no, it's not the onion....Senate Votes to Double Fines, Jail Time for Pot Brownies

[spanone]

what a fucked up nation we live in...that's right the SENATE....of the UNITED STATES....a UNANIMOUS VOTE....BIPARTISAN...FINALLY



Last night the United States Senate voted to double the penalties for the nation’s newest existential threat: brownies made with marijuana!

The Senate unanimously passed Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)’s “Saving Kids from Dangerous Drugs Act of 2009″ (S. 258) that targets pot brownies and other marijuana edibles preferred by some medical marijuana patients. The bill next moves to the House; if it passes that chamber, anyone making pot brownies or similar products could be subject to double the fines and jail time for regular marijuana.

This bill’s passage marks a step backwards for Congress, which this week also passed the Fair Sentencing Act that reduced the sentencing disparities between cocaine and crack from 100:1 to 18:1. Now we have a new disparity: pot brownies and other marijuana edibles are now treated as something twice as bad as just distributing marijuana.


http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/07/30/senate-votes-to-double-fines-jail-time-for-pot-brownies/

[opihimoimoi]

1. Does this apply to peeps w pot license??? Its not fair to those who do not smoke but ingest for pain

relief

[spanone]

2. you'll have to ask our democratic congress. i'm at a loss.

[Oregone]

6. Why would a state license affect federal law?

My *guess* is probably not. I bet even VA patients, whose are told they are no longer penalized by the VA for cannabis, will be subject to this

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

31. it certainly might affect MMJ patients!

Federal law is still clear no matter what happens with the states. All it will take is for Obama or his replacement to repeal the Holder Memo and every caregiver, dispensary, medical marijuana center and patient who chooses to make safe, effective medicine by cooking cannabis into food could be attacked under this law.

We simply cannot allow this to pass the House.

[arbusto_baboso]

3. This is why it's irrelevant if California legalizes pot sales this November.

Congress will continue to push for more and tighter, and kookier regulation of what is essentially a harmless substance. States may decriminalize, but the DEA will continue to enforce. And woe betide anyone who applies for a federal job and admits to marijuana use!

[spanone]

4. it's big money

http://www.drugsense.org/wodclock.htm

[arbusto_baboso]

5. Yep. Corporate-run prisons.

[Uncle Joe]

7. Then if they get popped for pot brownies, they should take the federal government to court

for violating the VIII Amendment.

"Excessive bail should not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

[Kablooie]

45. It will be California's illegal immigrant law. The feds will fight it in court.

If legalization passes in November, of course.

[frylock]

8. damn you nader!!!1

[Warpy]

9. This is so insane I'd love to be able to haul Feinstein into

a court to find out just what provoked her into submitting it.

This is the stupidest thing ever.

Instead of wigging out over loaded brownies, just legalize it, already.

[TheKentuckian]

10. We just need a few more Dems and it'll all be different, dontcha know?

[Ignis]

23. 60! 60! 60! 60! 60!

That must be the explanation for this crap: We just couldn't do a damned thing to stop Di-Fi without 60 progressive senators.

:banghead:

[snake in the grass]

42. These fuckers could have 90 seats in the Senate...

...and they'd still be like the Keystone Cops. Almost every single one of them is worthless.

[glowing]

11. so out of touch with reality. When will we ever rid ourselves of these idiots.

[spanone]

12. i've known cancer patients who've preferred brownies over smoking. this is mean.

why the fuck should they get twice the penalty? this is so absurd.

if only eli lilly held the patent.

[old mark]

16. This is the ENTIRE problem; the wrong people are making money on pot -

If it were "owned" by the Pharma companies, it would have been legal...and, IMO, it won't ever be legalized because the cops and politicians and banks are making too much money in bribes and money laundering from the BIG TIME importers and growers to want to lose it...only the little guys get busted, ever since the 1960's.


mark

[Blue Owl]

13. Let's double the jail sentence of rapists who drive white vans

As long as we're rubber-stamping the pure insanity.

[slay]

14. Diane Feinstein is a COWARD to hide behind children in passing this nonsense

kids don't eat pot brownies - you know who eats pot brownies - AIDS patients, CANCER patients. Damnit this proves we MUST legalize marijuana and end this insanity!

[jmowreader]

19. No, she's a politician

Rule Number One in politics: there is no law so tyrannical you can't get it passed by putting the words "Save Our Children From" in the title of it.

[Greyhound]

30. Not to mention the very worst sort of elitist and a thief to boot.

Yet, she is all but certain to be re-elected.

[glitch]

15. We need to require drug tests for the Senate, they're on something fugly. nt

[damntexdem]

17. Taking pot shots at good times.

And after having eliminated the stupid distinction in sentencing for crack vs. cocaine, I guess the Senate just had to right the balance by doing something stupid.

;-)

[jtuck004]

18. 15 million unemployed and we pay these folks $170,000/yr to do...THIS? n/t

[femrap]

20. This fucking

Senate bugs the crap out of me. People w/ no jobs and they're worried about pot brownies. :wtf:

Legalize all the drugs, tax them, and maybe get a few new jobs while we're at it. No more turf wars over drugs. Police will get to concentrate on violent crimes instead of policing the war on drugs.

And coming from Di-Fi, the former mayor of San Francisco. Why doesn't she just become a Repugnant and get it over with.

:mad: :puke: :mad: :puke: :mad: :puke: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[Dragonfli]

32. Because when Republicans run as dems... The entire D machine works to elect them

Even against actual Democrats.
Running as a democrat is a cushy way for Republicans to get a Democratic President to endorse them so that they can fight against Democratic principles with the power of an elected office.

These types of Republicans in (D)rag are just cashing in on the gift to them that is the DLC infiltration machine.

You can't blame her for our Leaderships stupidity.

If it were smarter to run as the Republican she is, she would.

[upi402]

36. +1,000 ^

Voters watch TV news and are easy to fool

[femrap]

40. I guess it's all just one happy party. nt

[Fumesucker]

21. I've been saying for a long time now that the drug war is the most bipartisan of policies..

I think this pretty well proves my point.

We definitely need more Democrats in the Senate, eh?

Oh, wait.. Every single Dem in the Senate voted for this stupidity.

[spanone]

24. yep.....U N A N I M O U S......it makes me sick

[Ignis]

22. Primary Di-Fi

But why bother? Hawks like her seem to fit right in with the New, Improved, Pro-War Democratic party.

:argh:

[krabigirl]

25. Ugh..cannot wait to vote her out next time around.

[flamingdem]

26. What about cookies, are they okay? nt

doiiiii oooiii ng

[Ross K]

27. Has the Senate ever really gotten into the contemplation of their HANDS, man?

:rofl:

[kenny blankenship]

28. please say that you're being funny ( ha ha ) ?

[Greyhound]

29. Feinstein proposed it so it has to a terrible idea.

Why you guys keep sending her back defies sanity.

[City Lights]

33. Who will protect them from the US Senate's STUPIDITY?

:nuke:

What fucking, clueless idiots.

[opihimoimoi]

34. Yup...stuuupid and clueless

[upi402]

35. Senate must've sample the damn brownies

:hurts:

[Dawson Leery]

37. Senators recieve $170,000 for their 'work'.

That's alot of money for such little meaningful work.

[David Zephyr]

38. Idiotic. So sick people are to "smoke" their medicine rather than take it orally?

This is politicians acting like politicians.

[NC_Nurse]

39. I weep for our "democracy".

Pathetic.

[girl gone mad]

41. As if we needed more proof that Washington is completly out of touch.

Ugh.

[Scuba]

43. While war crimes go unpunished. n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

44. I LUV ME MY DEMOCRATIC PARTY!!@%$$%@@@!!!

I AM SO SOLIDARITY ALL OVER THEM WITH MY LUV!!!@$!!!!

[spanone]

46. they are making it a challenge, i must admit

[johnaries]

47. Once again, FDL totally misrepresents the facts.

From the portion of the bill quoted in FDL's article (emphasis added):

(1) UNLAWFUL ACTS- Except as authorized under this title, including paragraph (3), it shall be unlawful for any person at least 18 years of age to knowingly or intentionally manufacture or create, with intent to manufacture, create, distribute, or dispense, a controlled substance listed in schedule I or II that is–

‘(A) combined with a candy product;

(B) marketed or packaged to appear similar to a candy product; and

‘(C) modified by flavoring or coloring the controlled substance with the intent to distribute, dispense, or sell the controlled substance to a person under 18 years of age.

I emphasized the "and" because that means the first 2 sections are not prosecutable unless the 3rd part is proven. The 3rd deals with "intent" and specifically states "under 18 years of age". That renders FDL's argument as patently false.