First headline I read in the new year, from
The New York Times
Colorado Stores Throw Open Their Doors to Pot Buyers
By JACK HEALY
Published: January 1, 2014
DENVER — Colorado embarked on a bold experiment on Wednesday with legalizing marijuana, as shops from downtown Denver to snowy ski resorts began selling the once-illicit drug to any adult with proper identification and a hankering for a hit of Blue Diesel or Kandy Kush.
First I knew of this was when our exercise teacher here in Santa Fe said that in the New Year folks so inclined could drive the 3 hours to the Colorado border and get pot.
Well the NY Times article goes into all kinds of issues surrounding these new legal sales and is worth reading in toto, imo.
Thought I caught a whiff of it being smoked on the street outside a bar in Taos Sunday night where we were celebrating our 43 anniversary, then again outside a bar here in Santa Fe where went to dance, drink and ring in the new.
Both these aromatic experiences brought to mind how common that was back in the 70's and 80's in Austin, but seemed to become much less common after people started being sent to prison more and more often. Gah.
What popped into my IPA fuzzed mind this morning is 'what would the DOJ do about this'?
Others with more of a consumerist interest in the issue probably already know. I remembered something about the DOJ going after CA medical marijuana sellers .
But surprise, surprise to me:
Skeptical federal authorities are also paying attention. Although marijuana remains illegal under federal law, the Justice Department has given a tentative approval for Colorado and Washington to move ahead with regulating marijuana. But it warned that federal officials could intervene if the state regulations failed to keep the drug away from children, drug cartels or federal property, and out of other states.
So it seems for now those two states will be allowed to go ahead. For me it would be great news that the substance would be decriminalized nationally and taxed like alcohol and tobacco.
In fact I would like to see the whole War on Drugs fail, continued on with wild abandon under a Democratic Administration, brought to a screeching halt.
Too many families have suffered tragedies of having a citizen and his wife go to prison over it.
Time to make legalization and regulation an election issue.
Time for marijuana prohibition to end.
Happy New Year from New Mexico
11:22 AM PT: Did a search for Obama Administration Policy and found this on the Whitehouse Website
http://www.whitehouse.gov/...
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Marijuana Legalization
Marijuana is a topic of significant public discourse in the United States, and while many are familiar with the discussions, it is not always easy to find the latest, research-based information on marijuana to answer to the common questions about its health effects, or the differences between Federal and state laws concerning the drug. Confusing messages being presented by popular culture, media, proponents of “medical” marijuana, and political campaigns to legalize all marijuana use perpetuate the false notion that marijuana is harmless. This significantly diminishes efforts tkeep our young people drug free and hampers the struggle of those recovering from addiction.
For more information, please visit our Marijuana Resource Center.
11:40 AM PT: From the comments, patbahn pointed to this hilarious segment on the CO legalization by Colbert http://www.colbertnation.com/...