Pot in America

[Taem]

The Feds under the Obama administration have signaled a cease fire in the War on Drugs, at least when it comes to fighting against medicinal use of Mary Jane. I view this as both a good thing, and a bad thing.

It would be best if the Feds actually came out and said that Wickard v. Filburn was decided wrongly, and the federal government really doesn't have the right (through the Interstate Commerce Clause) to tell a person they may or may not grow wheat sufficient to feed their own chickens. Similarly, the federal government should have no right to tell adult citizens what they can smoke. That is, I guess, until the government controls and pays for your health care. Then they will tell you what to eat, and when to exercise as well I'd guess. I'm glad to see that States are fighting back against this Federal power grab that should have been undone decades ago.

It is bad, in that what the Fed is actually saying is that while they still consider it illegal, they aren't going to bother prosecuting it anymore. This is the highest form of capriciousness and opens the federal system to abuse by selective prosecution. It also means that for the time being, people can enjoy their Cannabis, however, the next administration may again decide to prosecute the now profligate industry.

So is it possible that the under the Federal prescription drug act that the government would buy people their medicinal marijuana? Amazing. Imagine taking your time machine back to 1968 and telling the hippies that in 2009 the government will be buying you your weed.

Sorry to play necro to a dead thread, but this is relevant NOW:
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130...708299709/

WASHINGTON — Despite 75 years of federal marijuana prohibition, the Justice Department said Thursday that states can let people use the drug, license people to grow it and even allow adults to stroll into stores and buy it — as long as the weed is kept away from kids, the black market and federal property.

Looks like the government finally saw the light (no pun intended) after a failed war on drugs. I'm interested to see how this plays out in the upcoming years. I wonder if this paves the way for complete drug de-regulation. I say it's only a matter of time:

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/05/23/ca...all-drugs/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...ailed.html

(just two of literally hundreds of articles of other countries already doing this, or thinking about it very seriously)

Besides it's been proven to work in other countries:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/euro...91060.html

http://content.time.com/time/health/arti...46,00.html

The paper, published by Cato in April, found that in the five years after personal possession was decriminalized, illegal drug use among teens in Portugal declined and rates of new HIV infections caused by sharing of dirty needles dropped, while the number of people seeking treatment for drug addiction more than doubled.

Need I even mention the success story that is Amsterdam, although it is not an entire country. Where do you think all this will lead? Do you think just marijuana will become legal in a few years, or no drugs at all? Do you think if marijuana becomes legal, that people will fight for the decriminalization of all drugs?