Katie Rucke
Last Friday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation that would end the enforcement of federal marijuana laws in states that had either legalized the substance or had enacted medical marijuana laws.
House Bill 1523, more commonly referred to as the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act, has been spearheaded by a Republican from California — Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, who is best known for denying the existence of global warming.
“This bipartisan bill represents a common-sense approach that establishes federal government respect for all states’ marijuana laws,” Rohrabacher said. ”It does so by keeping the federal government out of the business of criminalizing marijuana activities in states that don’t want it to be criminal.”
If passed, the law would cover both medical and recreational use of marijuana, and would protect not only consumers, but businesses that cultivate, process, distribute and sell marijuana.
Steve Fox is the national political director of the Marijuana Policy Project. He applauded the bill and said prohibition of marijuana is on its last legs because most Americans no longer support it.
“This legislation presents a perfect opportunity for members to embrace the notion that states should be able to devise systems for regulating marijuana without their citizens having to worry about breaking federal law.”
Timing of the bill could not be better, as a recent poll from Pew Research found 60 percent of Americans believe that states should be able to self-regulate marijuana. The same Pew poll also found that 57 percent of Republicans are in favor of dismantling federal marijuana laws, which likely explains why staunch Republicans have supported the bill.
“The people have spoken and members of Congress are taking action,” said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. “This bill takes conservative principles and applies them to marijuana policy; in terms of the national debate it’s potentially a game-changer.”
That same poll also found when it comes to enforcing marijuana laws, 72 percent of Americans believe that the “government efforts to enforce marijuana laws cost more than they are worth” and 60 percent say the federal government should not try to enforce marijuana laws in states where it is legal.
Co-sponsors of the bill include Republican Reps. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), Don Young (R-Alaska), and their Democratic counterparts Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.).
“This bill is a win for federalism and a win for public safety,” said Neill Franklin, a former Maryland narcotics detective and now executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. “In a time of bitter partisanship, it is quite telling that both Republicans and Democrats are calling for respect for the reform of marijuana laws. Polls show this is a winning issue for politicians, and change is inevitable. We applaud those legislators who, rather than trying to impede this progress, stand with the vast majority of Americans who believe these laws should be respected.”
The Respect State Marijuana Laws Act is the fifth marijuana reform bill to have been introduced in the 113th Congress — the sixth if legislation to allow industrial hemp is included.
While the bill has bipartisan backing, its chance of success in the Republican-led House is questionable. Many key politicians, such as Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), who is head of the House Judiciary Committee, are reluctant about any marijuana reform. But with increasing public pressure to reform marijuana laws, politicians like Goodlatte won’t be able to block reform much longer.
“We’ve reached a tipping point,” said Jasmine Tyler, deputy director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, “and it is time Congress acknowledge what voters, law enforcement and state officials have been telling us for years: The feds should stop wasting money interfering when the states are more than capable of regulating marijuana effectively.”