Crime & Police
Marijuana Legalization
Government
This bipartisan legislation would in effect shield medical and recreational pot users and marijuana businesses from federal prosecution.
bill Progress
- Not enactedThe President has not signed this bill
- The senate has not voted
- The house has not voted
- house Committees
Committee on Energy and CommerceHealthCommittee on the JudiciaryCrime, Terrorism and Homeland SecurityIntroducedApril 12th, 2013
What is House Bill H.R. 1523?
H.R. 1523 changes federal law related to marijuana to protect those who are in compliance with state laws while producing, possessing, distributing, dispensing, administering, or delivering marijuana.
Impact
People who use, distribute, produce, or administer marijuana products, the Controlled Substances Act, law enforcement the local, state, and federal levels.
Cost of House Bill H.R. 1523
A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.
More Information
Of Note:
From Pew Research:
"Four states – Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska – and the District of Columbia have passed measures to legalize marijuana use, while an additional 14 states have decriminalized certain amounts of marijuana possession. Including those five locations, nearly half of U.S. states (23 plus D.C.) allow medical marijuana."
Media:
(Photo Credit: Flickr user Yeshe)
AKA
Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2013
Official Title
To amend the Controlled Substances Act to provide for a new rule regarding the application of the Act to marihuana, and for other purposes.
The amount of money that is poured into the enforcement of marijuana possession is unnecessary. We have to ask ourselves, does the punishment fit the crime? In this situation, no. This goes for all drug related crimes, the punishment should not be more harmful to the individual than the drug itself.
NO MORE DRUG WAR!! Stop the cycle of poverty and racism! We incarcerate 25% of the worlds prisoners! WTF America?!?
There are countless study's showing the medicinal use of marijuana but because of old ideology and a stigma that a generation of people that aren't even alive. When there was a prohibition on alcohol in this country, there was blood in the streets and criminal activity that was eventually overturned. Turn the dial forward 40 years later and now governments are declaring war on drugs. I think it's still insulting to me that we can buy tobacco products, alcohol, and countless other known dangerous and "legal" products, but to be jailed for a few grams of weed and nothing else is embarrassing! Why can't we just take a vote to the people!
Yes I'm an x pot smoker it's not really harmful at all. Alcohol is a problem though but we can't get rid of it.
As long as they're operating within that state's legal system, they should be protected. I thought states had the right in our Democracy (such as it is), to make laws in service of their constituents as long as they're not abridging others fundamental Constitutional and civil rights.
States should not have been able to legalize marijuana......this should have been a federal yea or nay....but passing should have happened only after laws for control, driving, etc. we're in place. Again, we got the cart before the horse.
Yes. Specific to the states in which it's been legalized, until it is no longer federally banned.
Because the President said he would stop doing this when he ran in 2012. Clearly a lie. He has approved federal arrest of more users and distributors than the last 5 presidents combined.
This is really only feasible in states that have legalized marijuana already (whether its recreational or medicinal). Hopefully federal legalization is on the horizon, though that seems doubtful.
Great for the the state(tax), great for business(capitalism) and great for the people(good times)