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When you drive around in an SUV thats got the words Pot Trooper painted on it along with various pro-marijuana slogans, you might expect to attract the attention of the police at some point.

For Ed NJ Weedman Forchion, that point came on Friday evening as he was driving through the Passaic County town of Wanaque.

Early Saturday morning I got a message from Forchion:

I was arrested for weed, it read. Small amount and the police seized all my money.

The ostensible reason for the stop, Forchion told me, was that he had a green light over his license plate instead of a clear one. But once he was pulled over, the Weedman said, the officers Googled him and found out something that most of us who spend time in Trenton already know. He openly operates a pot dispensary, an activity that he maintains is perfectly legal.

The constitutional amendment was enacted on January First and it said marijuana is now legal, Forchion said in a video of the arrest he posted on Facebook.

In November, voters did indeed pass by a 2-1 margin a Constitutional Amendment to Legalize Marijuana.

But that didnt stop the Wanaque cops from charging the Weedman with pot possession and confiscating $9,000 in cash they found in his car.

Forchion also operates a restaurant at his Trenton location, and he maintains the cash came from that operation.

My rent is $4,200 a month, Forchion said. That was my rent money.

Maybe it was. But theres a wonderful irony here that our state legislators would do well to ponder.

Under federal law, marijuana remains illegal. Banks are not permitted to handle the proceeds. That creates considerable complications for the medicinal-marijuana dispensaries now legal under New Jersey law. Presumably those new adult-use dispensaries in New Jersey would face the same problems.

I know one prominent politician in New Jersey who had a solution for that problem. When he ran for president in 2016, then-Gov. Chris Christie said that if elected he would shut down marijuana sales if elected.

If youre getting high in Colorado today, enjoy it, Christie said in 2015. As of January 2017, I will enforce the federal laws.

Christie later softened that stand a bit, saying states have the right to do what they want to do on this. But the federal laws he cited are still on the books. So in the eyes of the feds, Weedmans dispensary and the state-approved dispensaries could both have their cash confiscated.

When I spoke to the Weedman, he said the issue of cops confiscating cash is very much a live one in urban communities.

I dont know how many times they found pot on me and took the money, Forchion said. In urban neighborhoods they take your money.

That is indeed a common practice, said one libertarian activist. John Paff is a retired insurance executive whos devoted a lot of time to fighting asset-forfeiture laws.

For a lot of minorities whove had their cash confiscated, It costs more for them to engage in the process of getting it back, so they lose the money, he said.

Weedman has hired a lawyer to fight the confiscation. Hes also filed a federal suit arguing that marijuana became legal the moment that amendment took effect.

Thats not the Murphy administrations view. But quite a few legislators are sympathetic to the Weedmans stance on how pot laws affect urban minorities. Thats central to the dispute over legislation thats been on the governors desk since Dec. 17.

Murphy has said he wont sign a bill that eliminates penalties for pot possession by juveniles. But legislators from urban areas argue that such penalties would encourage the stop-and-frisk policies, the same policies that Forchion and Paff say can end with cash being confiscated.

The state senator whos been the architect of the legalization bills told me yesterday that a compromise is in the works.

The process should be complete by the end of next week, said state Sen. Nick Scutari (D-Union). Were going to have a hearing Monday, another on Tuesday and have it passed by Thursday.

Once the bill is signed into law, the charges of simple marijuana possession lodged against the Weedman and others should be dismissed, Scutari said.

But at what point would a dealer like the Weedman get to legalize his operation?

Hell have to go through the application process, Scutari said.

That process includes the establishment of a Cannabis Regulatory Commission that would set up rules for the sale of legal weed. I asked Scutari whether that process might stretch out for a year or more.

Lets get through next week first, said the senator. Then we can talk about the next delay.

The Weedman certainly will.

PLUS- THE MORE THINGS CHANGE:

Check this website on the history of alcohol Prohibition in New Jersey. Note the appointment of World War I hero Ira Reeves to head up Prohibition enforcement:

But Reeves quickly became disillusioned. Virtually everyone around him drank with impunity. Under political pressure, he had to promise not to raid the state legislatures annual dinner. But worse was the pervasive corruption of law enforcement officers and entire departments. The chief of police in Trenton had Reeves agents arrested for carrying concealed guns without a permit.

Read the whole thing.

Original post:
Cannabis and cash: Not so perfect together | Mulshine - NJ.com

The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set newsroom policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com.

Tyler Cowen is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is a professor of economics at George Mason University.

Although President Joe Bidens $1.9 trillion aid and stimulus package now appears likely to pass, the current state of the economy suggests that a much smaller program would suffice. Vaccines are on the way, many state budgets are in OK shape, household balance sheets are robust including many for the poor, real estate is booming and retail sales are above where they were a year ago.

Make no mistake: A faster and better public health response is imperative, both to save lives and to drive a recovery. It is not necessary, however, to juice the economy at the scale being proposed.

There are, to be sure, arguments for such a large package. But they do not represent the best economic advice.

The first principle of economics is opportunity cost, namely that any policy should be compared with possible better alternatives. Under this analysis, the current plan falls short. It has far too much for consumption, and not nearly enough investment. Major plan components include a $1,400 cash transfer, a lot more unemployment insurance, aid to schools, paid leave provisions, aid to state and local governments, and temporary transfers to families.

A lot of this cash will be saved, diminishing its effect as stimulus. There is also the risk that distributing goodies will become a periodic vote-buying mechanism, a practice that will be abused but would never be popular if the public had to pay for it upfront. At the very least, some elements of this package should be linked to future economic conditions.

Nonetheless, after the failures of the response to the Great Recession more than a decade ago, the notion of spending almost $2 trillion, much of it on the poor, represents a kind of catnip for progressives. It is so geared to their natural inclinations that they cannot help but support the proposal.

Leave aside the political question of how aggressively to pursue an agenda of a larger, more activist government (and keep in mind that I am more libertarian than many of the participants in this debate). Take a big government as a given. History shows that consumption still ought not be the priority.

First, wise public sector investments are better for the poor than one-time wealth transfers. The U.S. is still reaping the benefits of the great public health and public works achievements of the 20th century. Second, the most enduring and beneficial government-transfer programs, such as Social Security, have been built on sustainable majorities.

Progressive societies are fundamentally based on a valorization of investment in physical structures, in software, in sustainable policies. This argues against a Lets grab this policy win while we can attitude, no matter how popular that stance may currently be on social media. Its foolish to think that no other policy combination is politically feasible, and if the presidents advisers and supporters really believe that, they are in for a long and unsatisfying four years.

Its not as if there arent obvious candidates for alternative investment: green energy, broadband and public health infrastructure for the next pandemic, to name a few. Yes, I am familiar with the argument that spending the extra trillion or so now will make it possible to spend more trillions later, including on such policies. But whatever kind of complicated political story you might tell, the basic laws of economics have not been repealed. Increasing current expenditures does, in fact, involve foregone future opportunities.

The defenders of the presidents plan argue that inflation and an overheated economy are not major risks. Maybe so, maybe not but that is not the crucial issue. Instead, ask yourself this question: Does this program, or this rhetoric, recognize the paramount importance of investment, whether public or private? If not, you neednt look much further.

The rest is here:
If Joe Biden goes big now, he may have to go small later - Bangor Daily News

If you are hoping to vote in primaries this year and you are currently affiliated with a smaller party, you have until Sunday to update it in Erie County.

If we've learned one thing this year, it's that voting is one of the most important things you can do. It shapes the political landscape nationally and locally.

This year isn't a presidential election year, but if you plan to vote in primaries this year, you will need to make sure you are associated with one of the political parties that have what they call "ballot status."

Those parties includeDemocratic, Republican, Conservative, or Working Families parties.

This is important for people who are currently affiliated with theGreen, Independence, Libertarian, SAM, Womens Equality, and Reform party members because those parties are no longer recognized in NYS.

Again, that doesn't mean that you will have to vote for a candidate that is in one of the "ballot status" parties, but it's the only way that you can vote in primaries for those parties. Otherwise those people will only be able to vote in special and general elections

So how do you change your party affiliation?

Go to elections.erie.gov and click on "Party Registration Change Deadline." That will give you all the info you need to change your party affiliation.

The Erie County Board of Elections sent out a letter to the 36,000 Western New Yorkers that this will affect with a change form and affidavit that has to be returned to the Board of Elections before Sunday. Any changes that take place after that will not be effective until after the June primaries.

Read the original:
This Sunday Is The Deadline To Switch Voter Affiliation In Erie County - wyrk.com

It is undeniable that libertarianism is a growing movement, especially amongst the younger generations in America. During his campaign for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2008 and 2012, Congressman Ron Paul brought a great deal of attention to libertarianism, especially amongst the youth.

This inspired the formation of Young Americans for Liberty, a student activism organization which supports liberty candidates. Many of those youth who were inspired by Ron Paul became registered Libertarians.

In 2016, Gary Johnson once again inspired many Americans, especially amongst the youth, to become Libertarians during his presidential campaign. In 2020, Jo Jorgensen and Spike Cohen continued to draw younger Americans towards the movement and to the Libertarian Party.

Congressman Justin Amash, the first Libertarian United States congressman, also has inspired and continues to inspire many young adults towards the Libertarian Party. Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, likewise draws many of the youth on the left towards libertarianism and despite her having no association with the Libertarian Party, towards the party.

One of the efforts that some members of the Libertarian Party are working on is building a college club for young Libertarians on campuses nationwide. This effort is gaining momentum especially right now as Young Americans for Liberty have been going through some internal strife. Also, with many Republicans leaving the Republican Party and many of them joining the Libertarian Party, there is a lot of momentum building at all levels in the party right now.

Link:
Kenneth Brent Olsen: Libertarianism and the vision of youth - Lompoc Record

Two multiracial Biden voters meet through Curiosity Club and learn that a political disagreement can be the start of a conversation instead of the end of one.

Jerome Hunter and Mellina White met at a virtual Curiosity Club dinner party on November 19, 2020, shortly after the 2020 presidential election.

To watch a 6-minute film from Mellina and Jerome's Curiosity Club dinner, go here.

Curiosity Club is KUOWs bookless book club testing the possibility that a shared meal and public radio stories can transform a group of strangers into a community. I'm the producer and facilitator of this nerdy experiment.

The night Jerome and Mellina met, there were fourteen of us gathered for our virtual dinner party. We talked about pandemic roller skating, the #MeToo movement, Black joy, and, of course, the election.

Days later, I was still thinking about an interaction that got a little tense between Mellina and Jerome towards the end of the dinner. And so, in the spirit of Curiosity Club, I invited both of them back to Zoom for a follow up.

Fearlessly facing the possibility of an awkward conversation, they both agreed, and the three of us came together to find out if a political disagreement could be the start of a conversation, instead of the end of one.

At the heart of their disagreement was Mellinas insistence that in order to move forward, the Left and the Center have to do a better job of understanding and connecting with Trump voters.

Jerome still wasnt convinced by the end of our conversation. However, there was empathy and laughter along the way anyway as the pair explored the perks and challenges of being both mixed race and surprisingly optimistic in America.

Producer Kristin Leong talks with Jerome Hunter and Mellina White about the perks and challenges of being multiracial, while exploring possibilities for what will unify an increasingly divided America. (13 min)

To learn more about Curiosity Club and to find stories from our nerdy supper club experiment, visit KUOW.org/CuriosityClub.

To find answers to FAQs about Curiosity Club, go here.

To be the first to know when the application cycle opens for the next cohort of Curiosity Club, follow our Community Engagement team on Twitter @KUOWengage, and sign up for our monthly KUOW Conversations newsletter here.

KUOW is committed to ongoing feedback and conversation with our community and we invite your participation. If you are willing to share your thoughts or have ideas for a conversation KUOW could pursue regarding this story (or any other) you can email us at engage@kuow.org, leave a voicemail at 206-221-1926, or text the word feedback to 206-926-9955 to leave a text response.

We may be in touch with you for further conversation, or about publishing what you tell us as part of a potential follow-up piece on community response. Please make sure you leave your name and your contact info.

More:
Empathize with Trump voters? A Progressive and a Libertarian agree to disagree - KUOW News and Information