Does this mean the federal government is going to

bde0001

New Member
legalize and regulate marijuana? Or at least change it from schedule 1 to something else? we have all heard talk about this, though I believe the president/gov. said it is still illegal, etc... but I just found this article. Check it out

US lawmakers quietly working on marijuana bills

February 4, 2013 (SEATTLE) -- An effort is building in Congress to change U.S. marijuana laws, including moves to legalize the industrial production of hemp and establish a federal pot tax.

Lawmakers from both parties have been quietly working on several bills, the first of which Democratic Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and Jared Polis of Colorado plan to introduce Tuesday, Blumenauer told The Associated Press.

Polis' measure would regulate marijuana the way the federal government handles alcohol: In states that legalize pot, growers would have to obtain a federal permit. Oversight of marijuana would be removed from the Drug Enforcement Administration and given to the newly renamed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms, and it would remain illegal to bring marijuana from a state where it's legal to one where it isn't.
The bill is based on a legalization measure previously pushed by former Reps. Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Ron Paul of Texas.

Blumenauer's bill would create a federal marijuana excise tax.

Last fall's votes in Colorado and Washington state to legalize recreational marijuana should push Congress to end the 75-year federal pot prohibition, Blumenauer said.

"You folks in Washington and my friends in Colorado really upset the apple cart," Blumenauer said. "We're still arresting two-thirds of a million people for use of a substance that a majority feel should be legal. ... It's past time for us to step in and try to sort this stuff out."

Advocates who are working with the lawmakers acknowledge it could take years for any changes to get through Congress, but they're encouraged by recent developments. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell last week came out in support of efforts to legalize hemp in his home state of Kentucky, and U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., is expected to introduce legislation allowing states to set their own policy on marijuana.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., has indicated he plans to hold a hearing on the conflict between state and federal marijuana laws and has urged an end to federal "mandatory minimum" sentences that lead to long prison stints for drug crimes.

"We're seeing enormous political momentum to undo the drug war failings of the past 40 years," said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, who has been working with lawmakers on marijuana-related bills. "For the first time, the wind is behind our back."

The Justice Department hasn't said how it plans to respond to the votes in Washington and Colorado. It could sue to block the states from issuing licenses to marijuana growers, processors and retail stores, on the grounds that doing so would conflict with federal drug law.

Blumenauer and Polis are due to release a paper this week urging Congress to make a number of reforms, including altering tax codes to let marijuana dispensaries deduct business expenses on federal taxes, and changing banking laws to make it easier for marijuana-related businesses to get bank accounts. Many operate on a cash basis because federally insured banks won't work with them, they noted.

Blumenauer said he expects to introduce the tax-code legislation as well as a bill that would reschedule marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act, allowing states to enact medical marijuana laws without fear that federal authorities will continue raiding dispensaries or prosecuting providers. It makes no sense that marijuana is a Schedule I drug, in the same category as heroin and a more restrictive category than cocaine, Blumenauer said.

The measures have little chance of passing, said Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy adviser. Sabet recently joined former Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy and former President George W. Bush speechwriter David Frum in forming a group called Project SAM - for "smart approaches to marijuana" - to counter the growing legalization movement. Sabet noted that previous federal legalization measures have always failed.

"These are really extreme solutions to the marijuana problem we have in this country," Sabet said. "The marijuana problem we have is a problem of addiction among kids, and stigma of people who have a criminal record for marijuana crimes.

"There are a lot more people in Congress who think that marijuana should be illegal but treated as a public health problem, than think it should be legal."

Project SAM suggests people shouldn't get criminal records for small-time marijuana offenses, but instead could face probation or treatment.

Source: US lawmakers quietly working on marijuana bills | abc7chicago.com


If the fed. gov. legalize, I bet the hemp industry is going to be BOOMING. My word of advice? Invest into hemp stocks.
 
Re: Does this mean the fed. gov. is going to ....

I hadn't heard anything about a lot this but, hopefully it turns out to be good news for all of us. When it comes to state legalization, I think if a state decides to legalize the federal government should leave the state alone. Also seeing as how I was a Ron Paul support I did hear about the bill that would take oversight of marijuana out of the hands of the DEA and I highly support it because, I think it could be a huge step toward complete legalization.
 
Re: Does this mean the fed. gov. is going to ....

I hadn't heard anything about a lot this but, hopefully it turns out to be good news for all of us. When it comes to state legalization, I think if a state decides to legalize the federal government should leave the state alone. Also seeing as how I was a Ron Paul support I did hear about the bill that would take oversight of marijuana out of the hands of the DEA and I highly support it because, I think it could be a huge step toward complete legalization.

Indeed. Ron Paul is the man. To bad he lost by a landslide...makes you wonder, was it fixed...
 
Re: Does this mean the fed. gov. is going to ....

I think it was fixed.
 
Ron Paul was robbed no doubt.

This is good news, very good news. Ron Paul may have lost the election, but he ultimately won because he helped bring people from the shadows to the light. He changed peoples minds, and the ones who believed in what he was saying came to the light when they otherwise would have stood hidden because it takes one person to have the courage to be the first and say what everyone thinks, but doesn't stand up for.

The momentum is changing, it's not just a hopeless war on our end anymore, we're making strides, and sooner or later we will succeed.
 
Ron Paul was robbed no doubt.

This is good news, very good news. Ron Paul may have lost the election, but he ultimately won because he helped bring people from the shadows to the light. He changed peoples minds, and the ones who believed in what he was saying came to the light when they otherwise would have stood hidden because it takes one person to have the courage to be the first and say what everyone thinks, but doesn't stand up for.
The momentum is changing, it's not just a hopeless war on our end anymore, we're making strides, and sooner or later we will succeed.

Actually, I completely agree with what you are saying. Plus, while he may be out of congress now, his messages lives on.:peace:
 
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