White House Upholds States’ Rights, At Least For Marijuana

The Daily Caller ^ | 07/15/2014 | Jonah Bennett

[ConservingFreedom]

In reaction to a proposed amendment to block decriminalization of marijuana in D.C., the White House Office of Management and Budget took a strong stance in favor of states’ rights.

Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland introduced an amendment that would prevent the D.C. Council from using any federal funds to enact pot policy changes, calling marijuana “poison to a teenager’s brain.” The D.C. Council has also released a statement condemning interference from Congress. The current legislation adopted by the Council replaces criminal penalties for marijuana usage with fines.

The marijuana amendment in the Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill is just one of the reasons that the White House has announced its intentions to veto the whole bill if it ever passes through the Senate. The administration has previously refused to engage in legal action against Colorado or Washington for their legalization proposals, despite the fact that marijuana is still illegal on a federal level.

“The Administration strongly opposes the language in the bill preventing the district from using its own local funds to carry out locally-passed marijuana policies, which again undermines the principles of States’ rights and of District home rule. Furthermore, the language poses legal challenges to the Metropolitan Police Department’s enforcement of all marijuana laws currently in force in the District,” the Office of Management and Budget stated.

Mason Tvert, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project, noted that Rep. Andy Harris’ justification for hindering the D.C. Council’s marijuana proposals is irrelevant, as the measure does not allow for teen use of marijuana.

“Nobody wants teens using marijuana, but the measure adopted in DC does not allow for teen use. A majority of Americans think that making marijuana legal would be a better approach to preventing teen marijuana use. Prohibition has failed to prevent teens from accessing marijuana and has resulted in hundreds of thousands of responsible consumers being arrested,” Tvert told The Daily Caller News Foundation.

“We certainly commend the White House for making it clear that states should have the ability to establish their own marijuana policies. They should not be forced to maintain our federal government’s failed policy of prohibition. Voters in the District of Columbia have made it clear that they support ending marijuana prohibition, and their elected officials have taken action to move in that direction. They should have every right to do so,” Tvert added.

[rawcatslyentist]

>"CO and WA have a right to burden their welfare systems through legalizing pot"

I'm not sure whom is more narcissistic, you or Hussein.

You really think you make the rain to fall, the sun to shine, and the earth to stand on.

How is the right to grow a God given plant without govt death squads murdering people in their homes considered welfare?

[ConservingFreedom]

If it could be proven a net benefit to the taxpayer,

In a free society, individual liberties don't have to be proven a "benefit" to be respected - they're the default position.

With today’s idiotic welfare system and refusal to politically profile people, I would inevitably be paying taxes towards welfare queens’ drug habit.

You're already doing that today - and she's spending a lot more of your money than she would if she were paying the free-market price for drugs rather than the black-market price. Not to mention the taxes you're paying towards enforcing anti-marijuana laws.

Should we legalize the anti-depressants which play a major role in getting liberals to shoot up our schools?

They're already legal.

I mistyped, sorry. Given that there is even more evidence for those causing mental illness, school shootings, and dependency than there is for marijuana causing those, would you argue for them remaining legal?

I think they're overprescribed, and I'm very open to further regulation of them (even at the federal level, since they're interstate commerce).

[Objective Scrutator]

Legalizing marijuana has nothing to do with the Fourth Amendment issues, execute the police who raid a home without a warrant. If you grow marijuana in private, smoke it in private, and don’t talk to anyone, the government will never know you smoke it.

What is your explanation for mostly liberals and Democrats, two groups who are notoriously evil and kleptomaniacal, supporting outright legalization? Do you really think legalization of the drug won’t increase the number of people applying for EBT stamps and welfare? There are plenty of stories where welfare queens brag about smoking pot, is my tax money supposed to assist these ingrates? Just look at stoner culture, they brag about being lazy all the time. Stoner culture is outright hostile to conservatism’s message of personal responsibility.

Are you aware that all proposed marijuana legalization bills place limits on people growing weed in their own homes, and will still lead to cops shooting people in their own homes? Only being allowed to buy from licensed dispensers isn’t freedom. Regulation isn’t freedom. Even the California voters recognized this with Prop 19.