politics

"nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed"

-The person who made a career putting people in jail for smoking weed

Harris oversaw more than 1,900 marijuana convictions in San Francisco, previously unreported records from the DA’s office show. Her prosecutors appear to have convicted people on marijuana charges at a higher rate than under her predecessor, based on data about marijuana arrests in the city.

As the political winds blow with her I guess. At least it's a positive change.

You can tell there's an election coming up.

I unironically think that if marijuana should be banned, then so should alcohol

I think if Biden and Harris were to officially endorse decriminalizing or legalizing recreational marijuana, we'd see a Democrat landslide. But that would require some actual common sense from Congressmen.

In a single motion they could cut off an enormous source of cash for the traffickers and hard drug dealers.

https://www.propublica.org/article/chinese-organized-crime-us-marijuana-market

She’s correct. It’s a completely right ridiculous policy based on a century of racism.

Ok, I used smoke a power of weed. I do not anymore. I do not wish to partake at all to be honest. Yet I think criminalisation of ‘the culture’ makes it both more lucrative to criminal elements who also do much harm in other sectors, and make it even more attractive to youth who might try and quit it sooner.

I’m not saying it’s all bad. I’m saying it’s over-romanced by criminalisation.

Just so everyone knows, the DEA is actively reviewing a report from the Department of Health and Human services where they recommended to reschedule weed to a schedule 3. Biden had directed HHS to research to see if it should be rescheduled, so while biden hasn't unilaterally legalized weed (something that would quickly be challenged in court since presidents don't usually have unilateral power for most things), he has definitely been pushing it not be schedule 1. Which, while not legalization, would be a huge step for not just the industry but for all the medical patients out there who have had their doctors refuse to treat them because they use weed for pain.

Well I don't do drugs but she could schedule it for tomorrow after breakfast. I know my neighbor smokes it after work for example. 😂.

I grew up straight edge in a religious household. I was so afraid of getting into trouble, I didn't even drink as a teenager even though all my friends did.

Now my work depends on me keeping away from illegal drugs. Seeing as my family's livelihood depends on that, it's a pretty straightforward decision to never cross that line, ever. So I say this as a 30+ yr old who's rarely drank and never done drugs of any kind that weren't prescribed.

If this changes, and it's confirmed that my livelihood wouldn't be threatened for trying it, I would absolutely partake.

I barely touched weed my whole life until I got medical access ~5 years ago. I was also never a big drinker or user of other recreational substances.

The stuff helps me so much that I use my vape or edibles almost every single day. That plus the margin of safety makes it downright cruel in my eyes that it’s prohibited in so many places.

But I guess given the racist motives of the anti-marijuana push 40 years ago, maybe the cruelty was the point.

For the, "why are you doing it now, convenient!" crowd - first of all yes, that's how politics works. Trump is a constant heartbeat of bullshit and you need to have strategically timed news and events to stay in people's short term memories for voting impact - especially the committed stoners :)

But also, Biden admin has been working towards this for years. He is not the most progressive anything, but he's doing more than his predecessors on either side (and the pathetic gop alternative) and that's progress.

You don't make major legislative change by firing a cannon at the front door - you set several small fires at all the other exits on the building and then when all that is in motion, you just knock on the front door to warn everyone about the fire and they walk out willingly.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/10/06/statement-from-president-biden-on-marijuana-reform/

https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/06/politics/marijuana-decriminalization-white-house-joe-biden/index.html

https://www.npr.org/2023/12/22/1221230390/biden-pardons-clemency-marijuana-drug-offenses

On December 2, 2022, Biden signed the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act - "the first standalone marijuana-related bill approved by both chambers of the United States Congress"

Biden approved the Viktor Bout–Brittney Griner prisoner exchange work Russia on December 8, 2022 which involved an American WNBA athlete being convicted of cannabis possession on Russian soil and being held in Russian prison.

“Somebody ought to do something about this ASAP,” says one of the only people on the planet actually capable of doing something about it for the last 4 years. OK.