A group of lawmakers is yet again making another attempt to legalize marijuana on a federal level. Representative Thomas Garret sponsored the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act, which loosens the marijuana restriction and leaves it up to the state to make laws about recreational and medical marijuana.
States that have already legalized marijuana such as Colorado and California still violate federal law, making the ground work more confusing for establishing marijuana laws in the united states.
Eleven other sponsors introduced the bill back in February, however, they had very little effect on Capitol Hill. Garrett is in great hope that he will gain support even though President Trump has a firm stance to enhance federal laws on marijuana regulation. Garrett says that there are “redeeming medical uses for cannabis,” however, he does not always feel that way.
“The first time I heard the term ‘medicinal marijuana’ 25 or 30 years ago, I probably chuckled,” Garrett said on Wednesday.
He later started prosecuting marijuana users in Virginia.
Garrett stated: “My background on this issue is shaped by my own experiences as a criminal prosecutor, where in fact, I did enforce the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia as they relate to marijuana, and some would say, did so quite vigorously.”
Gradually, he became sick of “creating criminals out of people who otherwise follow the law.” As a result, he started to suggest legalizing marijuana.
Garrett said: “If there’s anything I cannot tolerate as a citizen and as a prosecutor, it is the unequal application of justice.”
Representative Tulsi Gabbard has the same concerns regarding current marijuana laws.
“Every 42 seconds someone is arrested for the use or possession of marijuana, turning every-day Americans into criminals, tearing families apart,” Gabbard said, “The question before us is not whether you think marijuana use is good or bad, or how you feel about this issue, but whether we should be turning people into criminals.”
The president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana Kevin Sabet, who opposes legalizing marijuana, chided the “Cheech and Chong ideology.”
He said: “The marijuana industry is the next Big Tobacco of our time, and history will not look kindly upon those who enabled lobbyists and special interest groups to gain a foothold in putting profit ahead of public health and safety,”
MAPH Enterprises, LLC | (305) 414-0128 | 1501 Venera Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33146 | new@marijuanastocks.com
