http://www.thenation.com/blog/171252/barney-frank-ron-paul-pressure-obama-new-marijuana-laws
Last week, voters in Colorado passed a bill that changed state laws to allow possession of one ounce of marijuana and six plants, while Washington voters changed state laws to allow residents over 21 to purchase up to an ounce of weed from licensed dealers.The problem, of course, is that federal law still prohibits marijuana possession, and the Obama administration has shown it’s willing and able to raid marijuana operations that have been sanctioned by state law.
The letter reads, in part:
We have sponsored legislation at the federal level to remove criminal penalties for the use of marijuana because of our belief in individual freedom. We recognize that this has not yet become national policy, but we believe there are many strong reasons for your administration to allow the states of Colorado and Washington to set the policies they believe appropriate in this regard, without the federal government overriding the choices made by the voters of these states.Respect for the rights of states to set policies on those matters that primarily affect their own residents argues for federal noninterference in this case, as does respect for the wishes of the voters – again, on matters that primarily affect those in the relevant electorate. Additionally, we believe that scarce federal resources – law enforcement, prosecutorial, judicial, and penal – should not be expended in opposition to the wishes of the voters of Colorado and Washington, given the responsibility of all federal officials to find ways to withhold unwise or unnecessary expenditures.
i concur it was a voted legally issue and it passed agreed it's still on the fed books but i see the conundrum for Pres. how can you have federal law only for a couple of states to make it ok as well as vice versa how do you tell 48 states no while two are toking up?
But significant obstacles obviously remain. The law, as issued by the Supreme Court, is on the other side of the marijuana activists.
And this week, Latin American leaders seem to be stepping up pressure on the Obama administration to make a decision. The leaders of Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Costa Rica called on the United States to “review” their marijuana policy, because the new state laws will make marijuana enforcement in their countries much more difficult as legal demand in the United States increases.
i know an eye for a eye leaves everybody but the last guy blind, but Mexico et al had no real concern about it when it is our problem they got rich from pay offs from cartels, but now looks like their turfs about to be taken it's a major problem.
weed is more safe than alchohol import it and tariff it and tax it, opens up trade between the southern countries
