Rob Kampia: Barney Frank and Ron Paul Introduce Bill to End Federal Marijuana Prohibition

Rob Kampia: Barney Frank and Ron Paul Introduce Bill to End Federal Marijuana Prohibition.

Marijuana Bill In Congress: Barney Frank, Ron Paul Legislation Would End Federal Ban On Pot

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) will introduce legislation on Thursday to end the federal ban on marijuana and let the states decide whether to legalize it.

“The legislation would limit the federal government’s role in marijuana enforcement to cross-border or inter-state smuggling, allowing people to legally grow, use or sell marijuana in states where it is legal,” according to the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates for pot legalization. “The legislation is the first bill ever introduced in Congress to end federal marijuana prohibition.”

More than a dozen states allow the sale of medical marijuana, but the practice is not legal under federal law, leading to confusion and clashes between local and federal authorities.

In March, for example, DEA agents raided two medical marijuana dispensaries in West Hollywood, California, and 26 dispensaries in 13 cities across Montana.

This despite the Obama administration’s announcement two years ago that it would not arrest or prosecute medical marijuana users or suppliers who are not violating local laws — a reversal of the Bush administration’s policy that federal drug laws should be enforced even in states that had legalized medical marijuana. Attorney General Eric Holder has said he will clarify the Justice Department’s position.

The bill by Frank and Paul comes 40 years after President Richard Nixon first declared a war on drugs. Last week, to commemorate the anniversary, a group of former law enforcement officials unveiled a new report detailing the failures of the government’s long battle against illegal drugs and denounces the Obama administration’s current drug policies.

“Since President Nixon declared ‘war on drugs’ four decades ago, this failed policy has led to millions of arrests, a trillion dollars spent and countless lives lost, yet drugs today are more available than ever,” said Norm Stamper, former chief of police in Seattle and a speaker for legalization-advocacy group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

“President Obama’s drug officials keep saying they’ve ended the ‘drug war,'” the LEAP member said. “But our report shows that’s just not true.”

via Marijuana Bill In Congress: Barney Frank, Ron Paul Legislation Would End Federal Ban On Pot.

Marijuana Bill In Congress: Barney Frank, Ron Paul Legislation Would End Federal Ban On Pot

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) will introduce legislation on Thursday to end the federal ban on marijuana and let the states decide whether to legalize it.

“The legislation would limit the federal government’s role in marijuana enforcement to cross-border or inter-state smuggling, allowing people to legally grow, use or sell marijuana in states where it is legal,” according to the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates for pot legalization. “The legislation is the first bill ever introduced in Congress to end federal marijuana prohibition.”

More than a dozen states allow the sale of medical marijuana, but the practice is not legal under federal law, leading to confusion and clashes between local and federal authorities.

In March, for example, DEA agents raided two medical marijuana dispensaries in West Hollywood, California, and 26 dispensaries in 13 cities across Montana.

This despite the Obama administration’s announcement two years ago that it would not arrest or prosecute medical marijuana users or suppliers who are not violating local laws — a reversal of the Bush administration’s policy that federal drug laws should be enforced even in states that had legalized medical marijuana. Attorney General Eric Holder has said he will clarify the Justice Department’s position.

The bill by Frank and Paul comes 40 years after President Richard Nixon first declared a war on drugs. Last week, to commemorate the anniversary, a group of former law enforcement officials unveiled a new report detailing the failures of the government’s long battle against illegal drugs and denounces the Obama administration’s current drug policies.

“Since President Nixon declared ‘war on drugs’ four decades ago, this failed policy has led to millions of arrests, a trillion dollars spent and countless lives lost, yet drugs today are more available than ever,” said Norm Stamper, former chief of police in Seattle and a speaker for legalization-advocacy group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

“President Obama’s drug officials keep saying they’ve ended the ‘drug war,'” the LEAP member said. “But our report shows that’s just not true.”

via Marijuana Bill In Congress: Barney Frank, Ron Paul Legislation Would End Federal Ban On Pot.

Famed Boston crime boss James ‘Whitey’ Bulger arrested in Santa Monica

 

Famed crime boss James ‘Whitey’ Bulger arrested in Santa Monica

 

June 22, 2011 |  8:35 pm

Legendary Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger, who has been on the run for more than a decade, was arrested Wednesday in Santa Monica, multiple law enforcement sources told The Times.

Bulger, 81, has been the subject of several books and was the inspiration for “The Departed,” a 2006 Martin Scorsese film staring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson.

Bulger fled Boston in late 1994 as federal agents were about to arrest him in connection with 21 killings, racketeering and other crimes that spanned the early 1970s to the mid-1980s.

He was arrested by the FBI inside a building without incident, according to the sources, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak on the matter. The details surrounding his arrest were unclear Wednesday night.

The FBI in Los Angeles declined to comment.

The arrest came as the FBI launched a media campaign in 14 cities to help determine Bulger’s whereabouts.

The last credible sighting of Bulger was in London in 2002, the FBI said.

 

– Andrew Blankstein (Twitter: @anblanx) and Robert J. Lopez (Twitter: @LAJourno)

Photo: A poster featuring fugitives James “Whitey” Bulger and Catherine Greig is on display Monday at a news conference in Boston at which the FBI announced TV ads aimed at finding the mob boss and his mistress. Credit: Associated Press

via Famed crime boss James ‘Whitey’ Bulger arrested in Santa Monica – latimes.com.