Reps. Frank and Paul: Let states legalize pot

Seattle Post Intelligencer ^ | June 22, 2011 | Joel Connelly

[Second Amendment First]

A bipartisan team of Reps. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Ron Paul, R-Texas, will introduce federal legislation that would permit states to legalize, regulate, tax and control marijuana without federal interference.

The legislation will be unveiled Thursday by Frank, an outspoken liberal Democrat, and the libertarian Paul, who is running for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

The bill would limit the U.S. government role in marijuana enforcement to interdiction of cross-border or inter-state smuggling. Citizens would be able to legally grow, use or sell cannabis in states which have legalized the forbidden weed.

The legislation is the first bill to be introduced in Congress that would end federal marijuana prohibition.

In a preview of the legislation, the Marijuana Policy Project noted that last week marked the 40th Anniversary of when President Nixon declared that the federal government was at war with marijuana and other drugs.

Nixon had rejected recommendations by a presidential panel that the country move toward decriminalization and an education and treatment-based drug policy.

[SamsFriend]

I think most people who smoke pot (myself included) drank alcohol first - I have smoked pot almost every evening after work for the last 22 yrs., I haven't committed any crimes nor have I tried other drugs. I say legalize it, tax it and smoke it.

[umgud]

do you think that we can OK MJ, but still ban the other stuff

I lean toward legalizing or decriminalizing pot, but I can't see how they could do the same for most hard drugs and especially prescription narcotics.

Is the FDA going to approve meth? Will there be quality control on cocaine, heroin processing? How do you legalize oxycontin, etc? POT's a little different and much simpler.

[Second Amendment First]

I’m afraid you have missed the point that we’re discussing ending the war on MJ, not politically supporting Paul or Frank. Sheesh!

You know Louis Farrakhan is anti drug too. That mean you are a supporter of Louie?

[dmz]

...the overwhelming majority of kids first got exposed to drugs via MJ use..

<><><><><

Only if you suggest that alcohol is not a drug. Alcohol is clearly the #1 gateway drug in America.

[tacticalogic]

If pot, why not meth? Heroine? Crack Cocaine?

Do you really believe that if the federal government left that decision to the states, your state would legalize meth and crack?

[McGruff]

During a “lightning round” where candidates were asked to answer questions about the issues that would give them the most problems during the primaries, both libertarian candidates– Paul and former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson– were asked to defend their liberal stances on drugs. First was Rep. Paul, who Fox’s Chris Wallace confronted with his controversial position that drugs and prostitution should be legalized. His unapologetic response elicited cheers from the crowd, as he argues that, just as “you don’t have the First Amendment so you could talk about the weather,” civil liberties do not exist to protect personal rights upon which most agree. He later likened private freedoms like this to religious freedoms, prompting Wallace’s follow-up: “Are you suggesting that heroin and prostitution are an exercise of liberty?”

After tripping up a little, Rep. Paul replied “yes,” then found himself arguing in favor of legalizing heroin, asking, “if we legalize heroin tomorrow, is everyone is going use heroin? How many people here would use heroin if it were legal?” The question was greeted with cheers, to which Wallace replied with a smile, “I never thought heroin would get an applause in South Carolina.”

Yeah. I want my kid to have easy access to heroin. [do I need a sarcasm tag or isn't it obvious]

[TigersEye]

But the other choice was Obama and Biden and 90% of stoners voted for them.

I voted for McCain. (But only because Palin was on the ticket.)

[fwdude]

Do you make a distinction between marijuana, meth, heroine and cocaine?

[WKUHilltopper]

“I can’t see this ever being approved by our crowned heads of state.”

I can—if these people could come up with away to charge the dead for property taxes on their grave sites, they would. Legalizing pot is a quick way to turn a buck for them. All under the guise of “being enlightened”—but hiding from the real reason of being able to cash in.

[Captain Kirk]

Americans had ready access to hard drugs until 1914 and drug use was lower than today. We also weren’t sending teenagers to prison to be gang-raped and otherwise have their lives destroyed for selling this product.

[ken5050]

That's a fair point...15 years ago, when my two girls were in HS, alcohol was the drug of choice.

Maybe I'm displaying my own prejudices. For for neartly 20 years I was my employer's ( major US corp) local office contact for employee assistance hotline..whenever someone called the 800 help line, if there was an urgent situation, I was the first contact..so I've studied, and worked the problems for a long time...and EVERY case of hard drug use began with, or was accompanied, by MJ use..

[Captain Kirk]

You are acting like legalized hard drugs in the United States is some sort of strange, untried bizzare concept. Not true at all. Hard drugs were legal throughout most of American history and the “drug problem” (including sending teens to prison to be gang-raped for selling these goods) such as it was, was much less than today.

[tacticalogic]

Do you make a distinction between marijuana, meth, heroine and cocaine?

Do you make a distinction between antacids, cold pills, and laxatives?

[ken5050]

And back then there was a generally higher moral standard in the country..

[Responsibility2nd]

And you have missed the point that you can not name me one single conservative who shares your liberal POV.

Sarah Palin? Rick Perry? Michelle Bachmann? Mitt Romney? (Well, he’s a liberal, so he might) Herman Cain? The list for president goes on and on. Who of these people supports the right to torch one up?

As I’ve said: You pro-dopers have Ron Paul and now Barney Frank to be your political heroes to advance your liberal agenda.

And that’s pathetic.

[pallis]

12 X thousands

[dhs12345]

Hey, a way to subdue and pacify the public. Expecting that public will be less and less happy in the coming years.

Life sucks? -- LETS GET STONED!

[McGruff]

Americans had ready access to hard drugs until 1914 and drug use was lower than today.

So you are in favor of legalizing heroin?

[TigersEye]

But supporting un-Constitutional Federal laws is conservative. LOL

[oblomov]

>>Remember, 99.9% of addicts today started with MJ....

Really? People smoke pot before they use alcohol or cigarettes?