White House Says Marijuana Policy Is States' Rights Issue

[CLICKHEREx]

http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/729316-White-House-Says-Marijuana-Policy-Is-States-Rights-Issue


FunctionalOlfactio View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles Add as Contact
Bluelighter

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join Date Jun 2013
Posts 147 Today 04:15 White House Says Marijuana Policy Is States' Rights Issue

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration believes marijuana policy is a states' rights issue, the White House said Monday in opposing Republican-led legislation that would prevent Washington, D.C., from using local funds to decriminalize marijuana possession.

The GOP-sponsored House amendment would prevent D.C. "from using its own local funds to carry out locally-passed marijuana policies, which again undermines the principles of States' rights and of District home rule," the White House said in a statement. The White House said the bill "poses legal challenges to the Metropolitan Police Department's enforcement of all marijuana laws currently in force in the District."

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) called Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) a "tyrant" for meddling in the District's governing process with the amendment, pointing out that Maryland just voted to decriminalize marijuana possession. The amendment is aimed at blocking a recent D.C. law that lowers the penalty for possessing small amounts of marijuana to a fine.

It's been less than a year since the Justice Department decided not to sue Washington state and Colorado for legalizing and regulating recreational marijuana. Attorney General Eric Holder told The Huffington Post earlier this year that he was "cautiously optimistic" about legalization in Colorado, which began recreational sales Jan. 1. Washington state sales began this month.

Holder didn't weigh in on decriminalization in his own city of D.C., but said it was not a good use of law enforcement resources to give young people a criminal record for drug possession.

“It is great to see the White House accepting that a majority of Americans want marijuana law reform and defending the right of D.C. and states to set their own marijuana policy,” Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, said about the White House statement on Monday. “The tide has clearly shifted against the failed war on drugs and it’s only a matter of time before federal law is changed."

Clarification: Language has been amended to reflect that the bill only affects local funds, and not federal funds as previously indicated in one sentence of this article.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_5586188.html

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#2 weekend addiction View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles Add as Contact Send Email
Bluelighter

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join Date Mar 2007
Location The country with the world's most prisoners.
Posts 3,594
Blog Entries8 Today 09:20 This sets a great precedent!!! If weed laws are a state's right's issue then all drug laws would be. I would want to be in the first state to legalize cocaine sales. Money to be made lol!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#3 neversickanymore View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles Add as Contact
Senior Moderator
Recovery Support
Science & Technology

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join Date Jan 2013
Location babysitting the argument in my head
Posts 10,307 Today 10:16 ^ which state will fall on coke first?


Republicans against states rights and a smaller federal government control.. they are a joke. RECOVERY FORUMS ~~~ADDICTION GUIDE~~~ CONTACT ME

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#4 CLICKHEREx View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message View Blog Entries View Articles
Bluelighter

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join DateSep 2012
Posts106Today 15:02 Originally Posted by weekend addiction
This sets a great precedent!!! If weed laws are a state's right's issue then all drug laws would be. I would want to be in the first state to legalize cocaine sales. Money to be made lol!

It would still be illegal to import.