States Legalizing Marijuana Will Violate Federal Law, Trigger Constitutional Showdown

[Truth Seeker]

On a Monday teleconference call, former Drug Enforcement Agency administrators and directors of the Office of National Drug Control Policy voiced a strong reminder to the U.S. Department of Justice that even if voters in Colorado, Oregon and Washington pass ballot measures to legalize marijuana use for adults and tax its sale, the legalization of marijuana still violates federal law and the passage of these measures could trigger a "Constitutional showdown."

The goal of the call was clearly to put more pressure on Attorney General Eric Holder to make a public statement in opposition to these measures. With less than 30 days before Election Day, the DOJ has yet to announce its enforcement intentions regarding the ballot measures that, if passed, could end marijuana prohibition in each state.

"Next month in Colorado, Oregon and Washington states, voters will vote on legalizing marijuana," Peter Bensinger, the moderater of the call and former administrator of the DEA during President Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan administrations, began the call. "Federal law, the U.S. Constitution and Supreme Court decisions say that this cannot be done because federal law preempts state law."

Bensinger added: "And there is a bigger danger that touches every one of us -- legalizing marijuana threatens public health and safety. In states that have legalized medical marijuana, drug driving arrests, accidents, and drug overdose deaths have skyrocketed. Drug treatment admissions are up and the number of teens using this gateway drug is up dramatically."

Bensinger was joined by a host of speakers including Bill Bennet and John Walters, former directors of the While House Office of National Drug Control Policy; Chief Richard Beary of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP); Dr. Robert L. DuPont, founding director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and who was also representing the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and several others.

In response to the drug warriors calling out Holder again to take a strong public stance against these marijuana legalization measures, Mason Tvert, co-director of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, the group behind Colorado's Amendment 64 said to The Huffington Post:

We believe anything claimed by participants on the call today needs to be taken with many grains of salt. These people have made a living off marijuana prohibition and the laws that keep this relatively benign substance illegal. The nation wastes billions of taxpayer dollars annually on the failed policy of marijuana prohibition and people like Bill Bennett and John Walters are among the biggest cheerleaders for wasting billions more. The call today should be taken as seriously as an event by former coal industry CEOs opposing legislation curtailing greenhouse gas emissions. They are stuck in a certain mindset and no level of evidence demonstrating the weakness of their position will change their views.

This is an election about Colorado law and whether the people of Colorado believe that we should continue wasting law enforcement resources to maintain the failed policy of marijuana prohibition. Our nation was founded upon the idea that states would be free to determine their own policies on matters not delegated to the federal government. The Controlled Substance Act itself acknowledges that Congress never intended to have the federal government fully 'occupy the field' of marijuana policy. We hope the Obama administration respects these state-based policy debates. If Amendment 64 is adopted by the people of Colorado, there will be sufficient time before any new businesses are established for state and federal officials to discuss the implications.
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News Hawk- TruthSeekr420 420 MAGAZINE
Source: huffingtonpost.com
Author: Matt Ferner
Contact: Contact us
Website: States Legalizing Marijuana Will Violate Federal Law, Trigger Constitutional Showdown: DEA, Drug Czars

 

[J9BLACK]

Re: States Legalizing Marijuana Will Violate Federal Law, Trigger Constitutional Show

SKY ROCKETED?

I want to see their data.

I have data that shows DUIs are down, drug use among teenagers steady, and violent crime are down.

Idiots.

 

[Slice107]

Re: States Legalizing Marijuana Will Violate Federal Law, Trigger Constitutional Show

SKY ROCKETED?

I want to see their data.

I have data that shows DUIs are down, drug use among teenagers steady, and violent crime are down.

Idiots.

I would also like to see the sky rocketed numbers referring to the amount of overdose deaths in medical marijuana users.

 

[Irish]

Re: States Legalizing Marijuana Will Violate Federal Law, Trigger Constitutional Show

Yeah.

And the burning question all of us wanted to hear in the presidential debates has yet to be asked, should have been asked at the first go-round but definitely by the second. I fear that silence on the war on drugs is not golden, that no news is not good news this time around....

 

[barilaco]

Re: States Legalizing Marijuana Will Violate Federal Law, Trigger Constitutional Show

[ These barkers have no documentation to substantiate all those "triggers". There purpose is to misinform knowing well they will never have to prove anything. These are people that if they don't like the facts they simply interrupt you at ever increasing volumes. I'm afraid it is becoming more and more apparent just who benefits from keeping it illegal and why the pharmaceutical industry is so opposed to legalization. What ever happened to majority rules? Is that only when in line with the federal government? This is the most medicinal plant on the planet and has been used by civilizations far and wide since the beginning of time. How can we let these rouge administrations dictate what we are allowed to consume? Even if you doubt you would ever have call for using hemp, don't let them tell you what you can or cannot consume. Once it's benefits are honestly tabulated the position that "it serves no medical purpose" will further make apparent the intentional deceit this government showers it's citizenry with daily. Who could want four more years of that or 4 years from this other down to earth fellow. A man that can relate to all of us peers! Think I will have to go with one of the parties that have no way of winning, like the Green Party. Aren't we tired of being manipulated by the Republican/Democrat PARTY. Anyone for electing the wisest man in the country as opposed to the best connected for the presidency? Someone smart enough to end the wars on people, wars on drugs, and the whole war mentality that has caused us to be more and more disliked around the world.

 

[Irish]

Re: States Legalizing Marijuana Will Violate Federal Law, Trigger Constitutional Show

[ These barkers have no documentation to substantiate all those "triggers". There purpose is to misinform knowing well they will never have to prove anything. These are people that if they don't like the facts they simply interrupt you at ever increasing volumes. I'm afraid it is becoming more and more apparent just who benefits from keeping it illegal and why the pharmaceutical industry is so opposed to legalization. What ever happened to majority rules? Is that only when in line with the federal government? This is the most medicinal plant on the planet and has been used by civilizations far and wide since the beginning of time. How can we let these rouge administrations dictate what we are allowed to consume? Even if you doubt you would ever have call for using hemp, don't let them tell you what you can or cannot consume. Once it's benefits are honestly tabulated the position that "it serves no medical purpose" will further make apparent the intentional deceit this government showers it's citizenry with daily. Who could want four more years of that or 4 years from this other down to earth fellow. A man that can relate to all of us peers! Think I will have to go with one of the parties that have no way of winning, like the Green Party. Aren't we tired of being manipulated by the Republican/Democrat PARTY. Anyone for electing the wisest man in the country as opposed to the best connected for the presidency? Someone smart enough to end the wars on people, wars on drugs, and the whole war mentality that has caused us to be more and more disliked around the world.

Check out Gary Johnson. He's not Ron Paul but is endorsed by Dr Paul, is against the wars, and he and his running mate favor legalization.

Click here to hear his platform: A vote for Liberty is not wasted. Give me 5%.

 

[Propa Gator]

Re: States Legalizing Marijuana Will Violate Federal Law, Trigger Constitutional Show

Gary Johnson. Vote for sanity, not corporate hegemony.