New bill ending federal ban on marijuana to be introduced in Congress

mcwow

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Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Ron Paul (R-TX) will introduce legislation on Thursday to the U.S. House of Representatives that ends the federal prohibition on marijuana.

The Oakland Tribute reported that the bill would limit the federal government to enforcing cross-border or inter-state smuggling laws, and allow people to grow, possess, use or sell marijuana in states where it is legal to do so.

Although over a dozen states have legalized the use of marijuana for medical reasons, it is still outlawed under the federal Controlled Substance Act.

The legislation authored by Frank and Paul would allow each state to propose and enforce its own marijuana laws without federal interference.


Democratic Reps. John Conyers (MI), Steve Cohen (TN), Jared Polis (CO) and Barbara Lee (CA) are co-sponsors of the bill.

"The human cost of the failed drug war has been enormous -- egregious racial disparities, shattered families, poverty, public health crises, prohibition-related violence, and the erosion of civil liberties," Lee said Wednesday. "And of course the cost in dollars and cents has been staggering as well -- over a trillion dollars spent to incarcerate tens of millions of young people."

"I co-sponsored this bipartisan legislation because I believe it is time to turn the page from this failed drug war."


Rep. Cohen, another co-sponsor, called last week for an end to the 40-year war on drugs, which he said had spent trillions of dollars to incarcerate millions of people for non-violent crimes.

Source: New bill ending federal ban on marijuana to be introduced in Congress
 
It will never pass. The republicans have the power in the House now and they're not interested in this. And even if it did pass Obama wouldn't sign it. Why? Because Obama is a big liar. Told everyone exactly what they wanted to hear to get elected and then did none of it.
 
It will never pass. The republicans have the power in the House now and they're not interested in this. And even if it did pass Obama wouldn't sign it. Why? Because Obama is a big liar. Told everyone exactly what they wanted to hear to get elected and then did none of it.

That's as may be. The point, in my mind at least, is that the bill has made it to Congress. Officially. Its chances of passing? I won't argue with you there <sigh>. I will say that where it's happened once, it can happen again, and more easily. We're closer than we've been, but still have a good ways to go. We've got to stay focused on the long-term, at least in part. Just having this kind of bill before Congress is a win, IMHO.

As to the rest, the best thing we can do is apply pressure (legal channels only, of course) to our legislators and politicians. Keep track of who our friends and enemies are in Congress and vote accordingly. Send messages to your legislators via any of several advocacy websites. Let us all make our voices heard and create the changes we seek! :Namaste:
 
Yes I agree. It doesn't mean that its waste of time to keep bringing these kinds of bills before congress, its just that realistically congress isn't ready to pass anything like this yet.
 
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