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MMJ patients continue to get screwed...
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The Gaze of the Abyss
- Feb 2007
- 9295
- Alchemist and Neo-American Redneck Buddhist
- Frozen Northern Michigan, near Thunder Bay
- Where are the tweezers?
Re: MMJ patients continue to get screwed...
It has to do with who's holding the gun, and where it's pointed (metaphorically speaking, of course).Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.
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Re: MMJ patients continue to get screwed...
Originally posted by DanieMarie View PostPeople still get prosecuted for mj possession?
Basically, what the article is saying, is that even if individual states have marijuana laws that make marijuana legal (even for only specific people), if those states have laws defining how a Dispensary is supposed to behave, the government can and WILL prosecute the dispensaries. Even if they are well within the letter of the law.
See, it used to be that in this country if a state wanted to make a law that "broke" a Federal Law, the Federal Government would reduce funding for that particular state. Nevada is a state like that - we allow prostitution and gambling (two things that are specifically prohibited, Federally, and as a result of that we get very little Federal funding (Federal tax dollars will pay for things like public schools in other states, but here the schools are primarily supported by the Casinos). Apparently the Government doesn't like that method of doing business, because they're basically saying, "We don't care what states want to legalise. If WE don't want it legal that's tough shit for them".
As far as people getting busted in general? For the last few years, in states with MMJ laws, the feds have more or less left people alone. They were only prosecuting people that were acting well outside the legal boundaries, and far beyond what would be considered "reasonable", so no big deal - keep your nose clean and your head low, and they'd leave you alone. Now? Well...apparently all bets are off.
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Re: MMJ patients continue to get screwed...
Gotta love it."The proper office of a friend is to side with you when you are in the wrong. Nearly anybody will side with you when you are in the right."--Mark Twain
"There are only two types of people in this world who walk around beardless; boys and women. I am neither one." --Ancient Greek saying
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Re: MMJ patients continue to get screwed...
Jeez. Is it a coincidence I was just reading about remnants of the McCarthy era? Depending on who you are, I guess not.my etsy store
My blog
"...leave me curled up in my ball,
surrounded by plush, downy things,
ill prepared, but willing,
to descend."
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Re: MMJ patients continue to get screwed...
I'm just realising how difficult it is for a patient to grow their own meds - it's an enormous pain in the butt, and beyond the cost (which can be prohibitive), can be very difficult if not impossible for a patient to grow their own.
And of course, before they can grow their own, they have to acquire seeds or clones to even get started - and then hope like hell that their plant(s) survive for multiple generations...otherwise you're having to go through the same process in a few months.
Then you grow. For my setup, I only grow one plant (and up to two clones) at any given time, which is WELL within what's allowed by law. From the one plant that I grow to completion, that will supply me with just about enough meds to last until the clones grow and produce. It's a cycle, but it's a *long* and expensive cycle (if I want to grow two plants, I'll have to double my capacity, which is another $600 + space...not in a position to do that yet.
So, by coming down hard on the dispensaries, they're making it nearly impossible for many patients in Nevada to get their medication. Really, their only legal recourse (right now) would be to become legal in both Nevada AND California, drive to California to buy your 1 oz, and drive back. And hope like hell you don't get stopped by the state troopers, because there's a chance that they ignore the laws just enough to really make the whole ordeal too much of a pain in the ass.
Or else you go to one of the slightly-less-than-legal dispensaries that are operating within Nevada. Or else you do deals the good old fashioned way - in bad neighborhoods and back alleys. Now I want you to imagine that, instead of a relatively healthy 35 year old man with some back issues, I'm a 68 year old cancer patient...possibly your grandparent.
That's what's so fucked up about this - MMJ has been legal in Nevada for 10 years, and it's almost impossible for many patients to tend to their plants with the dedication that's required. Sorry...I'm rambling now...it's so frustrating to watch the world work their way backwards...
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Silver Member
- Oct 2010
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- solitary pagan witch with a strong interest in Anglo Saxons
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Re: MMJ patients continue to get screwed...
This is one topic that my BF and I disagree on. Marijuana is a hallucinogen and I find it totally reasonable that it is illegal. That said, I see the hypocrisy of the government in policing this drug so harshly while allowing tobacco to be sold and used freely. If marijuana is illegal, so tobacco also should be. I also see a danger in making marijuana legal, in that it could end up like tobacco - heavily polluted with tar and carcinogens. Medical use of it is, of course, tricky, because so many different people want it. It would be like adderall, where people with or without a condition try to prove that they need it, and then sell it at a higher price once they get a prescription. Not great, but better than leaving it to drug trafficking. Just some thoughts - I'm not heavily invested in the subject. Just so long as it isn't smoked around me, pot doesn't really bother me.
My bf claims that marijuana is the only thing that helps his back pain. So he's very much for MMJ use. Unfortunately for him, it's not allowed in our state.
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Re: MMJ patients continue to get screwed...
You're wrong.
Originally posted by ThatKrazy View PostThis is one topic that my BF and I disagree on. Marijuana is a hallucinogen and I find it totally reasonable that it is illegal.
Originally posted by ThatKrazy View PostThat said, I see the hypocrisy of the government in policing this drug so harshly while allowing tobacco to be sold and used freely.
Originally posted by ThatKrazy View PostIf marijuana is illegal, so tobacco also should be.
Originally posted by ThatKrazy View PostI also see a danger in making marijuana legal, in that it could end up like tobacco - heavily polluted with tar and carcinogens.
Originally posted by ThatKrazy View PostMedical use of it is, of course, tricky, because so many different people want it.
Originally posted by ThatKrazy View PostIt would be like adderall, where people with or without a condition try to prove that they need it, and then sell it at a higher price once they get a prescription.
A failing in the system is not the fault of the drug. A failing in human nature is *also* not the fault of the drug. If you want to ban things that people wield dangerously, then I suggest you start with religion
Originally posted by ThatKrazy View PostNot great, but better than leaving it to drug trafficking. Just some thoughts - I'm not heavily invested in the subject. Just so long as it isn't smoked around me, pot doesn't really bother me.
Originally posted by ThatKrazy View PostMy bf claims that marijuana is the only thing that helps his back pain. So he's very much for MMJ use. Unfortunately for him, it's not allowed in our state.
I've noticed that it doesn't really help much with headaches, but I'll be damned if it doesn't help with almost everything else.
Out of curiosity: How do you feel about legal prescription drugs like morphine or lithium? Valium?
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The Gaze of the Abyss
- Feb 2007
- 9295
- Alchemist and Neo-American Redneck Buddhist
- Frozen Northern Michigan, near Thunder Bay
- Where are the tweezers?
Re: MMJ patients continue to get screwed...
This is really an interesting problem because federal law and state law can be completely different. I looked into the laws for MM in Michigan, and here's what I found:
"The Act (Michigan Medical Marihuana Program) neither protects marihuana plants from seizure nor individuals from prosecution if the federal government chooses to take action against patients or caregivers under the federal Controlled Substances Act."
So, essentially, it's the same here as it is in Nevada - you can strickly obey every law in the state, and the Feds can still kick in your door and drag you off. This looks like an interesting problem in state's rights...
...which is weird.
I'm not a lawyer, but from what I've been able to gather, here's what I find:
Under the 10th ammendment to the U.S. Constitution, any rights not explicitly granted to the Federal Government by the U.S. Constitution belong to the states. This means that, unless the Constitution grants the Federal Government the right to regulate the use and/or dispensing of medicines within states and territories, it is unconstitutional for the Federal Government to prosecute individuals within states for using, supplying, or obtaining any medicine which is legal to use, obtain, or supply within that state. The Federal Controlled Substances Act (which is what makes boo illegal under federal law) is not an ammendment to the Constitution, and therefore is subject to questions of constitutionality.
It's unfortunate that the Feds have decided to set aside the Constitution in favor of mashing people with bad backs.
Hmmm... I wonder which part of the Constitution will be blacked out next?
- Since only the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has the power to change the scheduling of drugs (marijuana is a schedule I drug, perscription drugs with high abuse potential are schedule II), I suspect that the DEA does not want MM legal - if marijuana becomes legal by sliding into the medicine category on it's way to decriminalization, the DEA looses a HUGE chunk of its power (and its funding). Asking a bureaucratic institution to give up a chunk of its power is like asking a fish to give up its gills. This is going to take a battle between state governemnts and the feds to resolve.
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By the way, Rok, if you decide to go to California to get your meds, you might want to avoid Santa Cruz - they're having the same problem. You might also want to make friends with the ACLU, though: http://www.aclu.org/drug-law-reform/...marijuana-lawsEvery moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.
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