Just because something psychoactive grows in nature doesn’t mean it is not a drug. Anything that has a physical or psychoactive effect, or anything at all beyond nutrition, is a drug. DMT, Salvia, Psilocin, Mescaline, Phenethylamine, Opium, these are all indeed drugs.
The reason you said this is because the word drug has a (very unfair) negative association because it is used as a blanket term to describe the reason someone acts a certain way on them, therefore making it seem that all drugs are bad (drugs, like anything in life, are only bad if you abuse them).
I tend to associate the word drug with something made in a lab for a medicinal or elective purpose. Hence why we call pharmacies “Drug Stores” and not “Herbal Stations”
there is a very specific legal definition of a drug which the FDA has clarified as anything that is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Probably not yet…biggest advantage of moving from Sch 1 to Sch 3 is that it means federal research grants/money can be used now to determine what the actual medicinal uses.
No. It is still a controlled substance. They have merely lowered it’s classification rather than DE-classifying it entirely, which is what they should have done.
Biden has done what he is able to do. He proclaimed presidential pardon for federal marijuana charges in late 2022. However, the executive branch has no authority to impact state level charges, which would likely be the vast majority of people affected by marijuana policing over time. In a world where government works as intended, state level organizations should take their cues from what the federal government is doing, but, as I understand it, they are not necessarily beholden to slavishly adopt the federal posture. Perhaps someone with a deeper understanding might illuminate us further.
Federal prosecution is rare. If they charge you with marijuana possession at the federal level, then there’s probably a list of a dozen other charges on top of it, and at least one of them is the serious thing they’re actually after you for. Feds don’t waste their time with this shit unless there’s a bigger reason.
So what Biden did has very little practical effect. A bunch of people got one charge among many taken off their record. That’s what he’s able to do with just a stroke of a pen. The rest is dependent on states, federal congress, or the vast federal bureaucracy.
As a small, optimistic caveat to the above, Biden’s pardon does work for anyone who was charged in Washington DC since they don’t have a state body representing them. So, yes, typically anyone with a federal marijuana charge is also likely the subject of many more serious charges, there is a population of people that may have received immediate relief at the time, which is good.
This is not a win, don’t mistake it. They reclassified it and now it’s going to be even hard to legalize because they’ll use the excuse “we reclassified it already!”. Full legalization is what we need, this doesn’t actually change shit. Marijuana being illegal is one of the most racist laws we have.
If you’re so up in arms about the inherent racism in the criminalization and exploitation of cannabis, maybe don’t use the manufactured term “marijuana”, hmm? Coined to sound foreign (yes, Spanish specifically), it’s part of the whole plan in the first place. 🤫
In accordance with my initial point that it’s a racist law to keep it illegal, I’ll use cannabis from now on. Reading the history of the usage of the term “marijuana/marihuana/mariguana”.
It’s funny how we try to regulate a plant, yet the term cannabis could be referring to industrial hemp or the dankest highest THC concentration cultivar possible.
Broadly, there are three main cultivar groups of cannabis that are cultivated today:
Cultivars primarily cultivated for their fibre, characterized by long stems and little branching.[21]
Cultivars grown for seed which can be eaten entirely raw or from which hemp oil is extracted.
Cultivars grown for medicinal or recreational purposes, characterized by extensive branching to maximize the number of flowers.[21]
A nominal if not legal distinction is often made between industrial hemp, with concentrations of psychoactive compounds far too low to be useful for that purpose, and marijuana.
Only on lemmy would Biden drastically reducing a very stupid and racist drug law that has persisted for decades be a bad thing.
Changing the classification away from “its basically heroin” changes a lot actually. Research funding, federal therapeutic use, authorized law enforcement actions, banking laws, these are all able to be shifted and changed in the context of weed now.
Its not the end of federal legalization attempts, it’s the start. It drastically normalizes something at a federal level that has already been legalized at a state level. That’s how you fully legalize it.
It’s not some imagined set back because of weak “we did enough already” arguments that no one actually believes, especially with federal legalization at 70% popularity.
You just made clear that we don’t have a system that represents the people. How exactly does it become legal now with the argument “we just reclassified it”? When does that happen? 2, 5, 10 years from now?
Anyone who believes the statement “land of the free, home of the brave” or “for liberty and justice for all”. You’re blind to think that we don’t have so many in the US who believe we have a free country, and a free market.
WTF are you even talking about? How does that relate at all to the previous posts in this thread? You might want to see the doctor because you post like you have a brain worm.
Only on lemmy would Biden drastically reduceding a very stupid and racist drug classification that has persisted for decades be a bad thing.
Lemmy is so full of extremists it’s insane. Nothing but unwavering ideological commitment is accepted by any side. There is no positive news, only unethical compromise.
Its the next major step in the process of getting it rescheduled. Each step could potentially end that process, so each movement forward is great news.
the government is so pathetically slow and people love to celebrate this bullshit facade of progress for some reason. this should’ve been done 20 fucking years ago, i’m not giving them props for that now. not a chance.
No kidding especially after 40 fucking states have medical marijuana programs while the DEA still considers it Schedule I “high potential for abuse with no known medical use.”
For 1, it’s not that much of a gain, we don’t need more studies to show it’s safe. That’s been accomplished, and it wasn’t that hard to do a study the last couple years.
For 2, tax money was the biggest reason states could be convinced to legalize.
There’s a little bit of a 3 involved. I forget the specifics from an earlier article, but I read something about while a lower schedule may let them transition from cash only to banking, the DEA can still seize all their funds because it’s on the schedule. It’s just now they can do it from a computer.
When they don’t use banks, at least the DEA had to actually show up and steal seize their cash.
So say a Republican takes office and is pissed at Cali, he can tell the DEA to freeze and seize the bank accounts of every business and person connected to the cannabis industry.
And it’d all be 100% legal, take very little effort, and can easily be converted into some kind of “border security” bullshit like building a giant pointless wall.
I dunno, lately I keep getting frustrated at people never realizing what shit can naturally lead to. Maybe my standards for planning ahead need lowered?
I just don’t understand why this is acceptable when Biden told us decriminalization was the goal.
A co.plete removal from the schedule would have been that, and would have accomplished a lot and taken the same effort as this. I don’t see why we don’t try to actually fix shit.
I don’t see why we don’t try to actually fix shit.
Because then they can’t keep kicking the can down the road for the next election.
Gotta keep that voter base involved somehow, and when you aren’t actually gonna give them anything to be happy about, you’ve got to trot out nice little lies you’ll never follow through with to make them get out to vote.
The President can initiate rescheduling, but does not have the power to decriminalize (legalize) a drug on their own. That requires an act of Congress. The current bill for decriminalization and record expungement is in the House with 113 Democrat cosponsors. We’re just waiting on Republicans to come around.
As many as they can possibly require so that this doesn’t finish before Trump is inaugurated next year. Then he can kill it and the democrats can recycle the campaign material in 2028.
Admittedly I’m sitting here in Winnipeg, having just taken a huge bong rip but I would sincerely challenge your claims that our country didn’t fall into anarchy post legalisation.
I’m not saying weed is the cause, in fact I believe more people should take a toke but seeing everything around me going to shit like it is, seeing it accelerate since '19 doesn’t really help with this Indica induced anxiety. Trucker convoy, campuses being taken hostage, food banks over run… This ain’t been a good run bro.
I agree that weed wasn’t the cause - I’d also argue that it isn’t Canada as much as the whole fucking world going to pot. And, as much as I’d hate the conservatives even more, neoliberalism has been absolutely wrecking us. Things like food banks, health care, public transit, and the post service don’t need to be independently profitable. Raise our fucking taxes and fund this shit right.
I am, depressingly, aware. License plates are the stereotypical example (at least in my mind).
It’s absolutely fucking atrocious that anyone is allowed to profit off prison labor. At the very least those funds could be sent to halfway homes but they should probably just be paid to prisoners.
I don’t think you’ve visited enough Canadian online communities.
If you ask the internet, specifically Reddit, Galen Loblaw will arrest you for buying 30% off stewing beef at the self scan, and while you’re shopping your car will have been stolen and TFWs will have taken your job.
Galen Weston is definitely a huge asshole, but I’d blame that one more on capitalism and greed. The weed helps us endure the price fixing bullshittery.
Those are primarily ppl larping as canucks, and the same stupid 20% of the population that believes their bullshit as any other country. Like the morons wearing maga hats at a clownvoy rally.
If you go into a thread with real Canadians in it, you will most likely not see anybody having a problem with foreign workers or immigration.
Galen Weston can fucking die though… We all agree on that.
The world doesn’t actually improve in fits an starts. Incrementalism is a fallacy. The world improves in large sweeping movements that are eventually ground backwards. We make major improvement through bold action, not trivial improvements.
I have no obligation to support a muted political movement incapable of accomplishing its purported objectives.
US Democrats could have done this a decade ago. They could have codified abortion rights. They could have made so many things a priority: they choose not to. I owe nothing to a failed approach to politics.
US Democrats could have done this a decade ago. They could have codified abortion rights. They could have made so many things a priority: they choose not to. I owe nothing to a failed approach to politics.
I must correct you there. There is a theory that says that politics has to fulfill the will of its average voter. It can not lean further left than that. Otherwise it looses voters on the righter side.
What you have is a convenient and wrong interpretation of how politics work.
Its interesting that when its a step in the authoritarian or right-wing direction, its always possible. When its a step towards humanism or the left, its never possible or only ever an epsilon of progress.
Why do you think that is?
The fallacy thats baked into your thinking that causes you to make this mistake is shown by this assumption you make:
Otherwise it looses voters on the righter side.
The idea that voters exist along a symmetrical distribution is the mistake you are making. People are not randomly coming up with their beliefs and there is no reason you should assume it would follow a gaussian.
Its a persistent and wrong assumption, that resulted in the kind of demonstrated impotence of the American Democrats.
Interestingly, the American Right wing doesn’t share that belief around real-politik. And because they don’t make this wrong assumption, their voters actually get the policy decisions they want into law.
Its interesting that when its a step in the authoritarian or right-wing direction, its always possible. When its a step towards humanism or the left, its never possible or only ever an epsilon of progress.
Why do you think that is?
Because people are, in fact, pretty right-wing authoritarian.
The idea that voters exist along a symmetrical distribution is the mistake you are making. People are not randomly coming up with their beliefs and there is no reason you should assume it would follow a gaussian.
I never said that it was a symmetrical or normal distribution. I am well aware that it is not. But it is still a distribution.
And people do come up with their own beliefs. It’s not as if you can just tell them what to believe. People’s will comes first, parties and their ideas come second.
Ok, so... What big, sweeping things are YOU doing to make society better? Where's your list of accomplishments?
The Democrats don't have a perfect track record, not even close. But being part of the online peanut gallery of whiners doesn't get us anywhere. I'm so tired of people who are all commentary and no action, people who aren't going to be part of progress (big or small) are part of the problem no matter how smug you act about it.
Its 10 years too late for anyone to care I think. Democrats should have just straight up legalized under Obama, and even if they legalized now, they aren’t going to be making major points off this politically. Its just jerk-off material for the commentary crowd. If it isn’t going to make a difference to peoples lived experience, it isn’t worth pursuing.
And you seem to think two years is basically no time at all. Think about how much awful shit Republicans got up to under Trump. Approximately half of that got done in a two year period and that was even a historically deadlocked Congress. Democrats lost in 2010 precisely because two years is a long time and the best thing they got out of it was a shitty healthcare plan that, more than anything, ensured our current unsustainable system stays in place for at least another generation.
Democrats are obviously much better than Republicans in basically every sense of the word, but Republicans get their legislation passed when they have the chance and Democrats trip all over themselves trying to appease the idiots who will never join their coalition. They could learn a lot from Republicans about pushing their agenda but it seems pretty clear by now they aren’t going to.
Yep, it’s amazing what you can do if you ignore laws, lock out the opposite side, control all three branches of government, and literally pass shit with stuff penciled in on the side.
If Democrats are incapable of governing when given the power, maybe we should stop voting for them.
There is no point in empowering someone with my vote if they can’t do anything with it once they’ve taken power.
Republicans have gotten more done in minority positions than Democrats have when in majority position over the past 20 years.
Democrats are conveniently bad at this shit when it comes to getting the things their voters want done, done. When it comes to getting shit Republicans want done, they are also conveniently powerless.
Republicans have gotten more done in minority positions than Democrats have when in majority position over the past 20 years.
Accepting this premise, the things Republicans have gotten done have been objectively detrimental to humanity. The direct result of not voting for Democrats is electing more Republicans. This is the reality that currently exists. No amount of self-righteous rhetoric will alter that. So if you’re going to continue disseminating this ill-considered garbage, just face the fact that you’re effectively a Trump supporter.
Honestly, I have more respect for maga types than for people who pose as leftists while advancing a fascist agenda.
Everything you are saying is pure projection. If you are out there blindly supporting Democrats without acknowledging that they are working in lockstep with Republicans towards fascism, you are the one supporting a MAGA agenda.
The Democrats ARE NOT INTERESTED OR TRYING TO RESIST OR STOP FASCISM. You are fucking delusional if you think Democrats are working on your side.
people who pose as leftists while advancing a fascist agenda.
So Democrats?
Oh, no, this is embarrassing. It’s you. I was talking about you. Sorry, I thought that was clear. The mistake dipshits like you always make is this emotional appeal:
You are fucking delusional if you think Democrats are working on your side.
No shit, a political party is not “on your side.” This kind of rhetoric betrays such a childish approach to politics. That’s not how any of this works.
It’s a binary choice, and you’re shilling for fascism. It’s anyone’s guess whether or not that’s your intention—but that really doesn’t matter to anyone but you.
If you support fascism because it’s Democrats doing it, you are no ally.
And that’s what you are arguing for.
Your argument , you entire refusal to hold Democrats accountable by being critical of them and withholding your support to force them to come to you, it’s why we’re in this mess.
I’m not your bro, and I don’t believe you’re arguing in good faith. This particular clumsy mix of buzzwords certainly doesn’t make you sound like a human being. I’ll address this one more time, and then never engage with you again.
Your argument , you entire refusal to hold Democrats accountable by being critical of them and withholding your support to force them to come to you, it’s why we’re in this mess.
My decision to vote for the only viable candidate who doesn’t obviously intend to dismantle all democratic institutions hardly constitutes a refusal to hold Democrats accountable. Those are the stakes in this particular election. The direct result of the action you’re advocating would be to hand power to an aspiring dictator.
YOU are the white moderate MLK warned us about.
You argue like a fash—completely unsupported assertions bolstered by oafish emotional appeals. I’m done with you.
Being democratic and inclusive is pointless if it prevents progress. People want good, affordable healthcare more than they care about if it was achieved with Republicans at the table too. The Democratic process is a means to an end, it’s not sacred and should be disposed of when it can’t work.
Ah yeah, Romneycare with no public option and my friends with kids still can’t afford to actually use the doctor because the deductible is so high.
Soooooo glad that they spent all their political capital on a handout to the insurance companies.
Love it when they just pass Republican legislation and call it a “win” for Democrats.
If my eyes rolled any harder they’d be on the floor.
The ACA was a numbers game so Democrats could pat themselves on the back at the number of “insured” people ignoring whether or not that “insurance” actually got those people access to medical care. “Insured” means nothing if you can’t use it.
But good for them for being able to point at some numbers and pat each other on the back for a “job well done” I guess?
The ACA has helped the insanely destitute (in states that even use it, so not everywhere), but it has not helped the general US public nor even come close to solving the medical insurance crisis and high cost of medical care crisis.
But tell me more about how we’re supposed to be so happy for half-assed plans copied from Republicans.
ACA killed “Pre Existing conditions”, allowed children to stay on parent’s insurance until 25. It eliminated lifetime coverage limits, and expanded Medicare access to millions of people.
Are people not allowed to point out the corn nuggets in the shit sandwich without being mocked by you? Do you know more about that commenter than you’re letting on or do you just enjoy unloading on would be allies?
Two years of a filibuster proof majority for a president elected on hope and change, and the best they can do is a conservative healthcare plan, packed with giveaways for the big insurers.
That’s when I lost all faith in the democratic party.
The point is it’s always one persons fault and that certainly everyone else was a good guy. The blame is planted on a single individual and not the party that failed as a whole
Here's a little middle school social studies lesson for you: there is a lot more to the government than the President.
Bernie Sanders could be sitting in the Oval Office right now and he'd still be struggling with the political realities that Biden is dealing with today. There would still be multiple wars raging, there would still be Republican obstructionism, there would still be a Republican controlled House and a tied Senate, etc. And I'm willing to bet you would be sitting here commenting on how "disappointing" he ended up being as a progressive....
If you want big, sweeping FDR-style changes, then elect a big sweeping congressional supermajority like FDR had. It's not rocket science, people like you would rather just shy away from the political reality of getting bills passed in favor of complaining online, and it's getting boring.
It also basically will legalize Medical cannabis federally. This could lead to many other benefits. Get a medical card, it’s legit with the state and the feds, then there shouldn’t be any grounds for drug tests to affect your employment.
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