Ease Pot Restrictions, Lawmakers Urge

[Spare Chaynge]

http://news.aol.com/article/allow-so...085x1200350904

July 30) - The U.S. should stop arresting responsible marijuana users, Rep. Barney Frank said Wednesday, announcing a proposal to end federal penalties for Americans carrying fewer than 100 grams, almost a quarter-pound, of the substance. Current laws targeting marijuana users place undue burdens on law enforcement resources, punish ill Americans whose doctors have prescribed the substance and unfairly affect African-Americans, said Frank, flanked by legislators and representatives from advocacy groups.



"The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government's business," Frank said on Capitol Hill. "I don't think it is the government's business to tell you how to spend your leisure time."
The Massachusetts Democrat and his supporters emphasized that only the use -- and not the abuse -- of marijuana would be decriminalized if the resolution resulted in legislation.
The Drug Enforcement Administration says people charged with simple possession are rarely incarcerated. The agency and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy have long opposed marijuana legalization, for medical purposes or otherwise.
Marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use, according to the drug control office.
"Smoked marijuana has not withstood the rigors of science -- it is not medicine and it is not safe," the DEA states on its Web site. "Legalization of marijuana, no matter how it begins, will come at the expense of our children and public safety. It will create dependency and treatment issues, and open the door to use of other drugs, impaired health, delinquent behavior, and drugged drivers."




Allen St. Pierre, spokesman for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, likened Frank's proposal -- co-sponsored by Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas -- to current laws dealing with alcohol consumption. Alcohol use is permitted, and the government focuses its law enforcement efforts on those who abuse alcohol or drive under its influence, he said.
"We do not arrest and jail responsible alcohol drinkers," he said.
St. Pierre said there are tens of millions of marijuana smokers in the United States, including himself, and hundreds of thousands are arrested each year for medical or personal use.
There have been 20 million marijuana-related arrests since 1965, he said, and 11 million since 1990, and "every 38 seconds, a marijuana smoker is arrested."
Rob Kampia, director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said marijuana arrests outnumber arrests for "all violent crimes combined," meaning police are spending inordinate amounts of time chasing nonviolent criminals.
"Ending arrests is the key to marijuana policy reform," he said.
Reps. William Lacy Clay, D-Missouri, and Barbara Lee, D-California, said that in addition to targeting nonviolent offenders, U.S. marijuana laws unfairly target African-Americans.
Clay said he did not condone drug use but opposes using tax dollars to pursue what he feels is an arcane holdover from "a phony war on drugs that is filling up our prisons, especially with people of color."
Too many drug enforcement resources are being dedicated to incarcerating nonviolent drugs users, and not enough is being done to stop the trafficking of narcotics into the United States, he said.
Being arrested is not the American marijuana smoker's only concern, said Bill Piper of the Drug Policy Alliance Network. Those found guilty of marijuana use can lose their jobs, financial aid for college, their food stamp and welfare benefits, or their low-cost housing.
The U.S. stance on marijuana, Piper said, "is one of the most destructive criminal justice policies in America today."
Calling the U.S. policy "inhumane" and "immoral," Lee said she has many constituents who are harassed or arrested for using or cultivating marijuana for medical purposes. California allows medical marijuana use, but the federal government does not, she explained.
House Resolution 5843, titled the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008, would express support for "a very small number of individuals" suffering from chronic pain or illness to smoke marijuana with impunity.
According to NORML, marijuana can be used to treat a range of illnesses, including glaucoma, asthma, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS and seizures.
Frank, who is chairman of the Financial Services Committee, said that about a dozen states have approved some degree of medical marijuana use and that the federal government should stop devoting resources to arresting people who are complying with their states' laws.
In a shot at Republicans, Frank said it was strange that those who support limited government want to criminalize marijuana.
Asked whether the resolution's passage would change his personal behavior, Frank quipped, "I do obey every law I vote for" but quickly said he did not use marijuana, nor does he encourage it.
"I smoke cigars. I don't think other people should do that. If young people ask me, I would advise them not to do it," he said.
If HR 5843 were passed, the House would support marijuana smokers possessing up to 100 grams -- about 3½ ounces -- of cannabis without being arrested. It would also give its blessing to the "nonprofit transfer" of up to an ounce of marijuana.
The resolution would not address laws forbidding growing, importing or exporting marijuana, or selling it for profit. The resolution also would not speak to state laws regarding marijuana use.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good write-up!

[Jamesthebluewolf]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT SWIM IS GONNA BUY SOME RIGHT AWAY IF THAT PASSES. (well at least some seeds)

[drug-bot]

swim was reading some peoples comments on this bill on cnn's web-site, most were for it but some were so mind numbingly retarded, so swim thought he'd share some-

First weed, next hashish. Why not? Oh and then let's decrim just light cocaine, the kinds that a corporate executive can "do" and still work. Leave it to Barney Frank to twist the "less government because we're all model citizens and should be left alone" into a horrible piece of legislation. Pot DOES lead to other drugs and it certainly doesn't make for a more aware person. But what the heck, it's only our kids that are at risk of growing up in a culture that guys like Frank are in the process of killing off.

It didn't take long for the pot-heads going no where in life to respond with applause. "Arrestees can lose jobs, financial aid, food stamps and housing" If you need financial aid and food stamps, maybe spending your money on pot shouldn't be your first priority. Then again, no one ever accused pot heads of thinking clearly or making good choices in the first place. You can already get it 'legally' in California anyways. Just go to any one of the so called Mary-J "Doctors" and just get a "prescription". They won't even ask you any questions or give you a check up...you just walk in and walk out. Just another reason California is a complete joke. Have fun living in your self-absorbed little smoke-filled world. Ignorance is bliss, ain't it pot heads?

Ok, I understand that people who actually smoke want it to be legalized; and I realize that many of the comments below compare smoking with alcohol. So allow me to compare. My objection to the idea is that because so many people are arrested for it (which makes it a drag on government resources) we should legalize it. So, if drunk drivers take up too much police time, should we raise the legal blood alcohol limit? Seriously?!

and my favorite post due to its completely rational and impeccable logic-

It's illegal. It's a drug. Get over it, potheads!! Stop trying to justify illegal drug use!

^ these are the types of dumb fucks that'll prevent the bill from passing, and theres millons of these brainwashed fascist clones out there.