Drug War Issues
Politics & Advocacy
William Barr addresses concerns about his sentencing policy history, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) reiterates his call to pass a legalization bill, Ohio sees its first medical marijuana dispensary, and more.
The Buckeye State sees a landmark day. (Creative Commons)
New Jersey Governor Renews Call for Marijuana Legalization. Gov. Phil Murphy (D) used his State of the State address Tuesday to renew his call for marijuana legalization. “By legalizing adult-use marijuana – first and foremost – we can reverse the inequality and unfairness left from years of failed drug policies and shift public safety resources to where they can do the most good,” he said. He also called for the expungement of past pot possession arrests. “We must ensure that those with a past mark on their records because of a low-level offense can have that stain removed, so they can move forward to get a stable job or an education,” he said. A legalization bill is already very near the finish line, but Murphy and legislators are still haggling over issues such as tax rates.
Medical Marijuana
Ohio Dispensary Sales Begin Today. A Sandusky dispensary initiated the era of legal medical marijuana sales in the Buckeye State on Wednesday, making its first sale to a card-carrying woman who suffers from multiple sclerosis. Four other dispensaries have received their final licenses but have not opened yet. Eventually, there should be 56 dispensaries statewide.
South Carolina Legislators Unveil Medical Marijuana Bill. A pair of Republican legislators, state Sen. Tom Davis and Rep. Peter McCoy, on Tuesday filed a medical marijuana, the Compassionate Care Act (S 366). “This is South Carolina, not California or Colorado, and what the vast majority of people in our state want is a socially conservative medical marijuana law, one that provides medical patients truly in need with relief but draws a bright line against recreational use by imposing strict penalties,” Davis said.
Sentencing
Attorney General Nominee Defends Harsh Sentencing But Says He is Open to Sentencing Reform. During his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, Trump's nominee for attorney general, William Barr, defended his role in harsh mandatory minimum sentencing practices in the 1980s and 1990s but said he is now open to sentencing reforms, such as the Fair Sentencing Act, which passed Congress last month. "From my perspective, the very draconian penalties on crack were put in place initially because when the crack epidemic first hit, it was like nuclear weapons going off in inner cities," Barr told Sen. Dick Durbin (D–Ill.). "The initial reaction was actually trying to help those communities. Over time, those same leaders are now saying to us, 'This is devastating. Generations of us have been incarcerated.' And we should listen to the same people we were listening to before."
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Comments
William Barr WANTS to work for Trump! WAKE UP, FOOLS!
William Barr WANTS to work for Trump! ...And you're gonna believe a goddamn thing he says?
BARR IS A REPUBLICAN FASCIST! Is this not obvious? Everything "nice" he says is BULLSHIT.
Here is the list of 42 Republican traitors who insisted on joining with Trump to lift sanctions on Russia, sanctions put in place to punish PUTIN for fucking with our free American elections:
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Blackburn (R-TN)
Blunt (R-MO)
Braun (R-IN)
Burr (R-NC)
Capito (R-WV)
Cassidy (R-LA)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Cramer (R-ND)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Enzi (R-WY)
Ernst (R-IA)
Fischer (R-NE)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johnson (R-WI)
Lankford (R-OK)
Lee (R-UT)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Paul (R-KY)
Perdue (R-GA)
Portman (R-OH)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Romney (R-UT)
Rounds (R-SD)
Scott (R-FL)
Scott (R-SC)
Shelby (R-AL)
Sullivan (R-AK)
Thune (R-SD)
Tillis (R-NC)
Toomey (R-PA)
Wicker (R-MS)
Young (R-IN)
In reply to William Barr WANTS to work for Trump! WAKE UP, FOOLS! by Dain Bramage (not verified)
The GOP Is An Evil Cult
Rand Paul, your Libertarian guardian of civil rights? A FUCKING TRAITOR.
Lisa Murkowski, the perennial hope of progressive feminists? A FUCKING TRAITOR.
Take a hit, think deep, and ask: "How could they?"
In the interest of knowing one's enemy, one might ask: "How is it possible? What on God's green Earth could induce the Republican party, in its entirety, to knowingly follow a shit-for-brain, white-supremacist bigot into full-on, wholesale treason with Putin?"
What I am about to say may be difficult for some on the left to grasp, due to the sheer inhumanity involved in the premise; but again, my purpose for posing the question is to "know your enemy", and not in any way to attempt to justify or minimize their crimes.
I think the answer is that racism is the core principle of the Republican party. Republicans truly believe that America is, or ought to be, a White Nation. Republicans are perfectly willing to betray America because, from their perspective, they lost America when America elected a black president!
When President Obama won a second term, that only deepened the Republicans humiliation, as they see it.
A blogger on Daily Kos gave me the epiphany with, of all things, a Bible story! ...A metaphor. That metaphor is called "splitting the baby in two", and most people understand the meaning of that phrase, as it is often used in ordinary conversations.
In short, the story goes as follows: two prostitutes each had an infant baby; but one of the babies died. In her grief, the mother of the dead infant stole the other baby from the other mother. Now both mothers claimed the baby was their own. They take the dispute to King Solomon, who declares that he will resolve the dispute by "cutting the baby in two."
The false mother agreed to the terms! But the real mother immediately retreacted her claim to the child, in order to save the baby's life. King Solomon, recognizing her love for her child, awarded her full custody, despite the fact that she had already withdrawn her claim.
The false mother, in her bitterness, did not care if the baby died. If she could not have the baby, then none could have it -- and thus she would not be alone in her grief.
The Republicans are like the false mother; if they cannot have America, then they will destroy it, so that none may have it.
They WANT Putin's help, because without it, they don't win!
And so, in order to win, they do the only thing they can do: cheat! Even if that means committing treason.
In reply to Take a hit, think deep, and ask: "How could they?" by Dain Bramage (not verified)
When there is no King Solomon...
Unfortunately for the Democrats, there is no great and wise King Solomon in the sky (not even Mueller!) who will take America back from Putin, Russia, and Trump, and hand her precious democracy back to the real Americans.
We are going to have to take it.
VOTE!
The Big Blue Wave kicked the Republicans' collective ass in 2018. Well done.
Now we must do it again in 2020!!
It's the only way. Vote! Register now!
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