Going green: States would get free hand under pot bill

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Michael R. Blood, Associated Press
Updated 8:52 pm CST, Friday, February 8, 2019

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden proposed legislation Friday that would give states a free hand to allow legal cannabis markets without the threat of federal criminal intervention, the latest push in Congress to bolster the nation's burgeoning pot industry.

The proposal, identical to a bill in the House, aims to ease the longstanding conflict between states where cannabis is legal in some form and the U.S. government, which categorizes marijuana as a dangerous illegal drug, similar to LSD or heroin.

"The federal prohibition of marijuana is wrong, plain and simple," Wyden, a Democrat, said in a statement. "Too many lives have been wasted, and too many economic opportunities have been missed."

. . .

The Democratic majority in the House appears more open to considering proposals to ease federal restrictions on marijuana. The chamber has set a hearing next week on a bill intended to make banking services more widely available for pot companies.


Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Going-green-States-would-get-free-hand-under-pot-13601542.php

[Progressive Jones]

1. K & R nt

[Shoonra]

2. Among the present legal problems ....

Among the present legal impediments to legalized marijuana industry is

(1) Banks and credit card companies are not allowed to deal with marijuana in any way, with the result that dispensaries are almost completely unable to make use of banks to store their money, cannot deal with checks or credit cards, and must handle all transactions in cash - which invites robbery, tax fraud, and money laundering. This also greatly inconveniences customers/patients trying to buy their products. And this affects not only the dispensaries but also the farmers and any middle-men or processors.

(2) Marijuana products manufactured or farmed in one state are almost completely prohibited from crossing into another state where marijuana is also legal. The result is that each state is isolated in its marijuana industry, limited in the scope of the products its dispensaries can offer, and with prices that are insulated from serious competition. Again, this works to the disadvantage of the consumers.

(3) Some states have not legalized "recreational" marijuana, only "medicinal" marijuana - but even those states limiting it to "medicinal" have each set up different standards for what constitutes a legitimate medical cause for obtaining marijuana and what is available, so that patients might be better off moving to certain states. In Delaware, for example, the only medical conditions entitled to marijuana are virtually deathbed stages of various diseases, by which time marijuana would be of limited benefit and many patients would already be receiving morphine; Delaware also forbids marijuana edibles - only smoking, vaping, oils and pills.