# Marijuana - more states make it legal - Would a future Republican Prez dare enforce Fed laws now? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 5, 2014, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810 "2014-11-05T22:36:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/1 "2014-11-05T22:36:16Z")
Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C.[approved marijuana](http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/04/politics/marijuana-2014/index.html) 11/4/2014 Sadly the misguided fools in Congress will probably ruin it for DC. Even more states will have marijuana laws on the 2016. All of this can come crashing down like a house of cards at any time. One phone call from the Oval office to the Justice Dept and the Feds will rush in like the Gestapo. You can bet they have the address of every medical pot dispensary in a database. A Word Mail merge could generate all the boilerplate warrants in 20 seconds. They are cocked and ready to blast everybody whenever the Prez calls. It’s inevitable that another Conservative Republican President will get elected. Do we finally have enough pro marijuana states to make it politically unwise for the Prez to ruin this for everybody? Would he dare spit in this many faces and send in the Feds to enforce these antiquated drug laws? Would the political firestorm wreck his Presidency? What says the dazed members of the Dope? > [@](#): > > The issue is not fully resolved for the District of Columbia, however. Because of its unique status as a district, not a state, Congress has the authority to overrule D.C. laws and some lawmakers have signaled that they would likely work to overrule the popular vote. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/2 "2014-11-05T22:47:14Z")
Considering that the last Republican administration put so much effort into prosecuting pornographers, and put Tommy Chong in prison for selling water pipes? It’s not only likely, it’s inevitable. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/3 "2014-11-05T23:00:55Z")
Ah, but its not just the dirty hippies smoking dope. They’ll be depriving many sick people of their medicine. There are legitimate cases where pot is effective treatment for chemo patients. The political cost for a crack down will be significant. But the reach and strength of the conservatives can’t be underestimated. Arkansas’ medical marijuana law was defeated in last years election. Supporters will probably try again in 2016. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/4 "2014-11-05T23:02:00Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Ah, but its not just the dirty hippies smoking dope. They’ll be depriving many sick people of their medicine. There are legitimate cases where pot is effective treatment for chemo patients. > > The political cost for a crack down will be significant. You think they care? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/5 "2014-11-05T23:04:47Z")
😉 probably not. Republicans took over several states yesterday. They swept all of our state offices in Arkansas yesterday. A conservative change will be coming. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/6 "2014-11-05T23:06:16Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Ah, but its not just the dirty hippies smoking dope. They’ll be depriving many sick people of their medicine. There are legitimate cases where pot is effective treatment for chemo patients. > > The political cost for a crack down will be significant. I think they might try, but like aceplace57 says “it’s not just the dirty hippies smoking dope.” I imagine there’s a good, many Republic voters and their relatives smoking some dope also. Once it become clear these people would also be caught in the pot dragnets, the plan will disappear and never be heard of again. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/7 "2014-11-05T23:13:48Z")
I’m hoping this will be raised in the 2016 election. Maybe, the Republicans will grudgingly promise not to override state drug laws. They are desperate to win back the White House. But Smapti is right, a crack down is inevitable unless voters force the candidates to make this concession during the election cycle. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/8 "2014-11-06T00:00:12Z")
While I can definitely see one of the more “conservative” 2016 Presidential candidates saying that they will “End the Marijuana Experiment” and enforce Federal Law, I wouldn’t be surprised to see their poll numbers drop after doing so, and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone decided [del]to capitalize[/del] that the proper Conservative/Libertarian response would be to decry Big Gubmint’s interference in people’s lives and say it should be up to the States. Regardless, I’m still holding out some weak hope that Obama will reschedule it on this own authority before he leaves office. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/9 "2014-11-06T00:12:01Z")
We’re past the threshold. The politicians will make tokin remarks but no president is going to go all 1920’s. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/10 "2014-11-06T00:20:32Z")
Dunno about the Repubs, but Joe Biden might. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/11 "2014-11-06T01:10:37Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > We’re past the threshold. The politicians will make **tokin** remarks but no president is going to go all 1920’s. I see whachoo did there. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/12 "2014-11-06T05:52:37Z")
It depends. Remember mj is legal, but only if it is bought thru a specific supplier where it is also taxed. So yes, the feds will still go after illegal suppliers. Same with booze. Believe it or not their are still illegal moonshiners making hooch and selling it cheaper than the liquor one can buy from a store and the feds still go after them. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/13 "2014-11-06T13:36:07Z")
Now that medical MJ is available there are probably quite a few little old ladies taking the medicine. If anyone tries to take that away now they may well have to go up against AARP or at least a subset of that lobby. “Republican snatch medicine from the elderly” is a headline that nobody in the GOP wants to see. Also, once the Republicans see the kinds of revenue they can generate from pot they will be leading the charge to regulate and tax. Tax hippies to pay for medicine for old people should be a win-win. Although, the medical side could get dismantled as they tear down Obamacare. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/14 "2014-11-06T14:30:31Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > While I can definitely see one of the more “conservative” 2016 Presidential candidates saying that they will “End the Marijuana Experiment” and enforce Federal Law, I wouldn’t be surprised to see their poll numbers drop after doing so, and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone decided [del]to capitalize[/del] that the proper Conservative/Libertarian response would be to decry Big Gubmint’s interference in people’s lives and say it should be up to the States. > > Regardless, I’m still holding out some weak hope that Obama will reschedule it on this own authority before he leaves office. It all depends on the candidate/politician. The tide is definitely turning on legalization, and don’t forget that the libertarian wing of the GOP is strongly in favor of revising laws. Even many conservatives are coming around on the issue, though clearly many are stubborn. I’m certainly hoping the party will nominate someone from the libertarian wing, or at least someone in that direction. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/15 "2014-11-06T17:37:40Z")
It’s an interesting scenario. Republicans generally support states rights and decentralizing power, so there would be a certain momentum to respect the states’ decision on the matter. And really, I don’t think too many people think pot smoking is that big a deal any more (at least, not any worse than drinking or smoking tobacco), so I’d think a Republican president would be hard-pressed to convince congressional Republicans to support a federal marijuana crackdown. As someone mentioned upthread, I’d think a Democratic president would be more likely to crack down on pot, because it’s the Democrats who typically support increasing federal power over local control. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/16 "2014-11-06T20:46:16Z")
The 2016 Republican nominee will be either Jeb Bush (my prediction) or, if Jeb doesn’t run, Mitt Romney (yes, him again). That makes Hillary a prohibitive favorite, but even if one of those rich GOP moderates got elected, do you really see either of them cracking down on pot? Or anything else? I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/17 "2014-11-06T20:59:31Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > But Smapti is right, a crack down is inevitable unless voters force the candidates to make this concession during the election cycle. The crack down is assured. They can’t risk disenfranchising their base and too much money comes in from donors who make money off of the militarizing of police forces brought about by the war on drugs. “Hey, Barney, what are those green things in your belt…?” “Bunker-busting RPG rockets! Old lady Haskins has some unpaid parking tickets and me and the boys is going over there in the Mrap to collect. Wanna come…?” ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2014, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/18 "2014-11-07T13:44:55Z")
No way, no how. Not if they ever want to win another presidency. By 2016 another million opponents of marijuana legalization will be cold in the ground while a million more supporters will reach voting age. That’s a trend that won’t be reversing in the foreseeable future. And the non-base turns out in presidential elections. We’ll also have two more years of data on the effects of legalization and, maybe more importantly, figured out ways to combat the negatives (such as ultra-high THC content). The shrinking base, which is at its most effective in mid-terms, may cheer the troops going from shop to shop closing the doors in 2017 but they won’t have the power to stop it permanently. They’d just be giving unmotivated people the motivation to oppose them. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2014, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/19 "2014-11-07T14:08:03Z")
Once Democrats are done cracking down on candy bars, soda, tobacco, free speech etc they will move to cracking down on legal marijuana. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2014, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810/20 "2014-11-07T17:17:12Z")
Has nothing to do with Democrats, Republicans, liberals, or conservatives. As long as the oligarchy maintains its grip on the political and legislative process, marijuana will become increasingly available, not the other way around–political leadership isn’t even a variable in the equation. Let the people have their weed, let them feel like they have some measure of control over their own lives and government. Now happy with their victory and secure in their self-determinism, less obvious government machinations can take place to continue to squeeze the middle class out of existence. And as a bonus, there is a new and lucrative industry to exploit. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marijuana-more-states-make-it-legal-would-a-future-republican-prez-dare-enforce-fed-laws-now/703810.md?page=2)