Congress acts on bill to decriminalize marijuana

[Speciesamused]

Source: Marijuana Policy Project

Congressman Bill Frank's Personal Use of Marijuana Act hits the House floor April 17, 2008


Today Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) introduced legislation to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. The bill, dubbed the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008, marks the first time in decades that Congress has considered removing criminal penalties for marijuana. Congressman Frank's legislation would decriminalize the possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana (3ozs) and the not-for-profit transfer of one ounce of marijuana. It would not affect laws prohibiting drug sales or the cultivation of marijuana, and it would not affect state or local laws regulating marijuana possession.

"It's time for the politicians to catch up with the public on this ," Congressman Frank said. "The notion that you lock people up for smoking marijuana is pretty silly."

The bill incorporates the basic recommendation of the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse (also known as the Shafer Commission). The commission, which was administered by the White House and published its findings in 1972, recommended that then-president Richard Nixon decriminalize possession of marijuana in amounts that constituted "simple possession."

Thirty-six years later, Rep. Frank will try to do just that.

















Read more: https://secure2.convio.net/mpp/site/Advocacy?page=SplashPage&id=177&pagename=homepage

---

Hi, if you support this bill, please follow the link and let your congresswoman or congressman know.
Thank you for your time. Peace and Prosperity.

[slackmaster]

1. K&R - Barney Frank is one of my favorite Congresscritters ever!

:toast:

[Popol Vuh]

25. My Sentiments Exactly

Thanks for posting this Speciesamused. K&R

If on the outside chance this passes. I won't have to finish writing a California proposition to re-legalize marijuana and challenge the federal government's controlled substance act.


Go Barney Frank! :thumbsup:

[Kaleko]

43. ... and doubleYes.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Great name you have there. Are you into the music by Florian Fricke, a.k.a. Popol Vuh, by any chance, too?

[Popol Vuh]

70. Thanks Kaleko

I am familiar with that artist and find it soothing to listen to, but, I use the name Popol Vuh as one reference to cultural identity. Other names I use on the net are Geronimo, Maíz and Anahuacan.

:)



One thing (out of many on this subject) I'd like to ask the federal government is: How can they put marijuana on Schedule 1 status when they themselves have a federal medical marijuana program?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7r8NeKuzt8

[Oldenuff]

128. That is an excellent point you raise Popol Vuh..

99.999% of the population of this country doesn't even know that the Federal Government has their own Medical Marijuana Program.

[Kaleko]

38. Yes!

[FourScore]

91. California's #1 cash crop. n/t

[bemildred]

100. The US #1 cash crop.

Nothing like prohibition to jack the price up.

[formercia]

170. That's why criminals don't want it legalized

take the profit out of it and Billions of Mafia revenue goes up in smoke. :evilgrin:

[chknltl]

184. Not all of those criminals are Mafia

just sayin...

[formercia]

185. Lots of mom and pop operations too.

People living in the boonies gotta make ends meet.

[chknltl]

192. Yeah and meth-heads out there too.

The boonies are not so safe anymore! (Around here, all the meth-labs have moved out into the county. The normal folks who have lived there for generations have added the word "Tweeker" to their vocabulary.

As far as pot growers go, I think it may be too cold up here in my area for outdoor operations but we do hear on the news on occasion of small indoor operations. American Idol's Sanjaya's own mother was one who comes to mind who got busted doing this. I suppose she just had a 'mom-operation'

[formercia]

196. Around here it used to depend on who you knew.

In 1992, the head of the Maine DEA was fired for selective enforcement. He was doing favors for Poppy by trying to make cases on his political opponents while at the same time allowing some growers to operate with impunity because they had the right political connections.
Poppy found him a Job at the Civil rights division at Justice doing police community relations.

Who says they don't have a sense of humor.

[chknltl]

200. WOWSERS!!! Speaking of intelligence....

...my ol First-Sargent, a known alcoholic got busted one too many times for being drunk on duty and removed from his First Sargent's duties. He got imidiately reassigned as the top dog at the NCO club! (Where Sargent's go to drink after-hours). Military 'intelligence' perhaps but more likely that guy knew the right people too.

[texastoast]

197. Criminals and other (law enforcement) folks on the take n/t

[formercia]

199. Make a law make a business

Barney Fife goes SWAT.

Lots of big bucks to be had for busting Pot growers.

[DCKit]

172. Higher prices, profits AND a criminal culture. I'd say it's dumb, but it provides the feds with...

a whole police force which would, otherwise, be unnecessary and uncalled for. How can you have a police state without a huge police force?

Biggest cash crop in VA, KY and TN too, though most of the seizures we hear about are of wild hemp (>98%). It's as if they've declared a war on crabgrass, but don't really knows what it looks like, so they're going after every lawn in America. That's OUR money they're spending folks, as well as our families, friends and neighbors who are being locked up.

[angrycarpenter]

2. doomed

keeping my fingers crossed anyway.

[glowing]

6. until the CIA gets their little greedy hands out of the illegal sales and profits

from the drug/ weapon trade.. and the IRS can figure out how to tax it, I think its doomed.. How do you get the tax from something that grows so easily next to your tomato plant.

[RadiationTherapy]

57. Well, tomatoes are taxed, so...

[glowing]

113. Well, I don't pay a food tax in Florida.. I did pay sales tax on my first tomato plants,

but the seeds that I recover, will be free after that.. Also, I've gotten weed seed (lol) for free before.. you don't think most wouldn't get theirs for free?

In reality, a market would grow.. like in other countries for diff. variety and for city kids who don't want to grow it.. The CIA doesn't want a "tax" on the books for their drug/ guns/ war games.

[RadiationTherapy]

141. I think it takes a few months to go from seed to bud

and it takes quite a set up to have a "constant supply"; I am certain there will be a market for manufactured product.

[rch35]

176. yeah, not everyone will go through the hassle of growing.

i know plenty of people who wish they could just buy packs of weed cigarettes.

[glowing]

213. And I would be one of those trying to supply them.. I love to garden..

I grow things really well.. NO AGENT MIKE.. its just tomato, pepper, cucumber, etc. now. I'm not doing anything illegal.

[glowing]

210. Oh def.. There will be a market for different types. Kinda like Amesterdam.

The CIA doesn't want their dirty money on the books.. Mafia org. that it is.

[green917]

191. Go back and reread the precepts of the bill

This bill does not decriminalize the growing of marijuana. It would still be illegal to grow your own. It simply makes it legal to possess a relatively small amount (up to 3 ozs.). What this would do is open the door for the federal government to negotiate growing with particular farmers to grow for the government (just like many did in the '30s and '40 before criminalization) allowing for the regulation of quality, price, quantity, etc. as well as rejuvenating the small farm industry in middle America. And that's not to mention removing the criminal element from things. What's most important is that this bill, should it pass, would save American taxpayers BILLIONS of dollars a year and free up our law enforcers to fight real crime.

Google the organization L.E.A.P. (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) to learn more or visit their web site at http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php

[glowing]

211. This sounds reasonable.. But country people, like always, will be growing it anyway.

This is a good idea.. it is absolutely stupid to waste taxpayer money on smoking pot.. which I believe, and many law enforcers believe, is less harmful than drinking alcohol..

[Popol Vuh]

27. What Barney Frank Needs

Is lots of lobby backing from the snack food industry to counter the pharmaceutical industry.

:smoke:

[mhoran]

30. Funny!

That just might work!

[Popol Vuh]

34. It is funny huh.. :)

It just came to me a short while back when I was at 7-11 buying some munchies.

:)

[ChiciB1]

72. GREAT IDEA!! Good Thinking! n/t

[Popol Vuh]

73. Thank you ChiciB1

Lets hope we'll see a change on this issue sometime soon.

:hi:

[ChiciB1]

86. I Bet If We Got To Vote On It As "We The People" It Would Actually Pass!

I saw Barney Frank on Bill Maher the night he said he was going to do this!
:toast:

[RT_Fanatic]

150. And the Pizza Industry, too!

:toast:

[glowing]

3. In the mean time, states are working at record breaking pace to criminalize

the use of stevia (sp).. a natural plant from Mexico, that when smoked, makes people hallucinate, feel like they are on a time travel, or experience "God".

[flakey_foont]

9. I think you mean

Salvia divinorum...........maybe

[singilarpoint]

56. Oh boy....

Do I love my Salvia!!!!!!!!

[RadiationTherapy]

60. Stevia has its own interesting history of persecution from sugar barons et al

[glowing]

107. thank you.. stevia is the sugar substitute that the sugar cane/ corn people

don't want us to have.. thanks. got my naturals in a mix. Wonder how it would taste mixed.. in a little brownie mixture. may have to make a recipe up for this one.

[angrycarpenter]

11. salvia divinorum

not nearly as scary as it is made out to be. I've tried it and it is not something anyone would want to do a lot of. The high is very intense but it only lasts 10 minutes.

[guyanakoolaid]

16. Errr

I wouldn't consider myself a psychedelic "lightweight", and salvia took me to a dimension I had never been to, no concept of the real world around me remained. For something you can get over-the-counter, it may not last as long, but when smoked correctly it's more potent than any other hallucinogen. Have a straight "sitter" there with you. I thought I was experienced enough to ignore that warning. It was a mistake. I'll do it again, it should be legal, but so should marijuana.

[angrycarpenter]

26. I bought a gram of 30x

I smoked it in a small pipe with high heat. I did it about 10 times over a 3 week period. The inability to touch reality for a few minutes is pretty cool the first few times but after that it just got boring. I gave the rest away. Not against it but it wasn't for me. I gave up tripping many years ago. Salvia reminded me why.

[Hyper_Eye]

84. Well no wonder it knocked you on your ass...

30x is way way way too much. In my opinion the companies that are packaging 30x should be ashamed of themselves. The most concentrated Salvia I have smoked was 21x and a single "green" hit of that at high heat can knock you into the next dimension for a good 10 minutes. But, smoking extract by itself in a hitter is not really how your supposed to use it for a pleasant experience. If you want to smoke extract you should really sprinkle it over plain leaf and smoke it slowly. This will not only give you a much calmer experience but also last longer. The extract should also be less concentrated. Even 5x - 7x is a fairly strong extract. You can also smoke plain leaf or chew the leaf and leave out the extract completely. Really extract is alright at small concentrations but they do absolutely make these incredibly strong extracts specifically to market to high school and college kids that want to party with it. This is exactly why this stuff ends up on the political radar.

Get real information about this natural and harmless opioid receptor agonist at http://www.sagewisdom.org/">The Salvia divinorum Research and Information Center. Here you can read a lot of research about the plant, theories about how it works, and advice on how to responsibly use it for a pleasant result.

[chknltl]

188. Both of my step kids have used 50X Salvia concentrations

BOTH have stories to tell about other dimensions. My step-daughter claims to have spent a great deal of time investigating a LONG line of lives both past and future which are hers. Even though she was only out for 10 minutes she claimed that she spent hours investigating random future lives. She was very sad to discover how far in the past and how barbaric this particular lifetime is. Both stepkid's claim that they have NO interest in further trips on Salvia. They also STRONGLY recommend that a user of the stronger concentrations of Salvia needs to have a sober, knowledgeable attendant to keep accidents from happening to the user.

[ChiciB1]

77. Remember Peyote??? n/t

[Yael]

104. Is that the same stevia as the sweetner?

I have used that exclusively in tea/coffee for a few years.

[glowing]

111. no.. I'm getting things mixed up as usual..

[crikkett]

135. no kidding STEVIA does that?

on edit I see that it was a mistake... I had it growing in my garden so I did a double-take, naturally.

[glowing]

214. Sorry, I messed up the herbs.. I have it in my garden too...

[EnviroBat]

143. And don't forget, crap your pants...

You'r so busy hallucinating, that you just loose your bowels. It's great!

[crikkett]

216. You obviously needed to eliminate something if that happened to you...

sorry pal. I hope you were around sympathetic people.

[But....]

4. No way can you do this...

China's almost over taken our lead in jailing our own.:sarcasm:

[OKthatsIT]

29. American People vs. Prison Industrial Complex

Goddamn Republicans had House majority for 15 yrs and what do we get? A fascist federal 'cattle' program to incarcerate and enslave non-violent Americans and illegal immigrant families.

Like hotels, they must fill those beds, maintaining their profit margin and promising 'free labor pools'.

MAN, you sure can figure out what happened to the 'transforming' South, when you watch this scheme. Southern Republicans are majority share holders of these 'camps'.

[mhoran]

33. Very true

That's really evolved into the core foundation of the resistance.

[alstephenson]

5. Thanks for your efforts, Barney.

Maybe next year.

[cloudbase]

7. Ain't gonna happen.

Too much money to be made in the incarceration industry, not to mention all the money funneled into the DEA, state and local law enforcement groups.

[angrycarpenter]

13. not to mention big pharma

Pot can replace many anti-depressants, a booming business these days.

[Popol Vuh]

40. We Need Big Snack Food Industry to Step In.

They would stand to make large gains if they could lobby on behalf of a bill to re-legalize.

:)

[grannylib]

203. And Big Booze...the alcohol industry would love to be the only

legal competitor of Big Pharma...and a lot of the major brewery gang are reich wing nuts

[kestrel91316]

8. Waste of time and energy. Bush will veto it, and there won't be

enough votes to override.

It's a cryin' shame that we have let personal, private marijuana use stay a crime for so long. Pathetic waste of our resources chasing after pot users and locking them up when the REAL criminals in America go free.

[Seabiscuit]

44. All true except what you call a "waste of time and energy" I call a "start in the right direction."

[kestrel91316]

54. You're right. After 33 years of opposition to the criminalization of marijuana,

I get tired of this crap, and very disillusioned.......

[Seabiscuit]

59. See post #55 - I think this is about medical marijuana laws, not general consumption.

[kestrel91316]

62. Of course. Sheesh. Why in hell would we want to just make the damned

stuff LEGAL for everybody??

[butterfly77]

66. That's how I feel about alcohol...

[ChiciB1]

75. I've ALWAYS Been Of The Opinion That MJ Is "Safer" Than Alcohol...

I realize many feel it's a "gate-way" drug, but from my past experience most who "toked" would rather sit and munch as opposed to getting behind the wheel of a car while drunk!

I do believe stats will show that far more people are hurt, maimed and killed because someone else had too much to drink and got out of control! I have heard people say that MJ is addictive, but being a Boomer I have rarely seen many people addicted to it. I know people who smoke all the time and I can't say if it causes cancer or not, but none I know have contracted the disease yet. And yes, I have heard that it does cause cancer... I WILL NEED more proof myself!

[harun]

125. I think Alcohol is more dangerous and Cannabis is a good thing to use

to get off Alcohol addiction.

[Norrin Radd]

131. MJ is the gateway to Funyuns and Chips Ahoy.

[12string]

132. pot cancerous-no

go to jack herers home page and you can find the info you are wondering about.A 25 year study at a California university has shown that pot actually helps prevent cancer.Go figure.There is also a link there that will take you to the 1972 report that Nixon got.A very interesting read.This issue should have been resolved 36 years ago.Very telling how fucked up our government is and makes it easy to see they planned this bullshit war on drugs to guarantee the prison industrial complex.

[ChiciB1]

178. Thanks For The Info... And I Agree With About Your Statement About Just

HOW fucked up our Government is!! One reason why I'm trying to IGNORE this election this time around! I think FAR too many in Congress MUST GO, but feel HELPLESS living down here in Florida!!

It's time for the current generation to GET ACTIVE and I say to them... GET REALLY REALLY informed and begin the NEW REVOLUTION! Old habits die hard, way back when we DID a lot to make a difference, and now I'm told that the BOOMER'S need to get out of the way!! But still, as I stated "old habits die hard" and there are STILL some we still "practice" if you get my drift!!

[kineneb]

163. and unlike alcohol, no overdose deaths

I have watched a number of relatives pickle themselves to death. Then there are the alcohol poisonings (drinking 'way too much, too fast). So far, I have never heard of someone dying from MJ, for any reason.

[ChiciB1]

179. Here, Here! n/t

[svpadgham]

208. Booze is the real gateway drug

I'm willing to bet that before most people smoked weed they probably snuck a bit o' schnaaps from the liquor cabinet or a beer from the cooler in the back of the truck on the way home from a fishing trip. Ahhh....those were the days. I mean...just an example...you know?

[Zhade]

219. Not only does it NOT cause cancer, it kills cancer cells.

It's saved my eyesight, per my doctors.

[alfredo]

10. Good luck. This will have stiff lobbying against it by the for profit prison

industry.

[pattmarty]

12. Barney has been one of my "heroes" for some time now.

[John Q. Citizen]

14. This is very smart from even just a political perspective. If anyone bothers to look at

the votes in states on this issue, it's a winner all over the West and other places as well.

[endarkenment]

15. Better 37 years late than never.

Of course nobody much will have the courage to vote 'yes'.

[Seabiscuit]

42. Very late - at least Franks is raising the issue again.

[guyanakoolaid]

17. The hypocrisy of alcohol being legal and and marijuana illegal is unjustifiable

I have yet to hear a single argument for why marijuana should be illegal that doesn't more than doubly apply to alcohol.

[FatDave]

74. You got that right.

Sure, you don't want to get completely baked and then get in a car. But I'd rather be on the road with stoners than drunks. The stoners are just usually going too slowly, but they stay in the right-hand lane and let you pass.

I've never heard of anybody getting high and looking for a fight. Never heard of anybody getting high and beating their wife.

Never heard of anybody getting high and waking up next to somebody they shouldn't have.

[guyanakoolaid]

79. And talk about a "gateway" drug - Alcohol leads to everything!

[svpadgham]

209. I'm with you on the first three...

Not so much on the last line.

[cloudbase]

18. If it DOES somehow pass,

I'm going to buy 200 acres and collect a federal subsidy for not growing pot.

[MindPilot]

19. K icked and Recommended!

Sent the letter to my Rep.

Thanks for posting this!

[aquart]

20. Thank you, Barney, and God bless.

[the other one]

21. Sunday 4/20, would have been a more appropriate day

Just sayin

[Seabiscuit]

41. Earth Day? The March Equinox?

While Earth Day was originally designated to coincide with the March Equinox each year (March 20 this year: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox)

it is traditionally celebrated in America on April 22, after the first Earth Day in America, April 22, 1970.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day

[reclinerhead]

58. Not Earth Day ...

But close... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_%28cannabis_culture%29

[Seabiscuit]

145. SB 420, 420 Friendly, Captain Cannibas - Gotcha.

[Seabiscuit]

151. Wonder if this has anything to do with it:

Four and Twenty years ago
I come into this life,
Son of a woman
And a man who lived in strife.
He was tired of being poor
But he wasn't into selling door to door
And he worked like a devil to be more.

A different kind of poverty now upsets me so
Night after sleepless night
I walk the floor and want to know
Why am I so alone?
Where is my woman, can I bring her home?
Have I driven her away?
Is she gone?

Morning comes the sunrise,
And I'm driven to my bed
I see that it is empty
And there's devils in my head.
I embrace the many colored beast.
I grow weary of the torment
Can there be no peace?
And I find myself just wishing that my life would simply cease.

[ChiciB1]

180. Seabiscuit, As A Fellow Edwardian... I Love This Post! Thanks!

I'm still with JE & EE and to the detriment of what some say, he will still have my vote come November!

[raccoon]

156. Hitler's birthday? how come? nt

[Marnieworld]

22. Am I missing something here?

You still can't buy it? You still can't grow it? It's just legal to possess it. Now how do I get it if no one can grow it or sell it to me and I can't grow it?

I'm just speaking hypothetically of course. ;)

[Prophet 451]

35. Baby steps, dude, baby steps

The law says that you can't sell it for profit. Now, there has to be some creative way around that.

[FatDave]

76. Well, if I was allowed to grow it...

...I'd gladly sell it at cost. Course this bill won't allow you to grow it.

[Seabiscuit]

51. Let someone else give it to you for free. Then let them go to jail. :)

Transfer without any payment of up to one ounce would be legal under Franks' bill.

Just kidding. I think that aspect of it is designed to change federal law so it no longer interferes with state laws governing the use and dispensing of medical marijuana.

[AzDar]

23. Props to Barney for running it up the ol' flagpole, anyway!

:applause:

[Popol Vuh]

24. .

.

[Uncle Joe]

28. Kicked and recommended.

Kudos to Congressman Frank and any other Congressperson that supports freedom for the American People.

Thanks for the thread, Speciesamused.

[eyepaddle]

31. Fantastic.

It's late, and I'm tired, but I will look into this more tomorrow!

It's about damn time.

[nashville_brook]

32. done. damn that felt good.

kick and rec.

[Wizard777]

36. God Bless You Barney Frank!

End this treasonous "war" NOW!

[bluevoter4life]

37. Barney Frank, staying ahead of the curve again

One of the best Congressmen to ever hold the position :yourock:

[Gonnuts]

39. Any bets?

This won't make it out of committee.

We're 2 seconds away from a total police state and you think this government is going relax a law that can keep a good portion of it's citizens under their thumb? Dream on ... bush will get on national TV and beg forgiveness for all the crimes he's committed before this happens.

[NM Independent]

45. He has given us a reason...

to like the name, Barney, once again.

I'm excited it's on the floor, but I certainly won't be holding my breath.

Er, not all the time :smoke:

[Betsy Ross]

46. What? No smilie tokin'. eom

[Politicalboi]

47. Well if not this time

Perhaps in 2009 when Obama is President. He said he would take the DEA out of the Medical Marijuana Issue. I hope this passes but if Dimson veto's it Obama won't veto it.

[Dr.Phool]

48. Finally, some sanity in Congress!

Go for it Barney!

I haven't smoked a joint in 30 years. Maybe I'll try one again.

[kentj44]

49. whats the actual

chance this gets passed.10 years ago my ortho recommended a half bowl in the morning and another half in the evening since i won't take pain killers oxy,vicodin etc.anyway my doc said it was the only thing that effectively relieve back pain,spinal pain.i was wounded my 3rd year in nam and have suffered for 40 years,had my back and neck fused and knee replaced i have been waiting for congress to do something forever.

[Uncle Joe]

186. I believe the difference

being the Internet's growing power and influence, enhances the people's voice over corporate control of the media and their one way mega phones, the Congress People know it as does an ever-growing number of the American People.

Asinine polices can't just be shuffled off and camouflaged so easily anymore under catch phrases or bumper stickers.

[JChan]

50. other than

If your employer detected it during a drug test you'd be fired. It hangs around in your system
for quite a while.

[FatDave]

78. Try not to work for fascists

I know it isn't always easy. What really pisses me off is the double-standard of employer drug testing. They only test the blue-collar, entry level jobs. White color jobs aren't tested, not that I've ever heard of. Just another way of fucking with the poor.

[IronLionZion]

173. That's pure bullshit

Microsoft, Xerox, Citigroup, USAA, and many other companies test 100% of their employees even the whitest white-collar ones and temps and contractors and whoever else. I've been tested many times.

[grannylib]

206. All our jobs are tested...at least for your first leap into Management

I think once you reach that level they spare you the crap if they bump you up a level, but you gotta pee at least for that first promotion

[Occulus]

207. If it is decriminalized, we can start making laws to

keep employers from looking.

Employers should have no say in any conceivable case over what legal activities you may partake in when off the clock.

Truth to tell, that should be law whether pot is legal or not!

[Ashy Larry]

52. K&R!

[pleah]

53. K&R I wish him all the luck in the world.

There are far too many people sitting in prisons over these stupid laws.

[Seabiscuit]

55. I think this is all about medical marijuana.

Federal law currently trumps state laws allowing for medical use of marijuana dispensed by doctors to their patients.

Think about it - if state law allows doctors to legally obtain marijuana without payment, those doctors could prescribe and transfer up to one ounce of marijuana to their glaucoma and cancer patients without prosecution under federal law, and such patients could accumulate up to 3 ounces in their possession at any time without penalty.

[Bensthename]

87. Also, medical marijuana has been corrupted so much lately it has

hurt the people that really need it. And there are plenty of us that use for recreational purposes and are very responsible. It is less dangerous then alcohol mentally and physically, no addiction and no overdosing. Keeping the courts busy with this, jails full, and millions of dollars in each state battling this is a waste.
So, that would help the medical needy and the other mentioned.

[bitchkitty]

205. How has medical marijuana been corrupted?

How has it hurt people? Please help - break through my brain fog and tell me what you mean?

I am on the OMMP and it has saved me.

[L0oniX]

61. Mr cocaine snuffing drunk ass Bush will just veto it

[Freddie Stubbs]

97. No, he will not

It will not even make it out of the House.

[The Wizard]

63. Remember

the good old days when you could scrape the inside of a banana skin, dry it out, smoke it and get a buzz going?, And idiots in the government launched an investigation to see how banana skins were making people feel good, can't have any of that.

[mcollier]

64. Finally some sensible legislation

Its time for America to get fogged up! Yeah Man....

[snort]

65. i'll suck on franks'

joint any old time.

[pinto]

69. I'm sure you meant this as a joke, and taken as such. Yet kinda off topic.

Rep. Frank's sexuality seems to be your point, not the legislation he's led in Congress.

[pinto]

67. Kudos Representative Frank.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[trashcanistanista]

68. YES! Go Barney!

I am envisioning my next career! I am a Master Gardner and I would love to grow for a market of liberal pot heads. Maybe open up a salon!

[ms liberty]

71. K&R for Barney...he's one of the good guys! n/t

[Malidictus Maximus]

80. I think the entire problem could be resolved by a joint session of congress.

[WheelWalker]

106. I remember hearing that in '68. Good one. Very good, indeed. Thanks.

[bluesmail]

81. even though I don't partake I'll K&R this

[Bensthename]

82. It makes no sense for it to be illegal for adults.

[Hugabear]

83. Awesome, we need more level headed people like this in Congress

We need to stop letting the religious right dictate and bully their way around.

[Joey Liberal]

85. It's about time! Will the Dems cave?

I'm afraid that I don't have much faith in many of our Congressional Democrats. All the republiNazis have to do is whisper "Boo" and they'll run away.

[Bensthename]

88. They need a dem in the office. Bush's base would give him a spanking.

[Canuckistanian]

89. Interesting Salon article - "Why is Marijuana Illegal?"

Some excerpts:

Many people assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of process involving scientific, medical, and government hearings; that it was to protect the citizens from what was determined to be a dangerous drug.

The actual story shows a much different picture. Those who voted on the legal fate of this plant never had the facts, but were dependent on information supplied by those who had a specific agenda to deceive lawmakers. You'll see below that the very first federal vote to prohibit marijuana was based entirely on a documented lie on the floor of the Senate.

~snip

Harry J. Anslinger

Anslinger was an extremely ambitious man, and he recognized the Bureau of Narcotics as an amazing career opportunity -- a new government agency with the opportunity to define both the problem and the solution. He immediately realized that opiates and cocaine wouldn't be enough to help build his agency, so he latched on to marijuana and started to work on making it illegal at the federal level.

More at:
http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIsMarijuanaIllegal.html

[AlphaCentauri]

90. I would never smoke marijuana

knowing that in other countries people die when our government finance the eradication of cannabis while here in the U.S. many keep smoking it even if it was watering with Innocent people blood.

[Bluenorthwest]

126. Don't be silly!

Just buy local only! No blood involved.

[AlphaCentauri]

153. What about genetically engineered to produce its own pesticide or make it more addictive

like tobacco companies used to do it. If Genetically Modified Corn is dangerous to human consumption smoke cause cancer.

[RainDog]

133. isn't it the no. 1 cash crop in the U.S.?

isn't british columbia known for its hybrids?

seems north america might be the source of lots of u.s. mj... don't know, but from the articles I've read....

[AlphaCentauri]

154. destroying any competition by investing 1.4 billions eradicating Mexican crops

no free market or NAFTA

[RainDog]

162. oh yeah.. nafta's behind the north am. hybrid growers...

:eyes:

sometimes things don't fit into the neatly labeled categories, maybe.

[AlphaCentauri]

166. Drug growing - a desperate alternative

Of course there is another, quicker way for a poor farmer of the Sierra Madre to try to pay off his overwhelming debts: growing drugs. With one successful harvest of opium poppy, Noe's father might earn over one million pesos, be able to pay off his half million peso debt, and even have enough left over to buy a calving cow, a .45-caliber revolver, or even a submachine gun (a basic tool of mountain farmers who get deep into the drug trade). The temptation is great - but, as Noe's father knows only too well, so are the risks. However, someof the risks are there in any case. In the Sierra Madre today, no man, woman, or child is free of danger. Far too often, it is the innocent who pay for the deeds of those most involved in the growing, trafficking, or erratic control of narcotics.
Already, Noe's family is in some ways a victim of the rampant narcotics business in the state of Sinaloa. (Both Güillapa and Ajoya are in this northwestern state of México.) Because so many campesino families have become involved and (temporarily) have relatively large amounts of easy money, the inflation rate in the mountains has skyrocketed worse than in the cities. Prices of food, clothing, and other basics now average almost twice as much as in the cities. To make things worse, village stores tend to stock expensive items (canned goods, foreign cigarettes, and bottled alcoholic drinks) for the big spenders, instead of low-cost staples (rice, wheat flour, dried beans) for the subsistence farmers. Poor families who, for reasons of ethics or caution, have long refused to grow drugs, find their situation of poverty steadily worsening. To survive, many families give in and begin to grow drugs, or the fathers and older children go to work for triple the basic wage in the poppy fields of the big growers. (Some of the biggest illegal plantations are said to have been owned by the former governor of Sinaloa and guarded by the Mexican army).(1,2) In the cities, markets that cater to campesinos also have raised their prices to match the pocket books of the `new rich'. Items that have suffered disproportionately high price increases include barbed wire, firearms, ammunition, medicines, and medical care. Of these, the high cost of medical care is often the most devastating to poor families. In the past, there were many doctors who provided services to the poor at somewhat reduced prices. Today, more and more doctors charge outrageously for services, especially to campesinos. They can get away with this because enough campesino families are able to pay the high prices to keep the doctors in business. Of course, most of those who can pay are the drug growers, traffickers, and their relatives -or those who borrow from the growers and then pay back by growing drugs themselves. A campesino father will pay everything he has, and more, to save the life of his wife or child. He will pay his entire drug earnings for a single surgical procedure. Knowing this, many doctors now routinely charge millions of pesos for a simple surgery that a few years ago they might have done for a fraction of the cost.

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:vzjXAOL0cicJ:www.healthwrights.org/static/NL18.pdf+Caro+quintero+national+debt&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us

[RainDog]

175. the story does not deal with the fact that growers of hybrid mj

do not need to buy it from ppl who grow it for a cash crop. Yes, I know that people in poor nations resort to growing crops to make drugs. that has nothing to do with the FACT that there is already an industry north america that grows its own.

growing poppy doesn't have anything to do with hybrid growers of pot.

this is the point I was trying to make. Also, you should not lump marijuana in with things like poppy crops for opium. two very different things.

[kineneb]

164. northwestern Cal.- Emerald "Triangle" and neighbors

pot is probably the largest cash crop, even greater than grapes and wine... and has been for years, at least since the 60s...Feds try to wipe out Mexican crops, so the Mexican mafia types simply have gone north...

[nradisic]

92. Giddy up!

Go Barney...

[tekisui]

93. I love you Barney!

Legalize it!!!

[Oldenuff]

94. Keep the faith...

Will it happen?Probably not.Is it an issue worth pushing?Yes....keep on pushing these bills.Attach a rider to the bill cutting off funding for something the repukes want,and you'll have a winner.

[kitfalbo]

95. hmm

I have never smoked, and will never smoke. (this or cigs) Yet I still support this bill.

[Usrename]

96. legalize it

decriminalizing does not work

[byronius]

98. Signed. K&R.

[tabasco]

99. Right now, law enforcement treats marijuana the same as heroin or crack.

The injustice is unbelievable as people are jailed for using a PLANT less harmful than alcohol.

[T Monk]

101. Is Bill Barney?

[Freddie Stubbs]

102. I think that whoever wrote that article may have been high

[T Monk]

110. was when I read it- still great bunch at MPP and Maps

[fascisthunter]

114. Excellent Response

Got any more...?

[T Monk]

117. more what?

[fascisthunter]

118. Of What Got You High

:smoke:

[T Monk]

119. most assuredly ... toasting you now!

[T Monk]

122. and it isn't with a beverage, by gum

[Yael]

103. Good luck Rep. Frank

You will get a wrath of shit for this, but I thank you for taking a stand.

[Broadslidin]

105. Thank You for your courage, Congressman Barney Frank.

You have my support....!!

[bamacrat]

108. Oh please oh please let this happen.

I heard him say he was going to on Bill Maher, but this is great, I almost spilled my bowl when I read this. I hope it is passed, it would be great for the government to allow adults to make decisions for themselves.

:smoke:

[kath]

109. It's about frickin' time.

[SlingBlade]

112. What, A Common Sense piece of

legislation makes the rounds.

I'd give this about a 4 in 200 chance of ever reaching a vote.
Carter had a very good chance until one of his aids or campaign staff
was busted for drugs, Its been awhile.

That was the excuse then to kill it.
Today it will be because even a little Ghanja helps the Terrorist !

But I'll give it the old blue collar try anyhow.
Who knows, Miracles happen every day
Maybe not in Washington, But they happen. :)

Thanks for the post !

[EOTE]

115. Won't somebody please think of the children?

Decriminalization is just one step closer to outright legalization. And once bud is legalized, there will be no dealers. And with no dealers, where will kids get their marijuana? Won't someone please think of the poor children?

[bemildred]

116. I just had a kid go through High School.

It was like sending him to drug camp. I live in a nice urban area. The drug war isn't doing a damn thing for children, and it's harming them a lot.

Drugs are a problem, but the criminal justice system is not a solution to it.

PS: he seems to be OK now.

[crikkett]

138. ha! they'll have to take up gardening

and develop an interest in science

[chknltl]

195. LOL... Ch-Ch-Chia!

Perhaps if it gets legalized, there will be an Ed Rosenthal-(sp?) Chiapet with 'special' properties!

[GreenTea]

120. Republicans, W, moderates, alcohol industry, haters of change & the progressive 60's....

Pharmaceutical industry, prison industry, pretenders of child concerns, even the tobacco industry, tax concerns, the bullshit "gateway" drug rap, Churches, re-election time (status quo) season concerns and the usual haters of others personal freedoms, leisure time and the enjoyment of others relaxation...

It faces huge obstacles, still, cheers to Barney Frank!

[iamjoy]

121. It's About Time

Smoking marijuana makes you stupid, but we don't restrict every other dumb thing people do.

If alcohol and cigarettes are legal, why not dope?

[jzodda]

124. There are many studies

with much contradictory results about the longterm effects of pot. So I don't know about the "makes you stupid" argument. Some studies show no damage or just short term damage. So I think the jury is still out on the long term effects from pot.

[Zhade]

220. No, it doesn't. Educate yourself on the two major versions (sativa and indica).

One is a motivating mind high, the other a dulling body stone.

[BayjanDem]

123. Where was this effort

in the 80s when I was in college?

[crikkett]

137. in the 80s everyone was on cocaine

isn't that right?

[Fearless]

127. Bill Frank? Who's that?

[JustinL]

129. Bravo, Congressman Frank!

[Initech]

130. Bout fucking time!

:smoke:

But watch as this passes the house and the senate but the jackass vetoes it.

[lunaticmind]

134. politicians income supplement

how will the politicians supplement their incomes if the drug cartels and gangs can no longer afford to pay them off? crime will have to go up in some other area in order for the political slime balls to afford their mansions.
how will WE the tax payer react with a national surplus because the main drain on our penal system will have been lifted? do you really mean we could afford to re-invest in our youth and the re-industrialization of America?

nope... I didn't just blow a bone. I've been clean for 12 1/2 years. Maybe I need to so I can get back to reality.

[chknltl]

198. Welcome to DU luniticmind

An honest :toast: to those who honestly protect and serve.

[Ganja Ninja]

136. Hell has officially frozen over.

Now lets make it legal to cultivate and sell.

[reggie the dog]

139. How????

How are people supposed to get their 100 grams or get the ounce they can give to their friends if WE CANNOT GROW IT???????

[Svafa]

140. Of course it won't go anywhere

but at least it's a step in the right direction, and it's putting the issue out there again. This joke of a "war on drugs" seems to have gone unquestioned lately, so I'm very grateful to Congressman Frank for bringing it up.

[EnviroBat]

142. Hmmm, this bill seems pretty confusing to me. Let's see if I've got this right...

I would be allowed to possess up to 3oz of weed. But it's still illegal for anyone to sell it, so, strike 1. It's still criminal to grow/cultivate it so, strike 2. The bill would not affect state or local laws regulating marijuana possession. So my particular police-state still wants to treat me like a murderer for pot possession, so strike 3. What does this bill actually accomplish?


:shrug:

Sounds like a lot of blown smoke to me...

[unpossibles]

144. sweet!

leaf

[Dora]

146. K&R.

[msedano]

147. the first time i watched CSPAN

I saw Barney Frank in action and asked myself, "Self, why doesn't California have genuine leaders like this fellow?" and today, the answer, in Pasadena at any rate, is because the best the Democratic Party can do is a shithead-enabler and Iraq invasion supporter like Adam Schiff. Let's see how this person performs on this issue. Schiff's already disgusted me in the only truly important legislation, being the party's number one supporter of the Iraq authorization and continued funding. His voting for the pot law will not convince me to vote for Schiff, but it will evince a measure of esteem for his common sense.

[PhilipDC]

148. Headline misleading

The bill was only introduced yesterday--Congress did not act on it and it did not come to the floor. Don't count on any action on this bill.

[redqueen]

149. Wasn't the federal vs. state showdown on Medical Marijuana during Bill's admin?

[lame54]

152. Need more convincing? - watch this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atMQzRFvCIY

[Kajsa]

155. Done!

Here in CA, we voted to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes.

In spite of that, the Feds continue to raid distribution centers and
arrest people who have ( under states rights) legal rights to pot.

It's horrible!!

:(

[jimnasium]

157. I'll have a pack of Marlboro Joints - in a box...

Hey.... we can always hope, can't we?

[krabigirl]

158. That guy rules! lol sry to sound cheesy but it's about time someone had common sense...

[P0pEye]

159. hmm ... I'm getting the MUNCHIES ...

It's getting hungry in here ...

Yo tengo hambre!

:hippie: :smoke:

[Lethe]

160. Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act was introduced by Ron Paul the same day

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7582

Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) introduced H.R. 5842, the “Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act,” earlier today. This bill would make federal authorities respect states' current laws on medicinal cannabis and end DEA raids on facilities distributing medical marijuana legally under state law.

Which begs the question...why are the Feds raiding them in the first place? Is that even legal? How come it took a constitutional amendment to ban alcohol, but to ban marijuana they just passed a bill?

Also - to those bitching about Barney Frank's bill - 88% of all marijuana related arrests are for simple possession. It's a good step in the right direction.

[RainDog]

187. common sense bipartisanship!

Surely the majority of ppl in this nation are sick of national enquirer politics! let's hope...

[crispini]

161. Kick

And will do so!

[Freddie Stubbs]

165. Who is Bill Frank?

:shrug:

[debbierlus]

167. And, if they try to throw the gateway drug BS out there, state ALCOHOL is the biggest gateway drug

[debbierlus]

168. And, if they try to throw the gateway drug BS out there, state ALCOHOL is the biggest gateway drug

[Deep13]

169. Excellent idea. Too bad it's doomed.

"A" for effort, Mr. Frank. You are one of the good guys.

[LiberalFighter]

171. Just make sure it is not legal for any of the Bush family.

[jmpnfool]

174. way past time

But it will never happen, it makes way too much sense.

[Warren DeMontague]

177. Let me add my voice to the chorus of "About Fucking Time".

Well past time, actually.

[On the Road]

181. I Don't Understand the Logic of Proposing This During a Campaign Season

Supporting the bill would jeopardize the reelection chances of a lot of congreessmen. Voting for it during an off-year would be less risky, because it's the kind of thing people will come to accept over time.

[Occulus]

204. False logic.

In the US, it is always campaign season.

[Rainbowreflect]

182. It's about time!

[ooglymoogly]

183. Yesss Barney....but I agree with everyone else

It wont get out of committee...Too much at stake and too many vested interests by the thugs. They have the huge prison system to grow. The DE@ would become toothless. There would be many more democrats on the streets meddling in their affairs and their skulduggery. Police forces would have to be sized down, prisons would have too shrink....No it ain't gonna happen. That is way to much good even to contemplate with the thuglican monopoly on "government". These people do not thrive on good things happening, they thrive on bad things happening and common sense drug laws would change this country overnight to a utopia that is impossible to dream.

[orleans]

189. k&r --good for barney! i hope he gets somewhere w/this. n/t

[Thepricebreaker]

190. Why do people start a bill they know will 10000000% fail.

[EstimatedProphet]

223. Because it raises the issue.

[demigoddess]

193. i support this

told my kids, if I get cancer and have to have chemo, I WANT MY MARIJUANA. A medicine that helps the seriously ill should not be illegal and unavailable.

[Soylent Brice]

194. i'd rather see...

potheads on the road going 35 in a 55
instead of alcoholics on the road going, well... all over the place

kids smoking pot
instead of huffing feces

granny toking for her glaucoma
instead of granny with Kevorkian...

please, please, please pass this bill. regulate it. tax it if you must. but please just pass this bill.

[grannylib]

201. Done. One of the main reasons I can see to get this done is to

get rid of the stigma on INDUSTRIAL HEMP for God's sake...

Law enforcement has better things to do than to lock up casual weedies. Pathetic.

[pitohui]

202. "It would not affect state or local laws..."

so in other words, it's much ado about nothing, since people prosecuted for possessing these small amounts are prosecuted by state or local law enforcement

i guess you gotta start somewhere but this is on the level of declaring the great purple furry-antenna'd moth our national moth and july 14-21 our national week of celebrating dill pickles

[Vidar]

212. Go, Barney, go!

[knight_of_the_star]

215. FINALLY!!!

I'll call my girlfriend and let her know, here's hoping it passes!

[RainDog]

217. kick

and I put up a poll on the subject for du-ers, if you wanna vote

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=7666173&mesg_id=7666173

[mdmc]

218. We got the dems and the Ron Paul GOP

how can we lose?

[RainDog]

221. things that are eventually acknowledged as stupid laws

...are first challenged by the "mavericks."

however, have you ever looked at polls from American people about their views on this issue?

http://www.medicalmarijuanaprocon.org/pop/votesNat.htm

from 60-80% of Americans from at least 8 different polling co. surveys think medical mj should be available w/o penalty.

as in this Gallup poll from almost a DECADE ago-
"Would you vote for making marijuana legally available for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce pain and suffering?"
- 73% polled yes

legislators are SOOOOOOO far behind on this issue it is a travesty b/c of the human suffering they are helping to maintain, all because of a few misinformed voters... but FAR MORE RESPONSIBLE for this suffering are the corporations who benefit from making American citizens suffer medical harm because of their greed.

soooo, have to be a real maverick to give a shit about people in this country rather than some multi-nationals profits.

sound about right... no matter how wrong.

[mdmc]

222. Time for the dems to get their heads out of their asses