The Feds Stance on Legalization of Marijuana in CO and WA

You’d think since the people of Colorado and Washington voted to legalize recreational marijuana, 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, which has lasted more than 4 times longer than the Vietnam War.

Currently, Colorado and Oregon 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 federally owned banks, so part of the proposed bills will help make it easier for dispensaries to operate. The push is to introduce tax-code legislation, as well as a bill, that would “reschedule marijuana” under the Controlled Substances Act, allowing all states to enact medical marijuana laws, without having to fear federal acts of terrorism on dispensaries or providers.

The president is still ignoring the benefits of freeing up the world’s most amazing natural resource, cannabis and hemp. Since “hemponomics” will bring home hundreds of billions in profits, congress should see the cannabis-hemp industry as an economic blessing, a virtually “unlimited resource” America needs now.

Instead, the justice department could respond to Colorado and Washington by suing to block the issuance of licenses to growers, processors and retailers. If Congress changes U.S. marijuana laws, and legalizes the industrial production of hemp, they will cash in on a hefty federal hemp tax.

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

We are asking the federal government to handle cannabis 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. The bill is based on a legalization measure previously pushed by former Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.

Wars cost money to wage and in the case of federal prohibition, taxpayers are losing to the tune of 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 for victimless crimes.
Despite the fact that 17 sovereign 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 or cure diseases.

Things change slowly on 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?