Sessions hints at crackdown on recreational pot, affecting California, other states

McClatchyDC.com ^ | 11/30/2017 | Katie Irby and Emily Cadei

[GIdget2004]

Attorney General Jeff Sessions hinted Wednesday that the Justice Department may take a tougher stance on recreational marijuana in the near future, a change in policy that would have a significant impact on the five states plus the District of Columbia that already allow the drug to be used for more than medicinal purposes.

California is scheduled to join that group on Jan. 1.

Sessions and other DOJ officials previously indicated they would continue the policy laid out by the department under former President Barack Obama, which in essence allows state officials leeway in how they deal with the drug as long as they meet certain standards, like keeping cannabis out of the hands of minors, keeping it from crossing into states where it isn’t legal and preventing drugged driving.

Marijuana, however, remains illegal under federal law, and there was always the possibility the Trump administration could crack down.

“In fact, we’re looking at that very hard right now, we had a meeting yesterday and talked about it at some length,” Sessions said at a press conference Wednesday. “It’s my view that the use of marijuana is detrimental, and we should not give encouragement in any way to it, and it represents a federal violation, which is in the law and is subject to being enforced.”

“We are working our way through to a rational policy, but I don’t want to suggest in any way that this department believes that marijuana is harmless and people should not avoid it,” the attorney general added, noting that DOJ was also considering how to deal with opiods and other drugs.

Ian Prior, principal deputy director of public affairs at DOJ, declined to comment on what a new “rational policy” might look like or when it might be enforced.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

As far as I know, as long as you are in your late 20’s, the effects of pot may be reversal with time. However the time you have lost never returns. You still after all are / were an addict for how long?

Is chocolate addictive?

Have you ever smoked pot?

[RedMonqey]

Drugs & pot are a menace all around this state.

According to your own post I'd say the bigger menace is the "dopes" in your state house...

Letting illegals get licenses?

(Shaking my head....)

[American in Israel]

I figure I’ve smoked a truck load or two in my youth. Quit when I was 34 with interventionary prayer. Never quite recovered, but ymmv.

I found I only had to quit one joint, the next one.
I found that I by myself could not quit. It took Jesus.

Pot is insidious. I call it a vampire drug now, it wipers profound things in your ear as it sucks your life away. Once I was free I did study it a bit and was shocked to find out try knew all along it was more addictive than alcohol.

Yet they still said it was “only” psycological addictive. I had been played a fool

[American in Israel]

Dan, read 105, read 105, read, 105 ,read 105...

I can answer your question, but I cannot make you read.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

I can answer your question, but I cannot make you read.

I've read it, but the answer to whether you've ever smoked pot is not in that post.

Have you ever smoked pot?

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

I figure I’ve smoked a truck load or two in my youth. Quit when I was 34 with interventionary prayer. Never quite recovered, but ymmv.

...

Once I was free I did study it a bit and was shocked to find out try knew all along it was more addictive than alcohol.

Wow! It only took, what three or four times of my asking?

You say it's more addictive than alcohol. What physical symptoms of withdrawal did you experience when you quit?

Anxiety? Shaky hands? Headache? Nausea? Vomiting? Insomnia? Sweating? Tremors? Vomiting? Loss of appetite? Confusion? Irritability? Mood swings? Fever?

Or, did you just have a craving to smoke more pot?

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

You left this part out of your post #105.

Volkow notes that there are other components to addiction—like genetics and age of exposure—which is why not everyone who takes drugs becomes an addict. She says approximately 50% of the vulnerability of a person to become addicted is genetically determined, and research indicates that if a person is exposed to drugs in early adolescence they are much more likely to become addicted than if they were exposed to the same drugs as an adult.

Of course, the real question to be answered is why you want to control the behaviors of other people if what they do harms no one but themselves.

[freedumb2003]

>>In this respect these so-called conservatives are no different from their liberal counterparts.<<

The Libertarian arm of conservatism is given short shrift — and to our peril.

In fact. I am changing my tagline to better represent what we should do as Conservatives...

[GCFADG]

The current situation makes no sense. Marijuana is illegal by Federal law (the Controlled Substance Act). Change it or enforce it. One or the other.

[TheStickman]

“Pot is insidious. I call it a vampire drug now, it wipers profound things in your ear as it sucks your life away.”

What do you say to people who use cannabis to treat chronic pain?

[pollywog]

what a testimony to the Power of our Lord and Savior.

[American in Israel]

So, you actually did read a post instead of just reply to antagonize. I am impressed. Now do you understand the difference between chocolate and a dopamine affecting drug?

Knowledge is power they say.

And no, interestingly enough zero physical side effects that I recall. I found myself desperately wanting to not smoke today and moments later rolling my first door of the day hating myself.

You can only take so much of that so denial became my strength and shield. Sucked to be me.

Met my wife to be and while we were engaged one day I told her how I was free to do as I wanted, I would smoke pot till I died
All things are lawful to me etc... I did leave off the not all things are profitable and the I will not let anything be my master...

She spent the next day fasting and praying to God that she did not want to marry a pot head.

I woke up the next morning with zero desire to roll another. I knew I was FREE. I called her on the phone crying...

And I knew that I could never dare smoke another.

The monkey was gone and I will never invite it back. Some people are stronger, but with pot and me...

oh and yes it did take four times of you asking, you were by the way responding from the answer to all the questions that I gave you on 105. I suspect you got a little pot in your background too.

[i_robot73]

>
Yes, they also claim to support smaller government, states’ rights & the Bill of Rights.

Yeah. And they learn nothing at all from history. It’s almost like prohibition never happened.
>

Even if Prohibition had NEVER happened, the Constitution still reigns supreme. Unfort., even some “(C)\(R)” love their Fascism too. How’s that (para)phrase go again?: Something along the lines of “’good Samaritans’ sleeping well at night...”.

[American in Israel]

I I really don’t know, I haven’t been in that situation. I would hope the Cure is better than the disease. That is certainly a lose-lose scenario. That is certainly a lose- lose scenario.

[TheStickman]

“That is certainly a lose-lose scenario. “

If the person is getting the relief they need & they are happy with the result. How are they losing?

[American in Israel]

I also once drown and was resuscitated crazy enough of me if I saw another drowning man I would jump in the water!

The question then becomes why is it so important to you to find an excuse for your addiction? The part I left off has nothing to do with chocolate or the effect of dopamine stimulation by an addictive drug.

However DENIAL is a direct indication of the brain changes that have taken place. Get a grip, if you still can.

If you had any idea of how hard it is for me to format HTML on a phone with a dying freaking battery you have a little appreciation for the effort I made to communicate with you.

[American in Israel]

From my perspective either way they lose their life. I guess that says it clearly enough. If I was in that position I would have to be in a whole lot of pain before I ever thought of pot as an answer.

It’s hard to explain, but I’m sort of making up for all the years of sitting on that couch. I LIVE LIFE now. I don’t have enough time left for a fraction of my interests.

As hard as I try, my bucket list grows...

[Rusty0604]

That’s a good thing, no?

[American in Israel]

Indeed both Reganisms are great.

And, Ol Dan Tucker, perhaps asking if I had ever smoked pot was a Lil forward of you. The chocolate thing was ok, but I am not proud of my youthful indiscretions.

That was over 30 years ago.

[Calvin Cooledge]

I agree — in fact, I have advocated for years that we legalize all drugs in all 50 states. We can raise a lot of tax money, and those of us who don’t do drugs will have tremendous competitive advantages in the workplace. The more permanently stoned people there are, the more better- paying jobs will be available to us sober folks. The sober can rule the stoned.