MD Governor signs Marijuana Decriminalization bill and a Medical Marijuana bill today

[mnewsham]

http://www.wusa9.com/story/news/2014/04/14/maryland-medical-marijuana-law-omalley/7702385/

Looks like O'Malley is looking to gain popular support for a possible 2016 presidential campaign.

 

[Fern]

Dang, that's a steep fine.

Fern

 

[mnewsham]

Dang, that's a steep fine.

Fern

Eh, it's only $100 for the first offense. Then $250 for the 2nd. If you are caught two times you probably deserve the increased fine. If you are caught again it's $500 for every time after the 2nd. If you are getting caught that easily you probably shouldn't be smoking anyway.

This is likely just a stopgap measure until 2016-2018 when it will be legalized here anyway, it already almost was earlier this year.

 

[Subyman]

Dang, that's a steep fine.

Fern

Are you being sarcastic? $100 for the first offense seems reasonable considering it was arrest.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Damn, what did they used to do before? Shoot 'em?

 

[mnewsham]

Damn, what did they used to do before? Shoot 'em?

Depends on the colour of skin, if you're white you MIGHT get probation, if first offense maybe not even that. If you're black or Hispanic you will get probation if you're under 21 and it's the first offense usually. Sometimes worse for larger quantities of weed.

One of the main reasons the decriminalization bill was passed was because of the disproportionate number of minorities being arrested for pot vs. the whites even though all the groups smoke about equally.

 

[Jhhnn]

This is likely just a stopgap measure until 2016-2018 when it will be legalized here anyway, it already almost was earlier this year.

Legalization just cuts right straight through all the bullshit. Highly recommended.

Don't get chumped like they did in Washington State, insist that people can legally grow their own. That cuts through a whole different layer of bullshit, overwhelms any future attempts at recreating prohibition or imposing scarcity with contrived prices & high taxes.

Just treat pot like alcohol. Seems to be working great around here on multiple levels.

 

[MrPickins]

Don't get chumped like they did in Washington State, insist that people can legally grow their own. That cuts through a whole different layer of bullshit, overwhelms any future attempts at recreating prohibition or imposing scarcity with contrived prices & high taxes.

Wow, I didn't know that it was still illegal to grow your own in WA.

Gotta grab that tax revenue, huh?

 

[OCGuy]

Yay MD....welcome to the new century!

 

[mnewsham]

Legalization just cuts right straight through all the bullshit. Highly recommended.

I agree but the local politicians demanded two years of study and shelved the bill earlier in the year, they reintroduced the bill changing it from legalization to decriminalization and basically said lets do the studies but lets at least stop people getting arrested.

I hope it plays out the way it seems it will. we'll see.

 

[Jhhnn]

Wow, I didn't know that it was still illegal to grow your own in WA.

Gotta grab that tax revenue, huh?

Sad but true. Only WA Med patients can currently grow their own or in collectives that I don't quite understand. The State Liquor Board is trying to have that done away with, obviously not following the spirit of I-502.

Colorado's A64 sidestepped our politicians entirely, tied their hands in ways that Washington's I-502 does not. The State Constitution can only be amended by a vote of the people, and we did just that in 2012. We'll never go back. It's too good a deal for too many interests, too many people to ever be rescinded. It's good policy, better policy, a complete paradigm shift. That'll become more apparent with every passing day.

 

[Jhhnn]

I agree but the local politicians demanded two years of study and shelved the bill earlier in the year, they reintroduced the bill changing it from legalization to decriminalization and basically said lets do the studies but lets at least stop people getting arrested.

I hope it plays out the way it seems it will. we'll see.

So far, only citizen initiatives have created legal marijuana, something likely to hold for other states until the Colorado experience plays out a little more. We're defining legalization, showing the ROTW what it looks like, how it works, where the real advantages & disadvantages lie, what the real world effect is. We'll obliterate rationales for prohibition with the truth.

I don't know much about O'Malley- what's your take on him?

 

[OCGuy]

Sad but true. Only WA Med patients can currently grow their own or in collectives that I don't quite understand. The State Liquor Board is trying to have that done away with, obviously not following the spirit of I-502.

Colorado's A64 sidestepped our politicians entirely, tied their hands in ways that Washington's I-502 does not. The State Constitution can only be amended by a vote of the people, and we did just that in 2012. We'll never go back. It's too good a deal for too many interests, too many people to ever be rescinded. It's good policy, better policy, a complete paradigm shift. That'll become more apparent with every passing day.

Huh? Californians have been able to grow multiple plants after a 10 minute Dr. visit for years...

 

[Jhhnn]

Huh? Californians have been able to grow multiple plants after a 10 minute Dr. visit for years...

That's not legalization- that's gaming the system. The DEA busts CA providers' balls whenever they get the whim. Local authorities bust unregistered personal growers. Possession of any amount is subject to fine.

CO Legalization changes the system. Want pot? buy it over the counter or diy, like beer. No bullshit games.

 

[mnewsham]

I don't know much about O'Malley- what's your take on him?

competent enough, but he has his moments of utter idiocy, not someone I particularly trust in office, though if Hillary runs I could see him being her running mate. He is like any politician in that he will only tackle the harder issues if he has overwhelming support.

 

[IronWing]

Legalization just cuts right straight through all the bullshit. Highly recommended.

Don't get chumped like they did in Washington State, insist that people can legally grow their own. That cuts through a whole different layer of bullshit, overwhelms any future attempts at recreating prohibition or imposing scarcity with contrived prices & high taxes.

Just treat pot like alcohol. Seems to be working great around here on multiple levels.

Questions for you; I want to understand how Colorado is implementing legalization. Is it legal to smoke pot around your own children in your own home? Do non-smokers have legal protections against secondhand pot smoke? Thanks for any info.

 

[davmat787]

Wow, I didn't know that it was still illegal to grow your own in WA.

Gotta grab that tax revenue, huh?

Sad, but true, save medical users as mentioned previously. The state wants decent sized professional operations that can be easily inspected and are a known quantity rather than a cottage industry.

If alcohol is legal and sold in a controlled manner, yet can be made at home, it is ridiculous that people can't buy say up to 4 $5.00 tax stamps that would allow them to personally grow 4 plants on their personal property.

Safely powering a decent grow-op in a home is expensive and rarely done, rather growers often cobble together shitty ballasts with stolen electricity over under gauged wiring that creates a fire hazard.

At least my state took a good first step, now they just need to finish the regulations and taxation schemes so retail operations can move forward.

 

[Jhhnn]

Questions for you; I want to understand how Colorado is implementing legalization. Is it legal to smoke pot around your own children in your own home?

Like drinking alcohol. Efforts in the legislature to define that as child neglect/abuse/endangerment have failed. They were made in defiance of the will of the People & the unfolding truth about pot consumption. Pot smokers are not bad parents per se, nor are tobacco smokers or drinkers.

Do non-smokers have legal protections against secondhand pot smoke? Thanks for any info.

Toking is not allowed on public property or indoors in any business I know of. Business owners may designate outdoor areas, iirc. I think that there are plans for that at the High Times Cannabis Cup this year. I cannot speak with any authority, however. To my knowledge, second hand pot smoke has not been shown to be harmful, at least not moreso than any other forms of air pollution like barbeque or the smell in the lunch room when some idiot over cooks microwave popcorn.

In Denver, people can toke up on their front porch if they want, like smoking a cigarette, not necessarily everywhere else. That can vary by locality, at least for the moment. It's always legal in your own home. The smell of cannabis is not grounds for search of a residence. There is a 1 oz purchase & possession limit on the street for CO residents, 1/4oz purchase limit per transaction for non-residents, functionally none in a residence because of personal growing provisions. Whatever people can produce from the limited number of plants allowed is theirs to keep, to gift in 1 oz increments & to share with adults 21 or older. Taking your stash with you when you move might get tricky. Outdoor growing is a grey area, not well defined. Citations for smoking on public property are up, everything else is way down.

It's not the libertarian ideal, still extremely liveable from a personal freedom perspective. The downside for non-participants has been negligible so far & is unlikely to change. We're learning as we go along.

 

[Jhhnn]

Sad, but true, save medical users as mentioned previously. The state wants decent sized professional operations that can be easily inspected and are a known quantity rather than a cottage industry.

If alcohol is legal and sold in a controlled manner, yet can be made at home, it is ridiculous that people can't buy say up to 4 $5.00 tax stamps that would allow them to personally grow 4 plants on their personal property.

Safely powering a decent grow-op in a home is expensive and rarely done, rather growers often cobble together shitty ballasts with stolen electricity over under gauged wiring that creates a fire hazard.

At least my state took a good first step, now they just need to finish the regulations and taxation schemes so retail operations can move forward.

Outlaw commercial grow-ops are one thing, Colorado's personal growers holding to legal plant counts is entirely another. No permits, no gaming the system for a med card, no bullshit. Just do it. With modest investment, well under $1000, a decent gardener can safely & inexpensively produce a legal & endless supply entirely adequate for all but very heavy users. If the crop fails, unlikely, it's available OTC at a much higher price.

All the tech is available off the shelf. It's all adapted from industrial lighting & process control, much of it UL & CSA certified, drawing no more current than many space heaters or window air conditioners. Coloradans can safely call in electricians for advice, inspections & alterations to house wiring as required. You can tell 'em the truth about what you want to do. More affluent hobbyists can have small turnkey systems installed by professionals, for a price. Experienced indoor growers are often evangelical, readily lending their expertise to others.

It's obviously not for everybody, given the amount of used grow equip available on Craigslist.

When & if outdoor growing is allowed, it'll be grown outdoors in people's gardens, & in farmers' fields, like tomatoes. Indoor growing isn't exactly energy efficient or eco-friendly but rather an artifact of prohibition.

 

[hal2kilo]

Legalization just cuts right straight through all the bullshit. Highly recommended.

Don't get chumped like they did in Washington State, insist that people can legally grow their own. That cuts through a whole different layer of bullshit, overwhelms any future attempts at recreating prohibition or imposing scarcity with contrived prices & high taxes.

Just treat pot like alcohol. Seems to be working great around here on multiple levels.

Chumped ain't the word for it. The high handed manner in which they are implementing this law is just ridiculus. So much so that I predict there will barely be a dent in the underground market. The pigs think they've hit a gold mine. They are going to be sadly mistaken.