House members seek to ease federal marijuana laws, reduce cocaine sentences

[babsbunny]

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/168415-house-members-seek-to-ease-federal-marijuana-laws-reduce-cocaine-sentences

By Pete Kasperowicz - 06/24/11 03:48 PM ET

Members of the House on Thursday introduced legislation that would scale back federal authority over marijuana and reduce sentences related to cocaine offenses.

The first bill, from Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Ron Paul (R-Texas) and others, would end the federal prohibition on marijuana and leave it to states to set and enforce their own laws.

While the bill eliminates marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances, it would maintain the prohibition on the movement of marijuana across state lines. The bill, H.R. 2306, would allow people to grow and sell the drug within states that make these activities legal.

[nonperson]

1. It's about fucking time someone puts an end to this madness

Legalize drugs. Outlaw the war on drugs.

[Webster Green]

2. Legalize drugs.

All of them! Problem solved. (Well...more or less). :think:

[safeinOhio]

3. At least decriminalize drugs.

I'm fine with a ticket like for speeding, but jail is stupid. That would be a logical starting point.

[Webster Green]

4. That was one cool thing the governator did for us in CA.

De-criminalized possession of up to an ounce of pot. :thumbsup:

[MADem]

10. He didn't do it for you--he did it for himself. nt

[Webster Green]

11. Well, you may have a point there.

He is a rethug after all. :thumbsup:

[tridim]

5. IMO Cannabis needs to be legalized on its own

Else it'll continue to be compared with meth, heroin and cocaine.

Any time someone dies from meth, idiots will say, "See we shouldn't have legalized dangerous drugs like marijuana".

[yurbud]

6. I used to have the exact stats, but some incredible percentage of drug arrests

are just for pot, and since there is a much smaller number of users of other drugs, we'd get more bang for the buck by concentrating all our cops and robbers shtick on those.

[Webster Green]

7. That doesn't make much sense to me.

The goal would be harm reduction. The impossible task of educating hopelessly ignorant morons, or reversing the effects of brainwashing in people who lack any critical thinking skills is another matter altogether.

[hollowdweller]

8. I like the prohibition of movement across state lines.

That would mean the people making the money off of growing it would be the states residents rather than some big outside concern.

Also it would promote regional varities like wines where it could open up agri tourisim.

[MADem]

9. What they should do is legalize it and TAX it--we'd have a budget surplus

inside of two years!