GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, UNBELIEVABLE NEWS
by James W. Harris
Congress: Marijuana Re-Legalization Bill
U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) will introduce a bill in the House this week
totally relegalizing the use of small amounts of marijuana.
According to NORML, Rep. Frank's bill will eliminate all federal penalties
prohibiting the personal use and possession of up to 100 grams (3 1/2 ounces)
of marijuana. Adults would no longer face arrest, prison, or even the threat of
a civil fine. The bill also eliminates all penalties for the not-for-profit
transfers of up to one ounce of pot.
If passed by Congress, this legislation would legalize the possession, use, and
non-profit transfer of marijuana by adults for the first time since 1937.
Frank announced the bill on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher."
"The notion that you lock people up for smoking marijuana is pretty silly,"
Frank said on the program. Frank joked that he wants to call his bill the "Make
Room for the Serious Criminals" bill, referring to the enormous law enforcement
resources currently wasted on persecuting harmless pot smokers.
Rep. Frank further explained his position in an interview with Associated
Press. "Do you really think people should be prosecuted for smoking marijuana?"
he asked. "I don't think most people agree with that. It's one area where the
public is ahead of elected officials. It does not appear to me to be a law that
society is serious about.
"I don't think smoking marijuana should be a federal case," Frank told
Associated Press. Instead, he argued that the decision whether or not to
criminalize marijuana should be left to the states. For comparison, he noted
"there's no federal law against mugging."
Frank is especially opposed to the vile practice of federal agents arresting or
threatening sick persons using marijuana medically, in the dozen states that
have legalized such medical treatment. Frank's bill would halt that.
Franks' bill is a federal counterpart to laws in about a dozen states that make
possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use minor offenses, dealt
with by small fines -- much like a traffic ticket -- and no criminal record.
Decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana would make a massive difference in
America. Each year almost a million Americans are arrested for possession of
marijuana. Their lives are disrupted or destroyed, and they are haunted by
criminal records created by their arrest.
Further, much of the federal War on Drugs is actually a War on Marijuana. For
example, over 40% of drug arrests in America are for marijuana. So Frank's
bill, if passed -- admittedly unlikely at this point -- could arguably yank out
the underpinnings of the entire wretched War on Drugs.
Sources: NORML:
norml.org
Wall Street Journal:
blogs.wsj.com
personal-pot-use/?mod=WSJBlog |
