Is pot actually still illegal?

[HardDrive]

There was a massive banner ad being pulled by a helocopter over Seattle today. It was for a fertilizer product. Not exactly targeted toward growing tomatos, yes? Things are liberal in regards to pot on the west cost to be sure, but....lol....Jebus. We had Hempfest here today, thus the ad.

[bell]

it's legal to buy everything you need to make a grow house......just not legal to actually grow the stuff......
which is also why it's legal to have "head shops" which sell paraphernalia....but once they are "used", meaning have resin in them they are no longer legal.....

[slodave]

We do have http://www.oaksterdamuniversity.com/

More from Oakland:
http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/07/27/daily37.html

[WilsonTC]

http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=4516

[Tishabet]

Here in MA we just recently passed an initiative making possession of anything less than an ounce a $100 fine and a civil penalty, the equivalent of a jaywalking ticket. So it's not legal yet, but at least in my town cops don't waste their time going after someone smoking in public. They've got bigger fish to fry in this area.

[Gogar]

It's my theory that the Govt. will soon legalize, reguate, and heavily tax Marijuana to (ironically) fund health care reform.

[fastfredracing]

I am not positive, but I think possession of small amounts , under one ounce, has been decriminalized here. I believe the max fine is somewhere around $300.00. But dont get caught with a pipe, as possession of paraphenalia , is a felony.
There is a grow shop local to me here, and it is clear that they are not catering to tomato growers. I would be afraid to purchase from somewhere like that, I bet the cops watch the place
I am with Gogar, I think in the near future we will see pot legal, but heavily taxed.

[GH85Carrera]

As a non smoker I can tell you pot STINKS as bad or worse than cigarettes. I know we can never wipe out either one. As long as the smokers keep the stink away from me I don't care what they smoke. Just don't drive stoned.

I hate it when some driver is smoking in traffic. The stench is not something I want to share.

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by Gogar

It's my theory that the Govt. will soon legalize, reguate, and heavily tax Marijuana to (ironically) fund health care reform.

Hope and change, baby.

[PorscheGAL]

It doesn't matter what the state does about decriminalizing marijuana use. It is still against Fed law. Therefore you can still be arrested and prosecuted.

[john70t]

That stuff leads straight to mainlining heroin; Or worse, Liberalism.
No way do I want my kid turning into a junky hippy on the sidewalk.

I'd rather see him/her put in prison, have his/her job and educational prospects disappear permanently, and/or gang-raped by hardened crimminals, than to try that stuff.


I'll pour a big Makers Mark and pop a Zanex while making "The Call".

[legion]

Originally Posted by PorscheGAL

It doesn't matter what the state does about decriminalizing marijuana use. It is still against Fed law. Therefore you can still be arrested and prosecuted.

Correct. At least I think.

See, pot is not illegal because of a specific law. It is illegal because Congress has turned over the responsibility to regulate drugs to the DEA and FDA. The DEA has the power to "schedule" drugs. Depending on which schedule a drug is assigned, it may be legal for medicine but controlled, or illegal for all activities, including clinical research. Each schedule has its own rules, penalties, and activities that are considered legal with a drug.

The DEA can change the schedule of a drug at any time--so in theory, pot could be legal right now, and none of us would know it. But that is highly unlikely. The DEA tends to make access to drugs more restrictive over time, not less. This comes from the simple fact that the more drugs are "dangerous", the more funding the DEA can demand and the more control it can exert. Who'd want to give that up?

[john70t]

Can we pull the DEA chart of historic overdoses in the U.S.: Alcohol vs. Marijuana?
Numbers talk.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by john70t

Can we pull the DEA chart of historic overdoses in the U.S.: Alcohol vs. Marijuana?
Numbers talk.

How does one overdose on Marijuana? At a certain point, you get so stoned that you simply forget to smoke more. Or so I've heard.....

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by PorscheGAL

It doesn't matter what the state does about decriminalizing marijuana use. It is still against Fed law. Therefore you can still be arrested and prosecuted.

If local police departments cannot have a significant impact on marijuana smoking, I have my doubts that a thimble full of federal agents will be able to do much. A person can grow enough pot in a tiny 10x10' garden to supply the whole neighborhood. Pot is tough and easy to grow, and you don't need a massive amount of the raw product (like coca leaves) to make the 'drug'.

The fat lady ain't singing yet, but I can hear her warming up off stage....

[Flatbutt1]

Marijuana and New Jersey State Laws

Know the law. Marijuana is an illegal substance. Simple possession, use or being under the influence of marijuana in New Jersey is 0-18 months in jail and a fine of $500 to $15,000. Use or possession with intent to distribute, 0-10 years in jail, and a fine of $750 to $100,000. There is a penalty of mandatory loss of driving privileges of at least 6 months upon conviction of many drug offenses, for example, possession of drug paraphernalia such as pipes, sifters, and spoons.

In addition to foregoing fines, every defendant convicted of any drug offense or who goes into a diversionary program must pay a mandatory penalty ranging from $500 to $3000 and a mandatory $50 laboratory charge.



Although I think under 50 grams possession is a disorderly person with a $500 fine...I think

[red-beard]

Any drug conviction in Texas = loss of CHL, forever. Unless it is legalized, I ain't doing it.

[YTNUKLR]

Yes, it is still federally illegal, but the DEA doesn't exactly run raids. I read in the news that the DEA no longer invades the Berkeley/Oakland medical marijuana clubs (I think this is by executive fiat of the president, BHusseinO).

Still technically illegal...I think the major law enforcement operations concentrate on "guerrilla growers" or illegal aliens hired to run "guerrilla" grow ops' in national parks, and forests, wilderness, etc. And of course, smuggling (BC, Mexico, etc.). These are the big operations, the ones that bring in the multiple pounds of bud. I have heard of people getting caught stoned/with weed in California, driving even, and if they were not doing anything really "wrong" they have been let go without any penalty, just told to "drive safe" or "go home". For all intensive purposes, it is legal in the city of Berkeley. I have been walking to class and smelled it in the middle of the day, right on a city street (usually a homeless person). And there is no shortage of Berkeley police driving around dealing with all the bums and their stupid antics (unleashed dogs, litter, public harassment, and more serious drugs).

Medically: Marijuana doesn't act on the brain stem, at all. This means that all autonomic functions like breathing and heart beat are not affected directly (although heart rate can be increased indirectly by a release of adrenaline from other parts of the brain). There is no "lethal index" (LD50) for marijuana, unlike alcohol, which has a very low lethal index (ie., can shut your brain off and you will die).

Marijuana deaths in 2000: 0
Alcohol-related deaths in 2000: 85,000

Journal of the American Medical Association, Jan. 19, 2005, Vol. 293, No. 3, p. 298.
from : http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30

I think marijuana should be regulated like cigarettes are now, by the FDA, not the DEA. It certainly poses less risk to the public than tobacco. But, even legalized, it does seem to make you pretty dull/boring/stupid/lazy for a couple days at a time, which makes it not very much worth it without legal penalties. JMHO.

[aigel]

You can do some serious time if you get a few too many plants in your hobby garden. I remember seeing a documentary where people got life sentences for very small operations. I remember a number around 20 plants. People that consume and grow weed like to think of it as practically legal, but this is very far from the truth and can ruin someones life if they are prosecuted ...

George

[aigel]

Not just CHL is an issue. If you own any firearms you can get into big trouble if you are involved in drugs. A simple drug offense now can become an armed drug offense. You put guns and drugs together and it will be proof to the jury that the perp was up to no good.

George