Congress threatens Washington DC over pot law

[Chef Ramsay]

Congressional Republicans are making a last-ditch effort to stop the District of Columbia from decriminalizing private recreational use of marijuana from going into effect Thursday, threatening the mayor and her staff with fines and jail time.

In a letter [PDF] sent late Tuesday to DC’s newly-inaugurated Democrat mayor, Muriel Bowser, Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Mark Meadows (R-NC) warned the District government that enacting Initiative 71 would be “contrary to law.” The two representatives, majority members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, also demanded the District turn over extensive documentation on any employees involved with the Initiative by March 10, with the implicit threat of fines and jail time for violating federal law.

DC officials and their backers in Congress have pointed out the December 2014 appropriations bill cited by Chaffetz and Meadows, cannot stop laws already enacted. The language in the final bill said the District could not “enact” any law to regulate or legalize marijuana, rather than “enact or carry out,” pointed the District’s Delegate in the House of Representatives, Eleanor Holmes-Norton.

In a statement on Tuesday, Norton argued that the DC bill could only be blocked by a Resolution of Disapproval passed within the 30-day review period – and no such resolution was passed.

“If the Republican Congress, which can’t decide how to keep open… the Department of Homeland Security, wants to pick a fight with the District over our local marijuana reform law,” Norton said in a statement, “a fight is what they will get.”

More...http://rt.com/usa/235531-dc-marijuana-legalization-mayor/

I always thought Chaffetz and Meadows were better than average republicans, and they still may be on most issues, but they should just shut their faces on this one. The best thing republicans can do is to let the people have their say over marijuana and just move on.

[BADecker]

"Marijuana's Long Term Effects On The Brain Finally Revealed!"

The report is good. It means higher intelligence for long term users. Government doesn't like anybody to be smarter than they are.

https://www.freedomsphoenix.com/News/171167-2015-02-17-marijuana-39-s-long-term-effects-on-the-brain-finally.htm

http://www.trueactivist.com/marijuanas-long-term-effects-on-the-brain-finally-revealed/#.VOLA7ObQh-Y.facebook

[Agestorzrxx]

Republicans and Democrats are literally in a competition to see who can take away more liberties from Americans, I'm not quite sure who is winning at this point but I certainly know who's losing, and that is the American people.

[Mr Tea]

I honestly don't understand why people are so against this and are especially going as far as to threaten jailtime to people. I think with these current several legalizations its going to have a domino effect on most of the other states. The taxes that come in from legal weed is just too great to ignore.  They should just leave the laws up to the individual states though and let them take care of it without sticking their stupid noses in. My only hope is it spreads to other countries around the world.

[BitMos]

ahah I love fear games, death squad on those that work for the banning this plant of the creation (and to support their colleagues that are lawyers, judges, and working for the private and public jail industry: you don't want your brother/husband/son to go in jail missy? you know what to do... spread wider, the colleagues are coming for the rotation ). the truth, even little pickers of the pyramid of the state what's his due, like the big joes, welcome to the west, the spreading of corruption, only solution : purging, it ain't cool, but if you don't it's worst. I love the Home front, all those giant mansions, their garden, you can almost call the navy seal, certain swim pool are so huge . It's a war, it's total. total warfare.

[jaysabi]

I honestly don't understand why people are so against this and are especially going as far as to threaten jailtime to people. I think with these current several legalizations its going to have a domino effect on most of the other states. The taxes that come in from legal weed is just too great to ignore.  They should just leave the laws up to the individual states though and let them take care of it without sticking their stupid noses in. My only hope is it spreads to other countries around the world.

Because the republican crusade against drugs is failing, and in our political system, all political losses are existential threats to one of the two ruling parties. Control must be maintained at all costs, and no reversal of policy or admittance of error can be tolerated. The longer and harder you've fought for a position, the harder you have to continue to fight, even when it's clear your loss is inevitable. Admitting you've been wrong undermines all the current policies you advocate, which is why neither side will abandon a policy that is bad for the country but that they've historically held.

[bri912678]

Right now there are old people in positions of power that grew up when pot was almost unknown. In another decade most old people will have grown up knowing people who used pot, so their attitude will be more relaxed. To some old timers everything is drugs with no distinction between hard and soft.

[RodeoX]

So 76%? of the population votes to legalize and a few old guys decide they aren't going to allow it? How bout fuck you. Then blow a bowl in their face. 

[Lethn]

threatening the mayor and her staff with fines and jail time.

LOL! Seriously? These assholes should be thrown into jail for making threats like that, that's blatant extortion, just once I'd like to see these guys told to fuck off.

[ajareselde]

Right now there are old people in positions of power that grew up when pot was almost unknown. In another decade most old people will have grown up knowing people who used pot, so their attitude will be more relaxed. To some old timers everything is drugs with no distinction between hard and soft.

If i am a man, and am my body's owner, who are you to judge me what i do with it and how i do it?
In the worst case you would have the right to ask me to sign that i must pay for my eventual  treatment that may be needed if i bring harm on myself.
There is no freedom when someone is telling you that something thats growing in the nature is something you may not have or use on yourself.

cheers

[Chef Ramsay]

threatening the mayor and her staff with fines and jail time.

LOL! Seriously? These assholes should be thrown into jail for making threats like that, that's blatant extortion, just once I'd like to see these guys told to fuck off.

This is how drug warriors operate, by violence which I'm sure you're well aware of. Threatening over a plant is just insane and shows what simpletons they are. However, because DC isn't a state of its own I think they think they can get away with this sort of thing. I'd venture to say that the council and mayor are black folk and thus these anti-civil liberties republicans think they know how these people should be allowed to live. It's a stretch I know but uppity white republicans look down upon most segments of black America.

[Lethn]

I know Americans always like to pin everything down to race but speaking as somebody who comes from the UK, no one views the public with more contempt and arrogance than political leaders.

[Spendulus]

I honestly don't understand why people are so against this and are especially going as far as to threaten jailtime to people. I think with these current several legalizations its going to have a domino effect on most of the other states. The taxes that come in from legal weed is just too great to ignore.  They should just leave the laws up to the individual states though and let them take care of it without sticking their stupid noses in. My only hope is it spreads to other countries around the world.

Because the republican crusade against drugs is failing, and in our political system, all political losses are existential threats to one of the two ruling parties. Control must be maintained at all costs, and no reversal of policy or admittance of error can be tolerated. The longer and harder you've fought for a position, the harder you have to continue to fight, even when it's clear your loss is inevitable. Admitting you've been wrong undermines all the current policies you advocate, which is why neither side will abandon a policy that is bad for the country but that they've historically held.

Republican crusade against drugs?  Look back at it you'll see Democrats right in the middle of the war on drugs all the way down the line.

[Tusk]

Those who resist this are most likely being paid off by lobbyists for the drug cartels or the criminal justice complex, if prohibition is ended the money these criminals and law enforces will lose is staggering, I'm sure behind the scenes there are massive efforts by both sides to try keep things the way they are.