Marijuana Bill - Introduced In U. S. Congress

posted June 19, 2009 - 1:34am

Marijuana Bill - Introduced In U. S. Congress

Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.) has introduced legislation in the House of Representatives (6/18/2009) to abolish all Federal penalties against personal use of marijuana.

This is huge news!

The "Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009" would eliminate the threat of federal arrest and prison terms for the possession of up to 3.5 ounces of marijuana and the not-for-profit transfer of an ounce of marijuana.

Just, last week, Congressman Frank introduced legislation called the "Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act." This bill, if passed, would protect medical marijuana patients from:

1. arrest
2. jail / prison
3. allow pharmacies to dispense marijuana to patients with a doctor's recommendation

Our help is needed. Members of Congress need to hear from us, their constituents, who want to see these bills passed.

Every year in the United States more than 800,000 are arrested for marijuana offenses. 89% of the 800,000 are FOR POSSESSION ONLY! The other 11% are for sales and growing (manufacturing).

The World Health Organization in its most recent report found the United States has the highest rate of usage than any nation it surveyed. The highest rate of usage despite endless efforts by U.S, enforcement agencies. How many tax dollars has been spent in this fruitless effort?

The Marijuana Policy Project has worked closely with Congressman Frank's staff in past months, helping to craft both pieces of legislation and build political support for the proposals on Capitol Hill.

Who is YOUR Representatives? Quick Lookup & Contact:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Here are the links for further information on each bill:

Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009:
http://control.mpp.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=346

Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act:
http://control.mpp.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=339

Marijuana Policy Project
http://www.mpp.org

Other Marijuana Law Articles:
http://xomba.com/legalize_decriminalize_medical_marijuana_marihuana

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Author: Joseph E Howard

Comments

But in order for the process

Publius - Fri, 2009-19-6 6:02 pm

But in order for the process to work, the first step has to actually be an improvement, or show signs of improvement. I think this would be a first step toward an unforeseen disaster. I would love to see more results along the path of individual liberty, but this opens the door for more thuggery and additional criminality perpetrated by those who show little regard for the law and humanity. Who is Publius? What is Rational Liberty? How do I join Xomba and get PAID to write?

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Well, that's the thing...you

Publius - Fri, 2009-19-6 5:57 pm

Well, that's the thing...you want the steps to be in the right direction. I don't believe legalizing only small amounts is the right direction. It sounds nice as far as getting the ball rolling, but in the meantime it only gives the actual criminals more power and influence. If we're going to legalize possession and use of small amounts, then how do we prevent the drug lords from expanding their empire and ferociously competing for the new business? As the Joker would say, it leaves open the possibilities for "aggressive expansion." Sure, partial legalization may open the door for eventual and outright decriminalization, but what about the short term - or even the long-term, depending on how fast the laws can be changed? How do we justify increased violent crime in exchange for increased marijuana use? Not only is it impractical as far as "right" and "wrong" goes, but it's a sure political loser as well. I think the "war on drugs" is long over-due for reform and re-application, but I just don't see partial legalization in certain instances as a reasonable answer. It's opening the door for more problems and more unnecessary suffering. If the concern is over those who need marijuana for medical purposes, then decriminalize prescriptions only while formulating new laws and policies for growers, smugglers, dealers, and recreational users. Anything else is just a half-assed, politically-weak attempt to solve a problem that would probably be better left untouched. Who is Publius? What is Rational Liberty? How do I join Xomba and get PAID to write?

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Marijuana-It takes lots of little steps to achieve a destination

Joseph E Howard - Fri, 2009-19-6 5:23 pm

My whole point of posting this information was the fact it is the first step in what may be a long process. If people don't get behind the process, then all the articles written in support of the leagalization will have been written in vain. I'm tired of writing about it. I want to see some results.

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Marijuana & crime

kjhack - Fri, 2009-19-6 5:10 pm

"You can't just partially legalize a black-market drug. This will simply make the drug lords richer, more powerful, and ultimately - more violent." Unfortunately, that is probably true. However, a bill that would completely legalize marijuana isn't very likely to pass at this time. This bill may be only a little more likely to pass, I'm afraid For all the people in need of marijuana as medicine -- and to keep more small time users from filling up our prison system -- this bill is a step in the right direction, I believe. Hopefully in time it will be totally decriminalized, thereby removing the crime element currently associated with its sale. One step at time.

I'm all about

Publius - Fri, 2009-19-6 4:40 pm

I'm all about decriminalizing marijuana, but this bill doesn't sound like it's going to be plausible. You can't just partially legalize a black-market drug. This will simply make the drug lords richer, more powerful, and ultimately - more violent. In order to make this work and at the same time eliminate the actual criminal element, the marijuana industry should probably be regulated like the tobacco and alcohol industries. The reason for legalization is to stop the wasteful spending on imprisoning users and to eliminate the incentives for dealers - i.e. the 1000% mark-up because of its illegality. It's not simply about leaving granny alone with her glaucoma toke every evening. The drug trade is an enormous (and violent) industry. You can't just decriminalize a certain amount of marijuana and tell people it's OK to possess such amount, then still fight the illegal trafficking of larger amounts. How do they suppose the marijuana gets here? Are they going to allow each user to grow their own? Barney Frank doesn't exactly have a good track-record of anticipation. Let's hope he took the time to consider some of the basic points I've made. Who is Publius? What is Rational Liberty? How do I join Xomba and get PAID to write?

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