Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Pot Delayed Is, well, Pot Delayed

It is still legal to grow your own pot and share with friends and family

So apparently only two State Senators can upend the will of the voters and enact a six month delay on the commercial sale of marijuana in our fair state, moving the original deadline (six months) from one year from now to 1.5 years from now.

The measure passed in Amherst almost as overwhelmingly as the town supported Hillary Clinton for President.

Originally municipalities had until January 1st, 2018 to line up their ducks for granting permits for recreational sales, or at that point any facility that had approval to sell medical marijuana could then start selling it to anybody over the age of 21 with no medical approval required.

Now that drop-dead deadline has been pushed back to July 1st, 2018.  The measure still requires the approval of Governor Baker but since he's an opponent of recreational sales I'm sure he will be happy to sign the delay.

In an unusual meeting this morning the Select Board met to call a Special Town Meeting to revote  the $67 million Mega School.

 Select Board met this morning and can place anything they want on town ballot

Chair Alisa Brewer also confirmed the SB would soon discuss the idea of placing on the Spring ballot a referendum question allowing Amherst to limit the number of permits for recreational sales to either 20% of the liquor licenses issued, or the same number of medical marijuana dispensary permits issued.

Either measure would limit the number of recreational pot facilities to three or less.  And it's a safe bet UMass will be arguing for less.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

The point is what? To give the outlets that get permits a near monopoly?

Anonymous said...

I have let the Senate President know he has lost my vote. Please call or email him if you are disappointed too!

Anonymous said...

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mysterious-illness-tied-to-marijuana-use-on-the-rise-in-states-with-legal-weed/

Dr. Ed said...

I would so love to see University Drive become known as "Pot Row", with various head shops being pictured with the UM towers in the distance.

That said, what do you think the ATF do if some state legalized the sale of machine guns and rocket launchers? Marijuana is still a Schedule I drug, and the DEA IS GOING TO DO THE SAME THING.

Trump's gonna do it for a bunch of reasons, started with which states voted for Hillary -- the legal pot ones, and this will be payback.

Anonymous said...

You have a hotline to Mr. Trump, eh?

Anonymous said...

Um, Ed, the government regulates interstate commerce. This is not leaving the state, so it's not under the feds' jurisdiction.

Anonymous said...

No stores, just private cultivation and use, with no interference from the police.

What's to complain about?

Rich Morse

Anonymous said...

Ed, since pot was legalized in Maine, where you actually live, why don't you spend your time pestering the people there instead.

Anonymous said...

A new study from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found an 11 percent reduction in traffic fatalities in states with medicinal and legal marijuana laws, which includes 23 states and the District of Columbia.

Anonymous said...

Grow your own, and let the dumbass politicians lose their jobs as the state loses millions, maybe billions in tax dollars. Start looking for a new job Rosenberg. The black market will explode with pot now that everyone is a grower, and the price will come down. Hey Stan, maybe the state ought to reconsider the gay marriage law, too? Didn't expect you to go two faced, but you are a politician so I guess I was stupid to think otherwise about you.

Anonymous said...

Look, when a populous acts like children, they get treated like children. When they accept any rule or law, they will get more rules and laws. When they say no and you comply without thought, they will say no more. When you allow 2 people in government to make a unilateral decision for you, they will over and over again. Eventually you will not even know it is happening and think it is normal not to make your own decisions.

You heard the town and the state over the last week....you are just too dumb, ignorant or otherwise to have what you voted for. This is mass....so they don't have to give it to you. They don't have to reduce the income tax, they don't have to reduce any tax.

You accepted a 25% increase in the sales tax with almost no resistance, you accepted pot being illegal with almost no resistance, you allow those in government to forbid you from your home and tax you at almost any level until you cannot support your family without help.

What do you expect after all that? I hope more of the same as your hands are wrapped permanently around your ankles.

Now go get your medical pot card so you can be treated like a limited and highly restricted adult in denial.

Oh and the black market says THANK YOU, THANK YOU KINDLY. Obviously the black market will continue with our without the state - no approvals, permits or fees - and now minimal risk. The longer the state delays their petty actions, the more entrenched the alternative market will get like it has in the last 3 years. There is still a huge black market in Colorado. Those that are wealthy want quality organic weed, which is not in stores, and those that have no money want weed at a value, which is not in stores. Not everyone grows, thus someone has to sell. Also, given how we screwed the Millenials with over regulation, over education and increases in the value of everything combined with automation and efficiency limiting jobs and increasing, this allows them another 6 months to pretend to be in business before they go back to hoping for Cumby's jobs they wont get and move back home to grow for mom and dad as rent. Millenials actually need the black market in pot to keep going, we all do, this is one of the few things that is keeping this generation from falling on its face after we sucked the low wage and start up economy dry.

Anonymous said...

Ed. The feds can only shut down the legal state mandated monopoly market, which actually would help the state overall - it would keep pot in small business hands and away from government eyes and taxes.

Even if Ed is right, Mass is better off. It is no longer possible to send out enough troops or officers to stop pot from being grown...in fact there never was. This would be more difficult than taking away peoples' guns, another fantasy.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to post again, but folks may want to know....the Commerce clause covers anything that can effect interstate commerce, which is actually everything you do. This is a government catch all that citizens have not resisted for some reason.

This law has been used to stop individuals from providing milk to their family from their own cow on their own farm, as if you do this, you will not demand milk from the interstate commerce market. This did not even leave the property of the owner, as is typical with legal weed and has been used in the past when adults were weaker to bust folks. Thus, by not participating in interstate commerce, when a normal person would, you are subject to the law for almost any action - if the powers want to subject you to it, selectively. It is a butterfly flaps its wings kind of law. Similar concept to when you violate a law, you are charged with 6 crimes - the "throw the book at 'em" kind of leverage. Used when needed, selectively based on how much the citizen is hated, part of our traditional unequal rights laws.

So, the reasons the feds will stay hands off of individuals is there are too many of them, not the commerce clause or any law for that matter. This is a momentum thing, not a legal thing.

I remember in 2009 when this whole thing busted loose in Colorado with meds. I had a friend say to me he is going to get his med card. I asked why now vs. 5+ years ago as the laws in CO did not change, he could have done it anytime. He said that now it was acceptable - right after the Obama memo. He was right, within 3 months over 100,000 people joined the CO med program which previously had 1000+. Safe dispensaries popped up, no special state permits or anything - just caregivers in strip malls with nice shops. The rest is history, if he and others like him did not feel the momentum, at the same time, even mass would not have med weed right now. It was pushed forward based on numbers and people - specifically in Colorado, once it started, it could not be stopped because people love weed.

Worth noting that after the dispensaries popped up, the state clamped down in more modern style (more like mass) and that is when the weed really starting getting to the kids....when they restricted the new legal market, especially after getting so many people growing, like in Mass. Initially, patients/growers could sell their excess to dispensaries (this is the #1 way to stop it from getting to the black market and kids). Dealers refused to sell to folks that did not have med cards, they did not want to break the law. With many growers and the new legal market slowed down, the growers had to turn to other markets and sold out of state and to kids once the laws got strict like today. This also fast tracked the biz to big money and large operators, more pesticides and less organic growing. Now that the out of state market is diminishing as states become legal, the only market really left for growers is and was the kids, many of whom are growing with parents permission, as it is better than seeking dealers....like letting your kids drink at home, safer, but illegal.

Again, if you want to control where the weed goes, allow folks to sell to dispensaries to be resold legally. This is critical and seems to be strongly opposed for some reason. There is your control solution though, it worked when implemented and caused problems when restricted. It is a solution that those in government strongly oppose, because this is about govt and corp money, not your kids, safety or local business, especially in Massachusetts.

Anonymous said...

Blah! Blah! Blah! ZZZZZZ.

Dr. Ed said...

Um, Ed, the government regulates interstate commerce. This is not leaving the state, so it's not under the feds' jurisdiction.

See Katzenbach v. McClung, 379 U.S. 294 (1964)

Ollie McClung wanted a White-Only restaurant, making the same claim, and SCOTUS said no. Ron Paul was right when he said that the Civil Rights Act was unConstitutional, but it's a moot point.

Although as to "leaving the state", is any part of the state more than 1/2 hour from another state? Where did we all get beer on Sundays back in the '90's?

Anonymous said...

Two words: Pot Roadblock.

If the cops can do it for Alcohol -- and applying it to passengers as the UMPD does -- then....

And just imagine what could be done with creative tax laws.

Anonymous said...

Why don't You stop pestering Ed and the rwat of us. Harrassment.

Anonymous said...

Anon 1:35 is a douchebag....Harassment!

Anonymous said...

That is because voting is not about deciding, it is about crowd control.

Thr people vote, they do this and there will be no resistance, not even by the bs flag contingency.

Anonymous said...

Mental capacity inebriated - is DELAYED. !!?$&@