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New US Attorney in Boston: Maybe I'll go after some pot dealers and maybe I won't
By adamg on Mon, 01/08/2018 - 3:14pm
Well, that didn't take long. Andrew Lelling, our new US Attorney, issued a statement today saying he might just take Jeff Sessions up on his offer to arrest people in the nascent legal (under state law, anyway) marijuana trade:
I understand that there are people and groups looking for additional guidance from this office about its approach to enforcing federal laws criminalizing marijuana cultivation and trafficking. I cannot, however, provide assurances that certain categories of participants in the state-level marijuana trade will be immune from federal prosecution.
Lelling said federal law still makes marijuana illegal and now that the Sessions has revoked an Obama-administration edict declaring state-authorized marijuana sales basically OK, he can't just sit idly by and let the laws of the realm be ignored. Still, he added, resources are limited and he'll be taking the matter up on a case by case basis:
As a law enforcement officer in the Executive Branch, it is my sworn responsibility to enforce that law, guided by the Principles of Federal Prosecution. To do that, however, I must proceed on a case-by-case basis, assessing each matter according to those principles and deciding whether to use limited federal resources to pursue it.
Deciding, in advance, to immunize a certain category of actors from federal prosecution would be to effectively amend the laws Congress has already passed, and that I will not do. The kind of categorical relief sought by those engaged in state-level marijuana legalization efforts can only come from the legislative process.
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Comments
Hmmm
I wonder who the "certain categories of participants" he won't rule out going afte
[NARRATOR: He means not-white people]
...Narrator, you didn't let me finish
marijuana
I voted for legalization, but I'd vote the other way if it came up again. Everywhere I go now I'm assaulted by the disgusting stench of weed. It has to be the most disgusting smelling thing out there.
smoking in public
Then we should probably ban cigarettes too if "it doesn't smell good" is your limit for something being illegal.
and the homeless, and garbage
and the homeless, and garbage collection day, and the seaport at low tide, etc...
Weed reeks: fact. Homeless
Weed reeks: fact. Homeless people are human beings and you're a selfish prick.
Edibles don't reek: fact
Edibles are generally only available through legal channels: fact.
Also bad news for actual
Also bad news for actual skunks.
Yes
Please ban smoking of any drug. (But eat what you like.)
Except...
Durian. Never eat durian in public.
They're worth 200 bells.
They're worth 200 bells. Better to sell than eat.
Good thing
it's now legal to get THC in edible forms, too. Just go to any pot store and, uh, hold on.
I have to say to all the
I have to say to all the people that claim that they "smell it everywhere they go"...where do you hang out? Because I am all over this city and I rarely smell it anywhere unless it's in my own living room.
You must hate the smell of cigarettes as well because I smell that more than I do anything else. Do you hate the cigarettes butts that are all over the place too?
You know what I hate? The smell of perfume and cologne. It's disgusting. Please stop using it.
everywhere
I smell weed in the car most of the time. No, not me smoking it. The cars in front of me. Its not as bad now that windows are closed but this past summer/fall was insane. I cant remember a day in the car I didnt smell weed.
Seriously?
The problem is that weed is still NOT AVAILABLE via retail.
Were it available (and had certain retrograde facist twits like Rep Dinoto not decided to hold an emergency seekret double seekret off the books "session"), there would be less reek and more nibbling.
Blame the asshat twits who wouldn't submit their cabal to written votes ... not the legal users.
'I'd vote the other way because it smells"
Please stop voting.
Yesterday
Yesterday, while driving, I had to follow a guy who was smoking a cigar. I'll take the "disgusting stench of weed" over that, anytime. Also -- diesel exhaust, cooking bamboo shoots, and the fish somebody heats up in the lunchroom microwave. There's a ton of stuff that smells worse than weed.
So let me guess??
So let me guess ciggertte smoke, which is the worst smoke of all by the way, is a better smell than a little weed??Yea right hater you just want something to bitch about. Get a life looser!
but really, THIS is the drug
but really, THIS is the drug we're worried about right now? the state is still dealing with its opiate epidemic, isn't it? maybe focus on that, instead of worrying about weed just because you think it's stinky.
Lemme guess...
Rotten potatoes, rotting onions, festering roadkill, blood and milk soaking a car carpet left inside on a hot summer day...
While I agree that cannabis smoke is an unpleasant smell, it is, to my nose, FAR from the most disgusting smell around.
Cambridge storm drains on Mass. Ave. in the summer are worse, but maybe it's from people emptying their bongs in the gutter.
He's not wrong
It's time for Congress to grow up and legalize the damned weed so we can move on to actual issues.
Any "State Rights" Republicans want to stand up to the plate?
Cory Gardner fits the bill
He's your basic state's-rights Republican senator (and head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee) and he hates the Sessions strategy:
Cory Gardner says AG Jeff Sessions’ decision to rescind marijuana policy “has trampled on the will” of Colorado voters.
Oh, yes, he's from Colorado.
I'm so old I remember when
I'm so old I remember when states rights were racist. Fascinating to watch uhub rediscover them over the past year.
What goes around comes around
So why after all these years of insisting upon states rights is the GOP now saying we have none?
Both sides are hypocritical.
Of course
Just like the legalization crowd couched its arguments in SJW arguments about disproportionate punishment when what was really going on was a bunch of wealthy aged hippies wanted to be able to light up in public without exposing themselves to legal liabilities or having the more staid and button-down types look down their nose at them. Also they wanted to make some money.
I left the ballot question blank. I don't give a fuck what you do to yourself so long as your sober when operating heavy machinery. But I also hate the smell of weed wafting up through the vents in my building that seemed to have ticked up a notch or two ever since the stuff was decriminalized.
Alt-Right jargon
For those not up on their right-wing crackpot jargon, SJW means social-justice warrior. That would be anyone who cares more about human rights than the right to bear arms or corporate citizen's rights.
Actually
Actually, SJW typically refers to someone who is more interested in virtue signaling than in actually working toward social justice.
Subject matter matters
State's rights to prohibit black people from marrying white people or any eligible adult human from marrying the human of their choice IS fascist and oppressive.
State's rights that create liberty where nonsensical prohibitions exist is traditional.
Any questions?
Let me translate
Strawmen that lefties hate with a burning passion (though it can't burn too hot to light up said strawmen; need to keep them around, you see) are "racist."
Strawmen that lefties love to death (but again, not literally; can't be killing of your talking points, after all) are "traditional."
The mistake was thinking that the same words and abstract concepts can't switch sides to suit the argument. They can and do. Witness the tax cut for the rich that was going to cost the wealthy more in taxes.
Burning Strawmen Fetish
Whatever floats your boat. I won't seek federal prohibition so long as you don't cause a wildfire or anything like that.
Wait ... you're a burner? Wow.
Congress
Just like so much of what Obama "did" through executive action, current policy was made by the stroke of a pen and can be undone just the same. The law as passed by Congress lists Marijuana as a schedule 1 drug, the same as LSD and Heroin. I disagree with that law and voted to decriminalize and also to legalize pot in MA, but since Congress has acted it is up to Congress to undo their error.
I'm not happy with the idea of prosecution, but this extra-legal existence for pot in the states who have voted to regulate it is not the right way forward. This country is based on the rule of law, not the rule of men. Maybe this action by Sessions will finally cause Congress to act to undo their earlier mistake.
Congress is controlled by
Congress is controlled by republicans and republicans want nothing more than to tell people what to do with their bodies and throw minorities in prison.
Yeah, sure
No smug liberal named Kinopio ever told me what I can and can't do about getting my body from point A to point B. No sirree. Never happened. He never accused anyone murder nor stated his desire to see motorists jailed for the crime of operating a motor vehicle on city streets either.
You either suck at trolling or you really did just fall of the turnip rickshaw.
I hate to do this, but "ten
I hate to do this, but "ten points for Gryffindor."
Controlled
Congress was controlled by Democrats when the 91st Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act. 57 Democrat Senators to 43 Repubs. 243 Democrat Representatives to 192 Repubs.
Seems to me it was Democrats that waned nothing more than to tell people what to do with their bodies.
Sigh
The clarification I would like to hear, from this guy or from Sessions, is whether they plan on going after just recreational marijuana, or if they plan on going after medical marijuana too. Federally, no use is legal.
If they put the brakes on the recreational plans, that's one thing, but come on. I hope they at least leave the medical marijuana program in place.
I'm for full legalization, but I hope they at least let cancer and epilepsy patients have their weed! This is getting beyond ridiculous.
Congress already took the
Congress already took the wind out of that sail. They passed a bill some years ago that prevents the Justice Dept from spending money on prosecuting medical marijuana. So whether our new US Attorney wants to admit it or not, the only choice that he can make is whether or not to go after recreational dispensaries and grow facilities.
Thank you
I didn't know this. Thanks for the information!
If that is true then maybe
If that is true then maybe the state should only allow medical marijuana. They should classify 2 levels of medical marijuana and keep them separate. Level one can be the equivalent of recreational with a staff member at the dispensary being able to write the recommendation. Level 2 should be the current medical marijuana and require a doctor's recommendation. It's not legal for either medical or recreational use at the federal level so as long as the state properly words it they could prevent the feds from going after anybody.
One of the best ways to get rid of bad laws...
... is to enforce them vigorously
--which is exactly why they
--which is exactly why they don't do it, and why they frequently drop charges as soon as anyone threatens to challenge a law behind a prosecution.
...which is why
...which is why the people who can afford to lawyer up get to skate, and the rest get locked up for a really stupid reason.
Back before his hair fell out and he jointed the Dr. Evil
Federalist Society, he studied literature and rhetoric at Binghamton University. My question is as follows: does this university actually exist, and how poorly must I perform academically in order to attend this institution.
Pointlessly dickish comment
.
Well, since you asked...
Yeah, there is a Binghamton University -- it's part of the State University of New York system.
Forbes Magazine ranked it among the top 15 "Best Value" public colleges nationally and it's been in the US News top 50 public colleges rankings for the last 18 years -- both of those are regarded as legit credentials. Also seems to fare well in helping low-income students attain social mobility. If you're curious about more accolades, you can go here: https://www.binghamton.edu/about/accolades.html.
Please note I'm not an employee of Binghamton or the SUNY system, nor do I have any family members or friends affiliated with the college.
Would have to google to be sure
But guessing that's SUNY Binghamtom. SUNY is state university of NY. Sorry not everyone has the money or legacy to go to an institution acceptable to you.
Who is the snooty one?
I'd say it is the person who truncates the name of their state system university to make it sound like a private school.
Binghamton
is known colloqiually as both "SUNY Binghamton" and "Binghamton" due to its brief history as an independent institution prior to its incorporation into the SUNY system. Back when kids my age were applying to college, they referred to it as "Binghamton" and other SUNY schools as SUNY X.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binghamton_University
So in summary, you're all wrong.
Pure Snooty
I've only heard it referred to as SUNY Binghamton - the official name of the school for 53 years.
At least when somebody puts it on a CV or a resume!
Saying "Binghamton" without the SUNY would be like me putting Lowell Tech on my resume - in other words, you wouldn't do it unless you were 65+ years old if you wanted to be credible.
From your cited reference:
Snooty branding blather and "let's make it sound like we are a prep school and not a State U" bs. What makes it really dumb: SUNY Binghamton is a really good school with a good reputation.
Not that you're completely wrong
But I'd see both "Binghamton" or "SUNY Binghamton" on a CV as equally amateurish given that the official name of the school is neither one of those.
It'd be like seeing "Ohio State" instead of "The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH" there, or "UCLA" instead of the actual full name of the school spelled out. A certain degree of formalism is expected in professional contexts, no?
Binghamton University
My daughter just graduated from Binghamton University. While it's true that it used to be generally referred to as SUNY Binghamton, and I certainly remember first hearing it that way many years ago, the university now brands itself as Binghamton University, and (confusingly for us Bostonians) shorten it to BU. That's what all the signs at the university say, that's what's on their web site at https://www.binghamton.edu/ , etc. Why shouldn't it be that way on his resume if that's what the school calls itself?
Albany, Buffalo, Stony Brook
And yes Binghamton all drop the SUNY except in official correspondence. They are the top flight of the SUNY system, so I would say that they rank above Plattsbugh State or Cortland State.
SUNYs have always been confusing....
I used to work at one of them.
Albany, Binghamton and Buffalo (of course there are two SUNY Buffalos, one is Buffalo State the other is UB) have sort have been in a competition as to which is going to be the flagship SUNY school. All three schools have started division 1 sports within the last 15-25 years, and the higher ups eventually want one of these schools to be on par with other large state universities across the country (Michigan, Cal, Texas, Wisconsin).
Many of them start with the small changes, "UB" or "BU" and eliminate the "suny" label which simply doesn't have the right ring to it.
Sessions' Prison Industrial Complex
President Obama worked to eliminate the scourge of private, for-profit prisons and other cruel and unfair practices within the federal justice system. Mr. Sessions is doing everything he can to reverse the previous administration's policies.
The attorney general has been a long-time supporter and investor in the for-profit prison industry, which unsurprisingly, is one of his major campaign contributors. Considering this man has a history of malicious and racial-based prosecution, he is in a position to inflict widespread suffering upon the American populace.
Additionally, Mr. Sessions is currently engaged in a campaign of deflection concerning crimes committed at the very top of our government. One of his tactics is to put the rest of the nation on the defensive with a steady stream of harsh pronouncements. He is truly one of the most evil persons in America.
The best part?
He's from a state that wanted to leave, but whom we fought to keep, and whom we in the Northeast now subsidize. IMPERIALISM!
The South won the Civil War.
President Obama worked to
Link please.
Here you go
This work for you? No, probably not.
A scared little bureaucrat
Lelling is a small man working for a racist perjurer and possible traitor. He's as impotent as Trump in his ability to stop the weed wave.
I mean, due to fed law, even
I mean, due to fed law, even if he wanted to, he can't just come out and say that he's not going to go after recreational use.
The best we can do is read between the lines here, esp the part about limited resources, which was partly a reason behind the Cole memo.
State cops should immediately arrest any federal agents
found to be putting their hands on people for marijuana usage, sale, possession, or other related activities legal under state law. Any federal agents engaged in, or having ordered or directed, such criminal activities should be charged with felony assault and kidnapping, tried and, if convicted, imprisoned in state penitentiaries.