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From YouTube: States, the Federal Government and Cannabis
Description
There is a longstanding conflict between the federal Controlled Substances Act and state laws legalizing marijuana. This year, with the release of the attorney general’s Memorandum on Marijuana Enforcement, states that have legalized marijuana in any context—whether decriminalizing small amounts or legalizing medical, recreational or both—face uncertainty over how the federal government will pursue enforcement. Learn how this new policy may affect states and how to proceed.
A
A
Those
of
you
that
haven't
had
the
opportunity
before
to
work
with
them
even
outside
of
these
types
of
meetings.
You
need
to
take
the
chance
to
do
that.
Their
staff
and
their
expertise
are
exceptional
tremendous
asset,
and
if
you
haven't
taken
advantage
of
them
working
with
you
on
model
legislation
or
things
of
that
nature,
then
you
really
should
and
to
those
of
you
that
have
been
in
other
rooms
with
me
in
other
parts
of
the
country.
A
A
There
has
been
some
sense
that
that's
changing
or
may
change,
and
so
we've
been
left
as
legislators
to
kind
of
figure
out
where
we
want
to
go
with
it.
What
we
want
to
do
with
it,
how
we're
going
to
regulate
it,
how
we're
going
to
moderate
it?
What
level
we
want
to
legalize
it
within
our
States
and
it's
left
us
in
a
bit
of
a
conundrum.
As
far
as
how
do
we
do
that,
especially
when
you
have
issues
with
people
crossing
state
boundaries
and
things
like
that.
A
So
without
any
further
ado,
though
you
guys,
we've
got
guest
speaker
with
us
today,
professor
Robert
Miko's
did
I
pronounce
that
correctly
mykos
I
was
gonna,
get
that
backwards,
but
we're
thrilled
to
have
him
here
every
once
in
a
while,
you
get
to
meet
somebody.
Who's
got
a
pedigree,
but
you're,
not
exactly
sure
you
ought
to
be
on
the
same
stage
with,
but
anyway,
I'll
just
read
that
off
a
little
bit,
so
professor
Miko's
right,
mykos,
twice
in
a
row,
look
at
that!
A
A
Really
really
good
to
have
you
here.
Are
there
two
panelists
so
we'll
have
him
speak
first?
We
are
fairly
short
on
time,
so
we
intend
to
go
about
10
minutes,
10
minutes
10
minutes,
and
then
we
want
to
have
a
lot
of
Q&A
at
the
end
of
it.
So
we'll
have
the
professor
speak
first
and
then
senator
Roger
Katz,
Kate
Kate
I'm
telling
you
you
thought.
I
was
joking
about
the
Chinese
thing,
but
Genda
what
a
John
won't
be
well
the
England
haldol
yeah,
it's
bad,
so
bad!
So
we'll
have
the
senator
speak
with
this.
B
A
So
served
as
the
mayor
of
Augusta
for
two
terms
and
then
being
elected
to
represent
Maine's
15th,
Senate
District
right
in
2010
and
a
member
of
Maine's
cannabis
legalization
implementation
committee
and
has
helped
to
draft
a
lot
of
their
their
cannabis
related
legislation
and
we're
thrilled
to
have
you
here.
Senator
it's
great
to
have
somebody's
got
your
kind
of
background
and
boots-on-the-ground
expertise
and
then
last
is
represent.
Of
Reggie
jones-sawyer
see
just
took
a
little
while
to
get
warmed
up.
C
They'll
stay
seated.
Thank
you
so
much
for
that
kind
introduction.
It's
always
an
honor
to
come
out
here
and
speak
to
the
NCSL
I've
been
asked
to
talk
about
a
lot
of
different
topics
today.
So
of
necessity,
I'll
have
to
be
brief,
but
I
wanted
to.
Let
you
know
about
some
resources
that
you
can
use
to
help
answer
any
questions
you
might
have
about
marijuana
law
and
policy.
I
put
those
up
there
on
the
board.
C
This
includes
the
textbook
that
Eric
mentioned
marijuana
law
policy
and
authority,
notwithstanding
the
fact
that
it
has
law
in
the
name
of
it,
it
is
accessible
to
non
lawyers,
don't
be
afraid
of
it
and
I
think
you
might
find
it
useful
and
you
can
get
a
copy
on.
The
Amazon
I've
also
created
a
companion
website
for
the
book,
where
I
regularly
will
write
about
breaking
developments
in
the
field
of
marijuana
law.
The
web
address
is
up
there
and
you
have
a
few
samples
from
that
website
in
your
handouts.
C
And,
lastly,
you
can
always
email
me
and
I'm
easy
to
find
and
happy
to
chat,
formally
or
informally
about
any
questions
you
might
have.
So
without
further
ado,
let
me
start
by
giving
you
a
quick
overview
of
the
status
of
marijuana
reforms
in
the
States.
This
map
that
I
have
up
here
on
the
board,
which
is
also
in
your
handouts,
shows
you
what
the
states
have
done
to
date.
C
The
red
states
up
there
and
there
are
22
of
those
have
legalized
marijuana,
but
only
for
meta
uses.
The
gray
states
up
there
there,
eighteen
of
those
of
you're
keeping
track,
have
adopted
the
most
modest
reforms
like
red
states,
they've,
legalized,
marijuana
for
medical
purposes,
but
only
when
the
drug
contains
little
or
no
THC.
That's
a
psychoactive
component
in
marijuana.
So
we
call
these
CBD
states
on
what
you're
doing
Matt
the
the
math
here.
That
leaves
only
one
state
and
if
you
don't
recognize
it
up
on
the
board,
the
the
white
stayed
up
there.
D
C
A
drug
in
all
its
forms
for
all
purposes,
so
that's
the
current
state
of
state
marijuana
reforms.
It's
much
easier
to
describe
federal
law,
at
least
as
that
law
is
written
like
Idaho
federal
law
continues
to
ban
marijuana
outright
and,
as
you
know,
that
federal
ban
complicates
the
task
you
have
to
implement
reforms
like
those
up
on
the
board,
even
though
that
ban
is
still
on
the
books.
C
However,
there
have
been
a
few
notable
developments
this
past
year
at
the
federal
level
that
overall
might
make
it
a
bit
easier
for
you
as
state
lawmakers
to
regulate
marijuana,
as
you
see
fit
on.
The
first
of
these
developments
happened
back
in
January
when
the
United
States
Attorney
General,
Jeff
Sessions,
rescinded
marijuana
enforcement
guidance
that
had
been
issued
by
the
Obama
administration.
This
guidance
on
known
colloquially
as
the
Ogden
and
Cole
memoranda,
had
suggested
that
the
do
DOJ
wouldn't
prosecute
anyone
who
was
acting
in
compliance
with
state
marijuana
laws.
C
At
the
time
the
Attorney
General's
announcement
stoked
fears
that
the
DOJ
was
going
to
try
to
undo
all
of
these
colorful
state
reforms,
but
those
fears
have
proven
unfounded
on
my
handout
explains.
Why
in
more
detail,
but
let
me
highlight
two
reasons
why
the
DOJ
hasn't
an
indeed
won't
initiate
a
crackdown
on
the
marijuana
industry.
For
one
thing,
Congress
has
tied
the
DL
J's
hands,
at
least
with
respect
to
medical
marijuana
on
in
each
budget.
C
It
has
passed
since
2014
Congress
has
barred
the
DOJ
from
spending
any
of
its
funds
to
prosecute
marijuana
users
and
suppliers,
who
are
a
Bane
state
medical
marijuana
laws.
This
means
that
even
if
the
Attorney
General
wanted
to
crackdown
on
the
medical
marijuana
industry,
he
couldn't
do
it.
He
lacks
the
power.
A
second
reason
the
DOJ
has
held
back
is
that
the
agency
simply
doesn't
have
the
spare
resources
that
would
be
needed
to
mount
an
effective
campaign
against
today's
marijuana
industry,
so
even
without
enforcement
guidance,
even
without
those
spending
restrictions,
Congress
has
imposed.
C
There's
really
not
much.
The
DOJ
could
do
at
this
point
to
put
the
cat
back
in
the
bag.
So
while
this
particular
development
there,
the
rescission
didn't
necessarily
make
your
jobs
any
easier,
didn't
make
it
easier
for
you
to
pursue
reforms.
I,
don't
think
it's
actually
made
it
harder
either.
The
second
big
development
came
from
the
Supreme
Court
this
spring
in
a
case
that,
on
the
surface,
has
nothing
to
do
with
marijuana
its
Murphy
versus
NCAA.
C
The
case
arose
a
few
years
ago,
when
the
state
of
New
Jersey
tried
to
repeal
an
old
state
ban
on
sports
gambling
on
several
sports
leagues,
including
the
NCAA
sued
New
Jersey,
under
an
obscure
federal
law
known
as
pass
pas.
That's
the
professional
and
amateur
sports
Protection
Act
pass,
but
in
relevant
part
prohibited
the
states
from
quote
authorizing
or
licensing
sports
gambling.
The
league's
won
in
the
lower
courts,
which
enjoined
New
Jersey's
repeal
of
its
ban
actively
forcing
the
state
to
continue
to
keep
banning
sports
gambling.
C
New
jersey,
however,
convinced
the
Supreme
Court
to
grant
cert
in
the
case,
and
even
more
importantly,
convinced
the
Supreme
Court
that
pass
pas
is
unconstitutional.
In
particular,
the
court
held
that
the
federal
statute
violated
the
anti-commandeering
rule
and,
in
so
doing,
the
court
endorsed
an
interpretation
of
that
rule
that
I've
been
espousing
for
nearly
a
decade,
namely
that
the
anti-commandeering
rule
empowers
the
states
to
legalize
an
activity
for
purposes
of
state
law.
Even
when
Congress
forbids
the
same
activity,
so
although
Murphy
involves
sports
gambling,
it
applies
naturally
to
marijuana
and
other
activities
as
well.
C
The
decision
doesn't
empower
you
to
do
whatever
you
want
with
respect
to
marijuana,
but
it
should
put
an
end
to
a
variety
of
lawsuits
that
are
claiming
that
your
state
reforms
are
preempted
to
the
extent
that
they
authorize
or
license
the
possession,
cultivation
or
distribution
of
marijuana.
The
third
noteworthy
development
at
the
federal
level
actually
occurred
in
Congress,
and
it
was
likely
prompted
by
the
Attorney
General's
announcement
back
in
January
senators,
Cory
Gardner
of
Colorado
and
Elizabeth
Warren
of
Massachusetts
introduced
bipartisan
legislation
that
would
dramatically
change
federal
law
governing
medical
marijuana.
C
The
proposal
is
called
the
states
act
and
to
simplify
some.
What
the
states
act
would
turn
federal
supremacy
on
its
head.
It
would
empower
state
lawmakers
to
legalize
the
possession,
manufacture
and
distribution
of
medical
marijuana
under
federal
and
not
just
state
law,
so
federal
law
would
adopt
the
red
gray
and
red
and
gray
that
you
see
up
here
up
on
the
map
on.
If
it
passed,
the
state's
Act
would
be
a
really
big
deal
on
States.
C
Could
remove
all
of
the
obstacles
that
medical
marijuana
users
and
suppliers
now
face
because
the
federal
ban
on
wanna
those
suppliers,
for
example,
could
get
federal
trademark
and
bankruptcy
protection
as
well
as
financial
services
from
federally
regulated
banks?
Now,
of
course,
Congress
I
think
may
not
pass
the
state's
act
or
may
not
do
so
anytime
soon.
C
Nonetheless,
I
want
to
call
your
attention
to
a
little-known
fact
and
that's
that
Congress
has
already
given
you
the
power
to
turn
off
the
federal
marijuana
ban
in
some
limited
circumstances,
and
let
me
give
you
one
quick
example:
as
I
wrap
up
today,
the
example
involves
drug
paraphernalia.
This
is
basically
equipment
that
people
use
to
consume
or
produce
marijuana,
think
of
vape
pens,
think
of
grow
lights,
for
example.
Right
now,
the
federal
Controlled
Substances
Act
bans
this
equipment.
That
ban
is
found
in
21
USC
Section
863
I've
got
the
text
up
on
the
board.
C
However,
when
Congress
adopted
this
ban
back
in
the
1980s,
it
also
snuck
in
an
obscure
and
hence
little
used
provision
that
enable
States
to
turn
off
this
federal
ban
by
specifically
authorizing
marijuana
paraphernalia
under
state
law.
In
other
words,
under
this
provision,
subsection
F
up
there
if
a
state
passes
a
law
that
specifically
authorizes
the
sale
and
possession
of
drug
paraphernalia
under
state
law.
That
law
would
also
make
the
possession
manufacture
and
distribution
of
these
devices
legal
under
federal
law
as
well.
Now
this
isn't
a
cure-all.
Of
course.
C
It
only
deals
with
one
segment
of
the
industry,
but
it
would
help
companies
they're
sort
of
at
the
periphery
of
these
marijuana
reforms,
and
it
provides
just
one
example
of
what
state
lawmakers
can
do
as
they
wait
for
Congress
to
take
up,
perhaps
broader
reforms
sometime
in
the
future.
All
right,
thank
you
and
I'll
turn
it
over
to
run
Thank
You.
B
My
name
is
Roger
Cates
I'm
from
Maine
I
want
to
tell
you
a
little
bit
about
our
main
experience,
but
before
I
do
that
I
just
want
to
note
that
we
most
of
us
have
one
thing
in
common:
we
all
got
elected
in
our
home
districts.
We
all
have
our
our
roads
to
victory.
I
just
wanted
to
tell
you
quickly
about
mine
when
I
started,
to
run
for
the
first
time,
I
reached
out
to
one
of
the
older
senators
more
than
experienced
ones
and
asked
him
the
secret
to
success
in
me,
and
he
said
Roger.
B
Here's
what's
worked
for
me.
You
can
fool
some
of
the
people
some
of
the
time
and
those
are
the
ones
you
should
concentrate
on.
It's
worked
out
pretty
well
for
for
four
terms.
For
me,
our
main
experience
with
marijuana
goes
back
to
1999
when
we
were
one
of
the
first
states
that
passed
medical,
marijuana
and
I
think
we've
learned.
There
are
three
truisms
from
from
that
experience.
B
First,
that
that
the
federal
government
impediments
are
still
there,
despite
the
fact
that
the
feds
have
kept
hands
off
for
the
most
part,
it's
still
almost
entirely
a
cash
business
because
of
the
unwillingness
of
most
banks
and
in
most
credit
unions,
not
all
to
get
involved
in
taking
accounts
and
and
in
working
with
people,
and
certainly
the
ability
to
look
to
borrow
money
is
extremely
limited
or
get
insurance.
I
think.
The
second
thing
we've
learned
in
Maine
is
that
there's
been
a
general
acceptance
of
medical
marijuana
and
its
efficacy.
B
Even
the
most
some
of
my
most
conservative
colleagues,
when
one
came
up
to
me
a
couple
of
weeks
ago
and
said
you
know,
my
mother
has
terrible
rheumatoid
arthritis
and
she
is
helped
by
her
medical
marijuana
prescription.
So
it's
one
degree
of
separation.
We
all
know
someone
who
feels
at
least
that
they've
been
helped
by
Medical
Marijuana,
so
it
isn't
going
away
and
in
state
policy.
The
third
thing
is
that,
despite
that,
general
acceptance
does
still
a
fair
amount
of
abuse
in
the
medical
marijuana
system.
B
Most
caregivers
are
ethical
and
are
in
it
for
the
right
reasons,
but
there
is
that
small
percentage
that
are
basically
outlaws,
who
are
using
the
medical
marijuana
system
as
a
way
to
grow
and
divert
into
the
into
the
black
market,
and
that's
something
we
struggle
with
all
the
time.
So
adult
use
cannabis
recreational
marijuana,
whatever
you
want
to
call
it.
The
Maine
Legislature
has
dealt
with
that
on
several
occasions
and
never
passed
it.
B
So
the
advocates
instituted
a
citizen's
referendum
back
in
2016,
got
it
on
the
ballot,
not
that
hard
to
accomplish
in
Maine
and
it
passed
by
the
the
narrowest
of
margins.
It
allowed
an
in
general
possession
of
up
to
two
and
a
half
ounces
for
personal
use,
allowed
people
to
grow
up
to
six
plants
and
had
a
19
page
bill
behind
it.
B
Not
terribly
well
thought
out
talking
about
implementation
of
that,
so
our
presiding
officers
in
the
Maine
Legislature
appointed
a
Joint
Select
Committee
on
marijuana
legalization
to
write
the
the
real
implementing
language
forward
for
the
bill.
It's
a
Joint,
Select
Committee
people
laugh
about
that
said,
don't
get
down
in
the
weeds
and
you
know:
we've
heard
them
all.
B
If
you
have
a
new
one,
I'll
be
very,
very
surprised,
but
we
spent-
and
we
had
a
very
interesting
committee,
every
all
the
way
from
on
one
side,
a
state
representative
who
thought
that
that
marijuana
shouldn't
be
regulated
in
any
more
than
the
growth
of
tomatoes,
all
the
way
to
the
other
side
of
the
spectrum,
to
someone
who
felt
that
marijuana
was
the
the
product
of
the
devil.
So
it
was
an
interesting
process
and
we
spent
eight
months
going
through
that
process
and
we're
eventually
able
to
get
to
a
consensus.
B
It
was
a
fascinating
Enterprise
for
those
of
you
legislators
generally
we're
seeing
bills
that
are
brought
to
us.
We
work
them,
we
change
them,
we
amend
them,
we
tweak
them
and
and
out
they
go
with
my
majority
of
minority
reports,
but
here
we
were
really
starting
almost
entirely
from
scratch:
Maura
Kenda,
starting
with
a
budget.
If
you
will
a
budget
document
and
over
eight
months
we
were
able
to
get
there.
We
passed
it
out
of
committee,
but
15
to
1.
B
We
passed
in
the
House
who
passed
in
the
Senate,
our
governor
vetoed
it
and
we
were
unable
to
override
the
veto.
So
it
was
back
to
the
drawing
boards
again
and
going
through
that
process.
For
another
four
months
we
were
finally
able
to
get
something
passed
again.
The
governor
vetoed
it,
but
this
time
we
were
able
to
override
so
just
telling
you
a
little
bit
about
our
experience.
Every
state
is
different,
but
but
the
we
listen
to
a
lot
of
stakeholders.
B
We
listen
to
people
who
were
proponents
of
the
referendum,
people
who
were
opposed
to
it.
The
Maine
Municipal
Association,
the
Christian
Civic
League
care,
givers
dispensaries
in
the
medical
field
and
and
obviously
legislative
leadership
on
both
sides
of
the
aisle,
and
we
went
back
to
the
drawing
boards,
as
I
said,
but
the
key
components
of
Maine's
legislation
which
I
can
tell
you
about
one-
is
we've
kept
the
medical
system
separate.
B
We
are
new.
We
have
not
combined
those
I.
Don't
have
much
doubt
that
in
20
years
they
will
there
will
be
a
system
of
meta
of
a
marijuana,
not
too
siloed
systems,
but
for
now
we
kept
the
medical
system
in
part.
In
response
to,
as
the
professor
was
saying,
of
concerns
about
federal
law,
feds
abuse
have
pretty
much
set
hands
off
on
medical,
we're
not
quite
so
sure
what
their
attitude
is
going
to
be
on
recreational
marijuana,
so
we've
kept
them
them
separate.
B
There's
no
reasons
reason
why
those
ought
to
be
two
separate
systems
or
two
separate
ways,
but
though
they
ought
to
be
consistent.
So
in
Maine
what
we
did.
It
was
a
we've
favored
Maine
residents
and
all
these
licenses,
the
legislature
as
a
whole,
pretty
much
agreed
the
this
new
industries
to
come
to
Maine
we
want
to
have
Mainers,
have
the
first
shot
at
that.
We've
actually
imposed
a
four
year,
Maine
residency
requirement
for
someone
to
get
a
license
under
the
system,
a
concept
which
I'm
sure
would
offend
professor
mykos.
B
B
Prohibitions
in
the
packaging
and
licensing
area
of
packaging
and
labeling
area,
all
in
an
effort
to
try
to
keep
this
out
of
the
hands
of
kids
as
much
as
we
can
in
advertising,
there's
no
cartoon
characters.
Packaging,
no
animal
shapes
allowed,
no
bright,
colors
that'll,
attract
kids,
no
way,
advertising
or
marketing.
B
That
has
a
likelihood
of
reaching
persons
under
the
age
of
21,
tamper,
proof,
packaging
standards
for
labeling,
so
that
people
know
what
dosage
they're
getting
what
product
they're
getting
THC
contact
content,
the
universal
marijuana
system,
health
and
dietary
information,
as
you
might
expect,
so,
we've
included
that
we
have
every
step
of
the
way
I
think
it's
safe
to
say
that
we
have
gone
conservative
and
we
have
gone
slow.
The
bill
we
passed
is
is
marijuana,
1.0
and
I'm,
sure
they'll
be
marijuana
2.0
next
year
and
so
on
and
so
forth.
B
Prohibition
was
done
away
with
I,
don't
know
how
how
many
almost
a
hundred
years
ago
now
and
is
in
your
legislature
as
well
as
in
ours.
Every
year
we
see
a
lot
of
bills
dealing
with
how
we're
going
to
regulate
the
the
use
and
the
sale
of
alcohol
and
it'll
be
I'm.
Sure
it'll
be
the
same
at
marijuana
as
well.
One
of
the
key
things
that
we
we
have
in
our
legislation
is
the
concept
of
local
control.
Yes,
marijuana.
B
The
adult
system
is
now
legal
in
the
state
of
Maine,
but
that,
but
on
the
way
we
have
draft
our
legislation
in
every
town,
every
city
can
decide
for
itself
if
they
want
to
have
any
or
all
of
these
license
activities
going
on
within
their
borders,
so
Augusta,
where
I'm
from
might
decide.
For
instance,
no,
we
don't
want
to
have
cultivation,
but
we'll
have
retail
stores,
and
we
only
want
to
allow
three
Portland
might
say
we
want
to
allow
all
of
it
and
we
were
going
to
have
many
licenses
for
each
of
those
categories.
B
So
local
control
was
a
big
part
of
it
and
we've
made
it
an
opt-in
system
by
the
way
that
is,
if
a
town
doesn't
do
anything,
no
one
can
be
licensed
in
that
local
town.
So
we've
made
it
an
opt-in
system,
and
that
was
a
big
subject
of
discussion,
so
you
have
to
first
of
all,
it
may
now
get
a
state
license
to
engage
in
one
of
these
activities.
Then
you
have
to
take
that
license
to
a
the
town
where
you
want
to
operate
and
you
have
to
get
their
blessing
as
well.
B
So
we
again,
we
were
successful
in
overriding
the
veto.
Now
it's
off
to
rulemaking
a
great
deal
of
this,
no
matter
what
state
you're
in
is
going
to
be
done
in
in
rulemaking
and
if
you're
dooming
going
through
this
process,
I'd
really
encourage
you
to
reach
out
to
other
states
that
have
gone
through
this.
B
We
learned
so
much
from
talking
with
our
colleagues
and
in
Colorado
in
particular,
but
also
in
Washington
and
Oregon
and
in
Washington
DC
other
places
which
had
passed
it
before
us
learned
from
their
experience
and
learned
from
their
mistakes,
we're
all
facing
the
same
shoes.
But
you
know
the
local
culture
that
you
have
in
your
own.
Own
states
is
going
to
inform
about
how
you
go
about
it,
just
as
it
did
with
us
and
in
Maine.
So
again
we
we
went
conservative
in
a
lot
of
ways,
partly
because
it
passed
by
such
a
narrow
margin.
B
We
didn't
want
to
get
too
far
ahead
of
ourselves
on
it.
For
instance,
the
original
proposal
had
had
a
provision
for
social
clubs
think
marijuana
bars.
If
you
will,
we
decided
not
to
do
that.
We
prohibited
internet
sales,
we
prohibited
home
delivery,
we
limited
the
number
of
plants,
as
I
said,
the
referendum
would
call
for
six
whedon.
We
lowered
that
down
to
three
and
we
did
everything
we
could
to
promulgate
policies
which
would
discourage
the
diversion
of
marijuana
from
from
a
legal
growing
situation
into
the
black
market
and
certainly
to
going
out
of
state
I'm.
B
Looking
back
on
it
and
seeing
where
we
are
in
2018
in
this
country.
I,
don't
know
that
it
is
any
more
a
question
of
whether
to
legalize
or
not
I
mean
in
Maine,
although
I
actually
voted
against
it.
I
wanted
to
let
other
states
get
a
little
boy
ahead
of
us
and
learn
from
them,
but
in
Maine.
Clearly,
people
are
using
marijuana.
B
So
what
can
we
do
to
make
sure
that
that
people
will
have
a
safe
source
and
the
research
actually
is
at
least
in
Colorado?
The
teen
usage
of
marijuana
after
legalization
really
hasn't
even
gone
up.
It
stayed
about
the
same,
so
my
own
thoughts
on
the
subject
were
crystallized.
We
went
out
to
Colorado
to
meet
with
people
out
there
that
were
most
helpful
to
us
and
I
was
walking
in
downtown
dead,
were
in
the
air
in
the
corner.
I
see
three
guys
smoking.
A
joint
on
the
corner
and
I'm
thinking
to
myself.
B
Is
this
really
what
we
want
to
bring
back
to
the
state
of
Maine
and
then
I
flew
back
to
Maine
and
then
got
out
and
flew
into
Portland
and
went
into
downtown
Portland?
What
did
I
see
three
guys
on
the
corner?
Smoking?
A
joint?
So
it's
here,
let's,
let's
do
it
the
right
way.
We
are
comforted
by
the
fact
that
we
think
that
the
federal
government
will
keep
their
hands
off
our
US
Attorney
hasn't
indicated
anything
anything
different.
So
again,
the
last
thing
I
would
say
that
no
state
has
the
magic
way
to
do
this.
B
A
lot
of
its
going
to
be
controlled
by
your
own
politics
by
what
you
can
get
past
by
how
you
want
to
handle
it
by
how
much
you
value
local
control
and
but
I
feel
free
to
reach
out
to
those
of
us
in
Maine,
but
also
other
states,
we're
all
anxious
to
help
and
have
you
learn
from
our
mistakes
and
have
you
learn
from
our
experience?
Thank
you.
E
Good
morning
I'm
Reggie
jones-sawyer
I
represent
South
Los
Angeles
and
I
am
Assemblyman
in
the
California
State
Assembly
and
just
in
full
disclosure.
You
probably
could
tell,
by
the
way,
I've
dressed
that
I'm,
not
real
shy
and
I'm.
Really
not
real
shy
about
this.
Just
this
subject,
and
for
those
of
you
who
have
taken
a
cautious
view,
I
understand
that
but
I'm,
not
one
of
those
individuals
and
California
and
its
electorate
have
taken
a
bold
step
into
not
only
legalizing
medical
and
adult
use
cannabis.
E
Not
only
have
I
been
moving
for
this
and
and
the
decriminalization
of
cannabis,
especially
as
it
impacts
minorities
and
people
from
my
district,
South,
Los
Angeles,
and
how
it's
been
used
for
the
school
to
Prison,
Pipeline
and
other
things.
I
am
probably
I'm,
pretty
sure.
Not
I
probably
can
say
that
in
front
of
this
room,
I'm-
probably
the
first
with
melissa,
etheridge
politician
to
smoke
cannabis
on
stage
in
front
of
a
lot
of
people.
E
And
if
you
don't
believe
me,
google,
my
name
Melissa,
Etheridge
and
you'll-
see
us.
Would
a
vape
pen
in
our
hand
getting
high
and
the
reason
I
did
it
and
the
reason
I
did
it
because
in
a
lot
of
communities,
even
though
it's
legal
there's
still
a
lot
of
people
who
are
scared
to
death
because
of
the
adverse
impacts
of
it
and
coming
from
Hollywood
I
can
understand
that
you
know.
In
1936
there
was
a
movie
called
reefer
madness
where
somebody
took
one
hit.
E
I
heard
some
oh
yeas
in
here
next
thing
you
know
people
are
raping
and
pillaging
the
neighborhoods
and
driving
crazy.
That's
in
36,
almost
46
late.
Six
years
later
for
the
younger
folks,
there
was
a
there
was
a
movie
called
Fast
Times
at
Ridgemont
High,
which,
incidentally,
had
three
Academy
Award
winners,
Sean
Penn,
Forest,
Whitaker
and
Nicolas
Coppola,
who
later
became
a
Nicolas
Cage
in
that
movie,
but
there
they
had
weed
smoking.
It's
just
people
who
are
lazy,
didn't
study,
so
we've
gone
from.
E
E
In
my
entire
life
and
a
lot
of
people
I've
seen
in
155
thousand
people
now
down
to
a
hundred,
thirty
thousand
are
incarcerated
in
California
a
lot
of
them.
Look
like
me,
a
lot
of
them
when
you
look
down
at
their
records,
it
started
with
cannabis,
and
so
the
three
court
judge
which
we
were
under
in
order
to
reduce
it
by
fifty
five
thousand
inmates,
with
some
very
draconian
efforts,
which
also
pushed
a
lot
of
the
lower
offenders
out
into
communities
out
into
the
jails
which
now
are
over
populated.
E
They
never
really
solved
the
problem
of
why
the
three-strikes
was
used
to
basically
undermine
a
whole
community,
and
so
at
California
start
to
look
at
that
and
California
said.
If
cannabis
marijuana
was
one
of
the
causes,
then
we
need
to
move
to
another
way
of
dealing
with
it.
We
need
to
move
to
a
way
of
looking
at
it
if
it's
a
health
problem,
once
you
go
to
the
next
to
the
next
level
and
then
medical
marijuana.
For
me,
the
reason
I
got
involved,
I
got
elected
in
2012,
Iowa
smoked
cannabis
in
1979.
E
I
was
with
my
father-in-law,
who
had
cancer
in
2011
and
he
needed
you
couldn't
eat.
You
had
throat
cancer,
cannabis
helped
him.
In
fact,
I
took
him
to
a
cannabis,
store
scared
to
death.
Cause
I
was
running
for
office,
so
I
understand
I,
get
it.
You
don't
get
busted
at
that
time
in
a
cannabis
shop.
Having
someone
taken
a
picture
of
you
but
I
went
in
and
it
was
a
different
place.
E
They
could
use
this
and
set,
and
the
side
effects
were
a
whole
lot
less
worse
and
then
I
met
cancer
patients,
but
him
and
did
I
met
AIDS
patients
who
used
it.
So
in
1996
we
did
do
the
proposition
two
one:
five,
which
is
called
Compassionate
Use
Act
were
fifty
five
point.
Six
percent
of
the
electorate
actually
voted
for
it
and
we
started
our
medical
marijuana
operations
here
in
California
because
we
still
were
a
little.
We
weren't
really
there
there,
yet
it
wasn't
until
2015
think
about
it.
E
Eight
or
nine
years
later
we
wrote
the
regulations
for
medical
cannabis.
It
took
us
that
long
because
we
couldn't
get
it
through
the
legislature.
It
was
a
hard
fight
to
get
it
through
and
it
was
a
group
of
US
Senate
members,
Bontecou,
Lee,
Jones,
Sawyer,
Lackey
would
and
the
senator
McGuire.
We
were
Republican
we're
Democrat
white
API
from
Northern
California
Southern
California
from
the
Golden
Triangle,
where
most
of
the
cannabis
is
built.
As
is
it's
farmed.
We
were.
We
were
Eagle
Scouts,
ex-marines
Mormons.
E
That
the
regulations
we
got
passed
in
2015
with
a
B
to
66
and
just
to
let
you
know-
and
this
is
just
personal
privilege-
the
the
reason
we're
able
to
get
19
and
1996
The
Compassionate
Use
done-
did
because
a
60
year
old
woman
named
Mary
browny,
Mary
ratham,
was
arrested
for
baking
marijuana
brownies
and
it
caused
a
firestorm
back.
Then.
The
reason
why
bothers
me,
because
I'm
61
I,
don't
think
I'm
that
old
by
us
getting
that
done
and
putting
our
egos
to
the
side.
E
We
were
able
to
come
up
with
basically,
basically
the
blueprint
of
what
eventually
came
proposition
64,
which
legalized
both
adult
use
and
medical
marijuana
here
in
California
a
lot
of
what
we
needed
to
do
and
we
call
it
the
the
adult
use
of
marijuana
Act
of
2016,
which
legalized
cannabis
in
California,
is
also
called
a
Yuba
Yuma.
It's
been
called
Mercer,
obviously
was
done
by
bureaucrats,
because
if
I
had
written
it,
it
would
have
been
chipped.
Cannabis
helps
individuals,
pain,
I
would
have
made
it
super
simple.
E
Now
the
key
factors
for
us
getting
it
done
for
where
we
are
right
now.
Obviously,
it's
the
revenue.
We
all
know
that
especially
those
of
us
that
have
had
gone
through
some
really
hard
economic
times
when
the
budgets
weren't
that
good
the
minority
impacts
on
communities
helped
a
lot
once
it
was
explained.
But
someone
had
mentioned
earlier
about
local
control.
E
Local
control
for
us
here
in
California
was
crucial,
especially
when
we
were
trying
to
get
law
enforcement
on
board
who
still
pushing
back
on
cannabis,
who
still
talks
about
the
day,
not
only
driving,
while
under
the
influence
and
other
things.
But
it's
still
out
there
kind
of
promoting
some
of
the
things
that
I,
don't
think,
makes
sense
right
now,
but
we're
still
doing
studies.
We
in
the
legislature
have
put
together
three
million
dollars
to
look
at
the
effects,
for
example
of
cannabis
and
when
you're
driving
field
sobriety
tests.
E
How
can
you
test
a
THC,
it's
Lansing
in
your
system
for
a
very
long
time,
but
we
have
to
come
up
with
safeguards
for
that
and
and
things
in
the
road
there's
still
people
that
believe
that
cannabis
is
a
gateway,
drug
gateway
to
a
lot
of
things
and
there's
some
of
us
that
believe
it
may
not
be
a
gateway.
Drug
might
be
a
drive
through
drug
drive
through
McDonald's,
Taco,
Bell
and
other
places.
E
We
have
to
go
get
our
cannabis
that
we
need
to
test
for
that
at
UC,
San
Diego
from
Tennessee
because
of
federal
regulations,
which
doesn't
make
any
sense,
because
I
think
we
have
some
of
the
best
wheat
here.
I
can
walk
outside
this
building
and
get
what
we
need
and
and
a
level
that
and
quite
frankly,
the
level
that
we're
really
concerned
about.
It's
not
the
same
that
we're
getting
from
the
research
centers
in
Tennessee.
So
the
impact
of
this.
E
This
is
not
this
1960
1970
wheat
anymore,
and
we
need
to
test
what
people
are
using
right
now
in
2018,
19
and
2020,
and
we
need
to
get
that
research
now
done
and
so
we're
doing
that
here
in
California.
Right
now,
the
CHP,
which
is
our
state
police.
They
are
starting
to
look
at
field
sobriety
tests
to
see
the
impacts
and
how
people
are
driving,
whether
it's
even
if
you're
driving
slow.
E
You
could
present
a
great
harm
to
people
and
they're
they're,
doing
Phil
sobriety
procedures
and
policies
that,
hopefully
they
come
up
with
pretty
soon
that,
hopefully
we
can
give
out
to
you
to
use
and
have
your
law
enforcement
also
use
it
also
one
of
the
biggest
problems
that
we're
having
right
now
is
getting
rid
of
the
illegal
cannabis
market,
and
that
is
something
that
the
state
and
I'm
embarrassed
to
say.
We
have
not
done
anything
really
haven't
done
a
good
job.
We
try.
E
E
E
Unfortunately,
they
didn't
put
the
money
in
because
they
were
waiting
for
the
revenue.
Well,
the
revenues
have
come
in
not
the
way
we
had
expected,
because
if
you
can
buy
it
cheaper
across
the
street
at
an
illegal
shop,
that's
open!
Why
would
you
go
there
and
spent
ten
twenty
thirty
dollars
more
from
a
legal
shop?
And
so
that's
why
it's
really
really
important
for
us
in
California
right
now
to
work
real
hard
to
shut
down
the
illegal
operations
here
in
California
and
then,
finally,
for
me,
I'm
not
trying
to
get
everybody
high.
E
E
E
As
far
as
the
way
we
can
take
care
of
our
seniors
and
young
people,
our
vets,
but
most
important
as
a
California
elected
official
I,
would
love
for
us
to
be
the
number
one
industry
in
the
country
and
I've
said
it
a
million
times
I
I
know
we
probably
have
some
of
the
best
entrepreneurs
that
ever
got
in
this
building
business,
because
a
lot
of
them
ended
up
in
jail.
You
know
there
are
people
who
sold
cannabis
on
the
street,
then
he
sold
it
in
the
block.
E
Citywide
some
became
statewide,
someone
went
national,
some
went
international
and
ended
up
in
jail,
they
understood,
accounts,
receivable
payable
marketing,
and
it
could
keep
an
inventory
in
their
head.
There
were
some
of
the
best
entrepreneurs
this
country
probably
ever
had
without
an
MBA.
They
didn't
go
to
Wharton,
Harvard
or
Stanford
to
get
their
MBA.
E
This
is
an
opportunity
to
get
people
who
have
those
business
skills
involved
in
that,
but
most
important,
I
think
for
California
and
I.
Think
for
the
country.
It's
an
industry.
If
it's
well
regulated
and
I'll
say
that
three
times
well
regulated
well
regulated
will
not
have
the
detrimental
impacts
on
it
and
that's
what
California
is
working
toward
a
well
regulated
industry
that
doesn't
produce
harms
to
its
citizens
and
to
the
state.
Thank
you.
A
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
we've
got
a
few
minutes
left
for
Question
and
Answer.
This
session
is
being
recorded.
So
if
you
would
like
to
ask
a
question
of
the
professor,
the
panelists
you'll
need
to
make
sure
that
you
use
a
microphone
and
you
speak
into
that,
so
that
we
can
effectively
broadcast
that
so
questions
for
our
panelists.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
let's
go
ahead
and
start
right
here
and
wait
a
minute.
Please,
like
I,
said
you
need
to
make
sure
you've
got
the
microphones.
D
Well,
thank
you
so
much
I'm
Chris
Taylor
I'm
in
the
house
in
Wisconsin,
and
we
don't
have
Medical
Marijuana.
We
don't
have
anything,
though
we're
surrounded
by
states
that
do
and
one
of
the
impediments
is
the
Medical
Society
and
the
physician
community
I'm
wondering
how
you
all
dealt
with
with
that
community
in
moving
your
policies
forward.
B
Well,
thanks
for
the
question
in
Maine,
but
the
doctors
were
front
and
center
advocating
for
this,
but
on
the
other
hand,
they
weren't
really
imposed
either
because
I
think
they
saw
it
was
happening.
I
think
their
concern
has
been
public
education,
particularly
for
kids,
particularly
for
all
of
us
to
understand
that
the
human
brain
doesn't
stop
developing
until
apparently
around
the
age
of
25,
so
partially.
B
In
response
to
that,
we've
taken
carved
out
a
portion
of
our
tax
revenue,
specifically
for
public
education,
specifically
aimed
at
children
and
then
specifically,
aimed
at
having
people
understand
that
edibles
work
differently
than
smoking
does
in
terms
of
delayed
reaction.
So
the
doctors
were
actually
a
very
positive
force
in
helping
us
do
that.
The
other
6%
that's
6%,
of
our
tax
revenue,
the
other
6%,
would
be
set
aside,
and
the
only
other
money
we
set
aside
is
Assemblyman.
E
For-
and
they
were
silent
during
doing
that
during
that,
especially
Pharma
was
very,
very
silent
during
this
this
process
and
then,
as
we
got
closer
to
legalizing
it,
a
curious
thing
happened.
We
were
hearing
stories
of
and
I
won't
mention
the
company
Bayer
Aspirin
that
we're
doing
research
on
cannabis,
medicine
about
200
million
dollars
was
the
initial
research.
E
They
better
get
on
board
quick
or
this
industry
could
supplant
them
in
a
lot
of
ways
on
a
lot
of
different
fronts,
and
so
I
I
think
they've
already
embraced
it.
They
don't
talk
about
it,
a
lot
because
they
don't
want
everybody
to
just
quickly
move
one
hundred
percent
away
from
pharmaceuticals
and
I'm,
not
saying
all
pharmaceuticals
are
good
and
I'm
not
saying
cannabis
is
good
for
every
element,
but
they're
they're,
just
some
there's
room
for
both
and
I.
Think
they've
embraced
it
more
than
you.
You
realize
that.
A
F
F
However,
they
still
want
to
ensure
that
individuals
have
access
to
the
planet
because,
as
you
noted,
most
of
these
rules
were
passed
under
direct
vote
by
constituencies
or
by
individuals
within
the
state
and
so
really
I'm
just
curious
as
to
how
much
you've
really
looked
at
at
that,
and
then
also
looking
at
it
as
being
a
component
for
helping
to
drive
out
the
illicit
marketplace.
That
oftentimes
still
remains
after
states
move
down
the
path
towards
legalization,
at
least
of
certain
components.
I
think.
B
Maina
was
a
very
simple
question:
you
raised
the
issue
of
home
delivery
and,
and
most
of
my
colleagues
in
the
Republican
Party
said,
are
you
freaking
kidding
me?
It
was
it
was.
It
was
simply
a
matter
of
what
we
needed
to
do
in
order
to
be
able
to
pass
a
bill
in
a
legislature
where
again
over
half
the
members
of
the
house
didn't
even
want
to
do
anything
because
their
constituents
had
voted.
B
A
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
our
time
is
up
for
this
morning,
partly
because
you've
got
committee
luncheons
that
are
coming
up
that
you
need
to
get
to.
So
would
you
gentlemen,
mind
maybe
taking
a
moment
staying
after
just
a
little
bit
if
you'd
like
to
we?
Will
the
committee
will
reconvene
in
this
room
at
12:15
Oh
in
room
403
I
apologize.
Thank
you.
The
committee
will
meet
in
room
403
for
members
of
this
committee
for
the
arts
and
incarcerated
youth
luncheon.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
let's
give
our
panelists
and
professor
Maiko
sad.