Congressman Barney Frank Statement On Marijuana Legislation

[BLAZEN]

March 24, 2008


Washington, DC -- Congressman Barney Frank released the following statement regarding his plan to introduce legislation to remove federal penalties for the personal use of marijuana:

“I think it is poor law enforcement to keep on the books legislation that establishes as a crime behavior the government does not seriously wish to prosecute. For highly-trained Federal law enforcement agents to spend time prosecuting people for smoking marijuana is a diversion of scarce resources from their job of protecting public safety.



“The norm in America is for the states to decide whether particular behaviors should be made criminal. To make the smoking of marijuana one of those extremely rare instances of federal crime – to make a ‘federal case’ out of it – is wholly disproportionate to the activity involved. We do not have federal criminal prohibitions against drinking alcoholic beverages, and there are generally no criminal penalties for the use of tobacco at the state and federal levels for adults. There is no rational argument for treating marijuana so differently from these other substances.



“To those who say that the government should not be encouraging the smoking of marijuana, my response is that I completely agree. But it is a great mistake to divide all human activity into two categories: those that are criminally prohibited, and those that are encouraged. In a free society, there must be a very considerable zone of activity in which people are allowed to make their own choices as long as they are not impinging on the rights, freedom, or property of others. I believe it is important with regard to tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol, among other things, that we strictly regulate the age at which people may use these things and enforcement of the age restrictions should be firm. But criminalizing choices that adults make because we think they are unwise ones, when the choices involved have no negative effect on the rights of others, is not appropriate in a free society. If the law I am proposing passes, states will still be free to treat marijuana as they wish. But I do not believe that the federal government should treat adults who choose to smoke marijuana as criminals. Federal law enforcement is a serious business, and we should be concentrating our efforts in this regard on measures that truly protect the public.

[jaesun]

JUST SAY NO

[BLAZEN]

Originally Posted by jaesun

JUST SAY NO

Your not serious i hope....this is long overdue.

[PETA]

sure it is

the federal government has little business sticking its nose into state matters....


if you are serious about the prinicple at work here and not just gleeful that the subject at issue is dope you should read this

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/93-1260.ZO.html

especially Justice Thomas's opinion about the reach of the interstate commerce clause as a basis for federal intrusion into traditionally state areas of authority

US v Lopez is a highwater mark limiting federal authority

[-polyx-]

Berry Berry interesting...

If it happens I will be shocked and amazed.

[PETA]

following the rule of Lopez it may well be the law is void for lack of proper jurisdiction anyway

[reason]

Originally Posted by BLAZEN

when the choices involved have no negative effect on the rights of others, is not appropriate in a free society.

that pretty much sums it up right there

at this point in history.... it is only a matter of time before some legislation is put into place that supports this cause.

i gave up the pipe a long time ago.... so the cause for me is no longer "dude, i dont wanna go to jail again for pot... they dont even have twinkies in there" .... it is now a civil rights battle.

hell.... my extremely radical right, muslim hating, alcohol loathing, stuck up conservitive grandmother-in-law says she can't understand why it is constitutionaly illegal.

[PETA]

Just because engaging in a practice doesn't hurt another person doesnt mean the gov't can't legislate on the issue.

Now, I'm almost entirely with you on the principle and completely with you with regard to this specific subject.

[reason]

Originally Posted by xian

Just because engaging in a practice doesn't hurt another person doesnt mean the gov't can't legislate on the issue.

agreed

imo... the problem that our society faces is the thin line that this type of legislation skates on.

i am not versed in the laws surrounding this prohabition, so i can't make an educated response as to why it should not be

what worries me (weather my foil hat is on or off) is what is really being regulated here..... an action that (as i can see) violates nothing

it seems that this is a police state style governmental mandate that is "in our best interest" ... if that it is the case... where does it end?

[transparentaura]

In Alaska its been legal to posses and smoke marijuana in ones own home for the past 30 years according to a 1975 Alaskan Supreme court ruling that arresting people in their homes for weed was an invasion of privacy. Its been challenged there from time to time by some knuckleheads and weed was re-criminalized in '91 by legislation that the courts there again struck down as unconstitutional. But still the anti-pot crusaders keep fighting that decision. One has to wonder how people can think that opening the door for the state to police what you smoke or drink or eat or whatever, in the privacy of your home is a good thing. That they must force their beliefs on everyone strikes me as sorta fascist and a slippery slope as it were.
read more http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/81118/

[I AM EL-NINO]

Free the weed!