It would be good to clarify this. For marijuana, where it’s legal in many places in the US now, but not everywhere, how should we handle this?
(The OP did note her location when she originally asked her question. It did not read as any sort of attempt to acquire illegal drugs, especially with the reference to a dispensary.)
No, the rule has not been rescinded.
In the linked thread in question, unless I misunderstood the post or the facts surrounding it, the items are potentially being purchased from a legal shop selling items that are legal in that area. I did not see this as promoting activities that are illegal in the U.S. and so did not see any reason to moderate that particular thread. There is no discussion about where to purchase these items in areas of the U.S. where such items are prohibited.
The early part of the thread deals with figuring out exactly what to ask for, and that might be a bit of a gray area since it might overlap with what to ask illegal shops for in other areas. But to me it’s not clearly over the line. The rest of the thread is discussing the effects of the various substances involved, which has always been an acceptable topic of conversation here.
If I have misunderstood something or do not have a correct understanding of the facts involved, please let me know.
This admittedly gets us into a gray area here.
Technically, the rule is fairly strict. We go by what is legal or not where the SDMB is located (Chicago).
There are also some things that are clearly on the wrong side of the line, even if they are legal in the areas where they are being discussed. We don’t want to see discussions that promote illegal drug use. Don’t share stories about current drug use, even if you are using those drugs in an area where they are currently legal. That comes off as promoting the use of that drug, either legally or illegally. Don’t post “how to” information that directly applies to illegal drug use. We don’t want the SDMB to become a handyu online reference for those seeking to illegally use drugs. We already have enough problems with folks coming here who think the Straight Dope refers to the drug type of dope.
I personally tend to be much more lenient when the discussions involve substances used for medicinal purposes and not recreational use, and also when the discussions are focused on remaining on the legal side of the line. Even though some of these discussions are technically against our stated rules, I am not likely to moderate them, as long as what they are doing is completely legal in the area they are doing it in.
The best guidelines I can give you are try to always stay on the legal side of the line, don’t post anything that promotes illegal use anywhere else, and when in doubt, feel free to send us a PM or an e-mail asking if something is ok to post. You can also report a post in the thread you wish to reply to, and ask us there if your reply would be acceptable or not.
This thread raises a question I’ve been thinking about. The federal government in Canada has announced it’s going to décriminalise pot generally, effective July 1, 2018. If that goes through, it will be legal for any adult to have up to 30 grams (1oz?) for personal use.
How will the SDMB handle that? engineer_comp_geek says that you define illegal drugs by what’s illegal in Chicago.
Does that mean that on July 1, if Canadian Dopers start posting about their use of mj at Canada Day events, they could face warnings?
If it’s perfectly legal conduct where we’re posting from, it doesn’t seem fair to pénalise it here on the boards.
Oh, and getting back to D’Anconia’s question in the OP, I’ve not been following the details of medical use of cannon is in Canada, but according to this article in HuffPost, Health Canada légalised cannabis oil back in 2015.
If that’s correct, then FloatyGimpy was not breaking the law where she was, on Vancouver Island in Canada. She posted her location in her OP.
I think the rule is more about ad revenue, avoiding legal liability and reducing the odds of getting sued than adapting to the legal situation of specific posters. It sucks but that’s the nature of scaredy advertisers, litigiousness and the war on drugs.
It’s not that difficult to ask or say whatever you want about drugs as long as you’re careful to couch it properly, otherwise I’d have a few warnings already.
Except there’s no place in the United States where possession of cannabis is legal. It’s illegal under federal law everywhere.
See the first paragraph of the wiki article: Cannabis in the United States - Wikipedia
As a matter of practice, I believe that the Federal government is letting the state law take precedent in this matter. Several states have made marijuana legal in various ways and amounts, and the federal government has not interfered.
Yet.
The Spineless Gnome is hell-bent on turning back the clock on marijuana laws. And the Holy HairHelmet had the most restrictive drug laws in the country during his time as Governor.
I think that pot should be excluded from this rule. This should be done in the interests of this boards mission statement.
Treating pot as if it were the same as cocaine or heroine, does not help fight ignorance, it promotes it.
Floaty Gimpy is a chick? :smack:
I guess I owe her an apology for that time I referred to her as “he.” Floaty Gimpy, please forgive my conclusion-jumping that one time. I shall try to be a better person in the future.
It really is pretty straightforward. If it’s illegal in Chicago, Illinois or the United States don’t promote it or provide any how-tos on using or circumventing the law. The location of the poster is beside the point.
hell yes
Whether we like it or not, the business side of the Board wants to be a lagging indicator, not a leading indicator, of US society’s & US government’s evolving attitude to drugs in general and marijuana in particular.
So talk about other things here. I imagine there are far better informed specialist boards for the sorts of drugly discussions that trigger raised eyebrows or worse around here.
I’m not trying to be a bluenose. But IMO there’s little upside and much downside to picking at one of the Board’s scabs.
Those are fair points and I’m not trying to push the envelope. But I’m still not sure what “promotion” means, in the upcoming decriminalistion in Canada.
Does it mean Canadian posters cannot post about purely legal activities in Canada, after July 1, 2018, without running afoul of the “promotion” no-no? If the posters make it clear that they are posting from Canada, about the situation in Canada?
And what about a US poster who is going on holiday in Canada and asks for guidance about the situation in Canada about pot, just like they might ask about liquor laws and where to buy a nice bottle of wine?
Is the first part of that discussion off-limits, but we can reply to inquiries about liquor laws?
Similarly, I’ve posted in the past about travelling to Cuba. Perfectly legal for me in Canada, and didn’t break any US laws in the process. But, illegal for an American in Chicago. Was that “promotion” on my part?
Not trying to be a jerk. Just want to understand the Board’s promotion rule so I don’t fall afoul it
Always want to keep “on the windy side of the law.” 
Oh dear. Just seeing this thread now. I was pretty sure that there would be no rule-breaking in my OP because it was just asking a question about how to buy hemp oil and not how to buy smoking pot.
Mind you, at the dispensary, that’s what most of the customers were buying. But both the oil and the little baggies of pot are legal here. Is the oil still illegal in the US? I assumed that buying the oil in jellies or capsules was legal everywhere.
Sorry if I caused offense or broke any rules!
Actually, the little baggies of pot are not legal, yet. Still an offence under Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
Certain drugs have been legal in many countries for years, decades in some cases. We will be handling this the same way we have handled this same basic situation for years. The situation isn’t new. Just the details of what countries and states allow certain things have changed.
The U.S. in general used to be much more uniform in its drug policy. Since that has changed a bit in recent years, we’ve had to tighten our guidelines to “what’s legal in Chicago” instead of “what’s legal in the U.S.”. Since the laws in Chicago haven’t changed much in the last few decades, there’s really not much of a change of what is ok to discuss and what isn’t around here.
You didn’t break any rules. You’re fine.