Hosted By:
The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation

When:
Saturday, September 12, 2009

Where:
Kelley Point Park
Kelley Point Park Rd
Portland

Description:
John Trudell, Folk Uke, The Human Revolution, Jack Herer, The State of Jefferson, Herbivores, Los Marijuanos, Tim Pate, Paul Stanford, Madeline Martinez, Russ Belville, Sandpeople, Binghi and 7th Seal, Sister Sativa, Allen St. Pierre, NORML, Rocker-T, Pass Margo, Marquee and more.

Click Here To View Event

By Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director



Washington, DC: Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank, along with co-sponsors Ron Paul (R-TX); Maurice Hinchey (D-NY); Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA); and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), will reintroduce legislation today to limit the federal government’s authority to arrest and prosecute minor marijuana offenders.


The measure, entitled an “Act to Remove Federal Penalties for Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults,” would eliminate federal penalties for the personal possession of up to 100 grams (over three and one-half ounces) of cannabis and for the not-for-profit transfer of up to one ounce of pot – making the prosecutions of these offenses strictly a state matter.


Under federal law, defendants found guilty of possessing small amounts of cannabis for their own personal use face up to one year imprisonment and a $1,000 fine.


Passage of this act would provide state lawmakers the choice to maintain their current penalties for minor marijuana offenses or eliminate them completely. Lawmakers would also have the option to explore legal alternatives to tax and regulate the adult use and distribution of cannabis free from federal interference.


To date, thirteen states have enacted laws ‘decriminalizing’ the possession of marijuana by adults. Minor marijuana offenders face a citation and small fine in lieu of a criminal arrest or time in jail.


“The federal government has much more important business to attend to than targeting, arresting and prosecuting adults who use marijuana responsibly,” NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said. “This is an issue that ought to be handled by the states, not the Feds.”


According to nationwide polls, three out of four voters believe that adults who possess marijuana should not face arrest or jail, and one out of two now say that cannabis should be regulated like alcohol.


The reintroduction of the Frank/Paul bill comes one week after the duo reintroduced HR 2835, The Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act of 2009 – which seeks to halt federal interference in states that have enacted medical marijuana laws – and just days after Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) called for federal legislation to sentence certain first-time marijuana offenders to 25 years in prison.


“The US Congress has a definite choice,” said St. Pierre. “They can choose the path of compassion, fiscal responsibility, and common sense by supporting Barney Frank’s and Ron Paul’s efforts, or they can continue down America’s failed drug war path by endorsing Rep. Kirk’s draconian legislation. It is abundantly clear which direction the voters wish to go; will their elected officials follow?”


Additional information about the ‘Act to Remove Federal Penalties for Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults’ is available at NORML’s Take Action Center.


Related: Barney Frank Introduces Marijuana Legislation
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-weigant/barney-frank-introduces-m_b_219263.html

Source: http://blog.norml.org/2009/06/18/lawmakers-call-for-an-end-to-federal-marijuana-prosecutions/

Marijuana: It's Time for a Conversation

Across the nation, people are beginning to reconsider our marijuana laws. In 2006, America set a new record by arresting over 800,000 individuals for marijuana offenses; 89% of these arrests were for simple possession only. Marijuana remains as available as ever through an unregulated illegal market. Enforcement of marijuana laws costs taxpayers billions of dollars each year – precious public safety resources that could be directed toward more important priorities and more effective policies.

The award-winning "Marijuana: It's Time for a Conversation" invites viewers to consider whether these laws are working for us or against us.

• What does marijuana law enforcement cost us in tax dollars?
• How effective is prohibition at controlling marijuana use and availability?
• What are the social consequences of marijuana prohibition?
• Are the consequences of marijuana arrests and convictions fair? Are the laws applied fairly to all Americans?
• How did we end up with these laws in the first place?
• Is marijuana prohibition doing more harm than good?

Sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union and featuring noted travel writer and television host Rick Steves, "Marijuana: It's Time for a Conversation" begins a long-overdue public discussion about marijuana and marijuana prohibition.

Source: http://www.marijuanaconversation.org/

Hemp oil, with its superior Essential Fatty Acid (EFA) content deeply pentrates the skin to assist cells in rebuilding the cell membrane, making it soft and healthy.

With the Cannabis Tax Act, profits from the sale of cannabis will help create and fund an agricultural committee to promote hemp fiber, protein and oil crops and associated industries. It will provide millions of dollars a year to implement this important change.

Let's give our farmers back this valuable and environmentally necessary commodity.

In the United States, the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act, Pub. 238, 75th Congress, 50 Stat. 551 (Aug. 2, 1937), was an important bill on the path that led to the criminalization of cannabis. It was introduced to U.S. Congress by "Drug Czar" Harry Anslinger, then Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics.

The following are excerpts of Mr. Anslinger's testimony before a Senate hearing on marijuana in 1937:

"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use.  This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others."

"...the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races."

"Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death."

"You smoke a joint and you're likely to kill your brother."

"Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind."


Harry Anslinger The trafic in narcotics (1953)

"Medical experts agree on the complete unpredictability of the effect of marihuana on different individuals. A small dose taken by one subject may bring about intense intoxication, raving fits, criminal assaults. Another subject can consume large amounts without experiencing any reaction except stupefaction. It is this unpredictable effect which makes of marihuana one of the most dangerous drugs known. Moreover, every individual will react in a different degree to the same dosage of this narcotic, depending on his physiological and emotional constitution.