June 22, 2011, 5:54 PM ET
Joint Effort? Barney Frank, Ron Paul Team Up on Marijuana Bill

By Ryan Tracy

Reps. Barney Frank (D., Mass.) and Ron Paul (R., Texas) don’t always see eye to eye on policy matters, but the Massachusetts liberal and Texas libertarian are teaming up to introduce a bill that would end the federal prohibition on marijuana, leaving it up to each state to set marijuana policy.

The bill, designed to limit the federal government’s role in enforcing marijuana laws, would allow states to legalize, regulate, and tax the drug, according to a press release from advocacy groups. The release was confirmed by Rep. Frank’s office, where a spokesman for the Massachusetts liberal emphasized that the measure “is not a legalization bill.”

Messrs Frank and Paul, along with other lawmakers, plan to unveil the bill on Thursday, and a spokesman for Mr. Frank emphasized that it “is not a legalization bill.”

According to the release, “The legislation would limit the federal government’s role in marijuana enforcement to cross-border or inter-state smuggling, allowing people to legally grow, use or sell marijuana in states where it is legal.”

More than a dozen states have laws that allow the sale of marijuana for medical use, but the practice is not legal under federal law, and federal authorities have raided marijuana dispensaries.

The confusion has made some states wary. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie recently said he would not implement the state’s medical marijuana law without assurances from federal prosecutors.

Attorney General Eric Holder said earlier this month he would clarify the Justice Department’s policy on the matter.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/06/2 ... uana-bill/

It won't happen. There's too much money involved. Prison's get $30k per inmate... you think there won't be serious lobbies to prevent them from losing the majority of their income? You think it stops at the drug war, but its become an integral part of our country now. Unemployment will skyrocket, both from inmates and prison guards.

It should happen, but it won't.

I'll start by saying, While I am a Christian and would not partake of it myself,( edited to add: I have partaken in the past, BUT, I DIDN'T INHALE. LOL ), nor would I encourager others to partake, I can see the advantages of legalizing Pot. 1st off, there are medical advantages.
2nd, I don't see Pot as any worse than alcohol. I actually think it is safer than alcohol.
3rd, for every job that is lost, ( Prison guards? ) there would be 3-4 jobs created. I question whether prison guards would lose their jobs because without all the Pot offenders in prison, we could actually incarcerate real criminals rather than give them early parole due to over crowding.
4th, the tax revenue generated from legalizing pot would be enormous and could potentially fund up to 50% of the cost of national health care.
5th, legalizing Pot would enable the govt to regulate it as far as purity for safety purposes.

My Christian beliefs on the issue not withstanding, I am in favor of legalizing Pot. Whether or not people partake is between them and GOD. The same as it currently is. Only now, they could wind up in prison for 20 years for doing something that isn't as bad as drinking alcohol.

With all due respect, what does being Christian have anything to do with Cannabis??? Is there a commandment against using???
And isn't Hemp/Cannabis actually mentioned in the Bible?

It's all in the part about your body being a temple and watching what you put into it. I don't drink alcohol. I even quit smoking cigarettes almost 2 years ago. That was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I could not have quit without GOD's help.

Quite cigarettes over 4 years ago (after smoking for 20 years), cold turkey, didn't need God's help at all and really wasn't all that big of a deal. Now I can run a half marathon no problem and better yet, keep up with my two young boys.

Again, if you need external help for anything you are turning away from the most powerful help of all. Perhaps that is why it was much easier for me to quit because it was all in the mind and we have full control over that.

It's all in the part about your body being a temple and watching what you put into it. I don't drink alcohol. I even quit smoking cigarettes almost 2 years ago. That was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I could not have quit without GOD's help.

And isn't Hemp/Cannabis actually mentioned in the Bible?

And the earth brought forth grass and herb yielding seed after its kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:12)

God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so." And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Gen. 1:29-31)

(No prohibition of cannabis or any other drug is made in the Ten Commandments: See Ex. 20:1-17)

(Cannabis is mentioned in Ex. 30:23 but King James mistranslated it as 'sweet calamus') :
Moreover, the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even 250 shekels, and of qaneh-bosm [cannabis] 250 shekels, 24 And of cassia 500 shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: 25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy anointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. 26 And thous shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, 27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick ahd his vessels, and the altar of incense, 28 And the altar of burnt offerings with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. 29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. (Exodus 30:22-29)

* As one shekel equals approximately 16.37 grams, this means that the THC from over 9 pounds of flowering cannabis tops were extracted into a hind, about 6.5 litres of oil. The entheogenic effects of such a solution -- even when applied topically -would undoubtedly have been intense.