House Passes Historic Medical Marijuana Amendment
Late Thursday night, the House of Representatives told the DEA to butt out of medical marijuana states by approving a budget amendment barring the use of taxpayer funds to do so.
Tom Angell of Marijuana Majority is liking what he's seeing:
"This historic vote shows just how quickly marijuana reform has become a mainstream issue," he said. "The last time a similar amendment came up it didn't come very close to passing but, since then, more states have passed medical marijuana laws and a couple have even legalized marijuana for all adults. More states are on this way later this year and in 2016, and it's clear that more politicians are beginning to realize that the American people want the federal government to stop standing in the way. If any political observers weren't aware that the end of the war on marijuana is nearing, they just found out."
It ain't a done deal just yet, though. If the Senate version of the bill doesn't contain similar language, it will be up to the House leadership to fight for the amendment (or not) in conference committee.
Still, this is historic. I like it when we make history like this. And it seems to be happening more often these days.
Angell also makes another astute point. While we can grumble about the spate of what I call "limited CBD medical marijuana bills," and how they are so extremely restrictive, they have also spread the medical marijuana meme to places where it hadn't thrived before, like the Deep South. And that could be paying off in congressional votes like this one.
"This year's huge vote increase can largely be attributed to the fact that lawmakers only recently began hearing the moving stories of the many children whose severe seizures are only relieved by marijuana. Being able to list these CBD states in the amendment text meant that more members of Congress that represent these states voted yes than otherwise would have. Counting these states, 60 percent of the U.S. population lives in a place where state law disagrees with federal law."
fucking wow!
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Insultingly, Too Late & Far Too Little
This sort of halting step in the right direction is apparently the best these legislators can do. It is something, true. It is a tiny flicker of hope. Very tiny. Only the most naive will be at all surprised, however, when the Senate turns this idea down. This is one of the infuriating aspects of the process. Our legislators use this back and forth good cop, bad cop debate to keep public opinion mollified and disorganized while they protect the status quo. Maybe our minds will be totally blown by these people, and they will come to their senses, and stop wasting our nation's resources on the disastrous Drug Prohibition policies which have been going on for soooooo long. But it doesn't seem likely. The damage to the infrastructure of America has been colossal. People don't understand that the _same practices_ being employed here are what 'ruined' China, where, during the 'Opium Wars', opium was illegal! Not legal! Yeah, illegal. That is how you tear a country to pieces: engage it in a war with itself. Make a virtue out of interference in the lives of others, stand in the way of their medicines and relation to nature, and pretend it's 'for their own good'. Get fearful and controlling elements of the public to go along with this by scaring them. Our country has been all but ruined past the point of no return by this insidious process. It bears repeating that things did not 'get better' in China after the Opium Wars. China drifted into its final state, which is nearly a carbon copy of the U.S.---namely a hypocritical, authoritarian regime which oppresses the people of China while calling itself a 'People's Republic'. It is, like the U.S., nothing of the kind. It is entirely manipulated and controlled by wealthy cliques with complete impunity, and little or no responsibility to the masses. Profit is the bottom line. If Drug Prohibition INCREASES THEIR PROFITS, AND HELPS THEM CONSOLIDATE AND KEEP THEIR POWER, by providing an excuse and pretext for arming a police state, and invading people's privacy and exploiting them, then you can bet IT WILL CONTINUE. These two nations have been wrecked by the very same corrupting process which Drug Wars engender. So, you can expect a lot of fruitless debates and posturing which will amount to very little real change. Unless a fucking miracle happens. They do, from time to time, though. We can't give up, no matter how wearying. The stakes are just too high.
My thoughts
If fully passed, hopefully they will cut funding and get rid of these agents running around busting people for trying to provide medical marijuana.
They will have to go out and get a real job.
Good luck with that.
about time
These federal agencies, in particular those agencies in the Executive Department, need to start responding to the will of the taxpayers.
Who do these people think they are. Do they serve us or do we serve them?
I'm a drunk who finally quit drinking and even I think that pot should be legal for those who want it. I also think it is probably the least harmful high a person can get, except for maybe opium.
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