cannabisnews.com: New Bill Would Remove Federal Marijuana Regulation

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New Bill Would Remove Federal Marijuana Regulation

Posted by CN Staff on June 27, 2011 at 18:50:06 PT
By Christine Rushton, The Daily Evergreen
Source: Daily Evergreen

Washington, D.C. -- HR 2306, the bipartisan bill known as Ending the Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2011, was introduced into Congress on June 23 by D-Rep. Barney Frank with the support of R-Rep. Ron Paul. If passed, the bill would not legalize marijuana, but would remove regulation from the federal level and be left to the discretion of the states. The bill lists a number of sections in federal law where marijuana would be removed, essentially striking it from the federal list of “controlled substances.” The states would then have the power to regulate, tax or prohibit them on their own terms.
“A bill to limit the application of Federal laws to the distribution and consumption of marijuana, and for other purposes,” the HR 2306 bill document said in its introduction. According to Politico, the bill is modeled after the 21st amendment, which repealed the alcohol prohibition. During an interview about the proposal, Paul said that the prohibition is a catastrophe. Kids are able to obtain marijuana more easily than alcohol and marijuana is beneficial for many cancer patients, he said. “The war against marijuana causes so much hardship and accomplishes nothing,” Paul said. “We knew prohibition of alcohol was very bad, so this is just getting back to a sensible position on how we handle difficult problems.” According to their website, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws [NORML] and their state affiliates, like Washington NORML, act with the intention to educate the public, lobby state and federal officials and gain overall support for the elimination of the criminal prohibition on marijuana. Kevin Oliver, the executive director of Washington NORML, said they need support for the bill. “Once the bill has been introduced and has a bill number, we should all begin asking our elected representatives in the House to co-sponsor the measure,” Oliver said. Brady Irwin, the CFO for the WSU branch of Students for Sensible Drug Policy [SSDP] and NORML, said that this legislation would be a huge win for the anti-prohibition movement. He said he does not know if this bill will be the one, but it is a step in the right direction. “The cannabis culture is no longer marginalized to the outer edges of society, and the discussion of drug reform has extended to every level of government and society,” Irwin said. “We are experiencing a paradigm shift in the way our society views cannabis. I feel it is only a matter of time before the federal prohibition of cannabis is ended and it becomes a matter of states’ rights.” According to Irwin, WSU SSDP/NORML is a combination of two student-run organizations that work together to promote responsible use, patient rights, and policy reform. He said the drive behind legalizing marijuana is users don’t want to break the law. He also said users also don’t want to sit idly and be scrutinized by past generations when users see unjust laws hindering their freedom of choice. “I feel blessed to live in a country where as an individual I can stand up and change the laws to better serve our society,” Irwin said. “Cannabis is a safer alternative to alcohol and deserves to be regulated accordingly. Responsible cannabis users deserve to have a choice.” Irwin said he cautions individuals who blame the police for laws against marijuana. He said the police work to keep the community safe and law abiding. “If a person has an issue with the laws, it is their duty as a citizen to stand up and do something about it,” Irwin said. “Blaming the police for doing the job we pay them to do is the wrong response.” The bill is in its initial stages in Congress. D-Rep. John Conyers, D-Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Rep. Jared Polis, and D-Rep. Barbara Lee also support the bill. Source: Daily Evergreen, The (Washington State U, WA Edu)Author: Christine Rushton, The Daily EvergreenPublished: June 27, 2011Copyright: 2011 WSU Student Publications BoardContact: opinion dailyevergreen.comWebsite: http://www.dailyevergreen.com/URL: http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/34714CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

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Comment #9 posted by afterburner on June 29, 2011 at 08:58:49 PT
Hope #5
"Fear leads to danger, courage dispels it."
-Chinese fortune cookie (from my washroom mirror of fortune cookie sayings).Let us continue to be courageous, as well as compassionate.
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Comment #8 posted by museman on June 28, 2011 at 21:24:21 PT
PaulPot
Amen!Accountability, recompense, restitution, and one GREAT BIG APOLOGY in front of the entire world. -thats what is on the agenda for these war criminals. And not one smidgen of compromise for their lies, and aberrant behavior is going to be acceptable. No justification, no excuse.LEGALIZE FREEDOM
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Comment #7 posted by MikeEEEEE on June 28, 2011 at 18:37:10 PT
old tricks are the best tricks
Many countries have used children in their propaganda. I expect they will be used again and again. If you take their logic and whether the govt really gave a crap about the kiddies; for instance, they would prohibit cars, since many are hurt or die in them every year.The only thing the children bring to the corrupt leader$ are future tax payer$, to support their $ystem.
In the future, when the children ask whether they have really been cared for, they will ask: where is a job, healthcare, climate, medicare, social security, etc. Yes, we know the answer.Of course they will be used in future propaganda (same old tricks), and if recent history is any judge, the govt will turn their backs on them, like they did to the 9/11 heros.
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on June 28, 2011 at 09:23:57 PT

Easy Paul Pot.
Don't spook the prohibitionists too much at this point in the operation. They'll use fear of such a thing happening to prolong the war any way they can.
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #4 posted by Paul Pot on June 28, 2011 at 08:20:04 PT:

"when a law is unjust, resistance is a duty"
But I do blame the police entirely. They did not have to enforce these laws,and they most certainly did not have to enforce these laws with such fervent enthusiasm and gusto. The cops have really enjoyed this law. They get to abuse any ethnic minority with impunity, romp around peoples home rip their bedrooms apart and steal property and sell drugs, cause they're the ones licenced to have drugs remember and the courts always believe and never us.In fact there is a law that says that the police are not allowed to police laws which violate human rights and "I was only obeying orders" will not get you out of it. More than 200 Nazi's were hanged at Nuremberg and all of them used 'orders' as there defence. The court said "when a law is unjust, resistance is a duty". The police should realise that by agreeing to administer all laws handed to them without question they make themselves vulnerable. Times change, wars end and regimes topple and prohibitions time has come and the cops who abused people while they thought they were as invulnerable as superman are going to find themselves on the wrong side of the courts when prohibition is over, which will be soon.
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