Biden pardons those convicted of using marijuana

[Gospel]

SLiPpErY sLoPe! sLiPpERy SlOpE!

Yes, to cocaine and heroin and LSD and meth.

I wonder why I haven't heard any republicans say heroin, cocaine, LSD or meth is a gateway drug to marijuana.

​

 

[Jarhyn]

SLiPpErY sLoPe! sLiPpERy SlOpE!

Yes, to cocaine and heroin and LSD and meth.

The only one of these I've used is LSD, and that's the sort of drug that you take a number of times when you discover it, and then take less and less often as time goes on. The others, I am happy to never even touch once, because I like my teeth, and my pain perfectly fine thank you very much.

 

[Gun Nut]

View attachment 40610

Oh nose! It's the Reefer Madness!

 

[Elixir]

Yes, to cocaine and heroin and LSD and meth.

One of those is not like the others.

 

[lpetrich]

From the source:

A Proclamation on Granting Pardon for the Offense of Simple Possession of Marijuana - The White House

Statement from President Biden on Marijuana Reform - The White House

Among his recommendations:

Third, I am asking the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law. Federal law currently classifies marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the classification meant for the most dangerous substances. This is the same schedule as for heroin and LSD, and even higher than the classification of fentanyl and methamphetamine – the drugs that are driving our overdose epidemic.

Pot worse than fentanyl??? I agree on reassessing it.

So I searched and I found Drug Scheduling at the Drug Enforcement Administration's site.

I've turned that schedule into a list:

• Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Some examples of Schedule I drugs are: heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote.
• Schedule II drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence. These drugs are also considered dangerous. Some examples of Schedule II drugs are: combination products with less than 15 milligrams of hydrocodone per dosage unit (Vicodin), cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, hydromorphone (Dilaudid), meperidine (Demerol), oxycodone (OxyContin), fentanyl, Dexedrine, Adderall, and Ritalin
• Schedule III drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence. Schedule III drugs abuse potential is less than Schedule I and Schedule II drugs but more than Schedule IV. Some examples of Schedule III drugs are: products containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine per dosage unit (Tylenol with codeine), ketamine, anabolic steroids, testosterone
• Schedule IV drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a low potential for abuse and low risk of dependence. Some examples of Schedule IV drugs are: Xanax, Soma, Darvon, Darvocet, Valium, Ativan, Talwin, Ambien, Tramadol
• Schedule V drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with lower potential for abuse than Schedule IV and consist of preparations containing limited quantities of certain narcotics. Schedule V drugs are generally used for antidiarrheal, antitussive, and analgesic purposes. Some examples of Schedule V drugs are: cough preparations with less than 200 milligrams of codeine or per 100 milliliters (Robitussin AC), Lomotil, Motofen, Lyrica, Parepectolin

The complete list: Controlled Substances - Alphabetical Order - September 2022 - c_cs_alpha.pdf

 

[ZiprHead]

 

[Loren Pechtel]

SLiPpErY sLoPe! sLiPpERy SlOpE!

No shit.
I had no sooner read about it, than I was overtaken by an irresistible urge for some fentanyl-adulterated heroin.

There was a one month period as a part of a single class I took in highschool where a single teacher went over common tropes of false or misleading statements in advertising and marketing.

That was, to my knowledge, the first and last time before college that I received any compulsory education at all in how to tell someone was not being honest, or not delivering reliable information.

I never even had that, but since my parents were both psychologists I learned a fair amount informally.

 

[steve_bank]

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/06/us/politics/biden-marijuana-pardon.html

President Biden on Thursday pardoned all people convicted of marijuana possession under federal law and said his administration would review whether marijuana should still be a Class 1 drug like heroin and LSD.
The pardons will clear about 6,500 people who were convicted on federal charges of simple possession of marijuana from 1992 to 2021 and thousands more who were convicted of possession in the District of Columbia, officials said. Officials said the president would urge governors to follow his lead for people convicted on state charges of possession.
The moves are striking shifts for the federal government on an issue that was a campaign promise that Mr. Biden made in 2020.
“Sending people to jail for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives — for conduct that is legal in many states,” Mr. Biden said on Twitter on Thursday. “That’s before you address the clear racial disparities around prosecution and conviction. Today, we begin to right these wrongs.”

It's about time. Ironically, the most straight president did the job that should have been done years ago! Hopefully, governors will follow in his footsteps, although I'm not holding out hope for many of the Republican ones.

Don't discount the politics and the upcoming mid terms.

Everything is a political calculation.

All it does is clean the record of federal convictions for a small number of people.

Federally at this point making pot like tobacco doesn't cnange much/ It would rprobably mean tobaccoo companies growing pot and selling joints.

Back in the 60s 70s a tobacco campany copyrighted some of pot names like Acapulco Gold in anticipation of possible legalization.

Here in Wa pot shops are succetiblee to robbery because they can't use the baking system and credit cards, cash only. Federal changes would get rid of that.

If I remember right the old anti pot movie Reefer Madness was funded by tobacco companies. During prohibition pot was seen as grwoing in usage and potential competition to alcohol as well when prohibition was repealed.

 

[southernhybrid]

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/06/us/politics/biden-marijuana-pardon.html

President Biden on Thursday pardoned all people convicted of marijuana possession under federal law and said his administration would review whether marijuana should still be a Class 1 drug like heroin and LSD.
The pardons will clear about 6,500 people who were convicted on federal charges of simple possession of marijuana from 1992 to 2021 and thousands more who were convicted of possession in the District of Columbia, officials said. Officials said the president would urge governors to follow his lead for people convicted on state charges of possession.
The moves are striking shifts for the federal government on an issue that was a campaign promise that Mr. Biden made in 2020.
“Sending people to jail for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives — for conduct that is legal in many states,” Mr. Biden said on Twitter on Thursday. “That’s before you address the clear racial disparities around prosecution and conviction. Today, we begin to right these wrongs.”

It's about time. Ironically, the most straight president did the job that should have been done years ago! Hopefully, governors will follow in his footsteps, although I'm not holding out hope for many of the Republican ones.

Don't discount the politics and the upcoming mid terms.

Everything is a political calculation.

All it does is clean the record of federal convictions for a small number of people.

Federally at this point making pot like tobacco doesn't cnange much/ It would rprobably mean tobaccoo companies growing pot and selling joints.

Back in the 60s 70s a tobacco campany copyrighted some of pot names like Acapulco Gold in anticipation of possible legalization.

Here in Wa pot shops are succetiblee to robbery because they can't use the baking system and credit cards, cash only. Federal changes would get rid of that.

If I remember right the old anti pot movie Reefer Madness was funded by tobacco companies. During prohibition pot was seen as grwoing in usage and potential competition to alcohol as well when prohibition was repealed.

Yes. It's small, but it's a start and it's something that no other president had the courage to do. He's also encouraging Congress to decriminalize it at the federal level.

I think it's hilarious that some on the right are calling this something the far left wants. Are they suggesting that John Boehner, the former Republican speaker of the House, who strongly supports legalization of mj and has invested in the industry himself, is now part of the far left. Is that how far into crazy land we are now?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I don’t want to hear about addiction from any politician not against vaping and how much addictive nicotine is put in those products. No, nicotine doesn’t lead to crime, but it is a product sold solely to become addicted to.

It was also mildly amusing here right wing radio both speak against Biden’s action while swinging the legs on the fence on how it wasn’t a bad thing for Government to stip criminalizing it.

 

[Derec]

Good move, not only good policy but also good politics. Marijuana legalization is popular among Democrats and independents, and even Republicans are divided on it. So any move toward legalization should be far more popular on Main St. than on Constitution Ave.

De- or rescheduling should be the next move.

 

[Toni]

Locking up people for using THC, is not only cruel, it was extremely expensive, considering the cost of law enforcement and imprisonment.

I feel that way about all recreational drugs, but we have a long way to go before people understand that it's wrong and expensive to lock up people for using chemicals that are harmful to them.

I feel that way about all recreational drug use EXCEPT that unless we get serious and start to effectively treat addiction (drugs, alcohol, etc) as well as mental illness and let us not forget seriously address pain management, we will have even more of a disaster on our hands. I write this as someone who knows a lot of people, some since their childhoods or mine, whose lives have been seriously damaged because adults in their lives had/have out of control addictions---and zero convictions or even arrests for.....anything. I've seen some pretty nice kids: smart, creative, from loving, caring, stable families get into some really bad shit out of curiosity and deciding to just try (insert name of illicit substance), dragging everyone who cares about them down as far as possible. Some of those did end up doing some time, although not directly because of substance abuse but instead for things they did while loaded.

What I would like to see, in addition to offering rehab, are ways to allow those who use drugs like heroin, to administer them as safely as possible. Needle exchanges are one way to help. As long as these drugs remain criminalized, it's easy for drugs laced with fentanyl to enter the country and be used by unsuspecting people. Some conservative politicians want to ban the little test strips that people use to test illegal drugs for fentanyl. I recently read about a group of college students that were about to use some opioids, but they had the test strips so they checked the drugs before they took them. They found they were heavily laced with fentanyl, so they threw them away. If not for those test strips, at least some of those students would likely have died. You know what's sad. Rx. fentanyl used to be used for severe chronic pain without any issues for most people. I seriously doubt any doctor would prescribe it these days due to the over reaction to the so called opioid crisis, and the fact that it's now being put into other drugs without the knowledge of the user. Now those who suffer in chronic pain have to beg, and jump through hoops to obtain Rx. for pain.

Students often experiment with drugs, like it or not. Some people will always use drugs and rehab doesn't always work, so I do wish we could at least make it safer for those who have this problem. My father never did a single drug, but he was cruel and caused a lot of terrible problems, especially for my sister. Dysfunctional families come in all varieties. Some people use drugs in an attempt to escape their problems. Some may be predisposed to drug usage. Making drugs legal or at least decriminalizing them, helps solve some larger problems.

Drugs have always been with us. Some people will always use them regardless of the laws. That is why I feel the best solution is to try and make them safer and to stop imprisoning people for simply doing potential harm to themselves.

I never tried any drugs when I was in college or during my 20s. I've never tried anything stronger than weed, but my Jersey sister tried anything she could get her hands on during her teens and early 20s. She had a drinking problem until she was about 30 or so, and then she gave it all up. I don't think she is that unusual, as young people tend to take a lot more risks than more mature adults do. If we could make drug usage safer, that would be a big accomplishment.

Anyway....I didn't mean to get into other drugs, as this thread was originally meant to be about the most commonly used recreational drug.

My take? There will ALWAYS be a market for legal drugs, no matter what drugs are legalized laced with something not legal and possibly lethal. Some people will always believe that if it is govt. sanctioned (i.e. legal) it's not as good as 'the good stuff,' doesn't have the same kick, the same high as the first high, or whatever it is that they are chasing. Or just because someone offers it or they've heard that this or that can give you a really good high or whatever.

I confess that I 100% do not understand the attraction--it has always scared the hell out of me, anything that can mess with my mind. I DO understand drug addiction arising from efforts to control pain.

 

[bilby]

Anyway....I didn't mean to get into other drugs, as this thread was originally meant to be about the most commonly used recreational drug.

Alcohol isn't even mentioned in your OP or the thread title, so that seems unlikely.

 

[southernhybrid]

Anyway....I didn't mean to get into other drugs, as this thread was originally meant to be about the most commonly used recreational drug.

Alcohol isn't even mentioned in your OP or the thread title, so that seems unlikely.

I should have said, illegal recreational drugs. Alcohol is one of the worst recreational drugs, and yet it's legal.

 

[lpetrich]

US DEA will reclassify marijuana, ease restrictions, AP sources say | AP News

The proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use.

...
Once OMB signs off, the DEA will take public comment on the plan to move marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. It moves pot to Schedule III, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids, following a recommendation from the federal Health and Human Services Department.

What a lot of bureaucracy. But it is welcome that they are going ahead with that.