Fed Govt’s Stance on Legalized Marijuana in CO and WA

The citizens of Colorado and Washington voted to legalize recreational marijuana; so you’d thihnk the war would be over, but apparently it’s just getting started. You’d would think congress would do the right thing and end a 75-year federal prohibition on a safe substance.

Those states are fighting congress in an uphill battle to place a federal tax on the first sale of marijuana. Currently, dispensaries can’t even get business accounts at banks, so part of the proposed bill will help make it easier for dispensaries to operate. The attempt is to introduce tax-code legislation, as well as a bill, that would reschedule marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act, thus allowing all states to enact medical marijuana laws, without having to fear federal acts against the dispensaries or providers.

The President is still ignoring the benefits of freeing one of the world’s most amazing natural substances. Since “hemponomics” will bring home hundreds of billions in profits, congress should see the marijuana and hemp industries as an economic blessing, a virtually unlimited resource that America needs.

Instead, the Justice Department could react to Colorado and Washington by suing to block the issuance of licenses to growers, processors and retailers. If congress changes the US marijuana laws and legalizes the industrial production of hemp, they will cash in on a hefty federal hemp-related tax.

With Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York, and Oklahoma all pending legislation to legalize marijuana, it doesn’t take Einstein to figure out the math. The President has a clear opportunity to support the country and solve America’s social, medical and economic woes.

We are asking the fed to handle marijuana the same as alcohol, by having growers acquire a federal permit. Control of marijuana would be transferred from the DEA and passed over to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms (ATF). The bill is based on a legalization measure previously pushed by former Representative Ron Paul of Texas.

Wars cost money and in the case of federal prohibition, taxpayers are losing more than $26 billion a year, just to enforce it and another estimated $500-$700 billion from lost business opportunities – not counting cost of imprisoning 750,000 people. Despite the fact that 18 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, they’ll continue to arrest an average of 750,000 people this year for using this amazing herb to relax, reduce pain, and/or cure diseases.

Things change slowly at Capitol Hill, even if the rest of the world knows prohibition is wrong. It’s clearly a pride issue here. Too much power was given to a small group of selfish bureaucrats. Why should we, the people, suffer because a few old war horses are too proud to change?