author: Charles Shaw
Copyright: openDemocracy Ltd
Contact: Contact | openDemocracy
Website: U.S. House to Vote on Amendment Blocking Funding for Obama
Via U.S. House to Vote on Amendment Blocking Funding for Obama?s Attack on Med. Marijuana