Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
The bipartisan sponsors of a marijuana legalization bill currently before Congress renewed their efforts in the name of criminal justice reform Wednesday as the Trump administration pushes to further punish drug offenders.
Reps. Thomas Garrett, Virginia Republican, and Tulsi Gabbard, Hawaii Democrat, touted their Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act during a Capitol Hill press conference as a means of ending the government’s trend of prosecuting pot users as a growing number of states legalize weed.
The bill, if approved, would remove marijuana from the federal government’s list of controlled substances and effectively put cannabis in the same category as alcohol and tobacco, ending a lost-standing prohibition the legislation’s sponsors blame with ravaging the lives of convicted marijuana users.
Mr. Garrett, a former prosecutor, told attendees that his previous gig pursuing criminals as Virginia’s assistant attorney general gave him unique insight with respect to the way drug laws are being applied.
“I have long believed justice that isn’t blind, isn’t justice. Statistics indicate that minor narcotics crimes disproportionately hurt areas of lower socioeconomic status, and what I find most troubling is that we continue to keep laws on the books that we do not enforce,” Mr. Garrett said, according to The Hill.
“Our archaic federal laws relating to marijuana are hurting people, tearing families apart, turning everyday Americans into criminals and negatively impacting our economy, all at a tremendous cost to taxpayers as billions are spent on an over-burdened and broken criminal justice system,” Ms. Gabbard added, Hawaii’s Big Island Now reported.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Bipartisan marijuana legalization bill gets renewed push on Capitol Hill - Washington Times
Author: Andrew Blake
Contact: Contact Us - Washington Times
Photo Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez
Website: Washington Times - Politics, Breaking News, US and World News
Reps. Thomas Garrett, Virginia Republican, and Tulsi Gabbard, Hawaii Democrat, touted their Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act during a Capitol Hill press conference as a means of ending the government’s trend of prosecuting pot users as a growing number of states legalize weed.
The bill, if approved, would remove marijuana from the federal government’s list of controlled substances and effectively put cannabis in the same category as alcohol and tobacco, ending a lost-standing prohibition the legislation’s sponsors blame with ravaging the lives of convicted marijuana users.
Mr. Garrett, a former prosecutor, told attendees that his previous gig pursuing criminals as Virginia’s assistant attorney general gave him unique insight with respect to the way drug laws are being applied.
“I have long believed justice that isn’t blind, isn’t justice. Statistics indicate that minor narcotics crimes disproportionately hurt areas of lower socioeconomic status, and what I find most troubling is that we continue to keep laws on the books that we do not enforce,” Mr. Garrett said, according to The Hill.
“Our archaic federal laws relating to marijuana are hurting people, tearing families apart, turning everyday Americans into criminals and negatively impacting our economy, all at a tremendous cost to taxpayers as billions are spent on an over-burdened and broken criminal justice system,” Ms. Gabbard added, Hawaii’s Big Island Now reported.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Bipartisan marijuana legalization bill gets renewed push on Capitol Hill - Washington Times
Author: Andrew Blake
Contact: Contact Us - Washington Times
Photo Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez
Website: Washington Times - Politics, Breaking News, US and World News
