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killer12382

States rights is a diminishing issue as the Federal government gets more authority. Many of the leading conservatives that run this country only give lipservice to states rights, they never had any intention of actually granting any rights to the states. What bothers me most is all of the wasted time that was spent on getting those ten or so states to ratify med pot laws when in reality, the time and money should have been spent on changing federal law.
I've seen a couple of posts here telling people not to worry because the state laws are still in effect. DREAM ON. Here is what I see happening now...The cops are going to be gathering evidence and will soon do some high profile busts of med pot grow ops. How are they going to do that, you might ask? Easy.....you gave them the information when you filled out your application (or whatever) for med pot. Is everyone going to be busted? No, but enough people will go to jail as an example.

 

killer12382

Lothar121 says...
Keep in mind, the state laws are still in effect. State and local police follow state law, not Federal law. The case was only related to what the Feds can and cannot do. "Today's U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the medical marijuana case, Gonzales v. Raich, does not invalidate state medical marijuana laws and should have essentially no impact on their implementation, officials of the Marijuana Policy Project said today."
It's good to put a good game face on it but the reality of it all is this...all state med pot laws are null and void. Does it matter if you go to a federal prison or a state prison? Compassion clubs are now history...as far as the feds are concerned, they are distribution centers. You did hit the nail on the head though....the case only related to what the feds can or cannot do. They can do just about whatever they want.

tglcn

I thought that on the merits this was a winable case for medical MJ, but then again, I never thought the Court would uphold random dog searches either, but they did. I don't get it at all. I normally never agree with Justice Thomas but today he ws right on.

I have already called my Senators and Repesentatives, have you?

The only crime is its a crime.

RL in IL

In the wake of this comes the answer of how to deal with this. Justice John Paul Stevens said that CONGRESS could change the law to allow medical use of marijuana.

O'Connor even said that the Feds are "over reaching" in their grasp to go after Raich and others who only want to grow and use a small amount of marijuana to treat their illness. 9 lbs a year doesnt sound like a small amount. But everyone needs a certain dosage to obtain relief. If it works, it works.

Time to move on to Congress and change this for real.

Dalamar49

I am very upset about the Supreme Court's ruling. I never expected such an asinine considering the federal government's implied powers are limited to itnerstate commerce. How can actions that have nothing to do with interstate commerce be governed by the federal government then?

If I wasn't high, I'd cry.

 

Buzzby

I don't think anyone "in the know" expected any other ruling. The climate in DC wouldn't allow for anything else. I see it as a win-win situation for the marijuana legalization movement.

If they ruled for the plaintiffs it would have obviously been a good thing.

As it turned out, it publicized the plight of medical marijuana users, the injustices of prohibition, and the lack of government response to the 70% - 80% of the American citizens who are in favor of medical MJ. We couldn't have bought such good PR for $20 million! It provides excellent groundwork for future advances.

I wouldn't be so cheerful about this "defeat" if it resulted in taking away anything we already had, but it didn't. All it did was confirm the status quo. In terms of practicalities we're no worse off than we were yesterday. In terms of PR we're way ahead.

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Lothar121

None of this happened when the Supreme Court ruled against medical marijuana patients last time. The reality is state and local law enforcement are sworn to uphold state law, not Federal. Most medicinal cannabis clubs have the sense not to have an easy to follow paper trail for their clients.

99% of drug arrests are made on the state, not Federal level. This ruling had nothing to do with the state laws themselves, rather, had to do with the constitutionality relating to the commerce clause which gives the Feds the power to interfere in state affairs. Will the Feds raid cannabis clubs? Probably. Will the state medical marijuana laws still protect the majority of patients from a state or local level arrest? For sure.

Update: From the New York Times Article: An unpublished survey this year by the Drug Policy Alliance, a group that advocates the legalization of medical marijuana, found that there were fewer than 20 federal prosecutions of medical marijuana users or growers since 1996.

Look I am crushed by the ruling, but this is not the end of medical marijuana. I just want to make sure everybody keeps their noses in the air and does not give up on this fight. Please take action and help those that are suffering. Congress could act next week on this very issue!

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PotShot

Wowser, well this is bad. But not too bad I guess, just means everyone is gonna have to get the word out and drum up some more noise because this is not going to stop personal drug freedom, and certainly not to the people who need it as a matter of life or death. Come out of the closet, tell a friend what happened, and talk to your rep!

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Murdock

Can someone tell me when the last time any favorable legislation has been passed at the federal level.. i.e. pro marijuana legislation? Personally I can't remember any..

Or when the Marijuana effort won a large scale court case?

Has Drug Policy alliance had any successes? Before I turn over my hard earned money I'd like to see if they've had any successful lobbying efforts..


With all due respect, that and a $1.50 would buy you a cup of coffee at McDonalds.. This issue will be forgotten and buried by the Michael Jackson ruling.. with the majority of Americans not even giving it a 2nd thought...

Remember Buzz, most Americans don't have the same focus on the War on Marijuana that we do here..

PotShot

Education is the key....

And if enough people speak up, the wigs gotta listen.