The Republican Party's Pot Dilemma

[xchrom]

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/03/the-republican-partys-pot-dilemma/284289/

?n24s8m

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—Christopher Beach was trying to defend keeping marijuana illegal to a roomful of conservatives, and it was not going well.

When Beach insisted the drug war has not been a complete failure, laughter rippled through the crowd.

When he said governments sometimes have to protect people from themselves, there were groans and boos.

One after another, audience members stood to quibble with his statistics and accuse him of bad faith. As the discussion drew to a close with yet another hostile blast in his direction, Beach mumbled into his microphone, "This is just getting more fun."

[Scuba]

1. In Colorado, 50,000 more people voted for legalization than voted for President Obama.

[tridim]

2. And then there is Hillary's pot dilemma.

She is one of the few Democrats who fully support the war on recreational Cannabis users.

I will never vote for someone who is pro drug war. That's a problem.

[pipoman]

3. Thinking if our party doesn't change it's platform

to reflect support for decriminalization or legalization, it's going to be a bigger dilemma for Democrats...

[RandiFan1290]

4. The Florida house just passed a bill to legalize 'Charlotte's Web'

With the help of republicans. It's a start!

I wonder if this would legalize hemp, too

http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/charlottes-web-medical-marijuana-use-clears-florida-house-panel/2168777

TALLAHASSEE — One conservative Republican who has suffered from brain cancer talked about the deceit of the federal government in hiding the health benefits of marijuana for his cancer. Another legislator reluctantly met with a South Florida family only to be persuaded to support legalizing the drug.

Then there was Rep. Charles Van Zant, the Republican from Palatka who is considered the most conservative in the House. He not only voted with his colleagues on Wednesday to pass out the bill to legalize a strain of marijuana for medical purposes, he filed the amendment to raise the amount of psychoactive ingredients allowed by law — to make it more likely the drug will be effective.

The 11-1 vote by the House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice was the first time in modern history that the Florida Legislature voted to approve any marijuana-related product.
Related News/Archive

"That's because people here in Tallahassee have realized that we can't just have a bumper-sticker approach to marijuana where you're either for it or against it,'' said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Shalimar, the committee chairman and sponsor of the bill. "Not all marijuana is created equally."

The committee embraced the proposal, HB 843, by Gaetz and Rep. Katie Edwards, D-Plantation, after hearing heart-wrenching testimony from families whose children suffer from chronic epilepsy.