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BREAKING: Congress acts on bill to decriminalize marijuana

secure2.convio.net — Today Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.) introduced legislation to decriminalize the possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana and the not-for-profit transfer of one ounce of marijuana.

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  • agnosticbeaver, on 04/18/2008, -1/+45it is about time! nice to see at least one member of congress gets this issue and that the American people don't want marijuana users thrown in jail.
  • ryazbeck, on 04/18/2008, -4/+35this won't pass, but at least it's getting talked about.
    • bmorris, on 04/18/2008, -0/+13Agreed. You have to start somewhere. The article says it hasn't been discussed in years.
    • Zlorp, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2it might! once politicians realized that we waste billions on arresting harmless potheads every year, i think it finally caught their attention.
      • MacEnvy, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2We waste trillions in Iraq while making our own nation less secure ... and almost half of congress still supports that. I wish what you are saying was true, but I fear that it's not.
        • Zlorp, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2thats because half of congress is on Big Oils payroll
    • Kloud, on 04/18/2008, -0/+1Just think of how many pot smokers never get out and protest, never get out and vote. Seeing the millions that just sit idly by, smoking a fatty on their couch get up and ACT... is going to be something.
  • OzzyRocks, on 04/18/2008, -1/+32Tell EVERYONE. We've been waiting for years for this, so do yourself a favor and contact your representatives!
    • WiseWeasel, on 04/18/2008, -0/+7Yes, everyone do this NOW! There's even a convenient link right there in the article:
      https://secure2.convio.net/mpp/site/Advocacy?pagen ...

      I've already sent my congressman a personalized email to support this.
    • rotten777, on 04/18/2008, -0/+3I did 3 weeks ago.. here's the response I got:
      From: Tim Mahoney
      "April 7, 2008
      Dear Mr. XXXXXXXX:
      Thank you for expressing support for legislation to legalize the use of marijuana by adults. I appreciate you taking the time to share your views with me.
      Based upon my search of bills currently pending before Congress, no legislation has been introduced to decriminalize marijuana use. However, many bills are introduced each week, so it is possible that legislation may be introduced in the future. Please rest assured that I will keep your views in mind should I have an opportunity to vote on this issue in the future.
      Again, thank you for taking the time to share your views with me. I hope that you will continue to keep me informed of your views on this issue and other issues of interest to you. For additional information and to stay informed, please visit my website at www.mahoney.house.gov and sign up for my periodic e-mail updates."

      From: Mel Martinez
      "Dear Mr. XXXXXXX:
      Thank you for contacting me regarding illicit drugs. I appreciate hearing from you and would like to respond to your concerns.
      The production, sale, and consumption of illicit drugs pose a serious threat to the well being of our nation. In addition to causing significant social and health problems, drugs contribute directly to crime levels in our communities. The drug trade is also a large source of revenue for terrorist organizations, particularly in Latin America and Southern Asia.
      In Florida, we face unique challenges in reducing drug trafficking because our state is a center for the importation of drugs from Central and South America. I am strongly opposed to any legislation to weaken current restrictions on illicit substances. Such modifications would greatly hinder the collaborative efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement officials in fighting illegal drugs. These efforts are vital to reducing crime rates and drug addiction in our country.
      Thank you for sharing your views with me. Please contact me if you have additional comments or questions. For more information about issues and activities important to Florida, I invite you to sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.
      Sincerely,
      Mel Martinez
      United States Senator"

      Basically you get a template response or a member of their staff sending some ***** response. I replied with a logical argument for legalization and got no response. ***** you Congress!
      • rotten777, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2Oh and Bill Nelson completely ignored the message.
      • WiseWeasel, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2Wow, what a douchebag this Senator Mel Martinez is. I guess you know who you WON'T be voting for in the next senatorial election. That being said, congresscritters, particularly those in the Senate, don't listen to ANYTHING unless there's a check attached. Barring that, until people are able to drive significant negative publicity their way and apply some serious pressure around their election time, they likely won't listen to your view. Still, I commend you for expressing it, and hope more people do the same.
      • Kloud, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2I wonder what his argument is for Marijuana being an "illicit drug".
        Marijuana = Mexico
        Cocaine/Heroine/other hard drugs = South/Latin American countries.
        • rotten777, on 04/18/2008, -0/+1I agree. It is less illicit than alcohol. Marijuana should be anywhere that tobacco and alcohol is allowed. I can't even begin to fathom the tax money generated, the farmers put to work, the outside money generated (just imagine the marketing money spent if Marijuana was legalized), and the normal citizens that would return from incarceration for marijuana related crimes.
  • FascistUtopia, on 04/18/2008, -0/+20this is long overdue.
  • FLMarijuana, on 04/18/2008, -0/+16This is just the beginning!
  • umbriago, on 04/18/2008, -2/+7"It would not affect laws prohibiting drug sales or the cultivation of marijuana, and it would not affect state or local laws regulating marijuana possession."
    Well, that's a little problem, it is.
    • lildevil8411, on 04/18/2008, -0/+8At least it would put eliminate federal penalties for possession, and allow states to make their own decisions! It would also eliminate penalties for not-for-profit transfers. It may not be perfect, but it's definitely a good start.
    • WiseWeasel, on 04/18/2008, -0/+5That's not a problem at all. If your state then does something you don't like, TAKE IT UP WITH THEM! It's a hell of a lot easier to organize support for change at the state level than the federal level.
    • Needles13, on 04/18/2008, -0/+4Yea, the first step to letting states create legislation on this stuff is to pass something in the federal government. Every time a state tries to bring something up about decriminalizing marijuana the feds ***** on them. Like lildevil said, it is a good start.
    • petrodollar, on 04/18/2008, -0/+3No, it's not a problem. Because states are already trying to decriminalize it but can't because the feds won't let them. California tried to legalize medical marijuana so Bush's DoJ just started kicking down doors and arresting AIDS patients and *****.
  • RevRayGreen, on 04/18/2008, -2/+3PRAISE JAH !!!!!!!!!Been waiting for the news release all day !!!!!!!!!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ofEqvUQnWs INCARCERATION

    04:20
    DSM IA-one of 200+ cities worldwide to peacefully protest cannabis prohibition.
  • RevRayGreen, on 04/18/2008, -3/+5RESCHEDULE,RELEGALIZE,REPRESENT
    END INCARCERATION
  • youtellme8, on 04/18/2008, -0/+11Legalization would be great for the economy, great for the government, and great for the people. Liberals and conservatives should both get behind this issue.
  • screemingbark, on 04/18/2008, -0/+9It's about time our government realizes the benefits of this amazing plant. Even if it's not legalized right away, at least decriminalize it. It's senseless to have prisons filled with nonviolent people.
  • nomad77, on 04/18/2008, -0/+10Early Happy 4/20, everybody...
  • TomK88, on 04/18/2008, -3/+5It's a start, but I don't see it passing. To be honest, America will probably have to wait at least 10+ years for the far right to start dying off.
    • Scheissen, on 04/18/2008, -5/+1um you do realize anyone that is right-wing would not support more government intervention, but you keep on living in your own world where reality doesn't affect you. oh lookie here, Ron Paul has co-sponsored the bill.
      • TomK88, on 04/18/2008, -0/+4Huh? The left is much more pro-legalization than the right.
    • LBobRife, on 04/18/2008, -1/+1The people in government right now were teenagers in the 60's. Good luck getting the legislation passed at any time.
  • freun989, on 04/18/2008, -1/+5the thought of having 3 1/2 ounces in my possession at any given time without having to worry about the government is a dream come true. my bong thanks the congressmen for their consideration.
    • tehbored, on 04/18/2008, -0/+1You still have to obey state laws, which are stricter. New York and California (among others) are pretty lenient though, so move there.
      • freun989, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2have lived in cali all my life lol thanks for lookin out though..
    • Kloud, on 04/18/2008, -0/+1It's not "at any given time", the 3 1/2 ounce amount applies to your house. You can only carry an ounce at a time.
  • 3tcp, on 04/18/2008, -1/+2Thats cool. How do they decide what is 'for profit' and what isn't? I could see them setting the bar between profit and not-profit at like $40/oz with an eye towards shwag. Then they could arrest anyone who sells an eighth of good stuff for $50.
    • WiseWeasel, on 04/18/2008, -0/+5If there's evidence of *ANY* money changing hands, it's for profit.
    • twiztidsinz, on 04/18/2008, -0/+1It'd be based on amount. Under 100g = personal. Over 100g = for sale/distribution.
      Or, as WiseWeasel said, if money changes hands.
    • Kloud, on 04/18/2008, -0/+1Or if you have what they think is an unreasonable amount of money (however much that is) on your person, they'll charge you with intent to distribute.
  • whiteyak41, on 04/18/2008, -0/+7Dugg for the title of the bill
    • WiseWeasel, on 04/18/2008, -1/+1Notice how it conveniently excludes most diggers...
      /ducks
      • JaredXM, on 04/18/2008, -0/+1What?
        • WiseWeasel, on 04/18/2008, -1/+1At the risk of killing my joke, and getting me buried to hell, it apparently only applies to 'Responsible Adults'...
          : P
          • JaredXM, on 04/18/2008, -0/+1So you're saying most people on digg are under the age of 21 or 18?
          • WiseWeasel, on 04/18/2008, -1/+1No, I'm saying you're an irresponsible *****! (statistically speaking)
            : P
  • Simonft, on 04/18/2008, -1/+13http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/0408/Rep_Fr ...
    A slightly more informatics and less biased article.
    "Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) joined Frank as a co-sponsor of the bill."
    • SaperKain, on 04/18/2008, -2/+1Oh please. Do you still believe republicans fight for you? Come on. Ron Paul is an anomaly, he did not get the memo that republicans are now for curbing civil liberties.
      • twiztidsinz, on 04/18/2008, -1/+3So him going against the typical republican attitude makes him bad?
        Quit bitching and be thankful there are SOME people who dont put much stock into letting sides dictate their actions and instead make their own judgments based on what they and the people they represent feel is the best course of action.
        • SaperKain, on 04/18/2008, -2/+1Wow. Nice job misinterpreting my comment *****. Whatever makes you republicans sleep at night I guess.
          • twiztidsinz, on 04/18/2008, -1/+2Voting Obama thank you very much.
  • butchieboi, on 04/18/2008, -9/+5Seems Like All We Do Is Talk About It - Let's Get Our Asses Into Gear Herb Smokers, and Join Ron Paul & Barney Frank in Supporting and Promoting The Passage Of This Long Over-Due Bill .... I Suffer Each Day In A Great Deal Of Pain As An Amputee With The Birth Defect Spina-Bifida ... Smoking A Little Ganja On Occasion Offers Me ENORMOUS Relief From My Relentless Pain ... I Take Plenty Of Perscripted Opiates - All Of Which Have Many More Harmful Side Effects To Me .... Why Do I Have To Continue To Break The Law To Obtain Such Blessed Relief From My Suffering ..... LET'S FINALLY DO IT ......
    • FukUrCouch, on 04/18/2008, -0/+5You just confused the ***** out of me with all those Caps At The Start Of Every Word! .....you can get your point across with out them you know!
    • RedRoomGames, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2Is that the name of your new book?
  • tehbored, on 04/18/2008, -1/+7Congress doesn't understand "liberty" and "justice" and "common sense," but they do understand money (well, sort of). Thankfully this senator put it in terms they might be able to understand.
  • Cyre, on 04/18/2008, -12/+1All y'all pothead druggies are too funny!!
    • WiseWeasel, on 04/18/2008, -0/+6Why would anyone, user of marijuana or not, want marijuana criminalized? Even non-users should support complete legalization and taxation of marijuana, so that this mass-market trade can contribute jobs and resources to the country. Marijuana is much less detrimental than alcohol, for example, and we seem able to regulate that market relatively reasonably. There's no good justification for the current policy.
  • lilbugleboy09, on 04/18/2008, -0/+7DEA: Screwing lives one gram at a time.
  • brainboy77, on 04/18/2008, -2/+3the chances of this passing are as good as Ron Paul becoming president.
    • WiseWeasel, on 04/18/2008, -0/+5At least it gives us a chance to see which representatives should be replaced.
  • tango1110, on 04/18/2008, -0/+3Barney Frank. This Bud's for you.
  • Dumbledorito, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2Today's "Talk of the Nation" dealt with international crime, and mentioned that while legalization and taxation are most likely the best bet for getting rid of the drug cartels and the draconian drug laws, you want to make sure the taxation level isn't so high that you then create a criminalized "gray market" like the ones involving cigarettes in some areas.
  • Spamcan, on 04/18/2008, -0/+4Make it legal to grow and sell with a government license then apply existing smoking and alcohol laws to it, get the tobacco companies to grow it, flood every convince store in the country with legal joints by the pack and charge a 30% tax.

    Recession? What recession?
    • Kloud, on 04/18/2008, -0/+1I can tell you right now that won't be happening for at least another 10 or 20 years (if even).
  • NightVortez, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2Well I'm glad there are still at least some people [in Congress] who share the voice of freedom but yeah, as many have said, there is no way this will pass.
  • Infidelcastr0, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2The amount of money saved by ending prohibition, coupled with that taken in from taxes, could solve a lot of problems.
  • oldhick, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2Man, what a beautiful day it would be if this were to pass. I might shed a tear if I see the people of this country start to let people do the things they want to do and keep coming up with reasons to lock people up. Just when I thought there was no hope. Good luck!
  • T8erT0T, on 04/18/2008, -0/+6It's a 4/20 Miracle! God bless us, everyone!
  • Emused, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2Turn on, Tune in, Digg up! Just in time for 420 ;)
  • thespace2, on 04/18/2008, -0/+3screw that, Barney Frank for Prez 2008!!
  • IronDonut, on 04/18/2008, -1/+2He should have waited until April 20th to intro this bill
  • xz9925, on 04/18/2008, -0/+3DUGG DUGG A THOUSAND TIMES DUGG!!!!!
  • kuantan97, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2For all the silly little leftists who've polluted digg of late, they might look at abolishing the "War on Drugs" rather than egging on government to steal our privately owned arms as a way of reducing crime.
  • TecK415, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2Let us hope this actually goes somewhere.
  • dizilbdog, on 04/18/2008, -0/+3Phew at last I am able to say I am glad to be living in Massachusetts besides the Red Sox. Thank You Mr. Frank
  • porkdanish, on 04/18/2008, -0/+3Where's fark's hero tag when you need it!
  • h3smith, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2Would they also pardon all the non-criminals who are in jail for simple possession?
  • UtahApocalyse, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2I pray this is voted on April 20th :)
  • TheTruthHurts, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2ssɐd ɟɟnd ɟɟnd
  • voodoochild461, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2We'll get there eventually.
  • hojo05, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2Like others have said, this is the right direction on the issue of Marijuana for personal use. Drug dealing for profit should never be tolerated, though.
  • pipermike, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2this would be cool, its about time this country stopped wasting its time on trivial matters like marijuana and rather focused its cash flow into more important things
  • dwg3333, on 04/18/2008, -0/+3Not sure if this has been said but: This is only being done because of: 1. Our economy sucks and some how they are going to profit from this. 2. Our prisons are beyond their capacities. But hey, good for the one member of congress. He probably puffs every night anyway. LOL
  • Seldon2639, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2Guys, he introduced a bill. That's no guarantee that it gets a hearing, much less a committee vote, much less floor debate, much less passage. It may be a step in the right direction, but let's not break out the bongs quite yet. This bill will probably be killed before it does much more than breathes.
  • fxu1989, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2I never smoked nor even seen marijuana in real life...

    is 100 grams a lot for marijuana ? How many joints are you able to smoke with that ? How much does it cost ?
    • freun989, on 04/18/2008, -0/+1100 grams is 3.5 ounces. lets say.. the average person puts a half 1/8th of weed per joint (1.75 grams), a fair estimate, 100 grams will yield about 60 joints give or take. i can get an ounce of high quality cali bud for bout $200. if youre lookin at 3.5 ounces at that price, around $700. however these are street prices and will vary on who you know, how much you know, and how much you buy. you get more bud for your buck the more your willing to spend.
      • revengeful, on 04/18/2008, -0/+1thats a fat joint, plus who the hell rolls KBs into joints? get some glass, its all about the ritual. right now all i can get is shwag, it would take me about a month to smoke 3.5 ounces considering i dont smoke when i go to work or have to drive. for comparison frito lay big grabs are 1.5 ounces, so like 2 of those would give a pretty good idea once you took out all the stems and seeds.
  • novakane, on 04/18/2008, -0/+3I love Barney Frank, he appears on real time with Bill Maher frequently and is always a very informed and intelligent debater. Why would he introduce this legislation while bush is in the white house though? He'll veto this even if it does get through the house.
  • santaliqueur, on 04/18/2008, -0/+4As someone who doesn't use marijuana often, I say, legalize the ***** out of it. I've tried it a few times, had some fun and will likely use it again every now and then, but it is certainly safer than alcohol, and should be fully decriminalized for personal use.

    Also, our tax dollars are being wasted on jailing people for possession of marijuana. Total waste of money. Decriminalize it, I never heard of anyone smoking weed and wanting to start some *****. Most people want to sit around and laugh and play video games, and listen to music. Keep the hard ***** illegal, and ease up on the weed.
  • fuzionmuse, on 04/18/2008, -0/+3legalizzzzzzeeeee it!!!! don't criticizzzzzzzzeeee it!!!!!
  • WhiteMike87, on 04/18/2008, -0/+2In Canada we don't really worry too much about pot laws. The cops here (mostly) understand pot the way us Canadian stoner's do: simply as a way to relax from a long day at school or work, or as an alternative to many other more dangerous intoxicants, such as alcohol or crystal meth (lol). If you only have, say, a couple grams on you, obviously that is seen as personal use, and in Canada at least its a waste of time and money to bring that to court, or even for the cop to write you up. As long as you are straight up to the officer, while still protecting your own rights as a free citizen, the officer should let you off the hook. Also, pot laws in Canada are in a kind of "grey-area", and its very, very hard to get charged with simple possession right now due to recent court decisions.
    Laws or not, don't let it stop you from enjoying yourself ;)
    PS- ***** you Stephen Harper
  • twiztidsinz, on 04/18/2008, -0/+5pulled from front page... THANKS DIGG!!!
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