The House Got it Done - Haiku - US House of Representatives Passes Legislation Legalizing Cannabis Federally

The House got it done:
Passing legal cannabis
Now. Onto the Senate.

Correction to the above: The MORE Act was passed by the House Judiciary Committee, but has yet to be voted on by the full House, after which it passes to the Senate. But I have little doubt that they will pass it, particularly as it has strong bipartisan support.

Similarly, I mentioned below that Colorado had eliminated their property tax, as they were taking in so much more in taxes from the cannabis trade, but that too appears to be incorrect.

They do have lower property taxes than many states, but although there was a push to drastically reduce the property tax rates, from what I can find it seems to have failed.

Which is what I get for scheduling a post well after 3 AM. ;-)

I'm usually pretty good about fact checking, but I blew it this time. Sorry about that.

So. As the Impeachment Hearings for President Donald J. Trump move inexorably forward, and as he commits further obstruction and witness tampering live, in real time, the US House of Representatives has continued attending to other business as well.

On Wednesday, without much fanfare, they passed the following new legislation: House Bill 3884: The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act.

As [this article] notes, "The MORE Act removes the marijuana plant from the federal Controlled Substances Act, thereby enabling states to enact their own cannabis regulations free from undue federal interference. The vote marks the first time that members of Congress have ever voted to federally deschedule cannabis.

"According to a 2018 Quinnipiac University poll, 70 percent of U.S. voters support this policy change. To date, 33 states have enacted laws regulating patients’ access to medical cannabis and nearly one in four Americans reside in a state where the adult use of marijuana is permitted.

"It is inappropriate for the federal government to continue to either interfere with or stand in the way of these voter-initiated policies.

"Members decision to move forward with the MORE Act is significant. This act is the most comprehensive marijuana reform bill ever introduced in Congress, and it’s backed by a broad coalition of civil rights, criminal justice, drug policy, and immigration groups.

"This legislation seeks to address the millions of Americans who suffer from the stigma and lost opportunities associated with a low-level marijuana possession conviction. It provides funding and inducements to states to enact policies that expunge these criminal convictions from citizens’ records so that they can more successfully move on with their lives.

"And it also seeks to assist America’s military veterans by, for the first time, permitting physicians associated with the Veterans Administration the authority to recommend medical cannabis therapy to patients who reside in legal marijuana states.

"It also permits those players in the existing state-legal marijuana industry to access to banking and other necessary financial services."

That last statement is incredibly important, as cannabis businesses have been prohibited from using traditional banking services, because while legal at state level, it was still federally prohibited.

And, as any business owner knows, it is hard enough growing a business and making it profitable long term, without unnecessary and ridiculous restrictions such as being prohibited from using a checking or savings account, much less having access to credit and other financial services.

By forcing cannabis businesses to operate on a cash-only basis, they were unnecessarily putting the owners at risk of theft or worse, not to mention making it harder to keep accurate books, pay employees and vendors, and simply conduct their businesses in a normal business manner.

This legislation also, finally, blessedly, pulls the plug on the DEA and local police and sheriffs who have profited immensely by using asset forfeiture laws to enrich themselves and their departments at the expense of often law-abiding citizens, who were often merely accused of marijuana infractions, but, having had their assets seized before they even went to court, were unable to regain their property even when found innocent and cleared on all charges.

People have had business and personal bank accounts seized, cars, homes and much more, and yet even in cases where the charges were thrown out, they have often been unable to recover their personal property. This is criminal on every level.

I must admit that I was pleased to learn of this legislation being passed shortly after midnight, on 22 November, which is of course the anniversary of the state-sanctioned murder of President John F. Kennedy.

No. Oswald did not act alone, and anyone who says he did either has not considered all the evidence, or is lying.

Oswald did NOT have the authority, or means, to change the parade route, which was done shortly before the motorcade, slowing the car to a crawl and putting the president directly in the line of fire.

In any case, though I don't pretend to know President Kennedy's personal thoughts regarding cannabis, I have no doubt that he would have been very pleased to know that by removing cannabis as a scheduled drug, and expunging the criminal records of those whose only crime was possession, this legislation will truly serve justice for many of those who have been most often targeted by our legal system.

May he, and all who have died by violent means, rest in peace.

As for the Senate, though I have zero faith in Mitch McConnell or the vast majority of the Republican senators actually doing the right thing, they will pass this legislation, most likely hastily, because it is a cash cow.

For those unaware, the Trump administration has, like ALL Republican administrations in recent memory, been spending money like drunken sailors, and has vastly increased our federal debt.

The states that have legalized marijuana so far have been raking in tax dollars at an unprecedented rate; so much so that Colorado recently eliminated their property tax, as it was no longer needed, since they are taking in several times that amount in cannabis tax dollars.

So, as the money-grubbing greed hogs they are, Republican senators will pass this legislation because they can profit from it. Which, like Trump, is the only reason they do anything these days.

And no, passing this legislation now does NOT mean that Trump gets credit, and no, it does not mean that our current Criminal-in-Chief gets to stay in office. He still has to go, soon, and preferably in handcuffs.

We the People want and deserve a president who actually gives a shit about our nation and our people, not to mention the people of the world, and Trump has made it clear, for decades, that he can never be that man.

The photos above are of chaya plants, not cannabis, though they bear a superficial resemblance.

Chaya, also known as chayamansa or tree spinach, is by far one of the most nutritious plants on the planet, is tolerant of drought and flood, and is the single most highly productive hot weather dark leafy green vegetable.

I'll have plants and cuttings in my online store within the next few days.

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art and flair courtesy of @PegasusPhysics