Barney Frank and MPP Discuss Legislation to Remove Federal Marijuana Penalties
Comments (10)
August 1, 2008
August 1, 2008
On July 30, 2008, MPP’s Rob Kampia joined Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) to discuss the benefits of HR5843, the “Personal Use of Marijuana By Responsible Adults Act.” If you’d like to encourage your legislator to support this bill, visit http://www.mpp.org/federal-action/.
Music is courtesy of His Boy Elroy.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/nc-sampling+/1.0/
The opinions expressed below by our viewers and posters do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Marijuana Policy Project. These views are those of the individual authors alone. MPP does not condone or support the illegal use of marijuana. We do encourage open and frank discussion, but if a comment has been posted that is in some way significantly inappropriate, please e-mail us at socialnetwork@mpp.org to report it. Thank you, and we're looking forward to what you think!
10 Comments, Comment or Ping
Brinna
I am wondering how those members of congress who are afraid to act on marijuana reform would feel upon learning that the United States Government itself, applied for and was awarded a patent (all the way back in 2003) on the medicinal uses of cannabis in the prevention and treatment of a wide variety of diseases including stroke, trauma, auto-immune disorders, HIV dementia, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. This patent (#6,6,30,507) awarded, not by, but TO the US Dept. of Health and Human Services, is on public record, easy for all to see. I would ask my congress member (given this information) where is the justification for continuing to maintain cannabis as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substance Act, which defines Schedule I as having no current medical use.
Aug 1st, 2008
bosco
I don’t think the members of congress would really care. There are tons of screwy patents on the books from patenting things that are currently violations of the law to patenting things that as per the laws of physics cannot exist to patenting things or ideas so simple that toddlers implement them when they play. Using current patents isn’t really going to make a strong argument once patents become scrutinized.
Aug 5th, 2008
William
Screw the medicinal benefits of marijuana. Marijuana just makes one feel good although I’ve never smoked it. Well, I didn’t enhale.
Aug 14th, 2008
danny
we are talking about our oil problem in politics…HELLO PEOPLE!!! use some hemp oil…why are we steady ignoring the facts of marijuana and its uses???saying its a drug, when it grows from the earth as a PLANT untouched by the human hand…give me a break…wow
Aug 19th, 2008
Keith
The reason hemp was made illegal in the first place was it created competition for Dow Chemical and William Hearst of Hearst Publishing. Hemp isn’t addictive and can be used for anything from the fender molding for a car to the fuel to go in the car. This was the thing that Dow didn’t want. As for Hearst,
he had bought huge tracts of timber property and didn’t want the paper competition. Hemp paper is stronger and cheaper than cutting trees for paper.
The marijuana aspect has it’s roots in the special interest prohibition of hemp.
These same people endorse putting a known roach and rat poison (sodium fluoride) in your water. Check your water bill statement for fluoride. It is a poison. If they (Congress, your state legislature) care so much about your health (marijuana prohibition) why are these same people allowing sodium fluoride (A well known poison) be put in your local water supply. Think about that. Hemp production in the United States would be a HUGE BOON TO THE ECONOMY. Big oil doesn’t like hemp either because it is competition for their monopoly on oil based fuel. Hemp makes clean fuel for cars..it is a superplant.
Look up hemp and it’s endless uses. Grown in Canada and sold to the United states like everything else is.
Aug 24th, 2008
Ray W
To reduce this national debt FAST, The Bills written by Barney Frank H.R.5842 H.R.5843 would be of a HUGE interest!?!?!
It has already been PROVEN that our government spends A LOT of $$$ on raiding/arresting sick and dying people and dispensaries in California and Oregon.
Passing this bill would not remove our national debt.. But it will put a HUGE dent in it.
I’m told there is A LOT of wasteful spending in the US. But this is something that MANY see that is just plain STUPID
These two bills are to be talked about and debated on. But with our economy sinking like it is. This to me and others just seems like something that will QUICKLY bring the US A LOT of money and not do any damage
Sep 19th, 2008
Chase
I wish marijuana was as legal as alcohol. Speaking as someone who married a smoker and as someone who didn’t smoke despite my spouse and her smoking. I just wanted to add that nothing that I ever seen smoke do to her was worth dealing with real drug dealers and the other problems of smoke because of it being illegal. I had to worry about the legal risks and feel like a criminal because I happened to fall in love with a smoker. Also, I had to deal with drug dealers and all that comes with them being involved in my life while I was doing my best to build a family. If it were legal then all this would be avoidable.
While I like the paper to save trees idea and the taxes issue and I would love to stop seeing people in jail for such a stupid little thing as marijuana. Employment also looks tough for smokers and I find this unfair because that pushes them into dealing drugs but really these problems are nothing to me compared to the strain on the parts of my life that matter most.
I also believe that teens decision about hard drugs would be made with more caution if they are not exposed to hard drug use because they are around marijuana dealers. Teens that can get alcohol can get marijuana and because they can get marijuana they can get anything else but I think teens are suitably terrified of hard drugs and wouldn’t be around dealers if not for marijuana. God forbid that we quit letting marijuana get teens close enough to be conned into getting on addictive drugs or get everything they own taken from them by the govt because they couldn’t get a job from anywhere else so they started selling marijuana…
Oct 14th, 2008
John Keim
I urge everyone to go to http://www.phoenixtears.ca and view the video about medicinal qualities of hemp oil.
Oct 15th, 2008
larry
when I retire and can smoke pot without having to worrie about loosing my job and going to jail, I am going to get stoned every day and guess what, if you don’t like what I do with my body in my free time.. You can kiss my ass,,, LIVE FREE OR DIE
Oct 19th, 2008
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