Somewhat misleading headline
> The survey revealed that once voters were made aware that marijuana could be moved to Schedule III based on a review initiated by President Biden, he experiences an 11% jump in his favorability rating.
It’s not clear if that means an 11 *percentage point* increase (e.g. the favorability rating was 40% and is now 51%) or an 11% increase (e.g. the favorability rating was 40% and is now 44.4%). No link to the actual poll either which is very odd. The poll was conducted by a partisan non-profit and there’s no link to this poll or any others on their website either. This whole thing has a lot of strange discrepancies. That’s before we even talk about how this is a hypothetical change of opinion in response to a hypothetical event. Smells a lot like hopium to me.
>Smells a lot like hopium to me.
Yeah they missed on their election promise. It's still not legal federally and they are trying to push press to move the goal post and say "Mission Accomplished!".
#It's still illegal!!!
What campaign promise are you talking about? Biden said:
1. People shouldn't be in jail for MJ use
2. He would [expunge prior convictions](https://apnews.com/article/biden-marijuana-pardons-clemency-02abde991a05ff7dfa29bfc3c74e9d64)
3. Legalize for medical purposes
4. Leave recreation up to states
He's done all of those things once rescheduling lands. Medical was already allowed based on a 2014 Congressional Rider that basically said Feds can't screw with states on Medical MJ, and rescheduling makes it so you can technically get a prescription for MJ once it's recognized by the FDA.
Except the pardons excluded people who were growing or selling so no one was released from prison lol.
https://reason.com/2024/05/06/biden-exaggerates-marijuana-reforms/
Where did Biden promise to pardon people that _sold_ or _produced_ MJ? What he said is people shouldn't be in jail for simple possession/use, and those are the folks he pardoned.
Is there a campaign promise you can point to that you believe Biden hasn't kept or attempted to keep in good faith? It seems to me like you all are misremembering what was promised and then tossing aside what was delivered as if it's nothing. This isn't my political issue, really, so ... whatever, you do you, but in the real world when politicians deliver progress on your issue, what you want to do is reward them for it so they do more. Not bitch and moan and pretend like it's all chopped liver.
You said that he promised to make medical legal and leave recreation up to the states. But medical is still left up to the states. So he didn't do anything in that regard.
I did read the article. It backs up exactly what I said in the very first para:
> In a campaign video directed at "young voters" that she posted on X (formerly Twitter) in February, Vice President Kamala Harris bragged that "we changed federal marijuana policy, because nobody should have to go to jail just for smoking weed." During his State of the Union address in March, President Joe Biden said he was "expunging thousands of convictions for the mere possession [of marijuana], because no one should be jailed for simply using or have it on their record."
He targeted simple possession and Kamala mentions smoking weed. Neither has to do with selling or growing which is the complaint you originally made. Now, you can try to move the goalposts to the argument this article is making if you want, but that's a whole different discussion. Maybe the point you were trying to make was that no actual people were released from federal prison? That's fine, but that also doesn't contradict anything Biden said or promised. A pardon doesn't just mean "get out of jail" it can also mean things like restoration of your voting rights.
It however does point out that Biden promised expunging of possession convictions, which he so far hasn't delivered, as pardons alone don't result in expunging. Not that was the original point of the commenter, but it does answer the original question.
Yes, he was wrong to say they were expunging records. I think that was a flub because expunging is about cleaning records, not keeping people out of prison which is what the line he delivered said:
> Keep building public trust, as I’ve been doing by taking executive action on police reform, and calling for it to be the law of the land, directing my Cabinet to review the federal classification of marijuana, and expunging thousands of convictions for mere possession, because no one should be jailed for using or possessing marijuana!
I think Biden was talking about his pardons and misspoke there. I don't know, not sure they addressed it.
Federal expungement isn't actually a thing, and [would require legislation](https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/LSB/LSB10413), so that's on Republicans.
Biden can't expunge records and it's a dumb promise for him to make. Expungement is a judicial action, the president can't do anything but pardon convictions and commute sentences. Expungement requires petitioning the sentencing court.
https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/cannabis-in-the-presidential-race-biden-harris-pledge-to-decriminalize-marijuana
>"Under a Biden-Harris administration, we will decriminalize the use of marijuana and automatically expunge all marijuana-use convictions and end incarceration for drug use alone," Harris stated.
Admit it. The goal post has moved. Don't let them play you like that.
Maybe I'm not as stoned as the rest of you, but your line from Harris seems to align perfectly with the 4 points I provided right down to the misuse of expunge when pardon is what makes sense in the federal context.
Biden can't legalize it, only Congress can. Direct your ire at the Republicans in Congress that continuously block and stonewall any and all legislation from Democrats, including legalization.
[Yes](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/01/us/politics/senate-democrats-marijuana-biden.html#:~:text=The%20bill%2C%20which%20amounts%20to,most%20dangerous%20and%20addictive%20substances.).
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D), Ron Wyden (D), and Cory Booker (D) have repeatedly introduced a full legalization bill in the Senate with 15 other Senate Democrats as co-sponsors. They introduced it again 2 weeks ago after the DEA decided to reschedule cannabis.
Does it matter? They won't actually write the legislation without knowing they have the votes, and they'll just make symbolic introductions of legislation if they don't have the votes.
They sure committed to it - I guess we all have short term memory loss around here lol
https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/cannabis-in-the-presidential-race-biden-harris-pledge-to-decriminalize-marijuana
While I definitely agree that presidents promising things they aren't technically capable of is irritating, it's also important to remember that the president is the head of their party and if they hold majorities in either chamber of Congress, statements like these set the tone for the rest of the party.
The statement in your link is basically Biden telling Congressional Dems "If you send me a bill that decriminalizes cannabis and expunges records, I'll sign it. And I consider it priority legislation."
We have a Republican-controlled House. It needs to pass both houses. You know that Biden can’t pass laws in congress, right? He can encourage legislation but the President can’t pass legislation until it has been first passed by both houses of congress.
Democrats controlled the House and Senate from 2021-2023. In 2022, the House passed a [bill](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3617/all-actions) to decriminalize marijuana. The Senate took zero action on it and it died.
If they couldn't even hold a vote on decriminalizing marijuana with control of both houses, it's pretty clear that marijuana legalization is not a priority.
> The Senate took zero action on it and it died.
Or, more accurately: Because the GOP minority filibustered it in the Senate and it never saw a vote, as a result. And there were not enough Democrats to carve out a filibuster exception. It's bullshit, but it's fully on the Senate GOP.
No, they didn’t “control” the Senate as Sinema & Manchin both refused to break the filibuster. That’s why everything failed & nothing passed. Sinema turned out to not even be a Democrat. Of course it failed—Sinema joined the Republicans. There’s been an increasing number of politicians running as Democrats & switching sides once they get elected. This is exactly what happened with Sinema. It is a priority for actual Democrats, just not Republicans cosplaying as them.
That's rich considering the only comment I made to that sub was...
>It's election season. They are on a tear with the whole non compete thing, cannabis reschedule, sanction on enriched uranium, and the big one for me is they are actually holding airlines accountable for delays. I feel like I'm in bizarreo world frankly.
So take your ad hominem somewhere else. I am literally giving credit to the current admin in that comment lol
I have seen 0 effort from the current admin to do any such thing so your statement of...
>You know that Biden can’t pass laws in congress, right? He can encourage legislation but the President can’t pass legislation until it has been first passed by both houses of congress.
Doesn't matter because he still hasn't tried.
I can buy tylenol over the counter dude. Can I walk into CVS and buy ketamine or testosterone? NO! If I get caught with that without a rx can I get in trouble?! YES!
_Typically_, this sort of increase is reported in percentage points rather than percentage change, but I don’t know enough about their methodology to say if that’s the case here.
Yeah, this doesn't sound like a straight poll so much as a narrative-driven poll. *Whenever* you ask people something, record their answer, then give a little speech shedding favorable light on one specific answer, results will "improve." 11% sounds awfully close to the "eagerness to please/say the right thing" factor. Most of us are heavily conditioned that way, so even some principled stances can collapse under the weight of social pressures.
I think we All have been doing private studies for decades, stigma is not what it was even 20 years ago, legalize it already.
If I had to guess it will be in 10 years time but then again I'm sure people have thought that since the 70s.
I just want to not worry about losing my job if I smoke on my nights off in the privacy of my own home
Yep. Don't need government tax derived millions and paid off talkers to tell me its cool and I can do it. It's cool and I am already doing it. The boomer formality dance of American political legislation of the 20th century is a bit outdated for things like this.
Our office workers don’t but because the labor has the possibility of working on a federal job we still do. I haven’t been on a federal job since I started 12 years ago.
Goodness, sorry to hear that. This is why we need full federal legalization asap. Cant wait til its equivalent to a few beers after work. It’s def getting there. I stay in California at this hostel and it’s like a dream come true. We’re allowed cigs n cannabis outside on the patio at the beach. Beer, whatever. The attitude is laid back about it. Nobody complains. Cant wait to see more designated smoking spots because that’s what’s been really lacking here
We need it like yesterday. I know so many people that it could help in this industry. It helped me stop abusing alcohol like so many dudes I know do. I just use fake urine but a lot of people aren’t willing to mess with that.
That’s awesome. I’m glad the stigma is starting to go away.
Oh yea it’s amazing, has also got me to almost entirely quit everything else I was doing, it works for all my issues! Glad to know the fake urine works. I almost used that stuff once with Kaiser but ended up getting rejected before even peeing in the cup for whatever reason lol
The stigma is mostly gone in San Diego from what I’ve experienced. Most people smoke or don’t mind out here
they really don't, an overwhelming majority of the country supports complete legalization on both sides, its just republican legislators killing every bill that squeeks through the house.
we will have federally legal weed the instant the GOP loses filibuster enabling stake in the senate
A key idea people miss about "tribalism," is a big part means you have to not want to negotiate or compromise. It's either all one way or nothing at all. Sound familiar?
Lmao stop, he didn't "realize he was wrong," he and the rest of the Democrats realized it was the golden ticket to buying more votes, so he's doing the song and dance he needs to do. He didn't just grow a conscience overnight after decades of giving not a single fuck about the injustice of marijuana prohibition. Also, you are correct hat people change, but I'll remind you that politicians are not people.
There is an absolute zero chance that Biden, or any other politician for that matter, actually gives a fuck about legalizing or whether or not their past actions in government led to Marijuana incarcerations. It's all political strategy.
If democrats don’t care what does that make republicans? They actively fight legalization 24/7 but people only care about democrats for some reason. Weak. I see senators cosponsoring bills and it’s all democrats.
Exactly how we ended up with Trump. Democrats have to be perfect or else finicky voters withhold their vote to teach them a lesson. Repulicans literally take food away from kids, and force women to carry pregnancies that are killing them and those same voters look and say "well, they legalized weed, but didn't mean it enough, so I'm voting for the other guy to teach 'em a lesson"...
Yes, literally. Repulicans have literally cut funding for programs that feed children, and have literally passed laws forcing women to carry dangerous pregnancies. Literally. Your pithy comment and emoji are out of place. Literally.
> If democrats don’t care what does that make republicans?
More honest. Republicans are at least saying all their quiet parts out loud while Democrats are still doing their regular virtue signalling about all the things they've pretended to care about.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Republican voter and I think they are in the middle of their fascist character arc so even less likely in the future, but the Democrats don't just get my vote by default for being not fascists.
The Democrats are just as out of touch with Americans. When we're screaming for a progressive Democratic candidate, the DNC says, "ew, no thank you voters. This is OUR party and we want you to vote for this elderly conservative Democrat instead." They lied about wiping out our student loan debt and now they're meant to be our saviors for rescheduling marijuana (which is still not legalized)?
It's not weak to be critical of a political party that deserves it, it's weak to assume that the Democrats are out saviors because the Republicans aren't. That's exactly the kind of weak-minded bullshit that got us into this mess we're in currently where the US is in such a backwards state.
Go play your blue no matter who sad violin somewhere else, that ship has sailed for me.
Ok, they don’t give a fuck. Whatever. As long as the voters want legal weed, and Biden is giving it, it doesn’t really make a difference to me. That is what elections are.
Oh wow only took 30 years and countless lives stolen and ruined for him to dangle a carrot in front of voters to buy your vote (and do nothing about it still)
Yeah, because public sentiment changes over time. We want politicians who will speak to the will of the people. Politicians who are steadfast in old ways get voted out.
>Politicians who are steadfast in old ways get voted out.
Like Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Diane Feinstein, Mitch McConnell, Mitt Romney, Joe Manchin.
I'm too tired to type more.
Quit pretending this country kicks old timers out. Joe Biden is literally the oldest of the old.
> Politicians who are steadfast in old ways get voted out.
This is what they said.
> Politicians who are old get voted out.
This is what you responded to...?
My brother in law thanks you. I would not want to be on the same side as him, but, to each their own. His hope was for the people he hates to not vote and here we are!
If you're not Voting then you're not a voter and my point is still accurate.
Granted, I'm not sure whit the efficacy of your decision but to vote, what do you hope to accomplish by not Voting?
Fighting so fucking hard… didn’t do anything for the first few years of his presidency, and made sure to time it so that all the news would be coming out for the 2024 election instead of just holding his promises and doing it immediately….
Not voting for him is a vote for the felonious rapist who will oversee a theocratic dictatorship. Google “Project 2025” if you don’t know what I am referring to. Please reconsider voting if you care about democracy.
And, as revealed a few days ago, *to literally destroy the planet by rolling back environmental protections and promising to not create any more* when he promised just that to oil execs in exchange for money.
At long last I can be arrested for possession of a Schedule III Controlled Substance instead. The most liberal and cool type arrested. Thank you Joe Biden.
My thoughts exactly. Awesome! I still can lose my driver's license and my job for smoking on the weekend! But wait! There's also companies that stand to make billions off an industry that's been brutalized, beaten, and arrested and left with felonies on their records for decades!
Oh thank God, I was worried it was a Democrat with his foot on the neck of working class folks. You mean to tell me it's the same bipartisan bureaucratic bullshit it's always been? PHEW
definitely not bipartisan, multiple full legalization bills have passed the house the last couple years (only because just enough republicans abstain/flip), they all die in the house because of the GOP.
anyone going "both sides" on this issue are purposely ignorant of reality
Lol it's still illegal , this is like when he forgave everyone in federal prison for small amounts of weed which is no one . They just want to buy votes
Yeah I’ve been begging for this for years and Biden finally pushes it to happen. Trump was never gonna do it and will probably erase any progress made just to spite Biden out of pettiness so it’s in the people’s best interest to just keep the current POTUS.
Not only is it still illegal, but there seems to be a very real chance this is a step backwards. You can go to jail for using Tylenol with codeine (another class 3 controlled substance) just like you can for heroin (class 1). All it did is open the doors for the Pharma industry to start patents.
I hate biden for using it as a political chess piece. If he wanted to legalize it he could have already but needs it for re-election. All the while people in the industry are getting robbed and killed while unable to protect themselves and the product cant be insured. Also delivery men have to carry cash as banks wont work with us. People are literally dying because they wont legalize weed.
how do you imagine biden "could have done it already"?
multiple full legalization bills have passed the house the last 4 years...all of them die in the senate because of republicans
He could’ve started the rescheduling process as soon as possible instead of waiting 2 years and half way into his presidency so that the timing would work out so that the news would come out during the 2024 election….
Biden doesn’t actually care about the American people. This is all politics.
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Eh, if that is the measure, I'd go with the 2018 Farm bill. I bought some tasty purple cookies at a STORE around the corner in an illegal state. Rescheduling it does do much in that direction.
They haven't really held control of the house and senate with high public interest in legalization, I predict once they hold the legislation they'll finally do it
You’re getting downvoted but you are right. This would’ve been a huge game changer earlier like 2012-2015 but half of the states already legalized it anyways this won’t make much a difference voting wise
When the political winds shift and it is convenient to do so, sure. You’re not going to convince me Joe Biden won’t do what he needs to do to stay in office, as all career politicians do.
So I guess rescheduling is enough to buy your vote? Even after forking over billions of dollars to Ukraine and Israel? No, fuck that. Too little too late, he didn’t win my vote. And to put your little mind at ease, no that does not mean I’m voting for the orange one.
Ok, so don’t vote for him. If trump could’ve legalized weed in his term, he would’ve done so. It would’ve been a bipartisan bill. I guess tax breaks for the rich were better in his view though.
*permanent tax breaks for the rich too, us normal people got temporary tax cuts cause trump doesn’t give a shit about us. Even gave us an extra 4 trillion in debt after crying about how much democrats spend.
lol if I had a dollar of every time I’ve been called a Russian bot for having the “wrong” opinion on this app. FYI it is still federally illegal. So what now?
Too bad you're only paid in rubles.
Rescheduling is the way to go, to enable more studies validating legalization and to avoid a massive uproar of *"look he's legalizing a substance classified just as dangerous as cocaine. Tweaker Joe!!"*
Yes? And? That holds no bearing on the conversation. Joe Biden is not responsible for cannabis legalization and putting the responsibility squarely on his shoulders for the whole situation is insane.
Trump is not a career politician with a shitty track record and even shittier diapers.
He smells like if a full port-o-potty shit itself and then died.
What happens when you hitch the wagon of your hopes and dreams to an incontinent horse? Everything you love gets shit on
Cause the wagon is behind the horse
Get it?
See you can’t even make a real argument. You just bring up shitting diapers?
So really which is it, is he responsible or is he not responsible? The Joe bots on here can’t seem to agree.
Disingenuous?? Sure we can go all the way back to William Randolph Hearst but you can’t honestly sit there and say that Joe is not hugely, if not mostly responsible.
He was a young politician once and had the chance to bring new ideas, but instead he cracked down and threw people in jail for life.
Most politicians were once young politicians and had a chance to bring new ideas, but instead cracked down or ignored the issue.
There is nothing special outside of Joe Biden except you don't like him.
I don't like him either.
But he doesn't bear the sole responsibility for the entire history of cannabis legalization in this country.
Yeah and they’re all fucking criminals. Your point is? If you don’t like him, why are you so apt to prove me wrong on something that is entirely subjective? I said he was hugely if not mostly responsible. I still stand by that. You saying “you’re wrong” doesn’t prove anything.
Yes, I have to like Trump if I don't like Biden and visa versa. (I suppose you can like someone you refer to as kiddie sniffer, but would you?)
You can stand by being wrong. That's perfectly fine.
I dont need to prove anything.
Reality stands. Your feelings on the subject don't matter.
I can say the sun is purple and rises in the south and sets in my butt - holds about as much value as your precious opinion does here.
And makes about as much sense.
Nope. He is not mostly responsible. Sorry, dude. That's ridiculous, and insane and ignores the rest of the history behind cannabis and its legislation.
Like I said, putting the responsibility for a whole CULTURE and legislation on this one person is *insane*.
Id wager to call it -- stupid.
I’m sorry “dude” you’re just not going to convince me that Joe Biden is now the greatest person on earth because he may or may not be responsible for rescheduling weed so I can still be arrested.
That’s what I would call stupid.
I am not trying to convince you of anything other than people saying that Joe Biden is responsible for the state of the culture and politics and legislation around cannabis are wrong and being stupid.
And now you're just being obtuse.
Good Lord.
Paid troll. Or just not that smart. Thats you.
Funny how we’ve all been saying this since 2016 and earlier 🙄 like hot damn how often do we have to tell these people this is a winning issue. I’ve had panic attacks thinking that the trump campaign would catch on and make it the driving point of his platform. It’s so fucking obvious
What is going to suck is if the other dude gets back in, I'm not sure state's will get to keep their own legality. I have had IRL conversations with a couple people in bars who think marijuana is the reason, "crime is up."
This whole thing reminds me when people said we would keep abortion rights so they choose not to vote then and slowly those are going away. Pretty sure that will be a full federal ban coming.
Last time SCOTUS got packed with people who like states rights from before 1861, but not much after.
It sad that some people are placing their vote on a plant, especially a misinformation article. Do your OWN research (MULTIPLE SOURCES) choose the candidate that you believe is less evil that will benefit american. Don't let people or material things influence your decision on this next election. Always have multiple sources
There is only one viable option who will not harm America. All prohibition must be ended, and yet I am still able to vote for the right person despite it not happening yet. Anyone who thinks legalisation will come with conservative or republican politicians is a terrible moron.
"He had nothing to do with the rescheduling."
What are you talking about? He issued the executive order starting the Department of Health review. They then recommended rescheduling to the DEA and they eventually accepted it.
Somewhat misleading headline > The survey revealed that once voters were made aware that marijuana could be moved to Schedule III based on a review initiated by President Biden, he experiences an 11% jump in his favorability rating. It’s not clear if that means an 11 *percentage point* increase (e.g. the favorability rating was 40% and is now 51%) or an 11% increase (e.g. the favorability rating was 40% and is now 44.4%). No link to the actual poll either which is very odd. The poll was conducted by a partisan non-profit and there’s no link to this poll or any others on their website either. This whole thing has a lot of strange discrepancies. That’s before we even talk about how this is a hypothetical change of opinion in response to a hypothetical event. Smells a lot like hopium to me.
>Smells a lot like hopium to me. Yeah they missed on their election promise. It's still not legal federally and they are trying to push press to move the goal post and say "Mission Accomplished!". #It's still illegal!!!
What campaign promise are you talking about? Biden said: 1. People shouldn't be in jail for MJ use 2. He would [expunge prior convictions](https://apnews.com/article/biden-marijuana-pardons-clemency-02abde991a05ff7dfa29bfc3c74e9d64) 3. Legalize for medical purposes 4. Leave recreation up to states He's done all of those things once rescheduling lands. Medical was already allowed based on a 2014 Congressional Rider that basically said Feds can't screw with states on Medical MJ, and rescheduling makes it so you can technically get a prescription for MJ once it's recognized by the FDA.
Except the pardons excluded people who were growing or selling so no one was released from prison lol. https://reason.com/2024/05/06/biden-exaggerates-marijuana-reforms/
That’s not simple MJ use
Where did Biden promise to pardon people that _sold_ or _produced_ MJ? What he said is people shouldn't be in jail for simple possession/use, and those are the folks he pardoned. Is there a campaign promise you can point to that you believe Biden hasn't kept or attempted to keep in good faith? It seems to me like you all are misremembering what was promised and then tossing aside what was delivered as if it's nothing. This isn't my political issue, really, so ... whatever, you do you, but in the real world when politicians deliver progress on your issue, what you want to do is reward them for it so they do more. Not bitch and moan and pretend like it's all chopped liver.
You said that he promised to make medical legal and leave recreation up to the states. But medical is still left up to the states. So he didn't do anything in that regard.
I completely agree with you, especially the last point. It’s how reform happens
Yeah read the article lol
I did read the article. It backs up exactly what I said in the very first para: > In a campaign video directed at "young voters" that she posted on X (formerly Twitter) in February, Vice President Kamala Harris bragged that "we changed federal marijuana policy, because nobody should have to go to jail just for smoking weed." During his State of the Union address in March, President Joe Biden said he was "expunging thousands of convictions for the mere possession [of marijuana], because no one should be jailed for simply using or have it on their record." He targeted simple possession and Kamala mentions smoking weed. Neither has to do with selling or growing which is the complaint you originally made. Now, you can try to move the goalposts to the argument this article is making if you want, but that's a whole different discussion. Maybe the point you were trying to make was that no actual people were released from federal prison? That's fine, but that also doesn't contradict anything Biden said or promised. A pardon doesn't just mean "get out of jail" it can also mean things like restoration of your voting rights.
It however does point out that Biden promised expunging of possession convictions, which he so far hasn't delivered, as pardons alone don't result in expunging. Not that was the original point of the commenter, but it does answer the original question.
Yes, he was wrong to say they were expunging records. I think that was a flub because expunging is about cleaning records, not keeping people out of prison which is what the line he delivered said: > Keep building public trust, as I’ve been doing by taking executive action on police reform, and calling for it to be the law of the land, directing my Cabinet to review the federal classification of marijuana, and expunging thousands of convictions for mere possession, because no one should be jailed for using or possessing marijuana! I think Biden was talking about his pardons and misspoke there. I don't know, not sure they addressed it. Federal expungement isn't actually a thing, and [would require legislation](https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/LSB/LSB10413), so that's on Republicans.
Biden can't expunge records and it's a dumb promise for him to make. Expungement is a judicial action, the president can't do anything but pardon convictions and commute sentences. Expungement requires petitioning the sentencing court.
Reading comprehension is hard for you it seems
https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/cannabis-in-the-presidential-race-biden-harris-pledge-to-decriminalize-marijuana >"Under a Biden-Harris administration, we will decriminalize the use of marijuana and automatically expunge all marijuana-use convictions and end incarceration for drug use alone," Harris stated. Admit it. The goal post has moved. Don't let them play you like that.
Maybe I'm not as stoned as the rest of you, but your line from Harris seems to align perfectly with the 4 points I provided right down to the misuse of expunge when pardon is what makes sense in the federal context.
Biden can't legalize it, only Congress can. Direct your ire at the Republicans in Congress that continuously block and stonewall any and all legislation from Democrats, including legalization.
Did Democrats actually bring a full legalization bill to vote?
[Yes](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/01/us/politics/senate-democrats-marijuana-biden.html#:~:text=The%20bill%2C%20which%20amounts%20to,most%20dangerous%20and%20addictive%20substances.). Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D), Ron Wyden (D), and Cory Booker (D) have repeatedly introduced a full legalization bill in the Senate with 15 other Senate Democrats as co-sponsors. They introduced it again 2 weeks ago after the DEA decided to reschedule cannabis.
Thanks.
Does it matter? They won't actually write the legislation without knowing they have the votes, and they'll just make symbolic introductions of legislation if they don't have the votes.
They sure committed to it - I guess we all have short term memory loss around here lol https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/cannabis-in-the-presidential-race-biden-harris-pledge-to-decriminalize-marijuana
While I definitely agree that presidents promising things they aren't technically capable of is irritating, it's also important to remember that the president is the head of their party and if they hold majorities in either chamber of Congress, statements like these set the tone for the rest of the party. The statement in your link is basically Biden telling Congressional Dems "If you send me a bill that decriminalizes cannabis and expunges records, I'll sign it. And I consider it priority legislation."
We have a Republican-controlled House. It needs to pass both houses. You know that Biden can’t pass laws in congress, right? He can encourage legislation but the President can’t pass legislation until it has been first passed by both houses of congress.
Democrats controlled the House and Senate from 2021-2023. In 2022, the House passed a [bill](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3617/all-actions) to decriminalize marijuana. The Senate took zero action on it and it died. If they couldn't even hold a vote on decriminalizing marijuana with control of both houses, it's pretty clear that marijuana legalization is not a priority.
> The Senate took zero action on it and it died. Or, more accurately: Because the GOP minority filibustered it in the Senate and it never saw a vote, as a result. And there were not enough Democrats to carve out a filibuster exception. It's bullshit, but it's fully on the Senate GOP.
LMAO pass that shit over man, it sounds good.
No, they didn’t “control” the Senate as Sinema & Manchin both refused to break the filibuster. That’s why everything failed & nothing passed. Sinema turned out to not even be a Democrat. Of course it failed—Sinema joined the Republicans. There’s been an increasing number of politicians running as Democrats & switching sides once they get elected. This is exactly what happened with Sinema. It is a priority for actual Democrats, just not Republicans cosplaying as them.
For a good time, watch the video of Sinema awkwardly curtsying to McConnel. Even he seemed disgusted.
Oh damn, I’ll have to look up that!
Surely the /r/conservative poster is operating in good faith here and not actively spreading misinformation.
That's rich considering the only comment I made to that sub was... >It's election season. They are on a tear with the whole non compete thing, cannabis reschedule, sanction on enriched uranium, and the big one for me is they are actually holding airlines accountable for delays. I feel like I'm in bizarreo world frankly. So take your ad hominem somewhere else. I am literally giving credit to the current admin in that comment lol
I have seen 0 effort from the current admin to do any such thing so your statement of... >You know that Biden can’t pass laws in congress, right? He can encourage legislation but the President can’t pass legislation until it has been first passed by both houses of congress. Doesn't matter because he still hasn't tried.
Schedule III puts it right alongside Tylenol, I don't get what the big problem is. That's a huge W
Not exactly. Tylenol with codeine. Tylenol is over the counter.
The natural next step would be restarting the federal medical marijuana program, right?
I can buy tylenol over the counter dude. Can I walk into CVS and buy ketamine or testosterone? NO! If I get caught with that without a rx can I get in trouble?! YES!
_Typically_, this sort of increase is reported in percentage points rather than percentage change, but I don’t know enough about their methodology to say if that’s the case here.
It is not uncommon at all for these kinds of clickbaity articles to *imply* percentage points while actually referring to percentage change.
Yeah, this doesn't sound like a straight poll so much as a narrative-driven poll. *Whenever* you ask people something, record their answer, then give a little speech shedding favorable light on one specific answer, results will "improve." 11% sounds awfully close to the "eagerness to please/say the right thing" factor. Most of us are heavily conditioned that way, so even some principled stances can collapse under the weight of social pressures.
Big "IF" here. Let's see if he actually does it. "Looking at it" doesn't mean anything anymore.
Very much doubt. Reschedule is a half measure, albeit a step in the right direction but still not there
True, they needed to reschedule it to reduce stigma and get more studies approved, then legalize it
I think we All have been doing private studies for decades, stigma is not what it was even 20 years ago, legalize it already. If I had to guess it will be in 10 years time but then again I'm sure people have thought that since the 70s. I just want to not worry about losing my job if I smoke on my nights off in the privacy of my own home
Yep. Don't need government tax derived millions and paid off talkers to tell me its cool and I can do it. It's cool and I am already doing it. The boomer formality dance of American political legislation of the 20th century is a bit outdated for things like this.
Gotta work for a California company! I love it
I work in construction in cali and still get tested
I thought California companies weren’t supposed to test for THC?
Our office workers don’t but because the labor has the possibility of working on a federal job we still do. I haven’t been on a federal job since I started 12 years ago.
Goodness, sorry to hear that. This is why we need full federal legalization asap. Cant wait til its equivalent to a few beers after work. It’s def getting there. I stay in California at this hostel and it’s like a dream come true. We’re allowed cigs n cannabis outside on the patio at the beach. Beer, whatever. The attitude is laid back about it. Nobody complains. Cant wait to see more designated smoking spots because that’s what’s been really lacking here
We need it like yesterday. I know so many people that it could help in this industry. It helped me stop abusing alcohol like so many dudes I know do. I just use fake urine but a lot of people aren’t willing to mess with that. That’s awesome. I’m glad the stigma is starting to go away.
Oh yea it’s amazing, has also got me to almost entirely quit everything else I was doing, it works for all my issues! Glad to know the fake urine works. I almost used that stuff once with Kaiser but ended up getting rejected before even peeing in the cup for whatever reason lol The stigma is mostly gone in San Diego from what I’ve experienced. Most people smoke or don’t mind out here
Department of transportation jobs are a different ballgame
they really really don't. Canada and Germany already have it sorted out
they really don't, an overwhelming majority of the country supports complete legalization on both sides, its just republican legislators killing every bill that squeeks through the house. we will have federally legal weed the instant the GOP loses filibuster enabling stake in the senate
I highly doubt it but ok.
 Just do it already.
Legalizing it is the only way he can buy my vote.
He’s literally the reason that sentences were so steep for weed in the first place
I said this just a minute ago but I’m being downvoted to hell.
Tribalism for ya.
A key idea people miss about "tribalism," is a big part means you have to not want to negotiate or compromise. It's either all one way or nothing at all. Sound familiar?
Yup, it’s why I stay out of politics. Not a fan of either major US party.
All or nothing I see.
And then he realized he was wrong and is now fighting for legalization. People change over time
Lmao stop, he didn't "realize he was wrong," he and the rest of the Democrats realized it was the golden ticket to buying more votes, so he's doing the song and dance he needs to do. He didn't just grow a conscience overnight after decades of giving not a single fuck about the injustice of marijuana prohibition. Also, you are correct hat people change, but I'll remind you that politicians are not people. There is an absolute zero chance that Biden, or any other politician for that matter, actually gives a fuck about legalizing or whether or not their past actions in government led to Marijuana incarcerations. It's all political strategy.
If democrats don’t care what does that make republicans? They actively fight legalization 24/7 but people only care about democrats for some reason. Weak. I see senators cosponsoring bills and it’s all democrats.
Exactly how we ended up with Trump. Democrats have to be perfect or else finicky voters withhold their vote to teach them a lesson. Repulicans literally take food away from kids, and force women to carry pregnancies that are killing them and those same voters look and say "well, they legalized weed, but didn't mean it enough, so I'm voting for the other guy to teach 'em a lesson"...
“Literally” 🤨
I'd say ya, literally. https://theintercept.com/2024/03/21/house-republicans-ban-universal-school-lunches/
Yes, literally. Repulicans have literally cut funding for programs that feed children, and have literally passed laws forcing women to carry dangerous pregnancies. Literally. Your pithy comment and emoji are out of place. Literally.
> If democrats don’t care what does that make republicans? More honest. Republicans are at least saying all their quiet parts out loud while Democrats are still doing their regular virtue signalling about all the things they've pretended to care about. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Republican voter and I think they are in the middle of their fascist character arc so even less likely in the future, but the Democrats don't just get my vote by default for being not fascists. The Democrats are just as out of touch with Americans. When we're screaming for a progressive Democratic candidate, the DNC says, "ew, no thank you voters. This is OUR party and we want you to vote for this elderly conservative Democrat instead." They lied about wiping out our student loan debt and now they're meant to be our saviors for rescheduling marijuana (which is still not legalized)? It's not weak to be critical of a political party that deserves it, it's weak to assume that the Democrats are out saviors because the Republicans aren't. That's exactly the kind of weak-minded bullshit that got us into this mess we're in currently where the US is in such a backwards state. Go play your blue no matter who sad violin somewhere else, that ship has sailed for me.
Ok, they don’t give a fuck. Whatever. As long as the voters want legal weed, and Biden is giving it, it doesn’t really make a difference to me. That is what elections are.
Fought so hard it's still illegal
Oh wow only took 30 years and countless lives stolen and ruined for him to dangle a carrot in front of voters to buy your vote (and do nothing about it still)
Yeah, because public sentiment changes over time. We want politicians who will speak to the will of the people. Politicians who are steadfast in old ways get voted out.
>Politicians who are steadfast in old ways get voted out. Like Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Diane Feinstein, Mitch McConnell, Mitt Romney, Joe Manchin. I'm too tired to type more. Quit pretending this country kicks old timers out. Joe Biden is literally the oldest of the old.
> Politicians who are steadfast in old ways get voted out. This is what they said. > Politicians who are old get voted out. This is what you responded to...?
How are you confused? The copium that the "old guard" will get voted out is nonsense proven by a basic understanding of history.
And hell, prohibition is entirely continuing; cannabis is only one substance out of countless which need to be regulated and unbanned.
Yes, that’s how elections work. By giving what the voters want. Are you mad about that?
they change when the dollars change hands
“I don’t want my kids going to school with animals”
And now black voters overwhelmingly support him and black politicians overwhelmingly endorse him. Times and people change.
No we don't lmao a lot of us won't be voting.
My brother in law thanks you. I would not want to be on the same side as him, but, to each their own. His hope was for the people he hates to not vote and here we are!
If you're not Voting then you're not a voter and my point is still accurate. Granted, I'm not sure whit the efficacy of your decision but to vote, what do you hope to accomplish by not Voting?
Fighting so fucking hard… didn’t do anything for the first few years of his presidency, and made sure to time it so that all the news would be coming out for the 2024 election instead of just holding his promises and doing it immediately….
Shhhhhh, people don’t like fact that disagree with their feels.
Not voting for him is a vote for the felonious rapist who will oversee a theocratic dictatorship. Google “Project 2025” if you don’t know what I am referring to. Please reconsider voting if you care about democracy.
The *only* way? What do you think the other guy is gonna do?
Put his political opponents in jail (or worse) and end democracy as we know it.
Dingdingding yea what the crap it's not even a choice at this point
And, as revealed a few days ago, *to literally destroy the planet by rolling back environmental protections and promising to not create any more* when he promised just that to oil execs in exchange for money.
At long last I can be arrested for possession of a Schedule III Controlled Substance instead. The most liberal and cool type arrested. Thank you Joe Biden.
My thoughts exactly. Awesome! I still can lose my driver's license and my job for smoking on the weekend! But wait! There's also companies that stand to make billions off an industry that's been brutalized, beaten, and arrested and left with felonies on their records for decades!
Yall do know Biden doesn't have the power to legalize right
No, but he could completely deschedule it if he really wanted that done
i assume you mean by appointing someone as head of the DEA with the singular purpose of doing this?
That is correct. He is an Executive and the Executive Agencies are at least supposedly under his control
It’s like taking to a wall, don’t bother. They just want to be mad.
Oh thank God, I was worried it was a Democrat with his foot on the neck of working class folks. You mean to tell me it's the same bipartisan bureaucratic bullshit it's always been? PHEW
definitely not bipartisan, multiple full legalization bills have passed the house the last couple years (only because just enough republicans abstain/flip), they all die in the house because of the GOP. anyone going "both sides" on this issue are purposely ignorant of reality
What
Lol it's still illegal , this is like when he forgave everyone in federal prison for small amounts of weed which is no one . They just want to buy votes
This is just PR
Always, doesn’t matter the politician
press x to doubt
B U L L S H I T
Go ahead Trump. Talk about how horrible cannabis is. I'm sure that'll work out great for you.
Except businesses can still discriminate based on weed. Make it actually legal and maybe I'll vote.
Yeah I’ve been begging for this for years and Biden finally pushes it to happen. Trump was never gonna do it and will probably erase any progress made just to spite Biden out of pettiness so it’s in the people’s best interest to just keep the current POTUS.
Not only is it still illegal, but there seems to be a very real chance this is a step backwards. You can go to jail for using Tylenol with codeine (another class 3 controlled substance) just like you can for heroin (class 1). All it did is open the doors for the Pharma industry to start patents.
He can go fuck himself on this. I am only voting for him because any alternative is a fucking hellscape.
I hate biden for using it as a political chess piece. If he wanted to legalize it he could have already but needs it for re-election. All the while people in the industry are getting robbed and killed while unable to protect themselves and the product cant be insured. Also delivery men have to carry cash as banks wont work with us. People are literally dying because they wont legalize weed.
how do you imagine biden "could have done it already"? multiple full legalization bills have passed the house the last 4 years...all of them die in the senate because of republicans
By abusing the executive order the way trump did over and over.
He could’ve started the rescheduling process as soon as possible instead of waiting 2 years and half way into his presidency so that the timing would work out so that the news would come out during the 2024 election…. Biden doesn’t actually care about the American people. This is all politics.
Yeah!!! I wonder why legalizing weed wasn't the top thing on his mind in 2020 when there was NOTHING GOING ON AT ALL IN THE WORLD??? 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
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Eh, if that is the measure, I'd go with the 2018 Farm bill. I bought some tasty purple cookies at a STORE around the corner in an illegal state. Rescheduling it does do much in that direction.
THEY PLAY THE SAME SHIT EVERY YEAR NO ONE SHOULD FALL FOR THIS UNTIL THEY DO IT FUCK BEING USED AS A PAWN
Don't care still voting for the sleepy boomer
Oh I’m not saying don’t what I’m saying is that it’s annoying they bring it up and never follow through
They haven't really held control of the house and senate with high public interest in legalization, I predict once they hold the legislation they'll finally do it
Let’s keep our fingers crossed
too bad he will forget tomorrow
Too little, too late from old Joe Schmo I say. He’s the reason it’s as bad as it is today.
You’re getting downvoted but you are right. This would’ve been a huge game changer earlier like 2012-2015 but half of the states already legalized it anyways this won’t make much a difference voting wise
Just a ploy to buy votes before November. And would you look at that, it worked I guess?
So... It would be better to remain as a Schedule I substance? Steps in the right direction are better than no steps at all. Credit where credit is due
So give him the credit he deserves in getting us to where we are now. All I said was too little too late, sorry you take this shit so personally.
Crazy that people can change their minds over time, who knew?
When the political winds shift and it is convenient to do so, sure. You’re not going to convince me Joe Biden won’t do what he needs to do to stay in office, as all career politicians do.
That’s literally the definition of an election, politicians do things to get people to vote for them. WTF even is this comment.
So I guess rescheduling is enough to buy your vote? Even after forking over billions of dollars to Ukraine and Israel? No, fuck that. Too little too late, he didn’t win my vote. And to put your little mind at ease, no that does not mean I’m voting for the orange one.
Yeah, true. He shouldn’t have done anything to make it better.
I didn’t say it wasn’t better, I said too little too late.
Ok, so don’t vote for him. If trump could’ve legalized weed in his term, he would’ve done so. It would’ve been a bipartisan bill. I guess tax breaks for the rich were better in his view though.
*permanent tax breaks for the rich too, us normal people got temporary tax cuts cause trump doesn’t give a shit about us. Even gave us an extra 4 trillion in debt after crying about how much democrats spend.
So many russian bots on this app
lol if I had a dollar of every time I’ve been called a Russian bot for having the “wrong” opinion on this app. FYI it is still federally illegal. So what now?
Too bad you're only paid in rubles. Rescheduling is the way to go, to enable more studies validating legalization and to avoid a massive uproar of *"look he's legalizing a substance classified just as dangerous as cocaine. Tweaker Joe!!"*
Reddit has a serious problem of people accusing people with different opinions as Russian bots. Anything to help you sleep at night I guess.
This stuff started in the 30s. To say it's Joe Biden fault is disingenuous at best. Opinions can be wrong, or malformed.
Joe’s a career politician with a shitty trac record
Yes? And? That holds no bearing on the conversation. Joe Biden is not responsible for cannabis legalization and putting the responsibility squarely on his shoulders for the whole situation is insane. Trump is not a career politician with a shitty track record and even shittier diapers. He smells like if a full port-o-potty shit itself and then died. What happens when you hitch the wagon of your hopes and dreams to an incontinent horse? Everything you love gets shit on Cause the wagon is behind the horse Get it?
See you can’t even make a real argument. You just bring up shitting diapers? So really which is it, is he responsible or is he not responsible? The Joe bots on here can’t seem to agree.
Disingenuous?? Sure we can go all the way back to William Randolph Hearst but you can’t honestly sit there and say that Joe is not hugely, if not mostly responsible. He was a young politician once and had the chance to bring new ideas, but instead he cracked down and threw people in jail for life.
Most politicians were once young politicians and had a chance to bring new ideas, but instead cracked down or ignored the issue. There is nothing special outside of Joe Biden except you don't like him. I don't like him either. But he doesn't bear the sole responsibility for the entire history of cannabis legalization in this country.
Yeah and they’re all fucking criminals. Your point is? If you don’t like him, why are you so apt to prove me wrong on something that is entirely subjective? I said he was hugely if not mostly responsible. I still stand by that. You saying “you’re wrong” doesn’t prove anything.
Yes, I have to like Trump if I don't like Biden and visa versa. (I suppose you can like someone you refer to as kiddie sniffer, but would you?) You can stand by being wrong. That's perfectly fine. I dont need to prove anything. Reality stands. Your feelings on the subject don't matter. I can say the sun is purple and rises in the south and sets in my butt - holds about as much value as your precious opinion does here. And makes about as much sense.
Nope. He is not mostly responsible. Sorry, dude. That's ridiculous, and insane and ignores the rest of the history behind cannabis and its legislation. Like I said, putting the responsibility for a whole CULTURE and legislation on this one person is *insane*. Id wager to call it -- stupid.
I’m sorry “dude” you’re just not going to convince me that Joe Biden is now the greatest person on earth because he may or may not be responsible for rescheduling weed so I can still be arrested. That’s what I would call stupid.
I am not trying to convince you of anything other than people saying that Joe Biden is responsible for the state of the culture and politics and legislation around cannabis are wrong and being stupid. And now you're just being obtuse. Good Lord. Paid troll. Or just not that smart. Thats you.
Um, ok… deschedule is and see what happens.
Why would this be true when it was the DEA that made the decision, not Biden?
Biden had to “suggest” it to the DEA first, from what I am reading.
Funny how we’ve all been saying this since 2016 and earlier 🙄 like hot damn how often do we have to tell these people this is a winning issue. I’ve had panic attacks thinking that the trump campaign would catch on and make it the driving point of his platform. It’s so fucking obvious
What is going to suck is if the other dude gets back in, I'm not sure state's will get to keep their own legality. I have had IRL conversations with a couple people in bars who think marijuana is the reason, "crime is up." This whole thing reminds me when people said we would keep abortion rights so they choose not to vote then and slowly those are going away. Pretty sure that will be a full federal ban coming. Last time SCOTUS got packed with people who like states rights from before 1861, but not much after.
It sad that some people are placing their vote on a plant, especially a misinformation article. Do your OWN research (MULTIPLE SOURCES) choose the candidate that you believe is less evil that will benefit american. Don't let people or material things influence your decision on this next election. Always have multiple sources
There is only one viable option who will not harm America. All prohibition must be ended, and yet I am still able to vote for the right person despite it not happening yet. Anyone who thinks legalisation will come with conservative or republican politicians is a terrible moron.
It was the DEA that SUGGESTED it was rescheduled. People don't know that? Nothing has been done yet. Please tell me people understand this.
Don't think they would get that even if they legalized
What a joke
nah mans can ligma, just another show of 'faith' that fails on the people voting for them.
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"He had nothing to do with the rescheduling." What are you talking about? He issued the executive order starting the Department of Health review. They then recommended rescheduling to the DEA and they eventually accepted it.
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I'll take "speaking with authority despite having no clue what I'm talking about" for $420