It’s still “full steam ahead” for California’s recreational pot operation, says official.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/marijuana-states-sessions_us_58b380cce4b0780bac2a7468
Communities are rising up green and steeling for a “states’ rights” battle over the cultivation and sale of recreational marijuana — despite a warning about a crackdown by the federal government.

“There’s still a federal law that we need to abide by when it comes to recreational marijuana,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said last week. “Recreational use ... is something the Department of Justice will be looking into,” he said, emphasizing: “I do believe you’ll see greater enforcement” of federal law.

Pot remains illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act, even though recreational use of marijuana has been approved in eight states and Washington, D.C. It’s legal for medical use in 30 states.

Now growers, smokers and even state officials are preparing to guard the crop across the nation. A major concern is revenue. The non-profit Tax Foundation estimates that a mature legalized marijuana industry would generate up to $28 billion in tax revenue for federal, state and local governments. Colorado raked in $70 million in taxes in 2015, exceeding expectations.

A report on jobs predicts that the legal marijuana industry in the U.S. could create more than 250,000 jobs by the year 2020, Forbes reports. That’s more than projected job gains from manufacturing, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In Washington, the first state with Colorado to legalize recreational use of the drug, the state attorney general vowed to defy a federal crackdown.

“I will resist any efforts by the Trump administration to undermine the will of the voters in Washington state,” Ferguson told the Seattle Times.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-administration-threat-recreational-marijuana-industry-colorado/
Widespread availability is changing attitudes. Americans once opposed legal pot. But a poll this month showed 71 percent do not want the government enforcing federal laws against marijuana in states that have already legalized medical or recreational marijuana.

The issue is a tough one for Colorado’s Gov. John Hickenlooper who opposed the state’s constitutional amendment making recreational pot legal. But now that it is legal, he said he wouldn’t allow state cops to join any federal crackdown.

“If the Justice Department does aggressively begin to prosecute and try to enforce federal law in states like Colorado, where it’s in our constitution, I think that is a step backwards,” Hickenlooper said.

As pot goes mainstream, it’s creating a lot of jobs – as many as 22,000 in Colorado.

“Instead of a cartel from somewhere else some other country, we are American grown, we are American sold, and we are American consumed,” Nassau said.

“For American jobs?” Petersen asked.

“For American jobs. What more can you ask for?” Nassau said.

Pot is sold in containers meant to be childproof, and it’s not sold to anyone under 21. But those in the black market don’t have those kinds of scruples. They will sell to anyone, and that includes kids.

Marijuana should be governed by the  states. Feds have bigger things to worry about.

Either shut it down decisively or delist it as a federally controlled substance.

In before bootlickers and highhorse morality warriors.

Just legalize it already.

Delist it and move on.

These are all cash businesses correct?

Probably quite a bit of federal tax evasion going on as well.

Silly. Hopefully Trump will "evolve" on the issue, Obama did after all.

Aren't there bigger things the fed gov't should worry about right now?

Agreed.  10th Amendment, no constitutional basis for the feds to regulate it.

I commented in another thread about Mexico that if Trump legalized marijuana, but only if grown in the US would have huge tax benefits for the US and huge monetary losses for Mexico.

But I have children. You'll force my children to become pot needle users and my religion states it's bad.

Trump ran on the rule of law, so I'm surprised people are surprised.  The DREAMer E.O. was carried out by differed prosecutions and ignoring laws. Repeal prohibition or prosecute, anything less is bullshit.

I honestly think this is a state rights issue.

This could be Trump creating leverage. Generally, states that have recreational/medicinal marijuana laws are not willing to enforce federal immigration laws. If Liberal states want to continue sheltering illegals, then Trump will let the DOJ run rampant through those states.

Commerce Clause according to the courts.

That's actually my fear.  I believe this is an attempt to get back at so called 'sanctuary states'.  Trump might be all like "If you want to shelter illegals I'll sent the DOJ to fuck up your state economies by cracking down on weed".


Uh yeah, we'll get right on that after repealing the NFA, getting our normal gas cans back, repealing unconstitutional state gun laws etc.  The government only takes freedom.  It NEVER gives it back.

I'm thinking this is a 4-D chess move to push the immigration issue.

and after he gets what he wants with the immigration, hell push for it to be removed as a schedule 1 and tax the shit out of it.

I'm thinking this is a 4-D chess move to push the immigration issue.

and after he gets what he wants with the immigration, hell push for it to be removed as a schedule 1 and tax the shit out of it.

It's going to be a losing fight for the Feds.

States accepting economic refugees and absorbing them into their safety net need no help having their economies fucked up.

Many would absolutely love to be able to take cards but the banks can't/won't do business with them.

MJ is against federal law.  If congress doesn't want the Justice Department enforcing the law they need to change it.  Otherwise it's the Justice Departments job to enforce the law and crack down on MJ.

I don't have a problem with pot heads. I mean is eating cheetos on your couch while playing video games really that bad of a crime? lol

Alcohol destroys tens of thousands of lives every year... yet its legal

I'll have a beer to that.

That's weakening and with Gorsuch on the court perhaps Wickard could be revisited.

Will it? The Feds have the Commerce Clause and the Supremacy Clause and the big checkbook on their side. All the states can do is say "then do something about it."

Personally, I don't care either way on this issue...but if your are driven to become politically active in order to gain access to a substance,to get high, your life must be fairly sad and empty.

This.

How bout we vote on it?

Yup,  Just have a look at this
http://nypost.com/2017/02/26/driver-in-mardi-gras-crash-had-blood-alcohol-level-3-times-legal-limit/
And yet this substance is totally legal and socially encouraged.  I can only imagine what would have happened if this guy had been high from smoking weed.

They'd like to have loans and accounts like other businesses but the Feds won't allow that.

I have been told you can use paypal at some of them.

I thought they fixed most of those issues?

Oh and leave it to the GOP to fuck things up when it's going so well.  When will everyone realize that the left uses these referendums to turn out dem voters in important elections.  The smartest thing the GOP could possible do, is push to legalize it federally.  Then say goodbye to the pot referendums that turn out leftist voters in hoards.

I fully support pot legalization but since our state AG and governor want to harass Trump and declare us a sanctuary state, as well as attack 2A rights of our states cirizens, I would be ecstatic if Trump suddenly told the DEA to crack down on legal MJ in WA if the governor doesn't stop showboating

The commerce clause has been raped to the point that it overrules the 10th.

I believe President Trump has initiated a focus on this issue -- the mismatch between federal and state laws  -- that suggests a solution.  Which will come through the legislative process.

Oh fucking please.  Going to vote is not "becoming politically active".  

If you smoke pot, why wouldn't you go vote to legalize it if you had the chance?  They aren't starting some fucking super PAC or something, they are voting.  And they aren't "gaining access".  They already have access, it's just not legal.  

So let's see, should I go vote to make myself not a criminal anymore for growing some plant?  Yes, it seems logical that they would.

This is an incredibly stupid issue for them to dig their heels in on.

Zero political upside.

Maybe Trump and Sessions are playing chess here.

If it looks like they will come after it, will it embolden other states to enact laws legalizing the growth, sale and use?

Then without realizing it, a state will realize it's people have banded together to push weed legislation through and half the battle is already won.

The public opinion swayed, people aligned to ensure its legalized by states rights and so on, and so on.....

Or some people might believe broadly in the concept of personal freedom and individual responsibility and they might think that just because some public servant took a tax funded job they should not have much of a say in how others live.

Gun ownership should be governed by the states????

In before Obama and the kids.

Like state gun laws.....

Pot or Pedro, you choose.

Good way to get the liberal "Sanctuary city" states that voted in legal weed, to turn against illegals. I'd rather have legal weed in my state then a shit ton of illegal messicans.

Unless that's the plan, which would be genius.

Get drug laws changed nationwide through SCOTUS repeal and chop down the absurd overreach of Wickard v Filburn?

Win win 4D chess.

Cool, I want to live in a legal machine gun state, or maybe an RPG sanctuary city.  

I find it a bit ironic that on the issue of the transgender bathroom issue he feels the states should reserve the right to legislate local laws, but then on the issue of marijuana legislation the fed's should intercede. Makes no sense.