Eric Holder Would Be 'Glad To Work With Congress' To Reschedule Marijuana

[RainDog]

59. Then there's this

I mentioned, upthread, the hemp provision of the farm bill that allows hemp to be grown for research via state agr. offices and universities - Congress has to reckon with hemp's illegal status regarding this product.

Congress also has to allow or block the DC's City Council decriminalization bill that was passed in March. The bill has to stay with the federal Congress for 60 days before it goes into law.

Guess who's part of the committee that deals with this? Issa - one of the same Republicans who signed the bill to be able to sue the President for not enforcing federal mj law.

The measure removes criminal penalties for possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for individuals 18 years of age and older and replaces them with a civil fine of $25, similar to a parking ticket. It also removes penalties for possession of paraphernalia in conjunction with small amounts of marijuana, and it specifies that individuals cannot be searched or detained based solely on an officer’s suspicion of marijuana possession. Public use of marijuana would remain a criminal offense punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500. Currently, possession of any amount of marijuana is a criminal offense punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

Nationally, according to a 2012 report by the American Civil Liberties Union, black people are almost four times as likely as white people to be arrested for marijuana possession, despite the fact that whites and blacks use marijuana at similar rates.

That may sound shocking, but in D.C. the disparity is even greater.

It took Congress 10 years to fund DC's medical mj law - but this one doesn't require Congressional funding.

Now - if Congress allows this law to pass for DC - does that mean they are applying the law unequally not to decriminalize per the DC measure, at the Federal level, for every state?