Effort building to change U.S. marijuana laws
SEATTLE (AP) - An effort is building in Congress to change U.S. marijuana laws, including moves to legalize the industrial production of hemp and establish a hefty federal pot tax.
While passage this year could be a longshot, lawmakers from both parties have been quietly working on several bills, the first of which Democratic Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and Jared Polis of Colorado plan to introduce Tuesday, Blumenauer told The Associated Press.
Polis' measure would regulate marijuana the way the federal government handles alcohol: In states that legalize pot, growers would have to obtain a federal permit. Oversight of marijuana would be removed from the Drug Enforcement Administration and given to the newly renamed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms, and it would remain illegal to bring marijuana from a state where it's legal to one where it isn't.
The bill is based on a legalization measure previously pushed by former Reps. Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Ron Paul of Texas.
Blumenauer's bill would create a federal marijuana excise tax of 50 percent on the "first sale" of marijuana - typically, from a grower to a processor or retailer. It also would tax pot producers or importers $1,000 annually and other marijuana businesses $500.
His office said Monday it doesn't yet have an estimate of how much the taxes might bring in. But a policy paper Blumenauer and Polis are releasing this week suggests, based on admittedly vague estimates, that a federal tax of $50 per ounce could raise $20 billion a year. They call for directing the money to law enforcement, substance abuse treatment and the national debt.
Last fall's votes in Colorado and Washington state to legalize recreational marijuana should push Congress to end the 75-year federal pot prohibition, Blumenauer said.
Washington state officials have estimated that its legal marijuana market could bring in about half a billion dollars a year in state taxes.
"You folks in Washington and my friends in Colorado really upset the apple cart," Blumenauer said. "We're still arresting two-thirds of a million people for use of a substance that a majority feel should be legal. ... It's past time for us to step in and try to sort this stuff out."
Advocates who are working with the lawmakers acknowledge it could take years for any changes to get through Congress, but they're encouraged by recent developments. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell last week came out in support of efforts to legalize hemp in his home state of Kentucky, and U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., is expected to introduce legislation allowing states to set their own policy on marijuana.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., has indicated he plans to hold a hearing on the conflict between state and federal marijuana laws and has urged an end to federal "mandatory minimum" sentences that lead to long prison stints for drug crimes.
"We're seeing enormous political momentum to undo the drug war failings of the past 40 years," said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, who has been working with lawmakers on marijuana-related bills. "For the first time, the wind is behind our back."
The Justice Department hasn't said how it plans to respond to the votes in Washington and Colorado. It could sue to block the states from issuing licenses to marijuana growers, processors and retail stores, on the grounds that doing so would conflict with federal drug law.
Blumenauer and Polis' paper urges a number of changes, including altering tax codes to let marijuana dispensaries deduct business expenses on federal taxes, and making it easier for marijuana-related businesses to get bank accounts. Many operate on a cash basis because federally insured banks won't work with them, they noted.
Blumenauer said he expects to introduce the tax-code legislation as well as a bill that would reschedule marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act, allowing states to enact medical marijuana laws without fear that federal authorities will continue raiding dispensaries or prosecuting providers. It makes no sense that marijuana is a Schedule I drug, in the same category as heroin and a more restrictive category than cocaine, Blumenauer said.
The measures have little chance of passing, said Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy adviser. Sabet recently joined former Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy and former President George W. Bush speechwriter David Frum in forming a group called Project SAM - for "smart approaches to marijuana" - to counter the growing legalization movement. Sabet noted that previous federal legalization measures have always failed.
"These are really extreme solutions to the marijuana problem we have in this country," Sabet said. "The marijuana problem we have is a problem of addiction among kids, and stigma of people who have a criminal record for marijuana crimes.
"There are a lot more people in Congress who think that marijuana should be illegal but treated as a public health problem, than think it should be legal."
Project SAM suggests people shouldn't get criminal records for small-time marijuana offenses, but instead could face probation or treatment.
While passage this year could be a longshot, lawmakers from both parties have been quietly working on several bills, the first of which Democratic Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and Jared Polis of Colorado plan to introduce Tuesday, Blumenauer told The Associated Press.
Polis' measure would regulate marijuana the way the federal government handles alcohol: In states that legalize pot, growers would have to obtain a federal permit. Oversight of marijuana would be removed from the Drug Enforcement Administration and given to the newly renamed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms, and it would remain illegal to bring marijuana from a state where it's legal to one where it isn't.
The bill is based on a legalization measure previously pushed by former Reps. Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Ron Paul of Texas.
Blumenauer's bill would create a federal marijuana excise tax of 50 percent on the "first sale" of marijuana - typically, from a grower to a processor or retailer. It also would tax pot producers or importers $1,000 annually and other marijuana businesses $500.
His office said Monday it doesn't yet have an estimate of how much the taxes might bring in. But a policy paper Blumenauer and Polis are releasing this week suggests, based on admittedly vague estimates, that a federal tax of $50 per ounce could raise $20 billion a year. They call for directing the money to law enforcement, substance abuse treatment and the national debt.
Last fall's votes in Colorado and Washington state to legalize recreational marijuana should push Congress to end the 75-year federal pot prohibition, Blumenauer said.
Washington state officials have estimated that its legal marijuana market could bring in about half a billion dollars a year in state taxes.
"You folks in Washington and my friends in Colorado really upset the apple cart," Blumenauer said. "We're still arresting two-thirds of a million people for use of a substance that a majority feel should be legal. ... It's past time for us to step in and try to sort this stuff out."
Advocates who are working with the lawmakers acknowledge it could take years for any changes to get through Congress, but they're encouraged by recent developments. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell last week came out in support of efforts to legalize hemp in his home state of Kentucky, and U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., is expected to introduce legislation allowing states to set their own policy on marijuana.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., has indicated he plans to hold a hearing on the conflict between state and federal marijuana laws and has urged an end to federal "mandatory minimum" sentences that lead to long prison stints for drug crimes.
"We're seeing enormous political momentum to undo the drug war failings of the past 40 years," said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, who has been working with lawmakers on marijuana-related bills. "For the first time, the wind is behind our back."
The Justice Department hasn't said how it plans to respond to the votes in Washington and Colorado. It could sue to block the states from issuing licenses to marijuana growers, processors and retail stores, on the grounds that doing so would conflict with federal drug law.
Blumenauer and Polis' paper urges a number of changes, including altering tax codes to let marijuana dispensaries deduct business expenses on federal taxes, and making it easier for marijuana-related businesses to get bank accounts. Many operate on a cash basis because federally insured banks won't work with them, they noted.
Blumenauer said he expects to introduce the tax-code legislation as well as a bill that would reschedule marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act, allowing states to enact medical marijuana laws without fear that federal authorities will continue raiding dispensaries or prosecuting providers. It makes no sense that marijuana is a Schedule I drug, in the same category as heroin and a more restrictive category than cocaine, Blumenauer said.
The measures have little chance of passing, said Kevin Sabet, a former White House drug policy adviser. Sabet recently joined former Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy and former President George W. Bush speechwriter David Frum in forming a group called Project SAM - for "smart approaches to marijuana" - to counter the growing legalization movement. Sabet noted that previous federal legalization measures have always failed.
"These are really extreme solutions to the marijuana problem we have in this country," Sabet said. "The marijuana problem we have is a problem of addiction among kids, and stigma of people who have a criminal record for marijuana crimes.
"There are a lot more people in Congress who think that marijuana should be illegal but treated as a public health problem, than think it should be legal."
Project SAM suggests people shouldn't get criminal records for small-time marijuana offenses, but instead could face probation or treatment.
It amazes me that just because the "product" is Marijuana all of a sudden people become ignorant.., Marijuana is like any other product that is developed and sold , you bar-code the product and trace your investment from resource allocation to production to marketing to sales.., simple really...,and if you can cook using spices fresh or dried, then guess what you can cook with marijuana, we all know how to extract from fruits and vegetables,Right??? Any self Respecting cook that graduated from a "culinary arts school" will, and can tell you, how to cook with marijuana 'Trust Me"!
If the feds do legalize it and tax it at the rates they are proposing they will never stop the smuggling of it into the country because it will be cheaper to by the black market weed than buying it from an approved source. In the first place weed should have never been classified as a dangerous drug. Booze is far more dangerous than weed ever was. Some redneck politician decided to do the same to it as they tried to do to booze only this one has stuck around a lot longer it seems. Legalize it, tax it (but don't go nuts on how much), and do what legalizing booze again and that was getting rid of the rum runners.
Well, at least there's a hint of bipartisan between Republicans and Democrats and of all things, on pot. How ironic, but we must hale as a good start.  First pot, then . . . . the sky's the limit! As for taxing, the government has a taxing captive user base.Â
Ok, so this is super funny!!! Oh my. We legalize pot, the government gets thier cut here in the state, now the feds want an even bigger cut, making it 100% more than what it used to cost, which will do what class? Make the buyers, sellers and growers do what again class, oh thats right go back underground. Because I don't know of a way to check that the pot someone has on them was FDA approved!!! Geesh, really, our government just gets dumber and dumber...... So sad.
I've supported legalization all my life, but the desire to over tax it is a no go; it's a not starter. The state is now going to tax it 25% at production, 25% at packaging and 10% sales tax. Now the Fed wants a 50% tax. I feel like our politicians are frigging out of their minds. Nothing, nothing gets taxed that much. My god our government is completely out of touch.
Legalizing industrial hemp alone will open a competition rivalry between big oil and and hemp. The oil companies have held the consumer at knife point for far too long. A whole plethora of product lines will be open to hit the market. Farmers are already eyeballing what happens with cannabis.
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Amazing, it's just absolutely amazing that no trolls have hijacked this thread to start a battle against guns.
Ha ha ha your are too funny, you want to get them talikng guns do you, ok try this one on for size.... Sandy hook shooting was fake, Obama set it up, he is even seen and a picture taken of him 3 days later with a dead girl alive! The FB accounts for the situation and donations were up and running 3 days before the shootings occured.... etc, etc, its on the net, check it out. Oh and there is video of the AR being taken out of the trunk of the car after the shooting, which means it was not used in the shooting. You wanted to hear it so there you go.Â
"Congress to change U.S. marijuana laws..................establish a hefty federal pot tax."
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Greed, one of the seven deadly sins.
In all seriousness..... It is none of the Government's business what I do if I'm not causing someone harm or infringing on their Freedom.
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Growing it here at home cuts the Cartels out, so there IS no victim in our MJ here in Washington. MJ has it's medical benefits, but that shouldn't matter in the grand scheme of things. If my neighbor can drink a beer, there should be no reason why I can't smoke a bowl. I know for a fact how alcohol can destroy lives, my father was a drunk and so was I until I decided that enough was enough and that I would not put my family through the things I went through. I toke a bit, but it doesn't make me violent. It allows me to be closer to my family.
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I can say with absolute certainty that FOR ME, MMJ is the BEST help for PTSD and other things that come out of war. Mellows my anxiety, cuts my anger, and lets me open up more (I tend to shut down sometimes) to my family so we can all enjoy things like board games or a movie or a night out. Out of having that ability, many things have improved since I came home.Â
"newly renamed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms"Â Yup, good ol' ATMF.
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So funny, Love it!!
So, by the time the federal government gets their taxes and the local states get their taxes the war will probably still rage on for another 40 years. Isn't even legal and already they are talking major taxes.
$50 an ounce federal tax? On top of what the state is going charge?
That's really lame. I'll just keep growing my outdoor summer crop, thanks.
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Bud, Doritos & Dip, a Big Gulp, and Sponge Bob...... I  honestly can't see how that's a BAD thing!!Â
Far out, man....
When the benjamins start to roll in they'll all want a piece......
 eww that smell,cant you smell that smell,the smell thats around you............and the smell coming out your neighbors roof. eww that smell...................
 @F4I Smells better than tobacco smoke...
Did you know if you are allergic to THC it can put you in a coma for days?? Such great stuff isn't it? And that is not with an over dose or laced with anything, just pure THC. Hope no one you know is allergic to it.
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@trulyloved Your original argument was people might potentially be allergic, which is a concern, like any allergy - such as a peanut allergy or bee sting allergy. All very serious. To now come back with a tangent about acting crazy and irresponsible.... Have you seen the effects of alcohol on some people? Oh by the way, you can be allergic to alcohol also.
Peanuts don't make you drive stupid, go crazy and are not a gateway drug to other drugs like meth, heroin etc, like pot is.
@trulyloved you clown. Lets ban peanuts while we're at it!
 @Sovereign  @F4I I'd say it smells better than cigars, about the same as cigarettes, but far worse than good pipe tobacco. My dad smoked a black cherry tobacco in his pipe, and it actually smelled nice.
The âlogicâ in play here from "Project SAM" is more brain-warping that even the strongest PNW cannabis. What would they suggest counteract â⦠stigma of people who have a criminal record for marijuana crimesâ more so than actually changing these ridiculously outdated laws? Only the most entrenched holdover âreefer madnessâ types could argue that position with a straight face.Â
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This genie is out of the bottle and isn't going back in. Letâs instead work on responsible regulation, reliable enforcement and common-sense legislation if weâre serious about âprotecting the childrenâ. Note to âProject SAMâ: Two states have legalized it and the sky still hasn't fallen.Â
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There is no reason for Marijuana to be illigeal anywhere. You know how much we would save and actually MAKE (as a country) if we stopped fighting Marijuana and make it legal, tax the hell out of it.Â
It should be re-classified. If you look at the benefits of cannabis you will notice that it has some positive medicinal effects. I am much better off with MMJ than taking prescription painkillers (most of which are addictive and have actual detrimental physical results including death), muscle relaxants, sleeping pills (which too have their bad side effects), and more.  Also, people who choose marijuana would most likely be less likely to abuse alcohol (not in all cases, but logic would indicate that trend?); which is good because drunk drivers run right through stop signs without slowing down, while those under the influence of marijuana will most likely approach the stop sign very slowly then wait for the stop sign to turn green (my way of saying that both are not good for driving, but marijuana would probably not have as dangerous of a result, plus, no dead brain cells or addiction likely). While some may get addicted to marijuana (actually more like a dependence), the likelihood of addiction and physical damage is much greater with the other choices such as Alcohol, Sleeping Pills, Vicodin, Oxy..., etc.Â
 @The Truth The THC is one of the most beneficial parts of the plant. That high that the government doesn't want you to enjoy has very beneficial effects on your mental health. Much better than taking all these prescription psycho active drugs that your doctor?pharmacist like to prescribe.
And if you are allergic to it, you will go into a coma for days or even die! Oh, forgot to mention that one huh? One less druggie I guess....
 @Blindman  @The Truth OK, I'm all in favor of legalization, but a cure for mental illness? I don't think so.
 @Powderhound Anger management, yes... mental illness, no.
 @Scoondog  Works great for anger management!
 @The Truth Just like anything from alcohol, to cheese burgers to sleeping pills, over use is never a good thing. I'm sure it will be a big party for a few years, but I hope we work to keep everyone safe.
@The Truth
And they have just learned how to extract the THC so it can be medically taken without folks getting high, so smokinâ and tokenâ is no longer requiredâ¦..
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NOW how do you feel about THC?
 @dome200q They didn't "just" learn that. They've been doing that for many years. And it doesn't work very well for most.
@Sovereign - Â Strange that it didn't hit mainstream media until a week after the elections.....
Now that the Dutch, Swedes, and British are in the process of releasing research reports that definetely link marijuana use to Schizophrenia and other mental illness it is only natural that we would be in the process of making it legal.  The Dutch have been using it for the last 50 years and they are finally coming to the conclusion of how really bad it is.
Well of course, you live in washington, where all the stupid hippies, and tree huggers live and anti gender idiots reside. How do you expect any of those to make a decent decision?Â
@Semper Fi Seems pretty obvious to me that a 40 year war hasn't stopped it and so I find it hard to believe making it legal and regulating it is going to create an even bigger problem than we already have. The difference is maybe we can quit bleeding money in an effort to win an unwinable war. There's a demand and if people choose to abuse anything no amount of laws are going to change that.
@Semper Fi Keeping it illegal is not going to stop it's use, we already know that. We have fought a war against it for the past 40 years and spent billions with no end result in sight. Since people are going to use it regardless it makes more sense to have it regulated than to keep spending billions more in a war we can't win against it. People are going to do what they are going to do and if they choose to abuse it there isn't anything that can be done about that.
 @Semper Fi I personally know two people who went schitzo, and a 3rd who is on his way. These were 2-3 smokes a day people. Over use of ANYTHING can be bad for you.
 @Xirxious Oh, look. A cute little anecdote.
 @Semper Fi Causality has not been proven. It is likely that pot exacerbates schizophrenia for those who already have it, which could be said of legal substances such as alcohol as well. "while marijuana went from being a secret shared by a small community of hepcats and beatniks in the 1940s and '50s to a rite of passage for some 70% of youth by the turn of the century, rates of schizophrenia in the U.S. have remained flat, or possibly declined. For as long as it has been tracked, schizophrenia has been found to affect about 1% of the population. One explanation may be that the two factors are coincidental, not causal: perhaps people who have a genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia also happen to especially enjoy marijuana. Still, some studies suggest that smoking pot can actually trigger the disease earlier in individuals who are predisposed, and yet researchers still aren't seeing increases in the overall schizophrenia rate or decreases in the average age of onset. " ...Quote from here: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2005559,00.html
@Semper Fi there is 0 link between marijuana use and schizophrenia, the only time it effects schizo's is when they use it while already under the influence of that mental illness, it has never been linked and never will be to causing set illness because it doesn't. As far as hazardous effects of it there really are none, it has a death toll of 0 which if you're keeping count is less then air.
under the influence of that mental illness, like they had a choice to take a pill and be skitzo??? And are we going to be checking if a skitzo is buying pot??? Oh no they shouldn't need to do that, its just pot no big deal right. We can let them smoke it go even more crazy grab thier mommy's gun and shoot everyone in sight?
 @Semper Fi Lol, and how really bad is it? If you're predefined for schizophrenia, yes, you probably shouldn't use it. Other than that, however, it is by far the safest recreational drug on earth. Learn things.
Oh, and by the way. You all sound like your parents and grandparent when they were talking about how harmless tobacco, alcohol, and LSD were. Were they right? Neither are you.
 @Semper Fi Almost everyone one I know smokes pot. Nobody I know that smokes pot has schizophrenia.
I am responding to all commenters on this line. I watched a documentary on Canadian Broadcast Cystem. They interviewed Dutch researchers and their findings were that it is not safe and long term use greatly increases your chances of mental illness. Fight the research all you want, but it doesn't change the facts or the conclusions. Â
 @Semper Fi You watched a documentary in which they interviewed a few people and now you think you're in the know?
effort has been building for DECADES
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ACTION is happening now...
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love the bearzooka bear totally awesome!!!