U.S. President Biden vs the U.S. Federal War on Marijuana ... the rest is up to congress

[sear]

Biden has announced a pardon for those convicted of violation of federal marijuana possession.
It's been a long time coming. The States have circumvented the U.S. federal marijuana war, many States decriminalizing recreational possession, and most States decriminalizing medical marijuana.

It's a Founding principle of the United States of America that Liberty is a:
- Creator endowed
- Constitutionally enshrined
- Inalienable right of individual U.S. citizens, inalienable meaning not to be separated, given away, or taken away.

Liberty means the right and power to think, act, and express ones self in the manner of ones own choosing, provided that exercise does not infringe or usurp the Liberty of another or others.

"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion." Thomas Jefferson

I know Biden's Republican critics thrill to lambasting Biden as a "liberal". But on this issue among others, Biden is more conservative than his Republican critics, hordes of pseudo-cons among them.

It may surprise some to know I, sear, oppose this, not because I'm liberal.
I oppose this marijuana move by Biden, because it's near certain to add yet more longevity to the U.S. federal Drug War on all the other drugs on the fed's Drug War list. And Drug War is fundamentally wrong, wrong headed, for precisely the reason Jefferson makes clear, above.

None the less, marijuana is a wildly popular drug, and wresting the $proceeds of its illicit commerce from the black-marketeers is a substantial positive step.

Let's see what Pelosi and McConnell do about it.

Biden to pardon all convicted of federal marijuana possession​

Los Angeles Times2 hours ago

Biden pardons thousands of people with federal convictions for marijuana possession​

CBS News2 hours ago

Biden pardons all federal offenses of simple marijuana possession in first major steps toward decriminalization​

CNN3 hours ago

Cannabis stocks surge as Biden overhauls U.S. marijuana policy​

Reuters4 hours agoOpinion

Biden pardoning all prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession​

Fox News5 hours ago

 

[sear]

Reportedly Biden invited State governors to mirror this executive pardon authority in their States.
a) It's of interest from the human rights perspective, to see if they'll do the right thing and help put an end to this war of martial oppression of the People. It's not a "war against drugs", it's a War on the People of the United States of America. But
b) it'll also be interesting to see if the State governors, the CEO of their respective States, will subordinate the unalienable right of Liberty to partisan loyalty, ignore Biden's invitation, and continue their State's War against the People.

What's more important? Citizenship? Or partisanship? Not sure? Ask a Republican.

 

[Shiftless2]

I'm sure that some of the Red States won't go along with this but hopefully the rest will.

 

[Shiftless2]

 

[sear]

S2 #3
I'm baffled, sincerely.
Federal Democrats may be at the dawn of Drug War re-enlightenment.
But how the %$#@ can these cowardly, treacherous politicians possibly get (re)elected on campaign promises to inflict martial oppression against those that voted for them ?!
Oppression on what?
- Self-medicating mental depression with marijuana.
- Obtaining OB/GYN services at a local hospital.
- Marrying the love of your life, no matter what his name is.

Any such public official party to that should be ASHAMED ! B U T ! !

So should any voter that votes for them.

It's axiomatic that humans act in their own enlightened self-interest. So much for axiom.

 

[Shiftless2]

To many of them still believe that "Reefer Madness" is real (BTW, if you've never seen it you can find the entirety on Youtube - it's a hoot).

 

[Shiftless2]

 

[sear]

s2 #6,
I've seen brief segments. I doubt I've seen it start to finish.
You've got me wondering about any similar feature made about demon rum, during the roaring '20's (Prohibition).

The devil looks really buff.

 

[sear]

WAR ON DRUGS:
Should Commercial Electric Power Providers Identify Suspect Illegal Marijuana Operations?

BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Operators of illegal marijuana grow enterprises hidden inside rural homes in Maine don’t have to worry much about prying neighbors. But their staggering electric bills may give rise to a new snitch.
An electric utility made an unusual proposal to help law enforcement target these illicit operations, which are being investigated for ties to transnational crime. Critics, however, worry the move would violate customers’ privacy.
More than a dozen states that legalized marijuana have seen a spike in illegal marijuana grow operations that utilize massive amounts of electricity. And Maine's Versant Power has been receiving subpoenas — sometimes for 50 locations at a time — from law enforcement, said Arrian Myrick-Stockdell, corporate counsel. It’d be far more efficient, he suggested to utility regulators, to flip the script and allow electric utilities to report their suspicions to law enforcement.
“Versant has a very high success rate in being able to identify these locations, but we have no ability to communicate with law enforcement proactively,” Myrick-Stockdell told commissioners.
The proposal, to be deliberated next week by the Maine Public Utilities Commission, is being criticized by consumer privacy advocates and others who think the utility is veering outside its lane.

Utility company's proposal to rat out hidden marijuana operations to police raises privacy concerns

Operators of illegal marijuana grow enterprises hidden inside rural homes in Maine don’t have to worry much about prying neighbors. An electric utility made an unusual proposal to help law enforcement target these illicit operations, which are being investigated for ties to transnational crime...

news.yahoo.com

Since ancient times civilization has recognized the distinction:
- malum in se: evil; wrong by itself
- malum prohibitum: wrong by prohibition
For a commercial electric power provider to perform this additional administrative task would require additional commercial electric power provider administrative resources, known as $money.
And where would it get this additional money? From rate-payers.

In addition, as Drug War has here to fore been a government expenditure, government using the People's money, tax revenue to artificially create hardship for the citizens its sworn to serve
this shift would function as a de facto shift of taxation from government, to the electric utility.

Is this a good idea?

 

[sear]

U.S. President Biden vs the U.S. Federal War on Marijuana ... the rest is up to congress​

Not so slow there sears.
If President Biden pardoned son Hunter, why not also pardon non-violent prisoners of Drug War?

I may seem ambivalent on Drug War, with tepid approval of easing up on the marijuana War.
I oppose martial oppression.

"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion."
Thomas Jefferson

A risk of reducing hostilities against a popular drug like marijuana is zero-sum prolonging of Drug War against other less popular drugs.
Keeping marijuana on the prohibited list continues the pressure against Drug War.

President Carter issued a blanket pardon to Vietnam War draft-dodgers.

Would Biden pardoning non-violent victims of Drug War, guilty of exercising their Constitutional right of Liberty, be any more severe a threat to the State than Carter's blanket pardon?

Joe!
If you want to get on the right side of history on this, your time, their time is running out. You consider it better to leave justice to the next guy? Trump ?!

It's not a "War against drugs" Joe. It's a War against the People, your countrymen, human beings. Drug War betrays our Founding principles. That's what you want to be remembered for?