Frank, Paul Legislation Would End Federal Ban On Pot

[Gonad the Barbarian]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/22/marijuana-bill-barney-frank-ron-paul_n_882707.html

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) will introduce legislation on Thursday to end the federal ban on marijuana and let the states decide whether to legalize it.

“The legislation would limit the federal government’s role in marijuana enforcement to cross-border or inter-state smuggling, allowing people to legally grow, use or sell marijuana in states where it is legal,” according to the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates for pot legalization. “The legislation is the first bill ever introduced in Congress to end federal marijuana prohibition.”

Wow, some actual progress.

 

[Atreus21]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/22/marijuana-bill-barney-frank-ron-paul_n_882707.html



Wow, some actual progress.

Agree with this one.

This is one of the issues where Milton Friedman converted me.

 

[boochi]

Too bad it will never pass.

 

[MotF Bane]

It will go absolutely nowhere. The media will give it about thirty seconds of coverage, make the piece 50% LOL RP, and 50% oh my god legalization of crime, corruption of THE CHILDREN. The bill will die quietly in committee, courtesy of our good god-fearing corporate-owned totalitarian jackbooted traitors, and all those nice little lobbying groups, oh, the Christian fundamentalist loons, probably MADD, the law-enforcement unions, the list goes on and on and on...

 

[matt0611]

It will go absolutely nowhere. The media will give it about thirty seconds of coverage, make the piece 50% LOL RP, and 50% oh my god legalization of crime, corruption of THE CHILDREN. The bill will die quietly in committee, courtesy of our good god-fearing corporate-owned totalitarian jackbooted traitors, and all those nice little lobbying groups, oh, the Christian fundamentalist loons, probably MADD, the law-enforcement unions, the list goes on and on and on...

Sadly this is true.
Depressing isn't it?

I applaud them for trying though.

 

[shira]

If the legislation can be characterized as a way to reduce the federal budget, maybe it has a chance.

 

[Thump553]

This bill would be a huge reduction in the budget by eliminating the expenses of arresting, prosecuting and jailing pot offenders. But it will never get out of committee as "law and order" as well as imposition of legislated morality are bedrock principles of the GOP. Plus you would have nearly every police chief in the country testifying against it-they know which side their bread is buttered on.

I don't know but I suspect a similar bill (with less known sponsors) has probably been introduced every session since Nixon's time.

 

[shira]

This bill would be a huge reduction in the budget by eliminating the expenses of arresting, prosecuting and jailing pot offenders. But it will never get out of committee as "law and order" as well as imposition of legislated morality are bedrock principles of the GOP. Plus you would have nearly every police chief in the country testifying against it-they know which side their bread is buttered on.

It will never get out of committee. I don't know but I suspect a similar bill (with less known sponsors) has probably been introduced every session since Nixon's time.

State and local law enforcement wouldn't lose because of this bill. If anything, they could use the passage of this bill as a justification to increase their budgets.

 

[a777pilot]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/22/marijuana-bill-barney-frank-ron-paul_n_882707.html



Wow, some actual progress.

I agree that this problem is best solved at the State level and the Federal government ought stay out of it but I see no benefit to having more stupid people running around.

 

[Anubis]

I agree that this problem is best solved at the State level and the Federal government ought stay out of it but I see no benefit to having more stupid people running around.

we can tax the fuck out of their habit

 

[drebo]

I agree that this problem is best solved at the State level and the Federal government ought stay out of it but I see no benefit to having more stupid people running around.

The assumption that anyone who is not currently doing pot is going to suddenly start just because it's now "legal" is just as false as the assumption that people who are doing it now would stop if it were suddenly made illegal.

You're not going to have any more or less people doing pot, and it'll likely follow the same rules as alcohol, meaning that commission of a crime while under the influence is an automatic enhancement, you're not allowed to do it in public (drunk in public is a good law), among other such regulations with alcohol.

The perception that pot isn't currently freely available to just about anyone who wants it at any age, regardless of the fact that the federal government has "banned" it, is about as deluded as a person can be.

Also, as stated, were it freely available through legitimate channels, taxes could be collected on the sale of pot. Sure, it'll still be illegally available, I'm sure, but if done correctly, all profit could be taken out of the illegal marijuana trade.

Disclaimer: I don't smoke pot, and have no desire to start smoking pot, whether it's legal or illegal.

 

[woolfe9999]

It won't pass but I hope it does come to a general vote in the House. I want to see how many votes it can get. If it is just Paul and Frank in favor of it then we're eons away.

 

[Pens1566]

Pissing in the wind, but I applaud their efforts.

 

[Thump553]

State and local law enforcement wouldn't lose because of this bill. If anything, they could use the passage of this bill as a justification to increase their budgets.

Except for high volume trafficing cases (and the occassional celebrity one, like Tommy Chong for manufacturing pot paraphenalia-his line of glass bongs-during the GWB administration) all pot busts these days are for violation of state laws. But if the feds decriminalize the pressure on the states to do so will be enormous-especially when pot is exploited for tax revenue. Think of the floodgates that opened when indian casinos started.

Nah, the chiefs will vehemently testify against it-but not as legalization as a threat to cop's jobs, but as a gateway drug, etc.

 

[werepossum]

I'm not sure that having more pot heads really benefits us, but I support the bill. I'm one of the few people growing up in the sixties/seventies who have never smoked it, but from observation it doesn't seem much if any worse than combining alcohol and tobacco, and I see no justification for banning it. Also, I knew a lady with an inoperable brain tumor who got more relief from pot than from any prescription drugs, and it's unarguably the best treatment for chemo symptoms and probably a few other health issues too.

 

[Atreus21]

I agree that this problem is best solved at the State level and the Federal government ought stay out of it but I see no benefit to having more stupid people running around.

This is the video that converted me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLsCC0LZxkY

 

[Kadarin]

It will go absolutely nowhere. The media will give it about thirty seconds of coverage, make the piece 50% LOL RP, and 50% oh my god legalization of crime, corruption of THE CHILDREN. The bill will die quietly in committee, courtesy of our good god-fearing corporate-owned totalitarian jackbooted traitors, and all those nice little lobbying groups, oh, the Christian fundamentalist loons, probably MADD, the law-enforcement unions, the list goes on and on and on...

Sadly, I'm agreeing with you on this one.

 

[manimal]

what about the children?



/fake outrage

 

[her209]

I agree that this problem is best solved at the State level and the Federal government ought stay out of it but I see no benefit to having more stupid people running around.

I don't believe smoking pot, by itself, actually lowers one's aptitude.

(Not a pot smoker.)

 

[zsdersw]

I agree that this problem is best solved at the State level and the Federal government ought stay out of it but I see no benefit to having more stupid people running around.

The end of prohibition didn't result in a mass wave of "more stupid people".. so your concerns are idiotic.

 

[bfdd]

Sweet, hopefully it will pass and we gain new wealth from the industry.

 

[zsdersw]

Those who want to smoke pot already do... those who don't (myself included) aren't going to start just because it became legal.

 

[Anarchist420]

Obama will veto it, and there is no way in Hell 2/3 of any Congress since 1861 would override a veto on leaving marijuana up to the states. A majority of people don't want it to be left up to the states anyway. Even if a majority of people did want it to be legal, the drug cartels' individual members would lobby against its passage.

 

[wuliheron]

Wow, some actual progress.

What a great idea. With more states then ever going bankrupt and wanting to make money off medical marijuana it might actually have a chance. If not, it at least presents a clear path for future attempts.

 

[umbrella39]

I agree that this problem is best solved at the State level and the Federal government ought stay out of it but I see no benefit to having more stupid people running around.

Some folks parents should have practiced safe sex then.