Pelosi condemns Obama’s continued raids on marijuana dispensaries

[RainDog]

92. H.B. 2306 was introduced in June 2011

Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Ron Paul (R-TX) introduced a bill (H.B. 2306) modeled on the 21st amendment to repeal prohibition, to end the federal govt's prohibition of cannabis. This was the first time such a bill has been entered in the house (June 2011.)

Democratic Reps. John Conyers (MI), Steve Cohen (TN), Jared Polis (CO) and Barbara Lee (CA) are co-sponsors of the bill.

The 'Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act' seeks to federally deregulate the personal possession and use of marijuana by adults. It marks the first time that members of Congress have introduced legislation to eliminate the federal criminalization of marijuana since the passage of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937.

Language in the act mimics changes enacted by Congress to repeal the federal prohibition of alcohol. Passage of this measure would remove the existing conflict between federal law and the laws of those sixteen states that allow for the limited use of marijuana under a physicians' supervision. It would also allow state governments that wish to fully legalize and regulate the responsible use, possession, production, and distribution of marijuana for all adults to be free to do so without federal interference.

The federal criminalization of marijuana has failed to reduce the public's demand or access to cannabis, and it has imposed enormous fiscal and human costs upon the American people. It is time to end this failed public policy and to provide state governments with the freedom to enact alternative strategies -- such as medicalization, decriminalization, and/or legalization -- without running afoul of the federal law.

http://norml.org/component/zoo/category/end-federal-marijuana-prohibition

You can track the status of the bill here:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr2306

It is currently in committee. That's where bills go do die. HR 2306 was sent to the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) chairs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce

Lamar Smith (R-TX), is the chair of the House Judiciary Committee. He stated the bill would never get out of his office. Apparently he has the bill bound and gagged and routinely kicks it in the shins before he jerks off to posters of Harry Anslinger... ahem, that was snark.

You can (nicely and rationally) let Lamar Smith know that you would like this bill to go forward by contacting him.

Rep. Lamar Smith
DC Office: 202-225-4236 (8:30 am- 6:00 pm EST)
TX Office: 210-821-5024 (8:00 am- 5:00 pm CT)
Web: http://lamarsmith.house.gov/

Rep. Fred Upton has not indicated his position on the bill.
http://upton.house.gov/Contact/

One person, either ignorant or uninformed, can block consideration of a controversial political issue if he or she wishes to do so. And the ability to do this only increases with time, as the legislator gains seniority and become a committee or subcommittee chairperson.

Rep. Smith, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, responded to press inquiries yesterday about the new federal legalization bill, that will be referred to his committee, saying he had no intention of considering the bill, or even giving it a public hearing. Unfortunately, under current Congressional rules, a committee chairman is given great discretion regarding what bills to consider, and which to ignore, and it is only when another member or members of that committee, or the general public, make a big deal out of it that sometimes one can overcome the stiff opposition of a committee chair.

One promising fact is that the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. John Conyers, JR, is a co-sponsor of HB 2306, and should serve as a counter-balance to the opposition of the chairman.

Smith’s anti-cannabis salvo against the new legalization bill should inspire cannabis consumers and activists to redouble their efforts this year to get as many co-sponsors as possible for HR 2306, and to recruit and elect political candidates to Congress who no longer embrace reefer madness or favor continuing—possibly for another 74 years—the status quo of arresting another cannabis consumer every 35 seconds in America.

http://blog.norml.org/2011/06/24/reefer-madness-alive-and-well-in-the-federal-government/

For a while he disabled his email and fb because he had so many people calling him about his current action.

http://conyers.house.gov/

Tell John Conyers you want the Democrats to push to move this legislation forward and would like him to ask his fellow committee member, Smith, to allow a vote based upon the knowledge that Americans overwhelmingly support legal medical marijuana, based upon every poll conducted.

http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.additional-resource.php?resourceID=000151