Who Will Push The Feds To Legalize Marijuana?

Advocates in Congress are retiring

Though Colorado and Washington have legalized marijuana for recreational use, it's still against federal law. And the most prominent advocates of legalizing the drug nationwide, Reps. Ron Paul and Barney Frank, are both retiring from Congress. Who will light up the issue going forward?

Paul, the libertarian-leaning Texas Republican, and Frank, a far-left Democrat from Massachusetts, made for an unlikely political pairing. But they co-sponsored legislation, the "Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2011". That would head off the kind of federal-state standoff over pot that's almost inevitable in Colorado and Washington.

Paul and Frank collected a smattering of co-sponsors for their pot legalization bill. That includes one House member from Colorado, Jared Polis, a Democrat. Most other co-sponsors are Democrats but also includes one conservative Republican, Dana Rohrabacher of California. One supporter of the pot legalization bill, Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) lost his reelection bid Tuesday.

With Paul and Frank gone, the issue lacks high-profile advocates. But any lawmaker willing to high-light it is sure to grab attention.

Politix reporting.

Should the federal government legalize marijuana?

[MBernard]

Who else can but us, Americans. We have spoken.

[MrGreenHerb]

YUUUPPP.

[kirbstomp1]

How is this a question? America has already voted. Only thing keeping it illegal is lobbyist.

[Denizen_Kate]

What's keeping it illegal are lobbyists who mostly represent big pharma, and organized criminal gangs, plus the DEA and the FBI. Who has the most to lose by decriminalizing cannabis? Always follow the money.

[kirbstomp1]

@Denizen_Kate - don't forget about police force lobbyist, beer and alcohol company lobbyist, and the lobbyist for privately owned federal prisons.

[kirbstomp1]

@Denizen_Kate - don't forget the CIA

[MRMacrum]

Who will push the Feds to legalize Pot? Well I heard tell of a couple aging hippies from up the County who are rejuvenatin their Love Bus, slappin a new coat of day glo paint on it and with some almost new retreads on it they plan on headin down to DC and set up a protest and a tent city near the Smithsonian. Said they weren't comin back until Pot was legal or they ran out of rolling papers.

[Denizen_Kate]

Give me an address and I'll send some Zig-Zags.

[MRMacrum]

@Denizen_Kate - I dunno. Might get in trouble with the Post Office. Of course given their financial situation, any mail is good mail.

[marine1]

Here might be a concern, thc from two days prior stays in your system,soooooooo if stoped by law enforcement and tested, you are still under the influence. Good bye driving for a while. if you refuse the test, good bye driving.

[MRMacrum]

@marine1 - From what I am told not in Maine if you have the medical card.

[marine1]

@MRMacrum yeah but these people won't be needing a medical card.

[tomincali]

none will. our so called leaders make more when it is illegal. heck they look to be in bed with the cartels.

[ConcernedParty]

The main thing people make money from in this is people who run prisons. They are making a real packet.

[Dan_Tien]

The choice is either to legalize it or continue to fight a century old civil war.

[martydotcom]

Social conservatives and evangelical Christians would go bats..t! No one sees it a winning political move on the national level. The Feds will stop enforcing the law, just as many local police depts. have, it will become defacto legal, but foolishly not taxed

[EMS_Servant]

I'm a non-denominal Christian but I do minister to others so in a sense I am evangelical... so why would I go nuts? I wouldn't mind it if they legalized pot, just put proper restrictions on it like tobacco or alcohol products as well as appropriate surgeon general warnings (if any) and pet the people decide if they want to use it. Heck I might try it if it became legal.

[martydotcom]

@EMS_Servant Most Evangelical Christians believe the Bible says that the use of intoxicants is forbidden. Even sacramental wine must be new wine -grape juice. I was so informed by many quoting chapter and verse in another thread on this site on MJ approval

[Canoochee]

@martydotcom Ever ask them how they kept grape juice fresh year round? If you haven't try asking some time. The looks you can get are priceless.

[martydotcom]

@Canoochee I had that debate over using The Last Supper a spring event. I concluded the grapes were imported from the not yet created or discovered Southern Hemisphere wine growing regions of NZ, Australia and Chile. Flown in via refrigerated containers on 747 camels

[Canoochee]

@martydotcom LOL you ain't right. I assume the shipments were guarded by talking donkeys?

[dances-weebles]

every citizen should get over their phobia and push for it.

[Wisdom73]

Time to legalize and end the decades old witchhunt based off lies which costs the taxpayers millions every year. As long as alcohol remains a socially acceptable and legal recreational substance, then so should marijuana. To not do so is extremely hypocritical. End federal prohibition and let the states decide.

[AceLuby]

It actually costs Billions per year... 90% of the DEA budget is to combat cannabis and w/out pot it's hard to even justify the existence of that department.

[martydotcom]

@AceLuby The DEA must be the most ineffective gov. agency. They have done nothing to stop the flow of any drug. Any high school kid can score MJ with no problem. Coke & meth are readily available to anyone who want. What's the DEA doing with its Billion plus budget?

[Mbjhug]

@martydotcom sitting back and toking up on their "legally acquired" bud while they laugh their asses at us. The DEA just needs to dissolve away.

[F22Falcon]

It will take a majority number of the States to legalize it, much the same as getting alcohol legalized. Enough Staes legalize, there will enough Congressional strength to get Legislation thru Congress.

[Buzzfriendly]

I am unaware of any elected official currently on the hill with 8all's to take a stand on the issue. They are more concerned about re-election.

[GetAwake]

No....dude...we can say "balls", dude. Don't let them take THAT away from us...

[Buzzfriendly]

@GetAwake hahaha I have become fearful of everything

[Denizen_Kate]

Actually, in the case of Dana Rohrbacher, his stance is State's Rights, meaning that it shouldn't be up to the feds at all. Speaking for myself, I want to know what tax rate the feds will assign before I'll back a national legalization movement. I'd prefer they left it up to the states, and each state can decide how they want to regulate it, if at all.

[Buzzfriendly]

@Denizen_Kate your oh I agree 100% but just guessing here the federal government has to vote to give up its authority in the matter. Can't say I know how that works.

[alarmsmallhunc]

We just got through a brutal election and both sides are now throwing around the term "revenue generating" instead of "tax increases."

I need someone to explain to me and the public why, for the love of all that is holy, marijuana is not legalized and taxed as one very significant way to help us out of our debt. Not only does legalization and taxation of this product satisfy both parties, but poll after poll shows the public is in favor of it.

Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron wrote that legalization would save $7.7 billion per year in what we waste on enforcing the laws against it and taxing it would bring in at least $6 billion per year in REVENUE! That's almost $14 billion a year without needing to freak out about tax increases or spending cuts - what is going on here?

Economist Stephen Easton has even bigger projections of $45 to $100 billion per year and even the Cato Institute is in favor of this.

I truly do not see what is so difficult here - regulate it EXACTLY the same way you would regulate alcohol, which though legal, has proven to be far more dangerous. The argument about marijuana being a "gateway drug" has also proven to be a crock. How many deaths have occurred from smoking pot? ZERO. How many deaths have occurred from alcohol? Countless.

I challenge any politician to prove to the public how the legalization of marijuana would be any different than the already current legalization of alcohol. We need to stop wasting time and grow up here.

[bsking]

no we already have enough brain dead people in this country. the federal government should be protecting our assets around the world. the Pentagon just acknowledged Iran fired at 1 of our drones.
they are the second Islamic group in as many days to show that they will dictate how o Bama is to behave during this term.

Lockheed Martin laying off people.
Boeing laying off people
all this is a consequence of electing Obama..

meanwhile Hillary and Bama looking for videos on YouTube to blame the latest hostilities on

[GetAwake]

All kidding aside, BS...and no pun intended there, but...what are you afraid of? You think the stuff is going to make you spell 5hit correctly? Not likely....well....HEY. WAIT A MINUTE---everything WAS spelled correctly! Whoever are you, and what the f--k have you done with bsking

[GetAwake]

???!?!?!?<<<OOPS! Left that off. You should really try this stuff, dude. You'd like it.

[PayThatCEO]

Ooops...you just admitted you're heavily invested in the American war machine.
But fear not...in a few years, the pot industry will have their own acronym on Wall Street.

[MRMacrum]

^^^^ "no we already have enough brain dead people in this country." ^^^^

It would appear so.

[martydotcom]

Once again your post fits your name. Pure BS
Supposedly Lockheed is laying off 130k That is the entire work force I guess they're gone??
Same with mil spec div. of Boeing gone in total.. get the entire story from the fact checker site of choice. I used Snopes and Fact Check
Fact Sequestration with no deal = military cut backs
Companies of their the size are required to report sizable pending layoffs so retraining plan can be put ino place They threw a warning shot across congress' bow
If you don't think a deal will be cut, pass me what you are smoking.
Fact: we are at war with Islamic terrorism a gorilla war. We need Spec Forces & Seal teams, not fighter planes at 750mil a plane that are still killing our pilot due to O2,supply pollution unresolved after two yrs. What we need is IT - Internet security for corps. finance and utilities. GOP controlled house voted down requiring biz upgrade their security. Do you think Iran won't hack us as we have them... guess what they have already

[idlbeokay_bob]

Yes they should but, local police etc... make too much money off of it to let it happen. If you get busted you spend loads of cash on drug testing and probation costs. On top if that while you spend years and a ton of money the cops get to smoke up your stash.

[classychazy]

Isn't that the truth! I have seen it happen not to me, but my cousin and that was some damn good smoke!

[AceLuby]

They should not have been able to make it illegal federally in the first place. I don't see how the logic works that you're 'regulating' trade of the product across state lines by banning the use, sale, and creation of said product w/in state lines.

[jessejaymes]

It time to legalize pot. The Mexican govt estimates that the legalization in just two states will cost the Cartels more than a billion dollars a year. They can't quality and they can't match cost. I smoke pot in California legally within our law. I will not bow to the feds on this dispute. I have a totally clean record, I pay taxes, I'm as good of a citizen as anyone. I have been smoking pot for over 40 years. I don't drink, I don't drive high and I don't use hard drugs. Never missed a scheduled days work in more than 30 years. This is a ridiculous, expensive, losing war on drugs. It's time.

[jessejaymes]

I would further say this. The gateway drug is beer. I got drunk at 14. Never heard of pot by then. Pot criminalization is a revenue for the govt. Everyone busted for pot in most states pays for the fine, pays for monitoring (few go to prison these days for first or second offense of pot only), pays for court ordered "rehab", testing, and literally puts thousands of dollars into city, state, and federal coffers. This is wrong. You can make the same money taxing it.

[We_Won]

@jessejaymes

Enter the cotton, timber, petrochemical, and drug industrial complex.

Hemp and marijuana could effectively end these powerful conglomerates, as hemp, a weed, can provide superior products, for nearly nothing overhead.

No pesticides, little water. Dupont will kill to keep it illegal.

[PayThatCEO]

I don't really see pot as a threat to any other industry like you mentioned, because if they are smart (and I assume they or they wouldn't be in business) they will take on the challenge of a new product.

I think what keeps pot illegal is the money made by local and state governments on minor arrests. Everything from bail to attorneys to court costs to drug programs to probation fees...even the DOT gets involved if you lose your license. Everyone has their hand in this money-making opportunity. Time for them all to focus on REAL criminals for a change.

[ZenBirdist]

The feds need to stop wasting resources on this issue. Take the DEA out of the equation and hand it down to the states to decide for themselves.

[PayThatCEO]

I don't think anyone will need to push the feds. Once other states get a look at how much money Colorado and Washington are raking in, they'll be more than happy to join in. And once more than a few states get on board, the federal government will have to let go of its ridiculous stranglehold on a new and exciting industry and let the people and states run their business.

[GetAwake]

Was there really this much BS invoved with ending alcohol-prohibition?(< <<there are a few of you here who were obviously around for that...) Or is the problem just that the President is in way too many pockets at the moment and there isn't enough of him to go around? C'mon, Barry...stop eating her food already and gain some weight...preferably in the testicular-area if you catch my drift. "The People Have Spoken"...right? You seem to be big on that this week.

[charlesgreen]

It is way past the time to place this relict in the dustpan of history!