POT

Legalize Marijuana Bill to Be Introduced in Congress

The proposal would regulate pot like alcohol

Feb 4, 2013 by Mary Noble

Senior Editor t

Image: Politix

2013 could be a big year for pot legalization, if Reps. Jared Polis of (D-CO) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) have anything to do with it. They plan to introduce a bill in Congress on Tuesday that would legalize marijuana and regulate it in the same way as alcohol.

In practice that means states would be free to set their own marijuana laws. Growers would get a federal license in states that legalized. Oversight and enforcement would switch from the DEA to the renamed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms. And it would still be a crime to bring pot into a state that hadn't made the drug legal.

The bill would also raise tax revenue via a 50% tax on the "first sale," the sale of pot by its grower to a retail seller. It's received bipartisan input, and is based on older legislation drafted by Ron Paul and Barney Frank.

Marijuana advocates are feeling good about their chances, pointing to recent signs like legalization in CO and WA, and Mitch McConnell's turnaround in favor of hemp legalization in KY. "For the first time, the wind is behind our back," said Bill Piper, a director at the Drug Policy Alliance. But other DC insiders claim the bill has no chance of passing, since previous federal legalization measures have always failed.

Via the AP.

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?	Do you support legalizing marijuana and regulating it like alcohol?

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Yes, seems a good way to go

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No, legalize it some other way

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No, keep it illegal

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I have mixed feelings here

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All : 237

Comments (view in Forum)

Feb '13

twinertia

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As long as industrial hemp comes along for the ride, it's fine by me.
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Feb '13

thejimbo

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i need to hemp my wife more often
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Feb '13

Rocker

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@thejimbo - Mama's 'Hemper"????
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Feb '13

rylibaylee

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I agree
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Feb '13

Fishbone345

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@thejimbo Another comment that makes me laugh from you. ;)
I hope it stays this time my friend, several of your quips have been disappearing alas.
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Feb '13

texas_cutie75

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Ruh ro, Shaggy!! Here comes the drama!
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Feb '13

stepped_in_it

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Ok....time for you to go get an IQ injection! bahaha
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Feb '13

texas_cutie75

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@stepped_in_it
This one is gonna be entertaining to watch!
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Feb '13

stepped_in_it

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@texas_cutie75 You pop the pop corn.....I'll get the Milk Duds and Cokes!
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Feb '13

texas_cutie75

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@stepped_in_it
Got it!!
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Feb '13

fistv

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@stepped_in_it don't forget the brownies....
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Feb '13

bsking

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Why not. think of the tax revenue.. oh wait a minute then people be growing their own weed right? and then the police will have to arrest them for growing their own weed and not paying tax ....kinda like it is now..
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Feb '13

dances-weebles

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exactly. pot shouldn't be a cash cow for anybody at all... and especially the government. everything they touch bets bunged up.
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Feb '13
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Feb '13

Libertyiskey

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Plenty of people brew their own beer, legally, why wouldn't people be able to grow their own for personal use like those who brew their own beer/wine etc?
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Feb '13

bsking

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@Libertyiskey because the only way the government would be interested in legalizing it is if they can regulate it ( translation tax it)
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Feb '13

Libertyiskey

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@bsking They can still do that just like with alcohol. Alcohol is regulated and taxed but you can also brew small amounts for personal use and once the quantity gets high ATF comes and investigates, we could have the same with marijuana.
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Feb '13
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Feb '13

stepped_in_it

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I like the new acronym of ATMF....just sounds catchy!
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Feb '13

No_Bama

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That's all this country needs, more pot smoking liberal hippies. God save us all.
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Feb '13

dances-weebles

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obviously you should try it sometime... it might just help your attitude a bit... btw... there haven't been any hippies around since the early 70s. who are you, rip van winkle?
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Feb '13

Libertyiskey

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No pot smoking conservatives huh? So much for small government.
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Feb '13

stepped_in_it

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@dances-weebles bahaha.....
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Feb '13

mimi57

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@dances-weebles Weeble, does your 'congregation' smoke pot during your preaching/ teaching sermons? Just curious...
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Feb '13
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Feb '13

SAS86

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"What is tolerated today will be embraced tomorrow" is the Obama way of dumbing down and corrupting America.
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Feb '13

dances-weebles

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wtf?
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Feb '13

Penn1699

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We were just discussing that!
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Feb '13

Zazziness

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Your conspiracy theory has major holes in it. For one, Mr. Obama has nothing to do with the legalization bill. For another, this is grass roots pressure from The People who are tired of wasting money and lives on a policy that was never started for good reasons in the first place.
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Post @Zazziness
Feb '13

Malitia_Man

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Doubt it'll pass... Remember, the government holds the patents to the medical uses of marijuana... Lets give 'BIG Pharma' a round of applause!!!
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Feb '13

Malitia_Man

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http://patients4medicalmarijuana.wordpress.co...
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Feb '13

Gorthor

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They cannot patent the uses of ALL Marijuana, growers will just genetically modify the plant so it no longer falls under the law. Synth drug makers do it, so can pot growers, which have been doing this for decades just for fun. Pot growers will simply say "The weed you patented is not the weed i have, i can prove it with a simple genetic test." If they bat that down then we can prove medicating with weed goes as far back as caveman times and it's public forum, cannot be patented.
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Feb '13

PoliticalSpice

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Its about time :)_,~~~ Now that its being introduced lets see what happens. With rand/mcconnel wanting to legalize hemp, and these two dems saying legalize marijuana, hopefully, soneday soon...I'mnot worriedabout patents. People can just grow their own from seeds. Plenty of seeds out there now.
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Post @PoliticalSpice
Feb '13

Medicinebow

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I have mixed feelings on the subject. What protections would we have against driving high? I guess there is a test that can be performed to determine impairment. I'm really clueless when it comes to drugs. They just don't interest me in the least. How would society benefit would be another question I have.
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Feb '13

mimi57

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It doesn't , never has and never will...I can pass any random drug test at anytime, and that is real important when you have a job/career.
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Feb '13

Medicinebow

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@mimi57 I hear you. My job certainly doesn't allow the use of drugs and we can be tested at anytime. But that doesn't matter because I have no desire to use any.

Now if they start testing for coffee in the bloodstream.......
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Feb '13

mimi57

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@Medicinebow In my state, you are nicotine tested prior to being hired at any medical facility. If you fail, you are not hired..
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Feb '13

Medicinebow

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@mimi57 I have no worries there either. Coffee and the occasional drink are about my only vices.
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Feb '13

Malitia_Man

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GOVERNMENT held patent number 6,630,507 states unequivocally that cannabinoids are useful in the prevention and treatment of a wide variety of diseases including auto-immune disorders, stroke, trauma, Parkinson's, Alzeheimer's and HIV dementia.

Other then medical uses, hemp can be industrialized also... Did you know that our own Constitution was written on HEMP paper??? Did you know that it was mandatory to grow your own Cannabis in to late 1700's own into the 1800's???

Cannabis is and will be more than just a "substance" to get you high!!! Oh... Did I mention that anyone one is capable to grow it??? It's literally the invisible cash crop to the blinded sheep...

#$$$$
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Feb '13

FollowTheMoney

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About freaking time.
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Feb '13

charlesgreen

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It is way pass time to end "reefer madness".
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Feb '13

stepped_in_it

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It is pass time for this bill to be pasted!
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Feb '13

mimi57

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@stepped_in_it Pasted where?...LOL
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Feb '13

stepped_in_it

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@mimi57 The Devil made me do it (good 'ol Flip)!
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Feb '13
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Feb '13

SignifiedNBlue

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Obama needs all his ignorant minnows baked up and fked up!
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Feb '13

Righton

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I will bet 100 dollars this poll will be 70+ % for and in the 20's against. All posts on cannabis go this way. It shows where the major votes are going. We will be changing this slowly but surely. Can't be stopped. Reefer madness only makes one side look silly. I don't think they know people have the internet now.
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Feb '13

DogLady_1

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From our very first drug czar: “There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others... the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races.”
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Feb '13

Righton

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@DogLady_1 They wanted to use "fear" tactics to scare the heck out of people and have them make snap rash laws.
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Feb '13

tomincali

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i am starting to think all drugs should be legal. what is the point right now,the war on drugs is a fail . going to all those other countries telling them what to do instead of using all involved here trying to keep it out, looks like a wasted effort and a waste of money to fight a drug war if they are not going to make a real attempt to keep it out.
when has this drug war ever stopped a dopehead from getting dope.
look around, this so called war has brought in more dope than before it existed making it look like we are taking over the drug trades instead of trying to kill it.
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Feb '13

Libertyiskey

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Congratulations on proper thinking, I agree.
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Feb '13

tomincali

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@Libertyiskey it may change again if a common sense approach to it was done,something i do not see our gov willing to do.as it stands our own gov seems to benefit from the flow,i do not see them making a good attempt to stop it.
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Feb '13

Zazziness

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About time.
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Feb '13

Dan_Tien

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I think this bill getting through Congress has as much chance as a paper cat being chased by an asbestos dog through Hell.
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Feb '13

Zazziness

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It's a good sign though. Little by little, politicians are realizing that it isn't a career killer to say "Prohibition is not working."
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Feb '13

Dan_Tien

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@Zazziness I'm thinking of opening a string of pre-rolled pot shops, called "Jiffy Doob".
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Feb '13

Zazziness

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@Dan_Tien I read one gentleman say he wanted to open a chain of spas that catered to marijuana enthusiasts.
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Feb '13

Dan_Tien

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@Zazziness I foresee blunt opposition to that plan also.
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Feb '13

Zazziness

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@Dan_Tien I dunno. It's a green industry with high expectations of success.
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Feb '13

Former-Liberal

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What about home grown? If seeds come with the purchased weed, will it be legal to grown one's own stone?
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Feb '13

Libertyiskey

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If regulated like alcohol they could grow their own to a certain amount just like one can brew a certain amount of alcohol for personal use.
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Feb '13

jessejaymes

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You're not going to have seeds in quality pot.
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Feb '13

oleman

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legalize it imagine the jobs it would create,electricians,plumbers,m anufactories thumbs up
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Feb '13

oleman

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it would help milllions of out of work people
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Do you support legalizing marijuana and regulating it like alcohol?

Do you support legalizing marijuana and regulating it like alcohol?