Congressman Asks Doj To Respect New Mj Laws.

[greenbuddha]

Rep. Adam Smith Asks DOJ to Respect MJ Laws Posted by CN Staff on November 17, 2012 at 05:44:54 PT

By Alexa Vaughn

Source: Seattle Times

 

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Adam Smith and 17 other U.S. Congress members formally asked the Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration not to enforce federal drug laws against marijuana use in Washington and Colorado in a letter released Friday.

 

Though both states have made regulated, recreational use of marijuana legal, federal agencies still have the power to enforce a federal ban on the drug.

 

“We believe that it would be a mistake for the federal government to focus enforcement action on individuals whose actions are in compliance with state law,” says the letter addressed to Attorney General Eric Holder and Drug Enforcement Administrator Michele Leonhart.

 

According to the letter, the Department of Justice made assurances in 2009 that it would not prioritize criminal charges against those who are in compliance with state law. But the Congress members are concerned about whether those assurances still stand.

 

The letter then goes on to ask federal drug law enforcers to allow states such as Washington and Colorado to be “laboratories of democracy” that help progress drug policy nationwide.

 

“These states have chosen to move from a drug policy that spends millions of dollars turning ordinary Americans into criminals toward one that will tightly regulate the use of marijuana while raising tax revenue to support cash-strapped state and local governments,” the letter says.

“We believe this approach embraces the goals of existing federal marijuana law: to stop international trafficking, deter domestic organized criminal organizations, stop violence associated with the drug trade and protect children.”

From The Seattle Times Blog

Source: Seattle Times (WA)

Author: Alexa Vaughn

Published: November 16, 2012

Copyright: 2012 The Seattle Times Company

Contact: opinion@seatimes.com

Website: http://www.seattletimes.com/

URL: http://drugsense.org/url/sGM3i7Hh

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[Chauncy Gardner]

Rep. Adam Smith Asks DOJ to Respect MJ Laws Posted by CN Staff on November 17, 2012 at 05:44:54 PT

By Alexa Vaughn

Source: Seattle Times

 

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Adam Smith and 17 other U.S. Congress members formally asked the Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration not to enforce federal drug laws against marijuana use in Washington and Colorado in a letter released Friday.

 

Though both states have made regulated, recreational use of marijuana legal, federal agencies still have the power to enforce a federal ban on the drug.

 

“We believe that it would be a mistake for the federal government to focus enforcement action on individuals whose actions are in compliance with state law,” says the letter addressed to Attorney General Eric Holder and Drug Enforcement Administrator Michele Leonhart.

 

According to the letter, the Department of Justice made assurances in 2009 that it would not prioritize criminal charges against those who are in compliance with state law. But the Congress members are concerned about whether those assurances still stand.

 

The letter then goes on to ask federal drug law enforcers to allow states such as Washington and Colorado to be “laboratories of democracy” that help progress drug policy nationwide.

 

“These states have chosen to move from a drug policy that spends millions of dollars turning ordinary Americans into criminals toward one that will tightly regulate the use of marijuana while raising tax revenue to support cash-strapped state and local governments,” the letter says.

“We believe this approach embraces the goals of existing federal marijuana law: to stop international trafficking, deter domestic organized criminal organizations, stop violence associated with the drug trade and protect children.”

From The Seattle Times Blog

Source: Seattle Times (WA)

Author: Alexa Vaughn

Published: November 16, 2012

Copyright: 2012 The Seattle Times Company

Contact: opinion@seatimes.com

Website: http://www.seattletimes.com/

URL: http://drugsense.org/url/sGM3i7Hh

CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archives

http://cannabisnews..../cannabis.shtml

 

 

 

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Amen.

[Restorium2]

Write a BILL! Do your job.

[cristinew]

And then when the bill gets wrote ,, very few will vote in favor and never make it in the senate ,, and Obama would not sign it,,

[SFC]

If ever there was a time for him to sign it tho it is during this term. He is lame duck and there is very little long term political capital at risk right now.

[Medcare]

If ever there was a time for him to sign it tho it is during this term. He is lame duck and there is very little long term political capital at risk right now.

 

I believe his best time to do so is now, long before the next election. Even though Obama will not be running it is still something the democrats would have

to deal but if it is dealt with long before next election it will not be a topic of discussion in three of four years from now.

[SFC]

I think they know the score, there is no political capital at risk here. Look at nationwide polls, but take it a step further and look at blue state polls.