Cannabis legalization

[Downsouthjukin]

A very bipartisan issue among voters. Why are we not using the issue of legalizing Cannabis as a means of turning out the vote. It is a popular issue especially among the young people we need to vote. Why keep pussyfooting around. Why not come out strong for legalization on the federal level??? We believe in it right?

[Celerity]

1. We don't have the votes in the Senate and Biden is not in favour of legalisation. It's not happening

anytime soon.

Also. not only is Biden not in favour of legalisation, but there is this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_policy_of_the_Joe_Biden_administration

snip

In March, 2021, the Daily Beast reported that "dozens" of White House staffers had been "suspended, asked to resign or placed in a remote work program" because they had admitted to prior cannabis use. This action affected even those whose use had occurred in legal states.

snip

Biden White House Sandbags Staffers, Sidelines Dozens for Pot Use

Several staffers were informally told by transition officials that some past marijuana use would be overlooked, only to be told later that they were being asked to resign.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/biden-white-house-sandbags-staffers-sidelines-dozens-for-pot-use

Dozens of young White House staffers have been suspended, asked to resign, or placed in a remote work program due to past marijuana use, frustrating staffers who were pleased by initial indications from the Biden administration that recreational use of cannabis would not be immediately disqualifying for would-be personnel, according to three people familiar with the situation.

The policy has even affected staffers whose marijuana use was exclusive to one of the 14 states—and the District of Columbia—where cannabis is legal. Sources familiar with the matter also said a number of young staffers were either put on probation or canned because they revealed past marijuana use in an official document they filled out as part of the lengthy background check for a position in the Biden White House.

In some cases, staffers were informally told by transition higher-ups ahead of formally joining the administration that they would likely overlook some past marijuana use, only to be asked later to resign.

“There were one-on-one calls with individual affected staffers—rather, ex-staffers,” one former White House staffer affected by the policy told The Daily Beast. “I was asked to resign.” “Nothing was ever explained” on the calls, they added, which were led by White House Director of Management and Administration Anne Filipic. “The policies were never explained, the threshold for what was excusable and what was inexcusable was never explained.”

snip

[Withywindle]

4. I remember reading something about this and being SO disappointed

I'm sure there are reams of arcane, out-of-date, and deeply stupid restrictions about this. But Biden could easily have won major support among younger voters (and by "younger" I don't just mean current college kids, I mean Gen X on down) by advocating for sanity on this issue, and walking the walk by NOT FIRING PROMISING YOUNG STAFFERS WHO HAVE DONE NOTHING ILLEGAL.

It's not the most pressing issue in terms of urgency, but it is absolutely a winning one in terms of appealing to independents and occasional voters. It seems like such a no-brainer to advocate for.

[walkingman]

2. Congress is pretty much a geriatric ward that is totally out of touch with American people.

That is both parties. For most things these days our Congress has no idea what our society is all about. We need younger people in the House and especially in the Senate.

[Duppers]

3. I agree... 👍

Some here do not.

[canetoad]

5. I'd like to think that stoners voted

But in the grand scheme of things I think there are larger, more humane issues that deserve attention.

[aocommunalpunch]

7. We legalized weed and ditched gerrymandering in one vote

In 2018. 2+2, it would seem?

[Downsouthjukin]

6. It is disappointing to me

to watch and see huge opportunities missed because of geriatric thinking. We are gonna need the vote of young people in droves to hold onto our democracy. Those young people are progressive and want to see the kind progress this would represent. Just pushing it forward would be a good faith effort at progress. What was done to those people in the administration is inexcusable and probably damaging.
'
I worry day and night that the leadership of our party and their fear of alienating the traitors who they don't seem to understand are not people we should be reaching out for their cooperation will have the guts to get us past this push to take over the country.

[aocommunalpunch]

8. LMAO

Sing it. I have so many dispos in my small town and all they do is fight over who can give back to the community and rake in the money. Where’s the crime? Where’s the woe?