Jared Polis introduced a bill to end marijuana prohibition. Why isn't there a Senate version?

[ProSense]

Federal: Measure Introduced to End Federal Marijuana Prohibition

Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) has introduced legislation, House Resolution 499, which would effectively end the federal prohibition on marijuana and allow states to set their own policies.

House Resolution 499: The Ending Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2013, would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, transfer the Drug Enforcement Administration’s authority to regulate marijuana to a newly renamed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms, require commercial marijuana producers to purchase a permit, and ensure that federal law distinguishes between individuals who grow marijuana for personal use and those involved in commercial sale and distribution.

You can read the full text of this measure here.

NORML will keep you updated as this historic legislation moves forward.

- more -

http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/51046/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=9976

Co-sponsors

Earl Blumenauer
Michael Capuano
Steve Cohen
Raul Grijalva
Alcee Hastings
Michael Honda
Jared Huffman
Barbara Lee
James Moran
Jerrold Nadler
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Chellie Pingree
Mark Pocan
Dana Rohrabacher
Janice Schakowsky
Eric Swalwell

[Scuba]

1. Because Republicans control the House, so they know this legislation is DOA.

However, Democrats control the Senate, so if one were to introduce such a bill they would either have to pass it or suffer the wrath of their constitutents.

[ProSense]

2. Polis isn't serious and

"However, Democrats control the Senate, so if one were to introduce such a bill they would either have to pass it or suffer the wrath of their constitutents."

...Senate Democrats are scared? Kabuki?

In any case, you can sign the letter at the OP link in support of the bill.

[B Calm]

4. Signed the letter! K&R

[ProSense]

11. Thanks.

Where is all the support for this?

It's "crickets" in here.

[B Calm]

14. Come on people, sign your support to this bill!

[ProSense]

15. Kick! n/t

[Scuba]

5. Not scared, they just don't to be caught between their constituents and their donors.

[ProSense]

10. They should do it.

"Not scared, they just don't to be caught between their constituents and their donors."

It wouldn't be the first time that they push legislation like this. Think about the bills targeting Wall Street.

Have someone speak to it as members of the House bill do. This would increase focus on the issue and force action either in the administration or Congress.

As pointed out elsewhere in this thread, McCain suggested that it should be legalized.

[Bluenorthwest]

3. The Senate Judicary Committee held the first ever hearing on cannabis legalization about

4 months ago. Patrick Leahy has been calling for reform and respect for State laws and even John McCain said this: "“Maybe we should legalize [marijuana]. We're certainly moving that way as far as marijuana is concerned. I respect the will of the people.”

So personally, I see movement in both chambers. Expect more from the Senate very soon. While it would be very possible to reschedule without Congress, actual legalization by Congress would still be needed so if the Congress could manage to act that would be fantastic.

[B Calm]

6. Damn even John McCain agrees, the sky is falling!

[ProSense]

9. John McCain: 'Maybe We Should Legalize' Marijuana

John McCain: 'Maybe We Should Legalize' Marijuana
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/john-mccain-maybe-we-should-legalize-marijuana

YOW!! John McCain On Marijuana: 'MAYBE WE SHOULD LEGALIZE'
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023617516

[Bluenorthwest]

12. Which I think makes twice I've agreed with him, as I also think AZ sunsets are very

beautiful.

[cali]

7. sleight of hand from you. a smokescreen. you know the president

can reschedule it without congress.

[ProSense]

8. You're opposed to this legislation?

"sleight of hand from you. a smokescreen. you know the president

can reschedule it without congress."

Why wouldn't you want the Senate to introduce similar legislation? You could sign the letter at the OP link in support of this bill instead of wasting time with irrelevant and nonsensical accusations.

[Cali_Democrat]

17. Once again

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4424877

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4422881

firedoglake outrage!

[Ichingcarpenter]

18. He was proven wrong on rescheduling

Many times and he even admitted it.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024425076

[Cali_Democrat]

19. Read the posts again....

apparently you didn't actually comprehend the point about the international treaties.

But fuck treaties, right?

'Murka, fuck ya.

[Ichingcarpenter]

20. your ignorance is bliss

no you read my links....

[Cali_Democrat]

36. No...you read my links

or you can stay ignorant. Your choice!

[Jesus Malverde]

13. Times are a changing..

Thanks ProSense

[Fumesucker]

16. Democrats *and* Republicans getting together to do something really good for the nation?

All right, I want to know where the moneybags are buried?

There is beaucoup dinero getting ready to change its trajectory through our economic system, I wonder what long strange trip it's going on now.

[ProSense]

21. Kick for

more support of Polis' bill. n/t

[B Calm]

22. Support HR 499, click the link!

http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/51046/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=9976

[ProSense]

23. Kick! n/t

[ProSense]

24. Kick! n/t

[Comrade Grumpy]

25. Good bill from Polis, and there should be a Senate bill, too...

After all, four senators represent states where voters have already legalized it, and 42 senators represent states that have already approved medical marijuana.

That said, federal legalization is probably the end game, and mainly symbolic, anyway.

The vast majority of marijuana arrests, and an even higher number of simple pot possession arrests, are done by state and local police under state laws.

In the meantime, the Justice Department can set its priorities in such a way that it never gets around to enforcing pot laws. That is essentially the tack it has taken in Colorado and Washington and, to a considerable degree, in the medical marijuana states.

And yes, the executive branch could reschedule marijuana. Whether it could deschedule (legalize) it is an open question.

[RainDog]

26. k&r n/t

[lapfog_1]

27. But but but

I thought that Obama could do this all by himself... and, in fact, he LIED when he said he needed Congress to act!

I read it http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4422518 where the title of the thread is "
Obama Lies to Jake Tapper"

And now you say that Congress has a bill with sponsors and everything...

[RainDog]

29. Your statement makes no sense

The Controlled Substances Act allows Congress, the DEA or the AG to reschedule any drug. Rescheduling a drug does not change its legal status.

I don't think Obama lied in that interview. I think he hedged and put the onus upon Congress. He didn't say the AG couldn't reschedule. He said he wants Congress to do so.

The Polis and Blumenauer bills were written to regulate cannabis and put it under control of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (and Marijuana.) That's the Polis bill. The Blumenauer bill would impose a 50% federal tax on the sale of marijuana.

The bill was introduced in 2013 and never had a hearing on the floor. I posted about this bill numerous times in 2013, fwiw.

So, yes, since 2013 Congress has had a bill to address this issue and they have not answered it to deal with the questions raised by Colorado and Washington State's legalization of cannabis at the state level. This is why people want the executive branch to address the issue, since Congress refuses to do its job.

To reiterate: scheduling of a drug and the legality of a drug are two different things. Three entities can reschedule a drug. Congress can create legislation, or the President may act on Executive Order if, as Obama has found, he or she deals with a legislative branch that refuses to carry out its duties or refuses to act.

[lapfog_1]

30. You must have missed the

tag.

I pointed people at another thread in DU, where I actually posted about HR-499, where it was claimed that President Obama lied to a reported about "legalizing MJ".

My response in that thread was that while Obama can simply direct the AG to reschedule MJ (remove it from the list of controlled substances, if he wanted to) as an executive order... it takes an Act of Congress to change all of the other laws that would need to be changed.

OTOH, if Obama directed AG Holder to change it from a Schedule 1 to Schedule 2 controlled substance, he could do that today without any other Congressional action.

So it is a little over the top to claim "Obama LIED!!!", but the President could do more, imho, if he wanted to (since he doesn't have to run for re-election or something).

But the correct thing to do is to remove MJ completely from the DEA list... and to do that correctly, we need Congress to pass HR-499

[RainDog]

31. The reporting on the story was silly

in an ermergad sort of way.

But if Congress does not address this, an executive order would.

When Ahnuld was gov, he decriminalized marijuana in advance of the 2010 initiative in CA to legalize marijuana. A lot of people think he took this executive action to undermine the legislation.

However, I agree that Congress should deal with this. Considering the current House full of teabagging idiots (who were so stupid they denied the catastrophic consequences of refusing to honor our debt) I have little hope that the House will address the issue.

Since many state Democratic platforms over the last few election cycles have included marijuana legalization as part of their state Democratic stance on issues, it would be good if national-level Democrats aligned themselves with the will of their constituencies across the nation.

[Comrade Grumpy]

33. Arnold signed a decriminalization bill; it wasn't executive action.

[RainDog]

34. oops

I didn't look up the moment. I just remembered his statement:

In a signing statement, Schwarzenegger said he opposed decriminalization for personal use -- and threw in a gratuitous jab at Proposition 19, the tax and regulate marijuana legalization initiative -- but that the state couldn't afford the status quo.

"I am signing this measure because possession of less than an ounce of marijuana is an infraction in everything but name," said Schwarzenegger. "The only difference is that because it is a misdemeanor, a criminal defendant is entitled to a jury trial and a defense attorney. In this time of drastic budget cuts, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement, and the courts cannot afford to expend limited resources prosecuting a crime that carries the same punishment as a traffic ticket."

[MindMover]

28. kr

[B Calm]

32. kick, click the link and sign your support to this bill

[ProSense]

35. Thanks. n/t