Pot

[Gimmi]

(CNN) -- The U.S. should stop arresting responsible marijuana users, Rep. Barney Frank said Wednesday, announcing a proposal to end federal penalties for Americans carrying fewer than 100 grams, almost a quarter-pound, of the substance.



Current laws targeting marijuana users place undue burdens on law enforcement resources, punish ill Americans whose doctors have prescribed the substance and unfairly affect African-Americans, said Frank, flanked by legislators and representatives from advocacy groups.



"The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government's business," Frank said during a Capitol Hill news conference. "I don't think it is the government's business to tell you how to spend your leisure time.

"

The Massachusetts Democrat and his supporters emphasized that only the use -- and not the abuse -- of marijuana would be decriminalized if the resolution passes.

VideoWatch Frank lay out the proposal »

The Drug Enforcement Administration says people charged with simple possession are rarely incarcerated. The agency and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy have long opposed marijuana legalization, for medical purposes or otherwise.



Marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use, according to the ONDCP.



"Smoked marijuana has not withstood the rigors of science -- it is not medicine and it is not safe," the DEA states on its Web site. "Legalization of marijuana, no matter how it begins, will come at the expense of our children and public safety. It will create dependency and treatment issues, and open the door to use of other drugs, impaired health, delinquent behavior, and drugged drivers.

"

Allen St. Pierre, spokesman for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), likened Frank's proposal -- co-sponsored by Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas -- to current laws dealing with alcohol consumption. Alcohol use is permitted, and the government focuses its law enforcement efforts on those who abuse alcohol or drive under its influence, he said.



"We do not arrest and jail responsible alcohol drinkers," he said.



St. Pierre said there are tens of millions of marijuana smokers in the United States, including himself, and hundreds of thousands are arrested each year for medical or personal use.




There have been 20 million marijuana-related arrests since 1965, he said, and 11 million since 1990, and "every 38 seconds, a marijuana smoker is arrested.

"

Rob Kampia, director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said marijuana arrests outnumber arrests for "all violent crimes combined," meaning that police are spending inordinate amounts of time chasing nonviolent criminals.



"Ending arrests is the key to marijuana policy reform," he said.



Reps. William Lacy Clay, D-Missouri, and Barbara Lee, D-California, said that in addition to targeting nonviolent offenders, U.S. marijuana laws also unfairly target African-Americans.



Clay said he did not condone drug use, but he opposes using tax dollars to pursue what he feels is an arcane holdover from "a phony war on drugs that is filling up our prisons, especially with people of color.

"

Too many drug enforcement resources are being dedicated to incarcerating nonviolent drugs users, and not enough is being done to stop the trafficking of narcotics into the United States, he said.



Being arrested is not the American marijuana smoker's only concern, said Bill Piper of the Drug Policy Alliance Network. Those found guilty of marijuana use can lose their jobs, financial aid for college, their food stamp and welfare benefits, or their low-cost housing.



The U.S. stance on marijuana, Piper said, "is one of the most destructive criminal justice policies in America today.

"

Calling the U.S. policy "inhumane" and "immoral," Lee said she has many constituents who are harassed or arrested for using or cultivating marijuana for medical purposes. California allowsmedical marijuana use, but the federal government does not, she explained.



House Resolution 5843, titled the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008, would allow "a very small number of individuals" suffering from chronic pain or illness to smoke marijuana with impunity.



According to NORML, marijuana can be used to treat a range of illnesses, including glaucoma, asthma, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS and seizures.



Frank, who is chairman of the Financial Services Committee, said about a dozen states already have approved some degree of medical marijuana use, and the federal government should stop devoting resources to arresting people who are complying with their states' laws.



In a shot at Republicans, Frank said it was strange that those who support limited government want to criminalize marijuana.



Asked if the resolution's passage would change his personal behavior, Frank quipped, "I do obey every law I vote for," but quickly said he did not use marijuana, nor does he encourage it.



"I smoke cigars. I don't think other people should do that. If young people ask me, I would advise them not to do it," he said.



If HR 5843 were passed by the House, marijuana smokers could possess up to 100 grams -- about 3½ ounces -- of cannabis without being arrested. It would also permit the "nonprofit transfer" of up to an ounce of marijuana.



The resolution would not affect laws forbidding growing, importing or exporting marijuana, or selling it for profit. The resolution also would not affect any state laws regarding marijuana use.

what says u

 

[torrid mind]

Better ****ing pass.

I think it's bull**** weed is illegal anyways. And all because we didn't like mexicans around the turn of the century. It should have been decriminalized a long time ago.

Pot is NOT addictive. It DOES have medical uses. It DOESN'T make you go crazy, or kill people, it won't make you burn your car, and your dog will still like you. In fact, he may start coming around more often when you are smoking the stinky weed.

 

[Emperor Pan I]

weeds sucks. keep it illegal.

 

[Speedy]

They should legalize it.

More people die from alcohol abuse then weed yet its still legal.

 

[torrid mind]

No one dies from THC, you would have to smoke sooooo much and would fall asleep before you could.

 

[jd-inflames]

Fixed, dear.

 

[Speedy]

No one dies from THC, you would have to smoke sooooo much and would fall asleep before you could.

Obviously Torrid I meant like deaths due to being under the influence. Aside from lung cancer I don't think you can ACTUALLY smoke yourself to death.

 

[Trojan]

What's so cool about forgetting where you put your keys?

 

[Gimmi]

What's so cool about forgetting where you put your keys?

Del Taco once you find them.

 

[TroiK-]

What's so cool about forgetting where you put your keys?

This happens to me alot when i smoke but seriously put it somewhere you will know where to find it before you puff on the joint.


OT: I hate stupid ass people who thinks its bad who have either never smoked pot or had a bad incident with it because there faggets.

 

[Ntrik_]

pot sucks

 

[Metal Gear Flash]

i love smoking but im not so quick to jump on the legalize it bandwagon, i dont think the benefits outweigh the problems that could arise

 

[N[U]TS]

i love smoking but im not so quick to jump on the legalize it bandwagon, i dont think the benefits outweigh the problems that could arise

Exactly! I have been a pot smoker since 05 and I am iffy about legalizing it.

for one I enjoy the friends and crazy nights I have had from smoking pot illegally. If it were legalized I wouldnt meet new pot heads and would not have more wild nights to come from running from cops etc.

If marajuana were to be legalized it would be just another thing to do sorta the reason why I dont drink much anymore till i tried Absinthe. On top of this reason you would be going to a store to buy it which more than likely a "sin" tax will be placed upon it. Also prices would sky rocket for the first few months since everyone would want to try it.

You say you can not become addicted to pot but I believe you can. It isnt an addiction to the drug itself but the state of mind. Just like alcoholics, they become consumed by it. They love the feeling of being drunk and feel like they can be more themselves when drunk. I find myself falling into this phase with pot.


The only good I see coming out of legalizing pot would be that I could now smoke pot legally and not get in trouble for it at work. I mean it is bull**** that they piss test for thc which can be in your system for a month but I understand that when other idiots come to work high, drunk, etc. it could save anothers life.

 

[Gimmi]

Exactly! I have been a pot smoker since 05

Lol'd
also lol at you becoming addicted to a drug less addictive than my foot in your ass.

 

[Trojan]

I'm just saying, are you really trying to encourage them to legalize it, so then corporations can start selling it for absurd prices? Pot isn't physically addicting, it's mentally addictive. Don't pull that whole "Weed doesn't kill anyone you can't OD from it!" bs. Weed might not kill you, but I hope you don't decide during your trip that you want to go out for a drive....

 

[Gimmi]

I'm just saying, are you really trying to encourage them to legalize it, so then corporations can start selling it for absurd prices? Pot isn't physically addicting, it's mentally addictive. Don't pull that whole "Weed doesn't kill anyone you can't OD from it!" bs. Weed might not kill you, but I hope you don't decide during your trip that you want to go out for a drive....

Firstly I haven't even taken a stand on the issue, so no I'm not trying to encourage anything.
Secondly what makes you think weed is automatically going to be taken over by corporations? you can grow it in your sock drawer, its a ****ing weed. (is it? dont feel like wiki tonight, sounds like it should be.)
mentally addictive is just a cop out for im a douchebag.
also your dont go for a drive arguement has no evidence. that which can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence.

edit: i remember reading once about a president (nixon?) who was trying to create some anti drug propoganda and tested 3 people on a driving course drunk sober and stoned, guess who did scored the best?

 

[Speedy]

I hope you don't decide during your trip that you want to go out for a drive....

Sorry big guy but you don't 'trip' on Marijuana.

 

[Glowy]

my fav facebook bumpersticker :hxc

 

[DB]

Decriminalization is the best bet for marijuana. Let's actually make some progress.

 

[Renzokuken]

Pot is good for people that need it medicinally, other than that it's just losers that like to get high, why legalise retards being able to get high?