cannabisnews.com: Eric Holder Urged By Republican To Decide On MJ
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Eric Holder Urged By Republican To Decide On MJ
Posted by CN Staff on April 19, 2013 at 14:51:50 PT
By Fred Frommer,  Associated Press
Source: Associated Press
Washington, D.C. -- How it affects children will be one factor the Justice Department weighs as it determines how to respond to the legalization of marijuana in Washington state and Colorado, Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress Thursday."When it comes to these marijuana initiatives, I think among the kinds of things we will have to consider is the impact on children," along with factors such as violence connected to trafficking and organized crime, Holder told a House Appropriations subcommittee. He commented in response to questions about ballot initiatives legalizing the drug that passed last year.
"We are certainly going to enforce federal law," Holder said.Marijuana is illegal under federal law, and one congressman pressed Holder to challenge the state initiatives in court. Holder said he hasn't decided what to do.In December, President Barack Obama said in an ABC interview that the federal government won't go after recreational marijuana use in the two states that have legalized it. When asked if he supported legalization, he responded, "I wouldn't go that far."Holder reminded the panel of that, and added, "I'm not for it either."But Rep. Andy Harris, a Maryland Republican, said that the president didn't take a position on the initiatives, and urged the Justice Department to do so."Your department could choose to attempt to overturn those laws," said Harris, a physician. That would send a message to America's youth that marijuana is not a safe drug, he added. "Kids need clear messages and I'm afraid we're not sending them one," he said.Harris pressed Holder on when a decision might come, "because children are dying from drugs. It is a scourge ... can you give me a general idea of when that decision's going to be made?"Holder would only say, "As quick as we can."Source: Associated Press (Wire)Author: Fred Frommer,  Associated PressPublished:  April 19, 2013Copyright: 2013 The Associated PressCannabisNews  -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #7 posted by bullhead on April 19, 2013 at 19:20:38 PT:
Children
How it affects the children.... Thanks for the life long drug record that my son has now for simple possession. Enough said
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Comment #6 posted by jetblackchemist on April 19, 2013 at 17:41:57 PT
what about the children indeed...
In any city of the country or even rural town, before medical marijuana at the height of the drug war zero tolerance... any child could get marijuana grown and sold on the black market.The drug war fueling the black market growing gangs and cartels, making the streets or a short walk to school and neighborhoods unsafe for all children. The same drug war grew the black market into powerful cartels, more powerful than some of countries governments.This same black market does not care about children, health, public safety, or paying taxes. They just care about profit. Well those supporting the drug war? Well, let's be honest they support all of the above by believing in a failed policy called the war on drugs.Children? Black market recruits them into a live of crime. Children's health? Black market are happy spray anything they wish in this uncontrolled market smuggle it in gas tanks and other chemical tanks picking up attributes of amines... and a host of other chemicals altering the safety and efficacy as well as the effects of cannabis... indeed turning it into marijuana. Yes, I see a difference... cannabis is a natural herbal medicine with a host of benefits and dare I say zero health consequence. Can you say the same for this black market marijuana? No that's why I make the distinction. Cannabis legal regulated and or taxed IS healthy medicine and public policy. Black market marijuana IS not healthy nor is it medicine or a good public policy that is propped up and supported by a war that does nothing, to curb use or abuse.This drug war turns children into criminals, it breeds distrust of the police and government... the black market and prohibition support each other, the prop up and create all of these problems. They do not solve anything at all... except for the industries that profit of selling illegal drugs, from the black market growers, sellers and the prison complex and committees created to sell drug war propaganda, that no one believes for a minute; unless they lie to themselves.It is actually insulting the intelligence of the populous to argue that the drug war does anything else. Perhaps it worked well when the highest math in college was pre-algebra and people knew much less about the world going on around them. These old policies and rhetoric will not work now, when middle school kids are learning pre-algebra, and the whole world of honest research and information is at their finger tips.So yes, one wishing to prop this black market prison planet industrial complex up... immediately thinks Ah! then we must censor the internet and information found on it... so the propaganda of lies will stick. Really? In the information age where the whole world is connected with instant communication... people want to censor and limit and suppress knowledge? To devolve and not grow? How about just bringing policy up to date with everything else instead? Or is that too rational?I suppose staying with outdated public policy makes perfect sense especially if you like, gangs, unsafe streets, revolving prison complexes where violent offenders are turned out over and over again on the streets to make room for non violent crime... and what makes this even a crime old out of date public policy. A public policy that is sick and discriminatory, and harmful to not only society but the whole world... it creates an underground network that closes borders and fuels terrorism. How many dollars and resources could be freed up if the war on drugs were shifted to illegal guns and illegal immigration? How much illegal immigration would there be? If Mexico and a lesser extent Canada was not over run by corruption created by the cartels? One has to wonder... perhaps it would go back to the way it was before the drug war ever started... sounds logical it sounds like a lot of things would go back the way things were before the drug war started making things illegal. Of course they could be even better than ever before; because we are wiser and can make a better informed public policy. Once you cross the ocean why continue to carry the life raft on your head? It is the same with this old out dated public policy, it is a burden that no longer should be carried, and I believe everyone reading this can fully comprehend why we need to drop the raft and move forward into what we have learned from the drug war experiment, that it is and was a shameful and abysmal failure that has slavery as its only rival for a horrible social policy.Thank you for taking the time; have a good day.  
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Comment #5 posted by runruff on April 19, 2013 at 17:34:04 PT
If I don't spew I'll choke!
When I was in the sixth grade [1958] a well dressed matronly woman from Reefer Madness Inc. came to one of our assemblies at school.She spewed for about an hour so I will only tell you of one of the obscenities she had the mindlessness to relate to us wide eyed little sponges.She said that once when she working in the emergency room at the San Francisco Hospital, kids our age would be admitted strapped to a gurney, foaming at the mouth and fighting their bonds. They were addicted to marijuana and were being put through something called "cold turkey" because it is the only way to kick the marijuana habit."This nightmare begins with only one marijuana cigarette and the first one is always free".This my friends was Reefer Madness madness at it's full blown no holds bared, propaganda campaign that would cause even Goebbels to blush with shame.I have one last thing to add though. I would ask the good doctor there to please show us the bodies. They talk about the green killing machine that has been in use now since before recoded history, ho where are the bodies? Greeks smoked it. Romans smoked it. At the scene where the fishes and loaves miricle took place they were passing "it" around and throwing a Frisbees. So, here is the history, where are the bodies? What, no bodies? Well then, I think it is time for the good doctor to sit down and shut up!
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Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on April 19, 2013 at 17:26:11 PT:
Prohibs have no sense of history
As in...cannabis prohibition is history...and so are they.The more they lose, they crazier they'll get. Think of Hitler in his Fuhrerbunker. Ranting and raving ever more insanely about winning a war lost years before on various battlefields, planning impossible strategies with ever dwindling (or obliterated) military units, while plaster rained down on his head from Russian artillery barrages landing only a few feet above. That kind of crazy.They'd be objects of pity if they weren't still dangerous...
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Comment #3 posted by BGreen on April 19, 2013 at 16:18:12 PT
Do you know what sends the clearest message?
The truth.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #2 posted by BGreen on April 19, 2013 at 16:15:35 PT
Bombastic rhetoric is not going to work
This Harris loser knows that he's lying and, fortunately for us and for freedom, there are very few thinking humans who believe these lies as truth.Children are dying every single day, not from cannabis but from guns, but these same losers tell us that new laws won't work because the criminals don't obey the laws.It doesn't work both ways. Laws can't simultaneously send clear messages and yet be entirely ineffectual. Perhaps Harris was as ineffectual as a physician as he is an intelligent, thinking man.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #1 posted by HempWorld on April 19, 2013 at 15:16:07 PT
OMG
Here we go again... (reefer madness etc. etc.)The US Govnerment needs to send the message that prohibition does not work and has many (negative) un-intended consequenses.That is the message! Or, that's what is should be.It's not about whether cannabis/marijuana is good or bad for you although the voters (The People and 10,000 years of use) have decided it is benign enough to legalize and have legalized it as medicine!As in, this is good for you, not bad!Meanwhile, cigarettes are legal, have no medical use whatsoever and are the biggest killer in our society! Half a million a year. What message are we (?) sending here?Has it ever occurred to you that if cigarettes were introduced today, it would never be legalized applying the 'logic' in the above article!
Happy 420 Everyone!
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