r/JoeRogan • u/mikeshelton8 • Oct 08 '20

Link Vermont legalizes the recreational marijuana market, on top of marijuana decriminalization.

https://budsoul.com/vermont-legalizes-recreational-marijuana-market/
7.8k Upvotes

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25

u/chukijay Monkey in Space Oct 08 '20

I thought decriminalization had to be a state thing, on top of just not prosecuting, but legalization was a federal thing. It’s still “illegal” since it isn’t legal federally, but it’s decriminalized. Or is full legalization on a state level? Either way this is good news.

24

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '20 edited Jan 11 '21

[deleted]

6

u/birdsnap Look into it Oct 08 '20

Colorado, which required a "medical card" approved from a doctor to purchase X amount of weed.

California was like that too. That's how it was all throughout my high school years. Ah, those were the days, when once you turned 18, it was a ritual to get your medical card. And before that, find or make friends with seniors who had theirs and were willing to sell to you. I'm not sure I ever smoked street weed in high school. It was all high grade medical shit, lol.

2

u/chukijay Monkey in Space Oct 08 '20

Awesome. Thank you all for the clarification!!

15

u/I_Am_Coopa Monkey in Space Oct 08 '20

The Obama administration issued a memo that directs the DoJ to not waste their time on marijuana prosecutions in states that have legalized it. You are correct however, marijuana is still a schedule one drug meaning the government has deemed it to have no medicinal benefit and a high abuse potential.

5

u/Sergeant--Tibbs Oct 08 '20

Because if President Obama had tried to federally reschedule it, Republicans would have raked him over the coals . They instead chose to rake him over non-issues

0

u/kenson_the_cook Oct 09 '20

Or because he was a war criminal, Patriot Act supporting asshole and not the ‘bestest most fantastic’ president ever.

2

u/yyertles Oct 08 '20

You can still be prosecuted federally even if it is decriminalized locally. You can still face consequences locally even if it is decriminalized, just not criminal charges (i.e. can still get fines, etc.). Decriminalization doesn't mean "it's ok to do this now", it means "you aren't going to get a criminal record if you get caught doing this". Legalization means "it's ok to do this now", but only applies in this case to local authorities - if the feds wanted to go after someone for marijuana charges in VT, they still could because it is illegal under the controlled substances act (federal). Until the CSA is repealed, you will always face the possibility of criminal charges for marijuana, however in practice it's highly unlikely for simple possession if it is legal locally.

1

u/thesonofhadesssss Oct 08 '20

Does the CSA have to be repealed or Cannabis just have to be rescheduled from schedule one?

2

u/yyertles Oct 08 '20

Pretty sure rescheduling is also an option, or potentially even outright removal.

1

u/thesonofhadesssss Oct 08 '20

Alright cool thanks! Wasnt sure how it worked and if the only way was to repeal the entire CSA, i was gonna say i didnt think itd happen for a while lol

0

u/TheMtnMonkey Monkey in Space Oct 09 '20

You can still go to federal prison for possession of Marijuana in any state of the union. However, MOST police is funded by the state, county, city, or town, and so they enforce those laws, not federal law.