Blizzard Warning in Hell? The US House Votes to Legalize Pot! Rep. Denver Riggleman Votes YES!

HMMMMMM…..

I was startled to see that the US House has actually voted to legalize marijuana. Not decriminalized but made legal. Here is Reason magazine’s analysis of the bill:

In addition to removing marijuana from the CSA’s schedules of controlled substances, the MORE Act would require automatic expungement of federal marijuana convictions. Currently there is no expungement process at all for federal crimes, and state expungement typically requires petitions by individual offenders. The bill would require judges to vacate the sentences of people currently serving time for federal marijuana offenses when they request a hearing. It also would prohibit the denial of federal public benefits because of convictions involving cannabis consumption and eliminate immigration disabilities based on marijuana-related conduct.

Less promisingly, the bill would impose a 5 percent federal tax on cannabis products, rising to 6 percent after two years, 7 percent after three years, and 8 percent after four years. The revenue would be assigned to drug treatment, “services for individuals adversely impacted by the War on Drugs,” loans for marijuana businesses owned by “socially and economically disadvantaged individuals,” and grants aimed at reducing “barriers to cannabis licensing and employment for individuals adversely impacted by the War on Drugs.”

More interesting, is the YES vote on the bill of Virginia’s own Denver Riggleman:

Gaetz and Amash proposed an unsuccessful amendment that would have eliminated those “social equity” provisions. Four Republicans—Reps. Tom McClintock (Calif.), Don Young (Alaska), Denver Riggleman (Va.), and Brian Mast (Fla.)—joined Gaetz and Amash in voting for the final bill.

How would Sandy have voted? Probably yes on both the Gaetz and Amash amendment and the final bill. There is no reason to have Federal drug laws other than interstate or cross-border transport or of course to ensure purity and safety and maybe other reasons not arising here. Riggleman deserves our thanks. Repealing the pot laws will also say NO in part to yet another foreign treaty – used by outsiders to meddle in our business. Here are two examples.