Two New Bills Would Legalize Marijuana On The Federal Level

On Friday 2/20/14 Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced two bills that would legalize and tax marijuana at the federal level.

Polis’s bill, H.R. 1013, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, would remove marijuana from the Schedule 1 list of the Controlled Substances Act. Marijuana was placed on the list and labeled a narcotic because the government deemed it to have no medical properties or value. This placement put marijuana under the jurisdiction of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

Blumenauer’s bill, H.R. 1014, the Marijuana Tax Revenue Act of 2015, would put a tax on non-medical marijuana sales. The bill would regulate marijuana like alcohol by inserting it into the section of the U.S. Code governing “intoxicating liquors,” and would put it under the jurisdiction of the Drug Enforcement Agency to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

If these bills do become law they would make marijuana legal on the federal level throughout the United States. This would set an atmosphere that would encourage all states to fully legalize marijuana use.

“Twenty-three states currently allow for medical marijuana, while four states–Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska–and the District of Columbia recently legalized the recreational use of small amounts of marijuana. Eleven additional states have passed laws allowing the use of low-THC forms of marijuana to treat certain medical conditions.”^[1]

Polis’s reasoned that:

“Over the past year, Colorado has demonstrated that regulating marijuana like alcohol takes money away from criminals and cartels, grows our economy, and keeps marijuana out of the hands of children,…”

The Marijuana Tax Revenue Act would initially set at 10% tax on non-medical marijuana which would rise to 25% as the legal market overtakes the illegal market. Though some states have legalized marijuana and some people have started marijuana businesses, many others have not because of fear of being targeted by the federal government and the IRS. The passing of these acts would encourage the development of a big marijuana business that could overtake the alcohol business.

Revenue is a big reason why marijuana legalization is being pushed, on the state level and now on the federal level. Everything is about money. Though I do approve of the use of medical marijuana, whenever making money is behind something I am cautious. People often have levels of hidden agendas and do unscrupulous things for money.

The legalization of medical marijuana is good in one way that this will stop the arrests of people for having small amounts of marijuana in their possession. This has been used as part of police profiling agenda to marginalize people, which limited people’s chances of finding jobs and being a productive citizens.

I am also cautious of the passing of these bills because I do not want to have to walk through people’s marijuana smoke, because people would be able to casually light up a joint.

Healing Powers Of Cannabis-Marijuana

Tags: legalization of marijuana, marijuana legalization, should marijuana be legalized