thepoet neptune mommy
dancer |
30 Jul 2008 11:25 xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
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Legislators aim to snuff out penalties for pot use
(CNN) -- The U.S. should stop arresting responsible marijuana users, Rep. Barney Frank said Wednesday, announcing a proposal to end federal penalties for Americans carrying fewer than 100 grams, almost a quarter-pound, of the substance.
Current laws targeting marijuana users place undue burdens on law enforcement resources, punish ill Americans whose doctors have prescribed the substance and unfairly affect African-Americans, said Frank, flanked by legislators and representatives from advocacy groups.
"The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government's business," Frank said during a Capitol Hill news conference. "I don't think it is the government's business to tell you how to spend your leisure time."
The Massachusetts Democrat and his supporters emphasized that only the use -- and not the abuse -- of marijuana would be decriminalized if the resolution passes.
The Drug Enforcement Administration says people charged with simple possession are rarely incarcerated. The agency and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy have long opposed marijuana legalization, for medical purposes or otherwise.
Marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use, according to the ONDCP.
"Smoked marijuana has not withstood the rigors of science -- it is not medicine and it is not safe," the DEA states on its Web site. "Legalization of marijuana, no matter how it begins, will come at the expense of our children and public safety. It will create dependency and treatment issues, and open the door to use of other drugs, impaired health, delinquent behavior, and drugged drivers."
Allen St. Pierre, spokesman for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), likened Frank's proposal -- co-sponsored by Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas -- to current laws dealing with alcohol consumption. Alcohol use is permitted, and the government focuses its law enforcement efforts on those who abuse alcohol or drive under its influence, he said.
"We do not arrest and jail responsible alcohol drinkers," he said.
St. Pierre said there are tens of millions of marijuana smokers in the United States, including himself, and hundreds of thousands are arrested each year for medical or personal use.
There have been 20 million marijuana-related arrests since 1965, he said, and 11 million since 1990, and "every 38 seconds, a marijuana smoker is arrested."
Rob Kampia, director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said marijuana arrests outnumber arrests for "all violent crimes combined," meaning that police are spending inordinate amounts of time chasing nonviolent criminals.
"Ending arrests is the key to marijuana policy reform," he said.
Reps. William Lacy Clay, D-Missouri, and Barbara Lee, D-California, said that in addition to targeting nonviolent offenders, U.S. marijuana laws also unfairly target African-Americans.
Clay said he did not condone drug use, but he opposes using tax dollars to pursue what he feels is an arcane holdover from "a phony war on drugs that is filling up our prisons, especially with people of color."
Too many drug enforcement resources are being dedicated to incarcerating nonviolent drugs users, and not enough is being done to stop the trafficking of narcotics into the United States, he said.
Being arrested is not the American marijuana smoker's only concern, said Bill Piper of the Drug Policy Alliance Network. Those found guilty of marijuana use can lose their jobs, financial aid for college, their food stamp and welfare benefits, or their low-cost housing.
The U.S. stance on marijuana, Piper said, "is one of the most destructive criminal justice policies in America today."
Calling the U.S. policy "inhumane" and "immoral," Lee said she has many constituents who are harassed or arrested for using or cultivating marijuana for medical purposes. California allows medical marijuana use, but the federal government does not, she explained.
House Resolution 5843, titled the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008, would allow "a very small number of individuals" suffering from chronic pain or illness to smoke marijuana with impunity.
According to NORML, marijuana can be used to treat a range of illnesses, including glaucoma, asthma, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS and seizures.
Frank, who is chairman of the Financial Services Committee, said about a dozen states already have approved some degree of medical marijuana use, and the federal government should stop devoting resources to arresting people who are complying with their states' laws.
In a shot at Republicans, Frank said it was strange that those who support limited government want to criminalize marijuana.
Asked if the resolution's passage would change his personal behavior, Frank quipped, "I do obey every law I vote for," but quickly said he did not use marijuana, nor does he encourage it.
"I smoke cigars. I don't think other people should do that. If young people ask me, I would advise them not to do it," he said.
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If HR 5843 were passed by the House, marijuana smokers could possess up to 100 grams -- about 3½ ounces -- of cannabis without being arrested. It would also permit the "nonprofit transfer" of up to an ounce of marijuana.
The resolution would not affect laws forbidding growing, importing or exporting marijuana, or selling it for profit. The resolution also would not affect any state laws regarding marijuana use.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/30/frank.marijuana/index.html
Discuss!
[ thepoet - 30 Jul 2008 11:26 ] |
chrisk hardcore
dj |
30 Jul 2008 12:22 xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
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Re: Legislators aim to snuff out penalties for pot use
i agree with that, however this resolution does nothing to address that.
"If HR 5843 were passed by the House, marijuana smokers could possess up to 100 grams -- about 3½ ounces -- of cannabis without being arrested. It would also permit the "nonprofit transfer" of up to an ounce of marijuana.
The resolution would not affect laws forbidding growing, importing or exporting marijuana, or selling it for profit. The resolution also would not affect any state laws regarding marijuana use."
basically you can posses it, but you still cannot legally buy it or grow it. the bill doesn't provide any tax revenue. which really is stupid because can you imagine how much money they could collect from this ? i mean s**t, look at cigarette taxes. I read somewhere (don't quote me on this, i can't recall the source) that the taxes actually make up more than 50% of the purchase price of smokes in most places. Adjusted for inflation the cost of the product itself is somewhere between 2.50-3.00, yet sell for $5 (back when i was in ca) and out here the cheapest i've found them is $8.50...speaking of anyone wanna send me a carton? 
again i'm all for this, but this bill still doesn't address any sort of revenue, with exception to the reduction in money spent on law enforcement for such a petty crime.
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According to teekay ...
potential tax revenue for the states would be the only reason this is passed.
lobbyists don't pay for infrastructure, taxes do.
taxes pay for schools, roads, services, etc.
the state is broke, most other states are too.
the payday that would come from the legal sale of MJ is huge.
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[ chrisk - 30 Jul 2008 12:23 ] |
mainframe power user
producer |
31 Jul 2008 06:19 xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
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Re: Legislators aim to snuff out penalties for pot use
It'll happen. There's no true justification for the prohibition of the use. It all started back in 1937 with Harry J. Anslinger.
Im not gonna go into it, but legalizing would mean a whole lot more than smoking recreationaly.. its going to open up fuel sources, paper sources, clothing sources, etc etc etc.. legalizing the cultivation of marijuana will bring down a lot of big corporations.
.. and it will happen.
We seriously gotta get out of this doomsday state-of-mind where everything is going to s**t no matter what and theres nothing you can do. The movement thats already in motion is really strong... and once there's a session on decriminalizing, that will actually have an audience thats going to listen, they will find out how much money we will save by not prosecuting and filling up jails, wasting court time instead of handling real violent/social criminals, and so on.
It's slowly coming into play because 20 years ago you wouldn't even see this headline. Ever. As in not even a second thought. Its now a second thought. So.. in time, maybe the next 10 years, recreational use will have to be re-instated.
You can't claim all these things about self-destruction with marijuana and not include tobacco or most importantly, alcohol. Pushing will eventually come to shoving and herb will win. |
