update: PASSED, PASSED, PUFF! ALERT: House to Vote on Medical Marijuana Amendment This Week!

[RainDog]

Last edited Fri May 30, 2014, 02:36 PM - Edit history (2)

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/may/27/alert_house_vote_medical_marijua

Possibly as soon as Thursday! Please contact your Representative if you would like to indicate your support. Here's a link to find your rep - http://www.house.gov/

...The US House of Representatives will vote on an amendment that would prohibit the federal government from spending taxpayer money to interfere with state medical marijuana laws. Though similar amendments have been offered in the past, this year it is being offered by 10 sponsors -- five Republicans and five Democrats -- and several weeks ago a different medical marijuana amendment that would have allowed VA doctors to discuss it with their patients got 195 yes votes. There is a better chance than ever that this could pass, and we can certainly get closer and advance the issue -- if you take action.

Link to an online message here (via Stop the Drug War.org).

[billhicks76]

1. Hope

Lets hope this passes. I know many republicans are a thorn in this process and Obama is a weak lackey for law enforcement on this issue but even those guys can't keep us down forever.

[RainDog]

2. If you look at history

Obama has, overall, done more on his side to bring this issue forward than any President since Carter. His justice dept. said they will let the experiment go forward in CO and WA - against the wishes of the DEA - so, I'd rather have him as President while this issue is under consideration than any other President thus far.

But DC has to come around to the thinking of the rest of the nation.

This is one big step forward.

[billhicks76]

4. Actually

They are still fighting it. These states did this all on their own.

[RainDog]

5. Actually

you misunderstood my post, I assume, because, yes, the states are the ones who have made cannabis legal.

however, Holder told Congress he's willing to talk about changing the schedule for marijuana and Obama went on record saying marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol.

While there have been busts prior to the votes in CO and WA, the Attn. General specifically said the JD would "let the experiment happen," but enforce laws related to cartels, etc.

Holder has tried to work with a way to make it legal for mj businesses to deposit their money in banks.

States with legalization, of course, have dealt with this as well, at the state level.

But CONGRESS is the entity that needs to address the many laws related to cannabis prohibition. Congress legislates. That's what they need to do. Republicans passed an act to be able to sue Obama for not upholding federal prohibition, too.

So, I'll take progress over regress any day.

[billhicks76]

6. I'm Just Saying

Obama did nothing to help and resisted as long as he could. And trust me they are still busting people in other medical states who are following state law. They just reinterpret the law or memos anyway they like just as they do with the fraudulent war on terror. Homeland Security and NSA spend 100,000% more time tracking drugs than terrorism. All Holser has done is give a speech and a recommendation to knock one year off every 5 years for a federal drug sentence. That's chump change. And his out of control DAs are going after medical growers and dispensaries even more than under Bush. And Obama won't begin procedures to reschedule pot or even replace Bush holdover and crazed ant-marijuana warrior Michelle Leonhart. He had done nothing. Soon he will because banks and Monsanto want all the money. Hardly a profile in courage. More like a weasel.

[RainDog]

7. We can frame reality in different ways

I prefer to focus on how things are better, rather than what they are not. Again, things are much better than they have ever been in this nation since prohibition of cannabis began, as far as momentum to change the law and an administration that is more amenable to that than any since the 1970s.

[RainDog]

3. Find out how your Representative voted

link to new post -

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11702078