Kamala Harris will host a marijuana reform event with rapper Fat Joe

return2ozma@lemmy.world to politics @lemmy.world – 178 points –
Kamala Harris will host a marijuana reform event with Fat Joe
nbcnews.com
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Convenient timing given everything else going on. You know they're really scrambling to get the youth vote when they start talking about nationwide marijuana legalization.

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If the Democrats wanted to do something for the people, they'd really lean into legalizing cannabis at the federal level.

So when is it time to start talking about all the reparations the US owes to the millions of people it victimized throughout it's (so-called) "War On Drugs" terror campaign?

Illinois codified in law when it legalized cannabis that licenses for product development (the grow houses, dispensaries, maunfacture, etc) was supposed to go to the people most affected by the war on drugs. These communities were 90% Black. There's a new dispensary opening by me, and it's ownership is 100% white male lawyers, and they sell nothing but Cresco Labs products, which is run a buncha rich white dudes.

As a white male, I'll have you know that the war on drugs did affect us more than anyone else!

Also the war on women, the war on Christmas, the war on terrorism, the war on freedom, the US Civil War, Edwin Starr's song "War", Angels and Airwaves' song "The War", the war room scene from Dr. Strangelove, Star Wars the movie, Star Wars the missile defense initiative, and the war on belly fat all disproportionately affect we white males more than any other group. Don't you know how we're the most oppressed?

which is run a buncha rich white dudes.

It's the same damn thing here in South Africa - the politicians are constantly talking about "legalizing" marijuana use for the politically-connected (and mostly white) rich people who have the infrastructure to sell it en masse to foreign countries while still leaving enough legalese in there to allow the pig to wage war on the impoverished black and brown folk who farms the stuff.

Ohio did similarly but with the groups. Anyway since it was a ballot measure and not a constitutional amendment and it’s Ohio that money is probably going to cops instead because our state government is like that

The war on drugs created so many problems across multiple generations and multiple continents. Millions is a very low estimate.

So the Biden campaign is running on abortion and pot. Yeah, I'm OK with that.

Importantly, Harris is. This will give her beer positioning to step up if needed this campaign season.

Importantly, Harris is. This will give her beer positioning to step up if needed this campaign season.

I know it's a typo, but I can see Brett Kavanaugh swearing her in on a stack of kegs

Yep typo, I'm leaving it though. I'm sure many Americans would accept being sworn in on Beer instead of the Bible.

It depends on which beer, though. Does swearing an oath over Bud Light mean anything?

The grid-locked Congress could also make some progress on cannabis reform this year, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer telling reporters last week that the bipartisan SAFER Banking Act — a bill that would expand access to traditional banking and financial institutions for legal cannabis businesses — could get a vote on the floor before the November election.

If Biden declassified it, then there'd be no restrictions on banking...

If a state doesn't specifically have a law making it illegal, declassifying federal would make it defacto legal.

It's honestly that simple, and declassifying it was his compromise four years ago when voters wanted legalization.

He's spent four years looking into it...

And now he's promising again to look into it

Just take the easy common sense win that does zero harm. He keeps fucking up these easy issues.

Well, why finally do it, if promising to do it gets you approval.

He wants to wait for election season so voters “remember it.” It’s a fairly common tactic in politics.

He’s already working on it. He’s asked HHS to reevaluate it and they have, affirming that it should be reclassified. It now rests with the DEA

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/12/health/marijuana-rescheduling-fda-review/index.html

The president can’t just unilaterally reschedule a drug. He’s got to work within the framework of the controlled substances act, which he’s been doing and is now on the last step to reclassification.

ETA: it also seems you didn’t read the article where it specifically states that Biden ordered the process to reschedule to begin?

Has it been descheduled?

Not "We've ordered the process into maybe one day considering thinking about opening public inquiry into limited implementation of a tentative probationary trial of..."

If the answer is anything other than "yes" don't pretend it's an accomplishment. The only actual accomplishment so far has been needlessly prolonging the racist drug war.

So you’re not aware of how the process works within the legal framework and progress doesn’t matter if the results aren’t instant.

Got it.

So you’re not aware of how the process works

I'm not buying the excuses and I resent the gaslighting. Quote the relevant law and only the relevant law.

EDIT: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/democrats-urge-biden-administration-deschedule-marijuana-rcna136241

Does Chuck Schumer not know how the process works? He seems to think Biden can deschedule cannabis.

within the legal framework and progress doesn’t matter if the results aren’t instant.

I'm not calling it an accomplishment until it's accomplished.

Unfortunately for him lots of voters can remember the same promise from four years ago.

He may think waiting four years is a good plan, but some voters are going to wonder if four years from now he'll be bothered to fufil any of this campaigns promises

Especially if it's gets to election day and he's still just "looking into it".

Voters remember shit, and waiting till the last minute often doesn't work out.

It's much easier to just do what you can. There's a palpable hesitancy with Biden, really anyone in their 70s or older. We don't need someone we have a possible chance of getting to do the right thing, we need someone that wants to try as hard as they can to do the right thing

08 Obama happened, and it's literally me the DNC wants to erase from history how well a young person can do with a progressive campaign and it's not just because they have the physical energy to actually be on the campaign trail.

Just to make sure you see it, he’s doing more than looking into it. He’s on the last step to reclassification and the final decision rests with the DEA.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/12/health/marijuana-rescheduling-fda-review/index.html

ETA: ETA: it also seems you didn’t read the article where it specifically states that Biden ordered the process to reschedule to begin?

Sure. This is the most recent last step.

When the next step rolls around and centrists are happily announcing that Biden is powerless and they get to keep the racist drug war going, maybe you'll notice that there is no last step.

I guess the CSA framework doesn’t mean anything.

Yall are wild. The president operated within the bounds of the law and yall go wild screaming ‘it’s because he’s racist and doesn’t want to do it’.

These actors are operating off of conjecture, and when folks like you blow that away it turns to conspiracy.
Understanding how things work is hard, and I appreciate you doing the lifting for those that care to pay attention.

I understand what you're saying, I just don't fucking buy it.

Quote me the statute that prevents Biden from descheduling cannabis any time he wants. Not an interview with Biden or someone from his administration. Not an op-ed from a sympathetic lackey. The actual statute and nothing less.

He can sell weapons for genocide at a whim, but for cannabis he needs to ask everyone at the DEA until he gets the "no" he wants.

final decision rests with the DEA

Lol....

Biden just managed to get every single federal agency to return to office...

It's been insane when all you people who have never worked a day in the federal government think Biden has no control over agencies but still fearmonger that trump would be in charge of them all if he wins.

The president has as much power over agencies as he wants to.

Biden could order the DEA to reschedule today, or he could spend four years asking them to look into it.

That's the entire fucking point you don't seem to understand.

He's not trying because he doesn't want it done

Unfortunately for him lots of voters can remember the same promise from four years ago.

From his 2020 campaign website:

I'm guessing there was nobody more relevant than Fat Joe after Killer Mike became persona non grata and Snoop favors Trump.

At least nobody else willing to stand next to the DARE cop in the auditorium.

Eh, that was kind of overblown.

She had more prosecutions than the prior DA, but most weren't jail time, it was just get caught pay a fine.

And it makes sense when that became a thing, people were riskier with it and got caught more.

She's been pro legalization for almost a decade.

They're not doing enough right now, but it's not like she was some hardcore soldier in the drug war.

Biden on the other hand...

https://www.congress.gov/bill/101st-congress/senate-bill/3266

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2019/may/30/joe-biden/joe-biden-1994-crime-bill-mass-incarceration/

He was behind a lot of the early 90s police bullshit that we're still dealing with today.

What's fucked up is it coincided with the same drop in violent crime from banning leaded gas that every country saw. So some people still think that backwards ass shit works Plus, they were usually alive for decades before the ban and exposed to all that lead for decades...

Shit fucks with your brain, especially as you age

Like I said in another comment.

If she does a bong rip on stage, she's got my vote.

I mean it's better than nothing. It's always funny to me how they start doing everything during an election year when they could have done this 3 years ago.

In May 2021, the Drug Enforcement Administration approved licensed facilities to grow cannabis for the purpose of medical research for the first time since 1968. Prior to this, the University of Mississippi was the only institution in the United States legally permitted to grow the plant for that use. Previously, in 2016, an application process was put in place for research growers, but no applications were later approved under the Trump administration.

In October 2022, President Biden announced a mass pardon for past federal cannabis possession convictions, encouraged governors to do the same for state cannabis possession convictions, and instructed Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra to review the classification schedule of marijuana, which could result in removal of cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.

On December 2, 2022, Biden signed the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act.

Also: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahsinclair/2024/01/18/dea-considers-rescheduling-cannabis-what-this-means-for-us-and-global-reform/

Here come the defenders of the status quo.

So when does Biden legalize it nationwide?

That's how you know they don't actually care and it is all political games.

...tf did killer mike do to become persona non grata?

Grammy arrest and supported a Republican govenor, so in the current game of politics it would be foolish to associate with him.

Kamala would do more to bridge to divide with Killer Mike and bring in black voters, but she has to play it safe for the base.

After looking it up, I don't think the Grammy incident should count, but I hear what you're saying. Thanks for your response!

I did not know that about KM. Supremely disappointing.

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Would take maybe tops 4 hours for them to draft the executive order to make that shit legal overnight. But, cool I guess?

Yeah they dangle this carrot in front of us every 4 years but never do a god damn thing about it.

lol this will backfire. Even if they committed to it “after the election” no one will believe it, and trump and co could just be like god empeoreor trump has declared he will legalize weed on day one of his dictatorship and the fucking morons that follow him would actually suddenly be pro legalization

If it’s legalized at a federal level then we better get a “We did it Joe!” video (like we got after winning the election)

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Harris’ main portfolio includes reproductive health care, gun violence and voting rights, but she has consistently amplified criminal justice reform since her years as a district attorney in California.

In his State of the Union Thursday, Biden said that he had directed his “cabinet to review the federal classification of marijuana,” adding that he is also “expunging thousands of convictions for the mere possession, because no one should be jailed for simply using.”

"Friday’s engagement will build on the Vice President’s efforts to uplift the historic actions the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to ensure everyone has access to opportunity, including by making the criminal justice system more just.

While young people identify plenty of issues that are most important to them — including abortion access, the economy and gun violence — cannabis reform is also a significant concern.

The White House announced its major initiatives on the topic, including directing agencies to evaluate rescheduling the drug, just weeks before the 2022 midterm elections.

The grid-locked Congress could also make some progress on cannabis reform this year, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer telling reporters last week that the bipartisan SAFER Banking Act — a bill that would expand access to traditional banking and financial institutions for legal cannabis businesses — could get a vote on the floor before the November election.


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