Posted on 06/23/2011 3:46:24 AM PDT by lbryce
Congressmen Ron Paul, Barney Frank and others will introduce legislature Thursday that aims to end a major part of the war on drugs -- namely the battle against marijuana.
Reps. Paul (R-Texas) and Frank (D-Mass.), though technically on opposite sides of the aisle, have often spoken out against the war on drugs and will propose a bill "tomorrow ending the federal war on marijuana and letting states legalize, regulate, tax, and control marijuana without federal interference," according to a statement from the Marijuana Policy Project via Reason.
The bill would allow the individual states to decide how they want to deal with pot. Currently the federal government bogarts U.S. law, oftentimes arresting owners and employees of medical marijuana facilities, for example, who thought they were operating legally under city, county and/or state laws.
"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 MPP statement.
The legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), is the first of its kind to be proposed in Congress that would end the 73-year-old federal marijuana prohibition that began with the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937.
Although Frank insists that this "is not a legalization bill," it will be an excellent test for those in Congress who claim to be for a limited, smaller, federal government -- one that gives more power to the states whenever possible as Paul and the "tea party" have rallied for over the last few years.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimesblogs.latimes.com ...
In effect, aren't you sort of blaming the gun instead of the shooter. I know plenty of smokers who are motivated, have what I'd call good attitudes and are certainly not losers. When you see your stereotypical stoned pot-head it's really worth asking, is this guy this way because he smoked one of God's plants or was he headed this way regardless. Sort of the chicken or the egg question, maybe.
My comment was a tongue in cheek comment, which I stated the sentence before. Yes that is the role of parents and church to make sure people are taught how to act properly in society. But we can see how well that is working out anymore.
“. . . but then can’t see that’s the their intent with drugs.”
Of course that is their intent. What you can’t do, however, is curb free will. If these people want to fry their brains, you can nanny-state all you want, they are going to get their dope and you will just be taxing and spending for nothing.
God gave us free will. If someone doesn’t choose the right path, no matter how sad that may be, you can’t circumvent God’s way with your government. If they aren’t hurting anyone else, wasting our money on throwing them in prison is stupid.
I’m of very mixed opinion here.
On the one hand, I really don’t care what people do to themselves. On the other hand, I don’t want to have to be around those people or to deal with the consequences.
Looking through PubMed, I find 2293 articles when I search “medical marijuana.” It is very difficult to find articles which describe benefits of marijuana. It’s linked to psychosis, an intractable vomiting syndrome, a correlation between marijuana use and schizophrenia is driving research to establish whether there is a causal relationship, and so on. Adding the word “benefits” to the search reduces the number of articles found to 52, which still contain little concrete data on actual benefits of use.
The passage of the medical marijuana proposition in California (which I voted for, btw) was clearly a way to give a cover of legitimacy to potheads. It had nothing to do with medicine.
The problem with legalization of marijuana is that we will have to deal with the very real public health consequences at a level far higher than we already do today. Anyone who thinks marijuana use wouldn’t increase if made legal is engaging in wishful thinking.
I can get stuff like Meth and Cocaine, which are chemically manufactured substances, and sometimes illegally imported.
But a fricking plant that just makes you laugh at stuff and eat chips?
It perfectly fits with the 10th amendment.
Each state can blow money on killing a weed if they want, as long as it doesn’t leave their territory.
Well then..you’re really not gonna like Buckley talking about why drugs should be legal...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3OH6SDGqcM&feature=related
only room for one on the soap box, but by all means have a turn =)
This won’t make it out of committee. These morons are making too much money keeping it illegal.
Now, if they’ll kick all the (non-violent) drug offenders, rotting in prison on a “mandatory sentence” out of jail, we’ll save a bundle.
someone needs to baby sit the tons and tons of morons walking around this country - - - - voted for Obama, didja?
someone needs to baby sit the tons and tons of morons walking around this country - - - - voted for Obama, didja?
I would be all for the legalization of marijuana under two conditions. (1) All medical costs for any illness linked to or attributed to marijuana use are not covered by insurance or government programs. (You smoke it, you bear the costs). (2) Any crime committed while under the influence of marijuana incurs an immediate death sentence. (If you do the drug and commit a crime, then you will die)
Every pot smoker I've ever met has been or become a dope head. They've let the drug make them into losers. Every last one of them.
As a conservative, I might consider supporting this if it was accompanied by significant cuts in DEA jobs and budget!
As far as the links to schitzophrenia... eh. Show me the schitzoids. I've known smokers who have smoked (probably daily) for at least 40 years and are hardly schitzophrenic. In fact I don't know 1 smoker who ever developed schitzophrenia. Yeah, that's not very scientific and I think maybe if someone has a propensity for schitzophrenia and then uses drugs that problem is going to be made worse, like it would for almost any drug. As far as I can tell though this is such a small, small minority but it serves to frighten. It does sadden me that legalization has used medical marijauna as a fig leaf. It's Orwellian word games. On the other hand those who take lots of perscription "medicines" are often fooling themselves too about why they need their "medicine".
You need to get out more.
The proposition at hand is not to legalize marijuana. It is to decide if the decision to do it or not should rest with the federal or state governments.
Can you tell us where you stand on that issue, and why?
Milton Freidman on drug legalization
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLsCC0LZxkY&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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