Bernie Sanders Will Announce SUPPORT For REMOVING Marijuana from List of Most Dangerous Drugs

[Segami]

Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders will announce his support Wednesday for removing marijuana from a list of the most dangerous drugs outlawed by the federal government — a move that would free states to legalize it without impediments from Washington.

The self-described democratic socialist senator from Vermont plans to share his proposal during a town hall meeting with college students that will be broadcast on the Internet across the country from George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.

“Too many Americans have seen their lives destroyed because they have criminal records as a result of marijuana use,” Sanders says in prepared remarks for the event provided to The Washington Post. “That’s wrong. That has got to change.”

No other presidential candidate has called for marijuana to be removed from the so-called Schedule 1 of controlled substances regulated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Longshot Democratic hopeful Martin O’Malley has said he’d put marijuana on Schedule 2, a less strict designation. The party’s frontrunner, Hillary Rodham Clinton, has repeatedly said she wants to see how legalization experiments in Colorado, Washington and other states play out before committing to any changes at the federal level


cont'

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sanders-will-propose-nixing-marijuana-from-federal-list-of-dangerous-drugs/2015/10/28/be8c3adc-7da2-11e5-b575-d8dcfedb4ea1_story.html

[pinebox]

1. Supported!

As a Coloradan, I fully support Bernie doing this. I don't even use the stuff nor have I ever tried it but the fact that alcohol kills a lot more people and is legal, well that says it all. My state has seen its revenue skyrocket.

[Segami]

4. The private prison industry surely hates Bernie.

The incareration business will definitely be down considerably.......then again, they'll figure out other ways to incarcerate citizens on spurious charges.

[azmom]

2. Bernie is the man!

[montanacowboy]

3. Way to go Bernie!

Always ahead of his time

[PotatoChip]

5. Marijuana is a Schedule 1?

Wow!

I could be mistaken, but I think that is the same category that Heroin is in.

[Hiraeth]

7. yes

Schedule I Controlled Substances
Substances in this schedule have no currently accepted medical use in the United States, a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and a high potential for abuse.

Some examples of substances listed in Schedule I are: heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), peyote, methaqualone, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine ("Ecstasy&quot .

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/index.html

[PotatoChip]

20. A lack of accepted safety; a high potential for abuse?

Lol!... Mr PotatoChip's 93 year old aunt uses it medicinally. She's no 'addict'. How ridiculous!

Thanks for the info.

[Hiraeth]

39. yw

[Mnpaul]

40. But the "moderate" Dems tell us we need more research to see if it is safe

5000 years is simply not enough

[hibbing]

10. Maijuana and herion

How absolutely insane is that?

Peace

[7962]

18. I guess because they have the EXACT same effects, huh?

What a load of nonsense to equate those two.
Never heard of anyone stealing to buy pot

[Comrade Grumpy]

23. This is what happens when Congress makes medical/scientific determinations.

It's a political body, not a scientific or medical one.

[PotatoChip]

22. Yes it is! (nt)

[aidbo]

27. Yep. Pretty dumb if you ask me

[jwirr]

29. It probably is because MJ has always been considered as

dangerous by the cops and such. But it was never scientifically tested as such. That is why it is good that Bernie is asking for this.

Law enforcement insisted that MJ was the gateway drug and led to the use of other drugs. I suspect that many of us on DU know better. All it ever led me to do was go to sleep.

[Mnpaul]

41. The cops know it isn't dangerous

they just don't want to lose their meal ticket.

[TheKentuckian]

44. Yup, without that they'd have to both deal with real criminals and justify what the fuck we need

so many of them for as crime continues to go down even with this absolute bullshit padding their fake ass numbers and replace all the revenue from stealing good people's property and squeezing them for fines.

[jwirr]

47. And that

[aidbo]

54. marijuana prohibition has also been used to enforce systemic racism.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/14/marijuana-prohibition-racist_n_4590190.html

In a column for The Fix, Maia Szalavitz reminds us that Harry Anslinger, the father of the war on weed, fully embraced racism as a tool to demonize marijuana. As the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, a predecessor to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Anslinger institutionalized his belief that pot's "effect on the degenerate races" made its prohibition a top priority. Here are just a few of his most famous (and most racist) quotes:

"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the U.S., and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others."
“Reefer makes darkies think they're as good as white men."

Between Anslinger's ruminations on the need to keep marijuana away from minorities -- especially the entertainers! -- were countless other fabrications about the health effects of pot. It was "more dangerous than heroin or cocaine" and "leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing,'' he claimed.

[jwirr]

60. I know. My family live on a reservation. We could only wish

that MJ was the only drug that they use this way. Out here the white kids sell it to our kids and the white cop used to chase the Native kids. Now we have our own police force and MJ is the last thing they worry about.

[aidbo]

62. Despicable, and sadly not surprising.

[Segami]

55. That is the most ridiculous,

claim they continue to make. In fact, If they want to get REAL serious about gateway drugs, they should start with doctors and big Pharma who 'push' addictive pharmaceuticals onto a sleeping public.

[jwirr]

61. That is what is killing our people around here.

[Le Taz Hot]

45. A little history on that.

In the late 60's/early 70's, Nixon commissioned a study on the affects of cannabis. He was expecting a doom-and-gloom outcome but the opposite happened. The study basically said it's virtually harmless. Nixon didn't like the results, ignored the study that HE commissioned. He then talked Congress in allowing the president to decide what is Schedule I, II, III, etc., and Nixon is the one that categorized it as a Schedule I narcotic. It's been that way ever since. SO when someone tells you "Obama (or any president) doesn't have the power to reschedule cannabis" feel free to call bullshit because he does.

[rhett o rick]

56. The oligarchy and their puppets want a tight control on the masses. Eric Holder was their guy. nm

[Warren DeMontague]

66. it is, and it is.

You can thank the drug war and its apologists.

[Hiraeth]

6. woot for common sense.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

14. Yes, common sense

So rare and not that common in politicians.

[SoapBox]

8. Go Bernie!

I'm not a user, like some others, but do believe it has benefits for those that need it for pain control (better than that damned addictive oxycodone).

The current Federal regulations are absurd and need a huge overhaul.

[Uncle Joe]

9. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Segami.

[WillyT]

11. HUGE K & R !!! - THANK YOU !!!

[UglyGreed]

12. Feel the BERN

K/R

[DirkGently]

13. Seems like a no-brainer ...

... which of course does not help in American politics.

[blackspade]

15. Big K&R!

Sanders looks better everyday!

[Ed Suspicious]

16. What schedule is alcohol on? That's the one I want cannabis on.

[7962]

19. That makes sense. nt

[aidbo]

31. Here's a link to the listing by the DOJ

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/

I don't think alcohol is listed because it's a controlled legal substance (like tobacco), but one of the reasons substances are listed as schedule I is because of a high potential for abuse.

Schedule I include LSD, heroin, peyote, marijuana, ecstasy etc.

Schedule II includes oxycodone and Percocet, etc.

I'm lucky enough to not need any pain medication beyond ibuprofen so I try not to judge people that do need them, but it seems to me that even prescription opioids carry more risk of addiction than marijuana or LSD (those two and psilocybin are the only schedule I drugs I am 'familiar' with).

I think this is a good issue for Bernie to come out for. A slim majority of the US is for legalization already, moving it out of schedule I makes sense.

[Mnpaul]

42. Gallup has it at 58%

http://www.gallup.com/poll/186260/back-legal-marijuana.aspx
Time to lose the reefer madness

[snort]

33. I've got mine scheduled in for 4:20.

[eridani]

58. Remember--it's always 4:20 somewhere! n/t

[mountain grammy]

17. Yes, now!

[BeanMusical]

21. Kick and R

[Iwillnevergiveup]

24. In less than one hour

you can watch a livestream of Bernie addressing college students. I'm pretty sure this issue will come up.


https://go.berniesanders.com/page/s/student-multi-signup-form

[Ed Suspicious]

25. Get ready for a full on "reefer madness" response. Berniebros (cultish hippy acolytes) want the

Last edited Wed Oct 28, 2015, 07:40 PM - Edit history (1)

devils weed for getting high to lower inhibitions to performing criminal acts. We're about to see a lot of eggs in frying pans and scrambled zombie brain propagandamercials.

Behold Hillary's unequivocating response as she firmly replies "NO." to the question of "should the devil's weed be legalized?" while we will be implored to "think of the children."

[hibbing]

30. Don't forget having crazy sex orgies after smoking the weed

[Le Taz Hot]

46. And playing the piano really fast.

[Mnpaul]

43. Bring it on!

I'm ready for the right of center, authoritarian Democrats. I don't need their nanny state.

[jwirr]

26. THAT is a big step.

[AzDar]

28. Bernie!!

Walking the Progressive walk, not just talking the Progressive talk...

[C Moon]

32. This is going to get interesting...

Go Bernie!!

[MohRokTah]

34. YAY!

Yet another thing proposed by Sanders that goes absolutely nowhere!

[jfern]

49. Recreational marijuana got 52% in a red state (Alaska) in a Republican wave year (2014)

[Teagan]

50. Once again, nailing it.

Progressive issues won in 2014. DLC candidates didn't.

Guess the voter's tired of the same old tired status quo.

[MohRokTah]

51. and will go NOWHERE in THIS Republican contolled Congress.

It won't even get a committee hearing.

[pnwmom]

35. O'Malley also has called for it to be off Schedule 1.

Schedule 2 is not the same thing.

Has Sanders said how he wants it to be classified, if it's not on 1?

[A Simple Game]

36. I thought we elected leaders as our Presidents.

Does Hillary get out in front on any issue? Does she always lead from behind?

[restorefreedom]

37. once again, acting like a LEADER

instead of a wishy washy proposal to "study it" for twenty more years.

[Punx]

38. Nixon is the one responsible for putting it on Schedule 1

Had to control those dammed hippies and anti-war protesters. And as it turns out, a bonus, African Americans.

That should tell you all you need to know about Schedule 1.

http://www.alternet.org/story/12666/once-secret_%22nixon_tapes%22_show_why_the_u.s._outlawed_pot

[F4lconF16]

48. Good. Now take acid, shrooms, and others off as well.

Progress, yes, but we need to be constantly moving forward. They aren't taking a break in trying to get us to move backwards.

[joshcryer]

52. Called it.

[Beausoir]

53. Well, if that's true, it won't help him.

Face facts....nobody give a hoot about pot these days.

Medical marijuana is making some inroads for the people who really need it.

But Bernie the Socialist coming out in favor of pot is not going to generate any surprise or excitement.

[nilesobek]

57. Its a cultural war and we are winning.

The wave of cannabis is headed East from the left coast and nothing will stop it. The old authoritarians have been dying off and the survivors can only dip into the canned lies fed to them for decades.

The growers are outmaneuvering the slow kkkops and their political and religious allies. The young people are hip to their jingo. Thank you Bernie for the courage to speak the truth about this horrific crime committed on our own citizens.

[raouldukelives]

59. Good. Yet another centrist position according to polls.

Just like taking care of our veterans, just like taking care of our own, just like ending corporate avarice and control of our legislature. Just like any position our media can spin to seem to appear far left when in reality it is Anywhere, USA.

[Segami]

67. LOL!

Yup......

[Major Hogwash]

63. Wow, Bernie is playing 3 dimensional chess. Your move, Hillary.

[pinebox]

64. oh ya

[Warren DeMontague]

65. Kick