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March 24, 2008

Mass. rep. defends proposal to decriminalize marijuana

BOSTON -- Rep. Barney Frank is defending a bill he plans to file this week decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana, saying the federal law unfairly targets those using medical marijuana in California.

Frank, who filed a bill to decriminalize marijuana as a member of the Massachusetts Legislature in the 1970s, said the decision whether to make possession of the drug illegal should be left up to the states.

He also said the federal government shouldn't have a law on the books that is rarely enforced and which doesn't make sense to large portions of the public.

"Do you really think people should be prosecuted for smoking marijuana? I don't think most people agree with that. It's one area where the public is ahead of the elected officials," Frank said in an interview with The Associated Press. "It does not appear to me to be a law that society is serious about."

Frank said he was particularly troubled by federal law enforcement agencies targeting those using marijuana as a legal medical treatment under California law.

"I don't think smoking marijuana should be a federal case," he said. "There's no federal law against mugging."

Marijuana use is illegal under U.S. law, which does not recognize the medical marijuana laws in California and 11 other states.

-- The Associated Press

The Drug Enforcement Agency and other U.S. agencies have been shutting down major medical marijuana dispensaries throughout California in the last two years and charging their operators with felony distribution charges.

Frank first announced the bill on the HBO show "Real Time," hosted by Bill Maher.

Frank's comments come as pro-marijuana activists are pushing a ballot question that would decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of marijuana in Massachusetts.

Instead of facing a criminal record, those caught with a small amount of marijuana for personal use would instead pay a civil fine of $100 - much like a traffic ticket.

Supporters say the measure would save the state millions of dollars in law enforcement costs and spare thousands of state residents from the burden of a criminal record.

Critics, including the head of the anti-drug education group DARE-Massachusetts, say they oppose decriminalizing any amount of marijuana because it could send a signal to children that smoking pot is no big deal.

They say they while not everyone who smokes pot will end up shooting heroin, almost no heroin addicts begin with the more dangerous drug.

Activists pushing the initiative point to more than two dozen nonbinding referendum questions placed on local ballots in Massachusetts in the past six years. In each, a majority of voters supported the idea of decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana.

About a dozen states have already adopted similar laws.

Asked about the marijuana ballot initiative last December, Gov. Deval Patrick said he had to consult with his Public Safety Secretary Kevin Burke and Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby before staking out a position.

"I think they are both skeptical," he said at the time.

The ballot question isn't the only effort under way to ease the state's drug laws.

A bill working its way through the Statehouse would also decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of the drug, but set a higher fine of $250.

Posted by Jack Perry at 9:08 AM | Permalink

Comments

prolly the only issue I agree with Frank, he has this right. The reason marijuana is illegal is because one of the largest lobbyist groups the nation are prison construction companies.. hmmm

Mike, Philly | March 24, 2008 11:25 AM link

Actually, marijuana was criminalized due to pressure from the alcohol companies once prohibition was coming to an end and the populace had begun hanging out in pot dens instead of bars. It's been kept alive because the "War on Drugs" is a convenient hole to funnel taxpayer money into US 'black projects' like the SDI orbiting weapons platforms and the B-2 Bomber.

Greg | March 24, 2008 12:55 PM link

in any scope, like with what just passed in New Hampshire, this should have a rippling effect with the government as it has with society. Too many hard-working and honest Americans are getting felony charges and locked up because they possess a plant that alters the state of mind for a few hours. Maybe we should all just start growing nicotine plants? They don't cause addiction or hurt anybody right? On one side, you have a 3rd substance (1 being alcohol, 2 being cigarettes) becoming less illegal in American history that really doesn't cause any problems to the user, and on the other hand, it's another drug that represents our alternative counterculture that also promotes harder drug use, which is awful. We need more people like Barney to be taking this up seriously...after our MAJOR issues are dealt with first! The Economy and War in Middle East!

Angry in Cranston | March 24, 2008 3:52 PM link

How wonderfull it would be to have another legal intoxicating substance. Wonderful because the other legally available substances cause so few problems in society. Scuse me I'm going out to drink n Drive

Warren | March 24, 2008 4:11 PM link

Greg, the timing is right, but the cause is not. Read Jack Herer's The Emperor Wears No Clothes.

In all likelihood, the prohibition is related to how paper is made. Hemp makes good paper with much less chemicals than wood, but is difficult to de-seed the plant to get to the pulp fiber. In the late 20s, someone invented a machine that did just that. Dow and DuPont - big chemical people - pushed for the ban.

Check it out.

Frymaster | March 25, 2008 8:19 AM link

March 24, 2008

Mass. rep. defends proposal to decriminalize marijuana

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