18 Members Of Congress Call On Obama

[mibrains]

http://cannabisnews.com/news/27/thread27883.shtml

 

Posted by CN Staff on February 12, 2014 at 14:32:27 PT
By Mollie Reilly, The Huffington Post 
Source: Huffington Post 

Washington, D.C. -- Over a dozen members of Congress are calling on President Barack Obama to reschedule marijuana, with one congressman describing the drug's current classification as "arbitrary and incorrect."

On Wednesday, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and 17 of his colleagues sent a letter to the president asking him to reconsider the way marijuana is categorized by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Currently, the DEA lists cannabis as a Schedule I substance, which the agency defines as the "most dangerous" category of drugs with "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse." Other Schedule I drugs include heroin, ecstasy and LSD. Meanwhile, substances such as methamphetamine and cocaine fall under Schedule II and are therefore considered by the DEA to have "less abuse potential."

In the letter, which Blumenauer began circulating to colleagues late last month, the lawmakers said placing marijuana at the same level as heroin "makes no sense."

"You said that you don't believe marijuana is any more dangerous than alcohol: a fully legalized substance, and believe it to be less dangerous 'in terms of its impact on the individual consumer,'” the letter reads, referencing Obama's recent interview with the New Yorker. "This is true. Marijuana, however, remains listed in the federal Controlled Substances Act at Schedule I ... This is a higher listing than cocaine and methamphetamine, Schedule II substances that you gave as examples of harder drugs. This makes no sense."

The lawmakers called on Obama to instruct Attorney General Eric Holder to either delist or "at the very least" take marijuana out of the Schedule I or II classifications.

"We believe the current system wastes resources and destroys lives, in turn damaging families and communities," the letter concludes. "Taking action on this issue is long overdue."

Along with Blumenauer, the letter is signed by Reps. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Sam Farr (D-Calif.), Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Mike Honda (D-Calif.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Jim Moran (D-Va.), Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas), Jared Polis (D-Colo.), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.)

Under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, Obama's administration has the authority to "remove any drug or other substance from the schedules if [it] finds that the drug or other substance does not meet the requirements for inclusion in any schedule."

"The Administration needs recognize the relative dangers of these drugs if it wants to restore its credibility," Blumenauer wrote in a Wednesday statement. "The first step is to reschedule marijuana, which the Administration can do unilaterally. We can't let this arbitrary and incorrect bureaucratic classification ruin any more lives."

Read the full letter to Obama below:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/206705479/02-12-14-Blumenauer-Rescheduling-Letter

[cristinew]

No Michigan Reps?  And only one Republican,

[GregS]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/206705479/02-12-14-Blumenauer-Rescheduling-Letter

 

Do you have a few minutes to write the POTUS?

[GregS]

http://www.c-span.org/video/?317590-1/hearing-marijuana-policy[/c-span]

 

These guys are serious. Congress has acted as the President suggested they do. It's in his court now. His is the responsibility to instruct Justice to have the rescheduling performed by the DEA. All agencies of the government are ruled by the executive. Not by Congress.

Edited February 18, 2014 by GregS

[phaquetoo]

No Michigan Reps?  And only one Republican,

Yea, and I beleive it would have been a more powerful letter to obama if more of them were not from cali and from states that dont have any mm program, I guess we need to find a way to educate these attnys (congressman/women) on the difference between heroin and meth, man has any one seen the faces of meth?

 

Maybe we should have the faces of mm, start with a pic of some one before they start their mm program and one after they are in it for a half yr or a yr, I bet the faces get better not worse!

 

Good Post John!

 

 

Peace

[Norby]

Yea, and I beleive it would have been a more powerful letter to obama if more of them were not from cali and from states that dont have any mm program, I guess we need to find a way to educate these attnys (congressman/women) on the difference between heroin and meth, man has any one seen the faces of meth?

 

Maybe we should have the faces of mm, start with a pic of some one before they start their mm program and one after they are in it for a half yr or a yr, I bet the faces get better not worse!

 

Good Post John!

 

 

Peace

Yes, and I said "and this is supposed to be LESS harmful than marijuana according to our federal gov't.  No wonder we have a drug problem in the US. Disgusting." and no one replied to the facebook post after that.  Not one like either. 

 

I was going to say, look at the pic to the right(me).  That's the after of 33 years of smoking marijuana.  Pretty darn good for a 44 y.o.  Yes I started when I was 11.  Find a pic of me at 11 for the before picture.  But I didn't post that.

Edited February 18, 2014 by Norby

[+Malamute]

I always say when certain Rep's do these things,.... look at the names of those willing to sign on.  These are the people that are with us before the bandwagon starts.

 

And yea..., one republican, Rohrabacher.  He has been a staunch supporter of sensible marijuana laws.  Kudos to him for years and tears of support.

 

But otherwise, not one single tea partier or nuttin.

 

 And it isn't like a bunch of dem's signed on.  Some.

 

 I am guessing more from each party may have signed on if they knew about it. Quite often, most legislators just aren't asked to sign on to something like this. A group of them get together, write something and ask some of the people they know to sign on then send in the letter.  So,... gotta remember that too.

[phaquetoo]

I always say when certain Rep's do these things,.... look at the names of those willing to sign on.  These are the people that are with us before the bandwagon starts.

 

And yea..., one republican, Rohrabacher.  He has been a staunch supporter of sensible marijuana laws.  Kudos to him for years and tears of support.

 

But otherwise, not one single tea partier or nuttin.

 

 And it isn't like a bunch of dem's signed on.  Some.

 

 I am guessing more from each party may have signed on if they knew about it. Quite often, most legislators just aren't asked to sign on to something like this. A group of them get together, write something and ask some of the people they know to sign on then send in the letter.  So,... gotta remember that too.

I guess,  Plus the ones that sign in a state that already has an mm program might be able to use the tax amount it will bring in and has brought in!  Make it legal like beer, honestly im gonna go the the beer store for beer if they can make it better than me and keep it at a working mans price!

 

What im saying, I bet alot of growers would stop growing if they could get the same quality or better from the distributing centers at a working mans price! 

 

Not saying give up our grow rights, I know alot of guys that tried to brew their own beer which is legal, but not do it long because they just couldnt get the taiste down, and the time it takes and $, it just makes it not worth it to them, Now im talking all out legal, and every one can get it from a distributing center,or the equiv to a beer store, like they do in PA, or canada, when you want your beer in pensylvania you go to a beer distributor that I beleive is ran by the state, they dont have alcohol or liquir in reg stores like MI, but its not hard to go get what you need, they dont limit you on what you want to buy, in PA they limit bars on how much beer they can sell to go, but thats it, 711 dont have alcohol in them lol,

 

High grade mj can be grown by the tobaco companys or any one that can get a permit, MI dont grow or brew the  ciggerettes or beer here, well we used to have strohs lol!

 

This whole thing could be a win win for the whole country! we may lose some correction officer jobs, but we will gain a whole lot more jobs than the prisons lose,(no offense to C.O's)  we would bring in a whole lot of tax revenue to the states and the feds and create so many jobs,

and oh boy if we could shrink our government at the same time, the next prez wouldnt know what to do with all of the extra funds after paying off our deficit!

 

It's free to dream!

 

Peace

[GregS]

Hell. We could eliminate the DEA and put its budget toward HHS to treat drug abuse as a medical issue, which it certainly is. In fact, it would be interesting to have the GAO look into the potential budgetary trade offs.

[trichcycler]

yeah, just look at all the help ailing Michigan schools got from the promising state lotto program.

[+Malamute]

the lottery money 'replaces' current funding levels freeing up the money they appropriated to be spent on tax breaks for corporations. ;-)

 

 The lottery money doesn't go above and beyond what is appropriated, it just free's up more money in the general fund.

 

 Btw, I find it to be BS.

[phaquetoo]

yeah, just look at all the help ailing Michigan schools got from the promising state lotto program.

Why I oughta!  lmao.

 

Yea I hear that, and the ones that dont claim it, It goes back into the lottery!  wtf is that?

 

Just a few months ago, the ticket holders time was up to claim the winnings, they put it back into the lottery fund, to help pay for running the lottery, wtf is that?  if the state lotto cant run on a profit like MI's indian cassino's maybe we have the wrong people running it!

 

Peace

[t-pain]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/206705479/02-12-14-Blumenauer-Rescheduling-Letter

 

Do you have a few minutes to write the POTUS?

 

that guy who was laughing at us in 2012 and 2013?

Edited February 18, 2014 by t-pain

[GregS]

that guy who was laughing at us in 2012 and 2013?

I take it then you won't.

 

He is getting pressure from Congress to act! This is called piling on. He won't be laughing much longer.

[t-pain]

I take it then you won't.

 

He is getting pressure from Congress to act! This is called piling on. He won't be laughing much longer.

 

sure , i'll write a letter. its a good idea.

thats what we should be doing here, a letter writing campaign to obama. not to some republican senators about 4271 and 5104.

[Spartyon]

Hell. We could eliminate the DEA and put its budget toward HHS to treat drug abuse as a medical issue, which it certainly is. In fact, it would be interesting to have the GAO look into the potential budgetary trade offs.

Has the Federal gov ever shut down a program in there life defiantly not one of this caliber.  There not in the shrinking business.