Confusion over legal cannabis in the U.S.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/alaska-pot-regulators-again-consider-025010650.html
Alaska pot regulators to again consider onsite use

The Canadian PressMarch 7, 2017
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — In an abrupt about-face, Alaska marijuana regulators on Tuesday decided to once again attempt to write rules that would allow the onsite consumption of pot in retail stores.

During a high-profile meeting just last month, the board cited fears over how the Trump administration might crack down on marijuana, even in the eight states where recreational use is legal, in letting proposed regulations wither that would have made Alaska the first state in the nation to allow onsite use.

Those fears weren't mentioned Tuesday as the board voted 4-1 to attempt to come up with a new set of rules that would eventually be sent out for public comment.

After the meeting, Alaska Marijuana Control Board Chairman Peter Mlynarik couldn't say what changed in the last month that might have alleviated fears over what the federal government might do.

"Well, I think last month, had a regulation written in a certain way that died," he told The Associated Press. "So now the project is out again, and we don't know what form that's going to take yet."

Mlynarik asked board members to review the proposal that was rejected in February, and to send their thoughts to staff members about what they would like to retain in new regulations, what they would like removed and anything else that they would like to add.

Board members could review the new proposal as soon as the April meeting, and then send it out again for public review.

Nicholas Miller, a board member from Anchorage representing the industry, said he's in favour of all types of consumption, including smoking and vaping — an idea that Mlynarik was sour on because of concerns of secondhand smoke.

Miller said he didn't want to totally rule out smoking and vaping, adding there could be considerations for separate, outside areas.

The lone dissenting vote was from Loren Jones of Juneau, who represents public health on the board.

Mark Thiessen, The Associated Press

Marijuana sellers face uncertainty under Trump
The Trump administration is creating uncertainty for the nascent marijuana industry.

It’s unclear just how strictly Attorney General Jeff Sessions plans to enforce the federal prohibition on
marijuana, raising questions for the dozens of states that have legalized the drug in some capacity.

“There is no telling how the Trump administration will handle the legalities of cannabis,” said Ethan Andersen, spokesman for NisonCo, a public relations firm that works with cannabis companies. “While there’s no guarantee they will crack down, there’s certainly no guarantee they won’t.”
The federal government still considers marijuana an illegal substance, but 28 states have defied the ban by legalizing medical marijuana within their borders. Eight of those states now allow adults to use pot recreationally, creating an increase in dispensaries.

Sessions has made clear that he is not a fan of legalized marijuana. During a hearing last April, when he was still a Republican senator from Alabama, he declared: “Good people don’t smoke marijuana.”

And since becoming attorney general, Sessions has said that legal marijuana is fueling a rise in violent crime.

“There is more violence around marijuana than one would think,’’ Sessions said.

The movement to legalize marijuana has made big gains around the country in recent years, at a time when the Obama administration mostly took a hands-off approach.

In 2016, state ballot initiatives legalizing recreational marijuana passed in California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada — all states that President Trump lost to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

“Marijuana is more popular than the president,” joked Bill Piper, senior director of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance.

“The toothpaste is already out of the tube, and it will be really hard for the Trump administration to stop legalization,” Piper said. “They can arrest people, but for every dispensary they shut down, another 10 will open up.

“They can’t possibly win that fight over the long term.”

On the campaign trail, Trump voiced support for medical marijuana, though not for legalizing the drug for general use.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer last month told reporters there could be “greater enforcement” against dispensaries and growers that sell recreational marijuana.

“I do believe that you’ll see greater enforcement,” Spicer said during a press briefing in late February. “There’s a big difference between the medical use … [and] recreational use, which is something the Department of Justice will be further looking into.”

That remark could spell trouble for recreational marijuana businesses.

“The Trump administration made it clear they don’t look on it as favorably as President Obama did, and even he didn’t look on it that favorably,” Andersen said.

But Sessions has sought to ease some of those concerns in private meetings with Republican senators, according to reports, which have only added to the confusion surrounding Trump’s pot policy.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty, and we’re not sure when it will be resolved,” said Taylor West, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association.

“There’s no question we are in a less stable environment with Trump than we might have expected in a Clinton administration,” West said.

Some pot companies are taking steps to protect themselves.

Marijuana growers and dispensaries that “touch the plant” have the most to be concerned about, industry officials say.

To insulate themselves from a potential government crackdown, a number of other companies provide services to the marijuana industry but do not get directly involved in growing or selling the drug.

“There’s no reason why they would ever come after us,” said Greg Lambrecht, CEO of the Phoenix-based SinglePoint, which helps marijuana dispensaries record their sales.

“We provide all of the products these dispensaries need to do business, but we don’t touch the plant,” Lambrecht said. “So if, for some reason, Trump wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, we’re not affected.”

The same is true for CFN Media, which helps marijuana companies promote their brands and drives sales to their websites.

“We don’t touch the plant; we don’t sell the product. We’re just media,” said Frank Lane, CEO of the CFN Media Group.

The worst-case scenario for these companies is that the Trump administration runs the recreational marijuana industry out of business — but even that would have a minimal impact on firms like SinglePoint and CFN Media that do much of their business with medical marijuana companies.

“It’s not a big deal to us, because there are still plenty of medical marijuana companies that need our services,” Lambrecht said.

How fucking disgusting a statement is that " good people don't smoke marijuana "
But they certainly lie to save their skin don't they sessions ya dirt bag. BUSTED too......some nice jail is awaiting and a good raping too. Hope he likes the taste of cock.
He's got his own troubles now and it seems quite appropriate that he does.
Fuck off jeffery

Good people do drink until they don't know what the fuck is up or down though.
I love the way people who consume booze point their alcoholic finger at us all shaky like as they try to focus and utter their disgust at the Hippy stoners.
Get off my lawn !!! ya hippy stoners

Most stoner's I know are good people...good people don't become crooked politicians.