buckaroo bonzai
Well-Known Member
[h=1]New bill would ease state-federal pot conflict[/h]By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press April 12, 2013 5:50PM
SEATTLE (AP) A bill introduced in Congress on Friday would fix the conflict between the federal governments marijuana prohibition and state laws that allow medical or recreational use.
California Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said his bill, which has three Republican and three Democratic sponsors, would ensure that state laws on pot are respected by the feds.
The measure would amend the Controlled Substances Act to make clear that individuals and businesses, including marijuana dispensaries, who comply with state marijuana laws are immune from federal prosecution.
This bipartisan bill represents a common-sense approach that establishes federal government respect for all states marijuana laws, Rohrabacher said in a news release. It does so by keeping the federal government out of the business of criminalizing marijuana activities in states that dont want it to be criminal.
Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have medical marijuana laws, and two states, Washington and Colorado, last fall became the first to pass laws legalizing, taxing and regulating marijuana.
The U.S. Justice Department has not said how it intends to respond to the Washington and Colorado votes. It could sue to block legal pot sales from ever happening, on the grounds they conflict with federal law.
President Barack Obama has said going after marijuana users in states where its legal is not a priority. But the administration has raided some medical marijuana dispensaries it sees as little more than fronts for commercial marijuana sales.
Several other measures have also been introduced to change U.S. marijuana laws, including moves to legalize the industrial production of hemp and establish a hefty federal pot tax in states where its legal. Any changes this year are considered a longshot.
Republican Reps. Justin Amash of Michigan and Don Young of Alaska and Democratic Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Steve Cohen of Tennessee and Jared Polis of Colorado co-sponsored Rohrabachers bill.
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[h=1]New Law Would Help California Pot Clubs Get The Feds Off Their Backs[/h]
By Erin Sherbert Fri., Apr. 12 2013 at 1:03 PM
Categories: Marijuana
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[TD="class: caption, bgcolor: transparent, align: left"]Enough said[/TD]
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Today, a California Congressman introduced legislation that would finally give pot clubs the smoke break they deserve.Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) rolled out a new bill that would modify the federal Controlled Substances Act so anyone complying with state marijuana laws, (i.e. pot clubs and pot smokers with medical marijuana cards) would be immune from federal prosecution.
The Respect State Marijuana Laws Act (H.R. 1523) would clear not just marijuana consumers, but also medical and non-medical marijuana businesses operating in states where medical marijuana is legal.
And for good reason.
The Pew Research Center released a study last week which found that 60 percent of Americans believe the feds need to back off states where marijuana is legal. As of now, 18 states, including California, allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to people with chronic pain and other conditions. In November, voters in Colorado and Washington State approved measures making marijuana legal for adults 21 and older and directing state regulatory bodies to create regulations for businesses to cultivate and sell marijuana to adults.
In California, a bill like this would mean no more federal crack-downs on pot clubs that are legally operating in the state. Since 2011, the Department of Justice has been shutting down permitted medical marijuana clubs across San Francisco (it's for the children!).
"This bipartisan bill represents a common-sense approach that establishes federal government respect for all states' marijuana laws," Rohrabacher said in a statement released today. "It does so by keeping the federal government out of the business of criminalizing marijuana activities in states that don't want it to be criminal."
It's not the first time legislators in D.C. have tried to protect medical marijuana-loving states from the federal government. Some (social) Republicans like Rohrabacher have been motivated by money, specifically the mounting money the feds have spent to enforce federal marijuana laws in states where pot is legal. However, that legislation failed to even make it past congressional committee hearings.
So will this bill die like the rest of them, or do we have reason to believe finally the political will is there?
"Marijuana prohibition is on its last legs because most Americans no longer support it. This legislation presents a perfect opportunity for members to embrace the notion that states should be able to devise systems for regulating marijuana without their citizens having to worry about breaking federal law," said Steve Fox, national political director for the Marijuana Policy Project. "If a state chooses to take marijuana sales away from cartels and the criminal market and put them in the hands of legitimate, tax-paying businesses, it should be able to do so without federal interference."
all the 'corporate' dominoes lining up ??
medicine like the new provision bill outlines?
