June 23, 2009 /

Barney Frank Introduces Marijuana Legislation

He did this last year unsuccessfully, hopefully it will be different this time: Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts has introduced two pieces of legislation on marijuana — one medical, and one recreational — that deserve a lot more attention (and support by fellow House members) than they have been getting. The first would change federal […]

He did this last year unsuccessfully, hopefully it will be different this time:

Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts has introduced two pieces of legislation on marijuana — one medical, and one recreational — that deserve a lot more attention (and support by fellow House members) than they have been getting. The first would change federal law to allow states to experiment with medical marijuana without interference from Washington. And the second would drastically reduce federal penalties for “personal possession” of marijuana.

The medical marijuana bill aims to fix a problem in the federal classification of marijuana. The problem was best summed up in a live performance by Bill Maher I saw a number of months ago, where he talked about medical marijuana laws that states such as California (and others) have passed. I don’t remember his exact words, but it went something like this: “It’s still illegal to grow it, it’s illegal for doctors to prescribe it, it’s illegal to sell it, it’s illegal to buy it, but if a joint happens to fall from the sky into your lips, then it’s OK to smoke it.”

Our country has the highest incarceration levels on the planet and a lot of that is contributed to our ridiculous drug laws. Considering the cost of incarcerating a person, fixing these flawed laws not only makes sense, but is also fiscally responsible. Of course many in Congress don’t think like that.

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