Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act H.R.2835 was introduced June 11, 2009 by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) along with Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Farr, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Paul, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Thompson of California, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr. Stark, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Olver, and Ms. Baldwin

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c111:1:./temp/~c111WNKdlj::

Along with Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009 H.R.2943 was introduced June 18, 2009 by Rep. Barney Frank along with Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Paul, Mr. Rohrabacher, and Mr. Hinchey

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c111:2:./temp/~c111gyz2zY::

Congressman Barney Frank is author of the States’ Rights to Medical Marijuana Act (H.R. 2592), an attempt to stop federal government from intervening with states’ medical marijuana laws. He has consistently voted for the bipartisan Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment, annually proposed by Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), that would prohibit the United States Department of Justice from prosecuting medical marijuana patients.

In March 2008, he proposed the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008 (HR 5843), which would decriminalize small amounts for personal use of the drug. Congressman Brank Frank commented on legislation to remove federal criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use stated “In a free society a large degree of human activity is none of the government’s business. We should make criminal what’s going to hurt other people and others than that we should leave it to people to make their own choices.”

Cosponsors [as of July 16, 2009]
Rep. Tammy Baldwin [D-WI]
Rep. Earl Blumenauer [D-OR]
Rep. Steve Cohen [D-TN]
Rep. Peter DeFazio [D-OR]
Rep. Keith Ellison [D-MN]
Rep. Sam Farr [D-CA]
Rep. Bob Filner [D-CA]
Rep. Raul Grijalva [D-AZ]
Rep. Maurice Hinchey [D-NY]
Rep. Michael Honda [D-CA]
Rep. Dennis Kucinich [D-OH]
Rep. James McDermott [D-WA]
Rep. James McGovern [D-MA]
Rep. George Miller [D-CA]
Rep. James Moran [D-VA]
Rep. John Olver [D-MA]
Rep. Ronald Paul [R-TX]
Rep. Jared Polis [D-CO]
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher [R-CA]
Rep. Steven Rothman [D-NJ]
Rep. Fortney Stark [D-CA]
Rep. Michael Thompson [D-CA]
Rep. Robert Wexler [D-FL]
Rep. Lynn Woolsey [D-CA]

Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009
June 24, 2009

Dear Colleague,

Last Thursday, we reintroduced HR 2943, the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009, which would remove federal penalties for the personal use of 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of marijuana by responsible adults. This bill was introduced as H.R. 5843 during the 110th Congress. The Act would not affect existing state or local laws, or any federal laws prohibiting the cultivation, sale for profit, or the import and export of marijuana.

Polls show that a majority of Americans favor the reduction of penalties for individuals who possess and use marijuana within certain limits. It is clear that as misinformation regarding the drug continues to be corrected, more people are moving to support its decriminalization. At this critical juncture in our economic history, we can no longer afford to spend money on a drug enforcement program that the public no longer supports, and which consumes law enforcement’s valuable resources and time. The federal government should remove the current conflict with state law and allow states to decide on these matters for themselves. Twelve states already have laws that significantly reduce penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana, in many cases providing for a mere civil fine. The states are: California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Oregon.

WHAT THE BILL WILL NOT DO

• It would not affect federal laws prohibiting the sale of marijuana for profit, import and export of marijuana, or manufacturing (cultivating) marijuana.
• It would not legalize major drug dealing or create obstacles for agents of the federal government seeking to prevent major drug dealing.
• It would not affect any state or local laws and regulations.
• It would not alter the legal status of marijuana as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et. seq.).

Please join us in supporting common-sense legislation that will bring federal law up to date. If you would like to become a cosponsor of Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009, please contact Pilar Falo in Congressman Barney Frank’s office; Adam Dick in Ron Paul’s office; Jeff Vanderslice in Congressman Dana Rohrabacher’s office or Namrata Mujumdar in Congressman Maurice Hinchey’s office.

Rep. Barney Frank
Rep. Ron Paul
Rep. Maurice Hinchey
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher

GARDEN GROVE – The city has paid out $139,000 in attorney’s fees to medical marijuana advocates, bringing to an end a four-year court battle in which the city fought the return of a patient’s 8 grams in spite of repeated court decisions ordering the city to give his marijuana back.

Americans for Safe Access received the check Wednesday as part of a settlement agreement in the case involving Felix Kha, whose marijuana was seized during a traffic stop. He was issued a citation.

Including this payment, the city has spent about $250,000 on this case, City Attorney Thomas Nixon said today.

Even at inflated dispensary prices eight grams of marijuana is worth less than $200. I know a quarter million dollars is just a drop in the bucket compared to the city budget, but when it looks like you’ve got a hiring freeze and the local education district is wailing about state budget cuts, blowing that much bank in an unsuccessful attempt to not give back legal medical marijuana to a legal medical marijuana patient in a state that overwhelmingly supports legal medical marijuana, why, that’s just looks bad.

Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, a strong proponent of changing federal law to allow use of marijuana for medical and personal use, said he and other members of Congress are working to end this dichotomy between federal and state law.

“I believe federal laws relating to marijuana especially when they are different from state laws, are counter-productive,” he said.

But to spend $250,000 to prevent an adult from consuming a small amount of marijuana for medical purposes or otherwise is nonsensical, Rohrabacher said.

“Anybody who can say with a straight face that spending that amount of money on this matter in a time when resources are tight, cannot be taken seriously,” he said.

It’s not that taxing marijuana would necessarily rescue the economy, President Obama, it’s that spending money on a proven futile attempt to stop adults from smoking pot is a luxury we can no longer afford.

Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank, along with a bipartisan coalition of 9 co-sponsors (see below), will reintroduce legislation in Congress today to strengthen legal protections for state-authorized medical marijuana patients.

The bill, entitled the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act of 2009, seeks to amend the discrepancy between federal law and the laws of over a dozen states that have enacted regulations governing the therapeutic use of cannabis.

Thirteen states – Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington – have enacted laws prohibiting medical marijuana patients from state prosecution. Passage of the the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act would ensure that medical cannabis patients who are compliant with state would no longer have to fear arrest or prosecution from federal law enforcement agencies.

Previous versions of the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act were introduced in both the 108th and 109th Congress, but failed to receive a public hearing or a committee vote.

While campaigning for the presidency, Barack Obama promised not to use Justice Department resources “to try and circumvent state (medical marijuana) laws” — a pledge that has been repeated in recent months by US Attorney General Eric Holder. Nevertheless, agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration have continued to target medical marijuana providers in states that allow for the drug’s use.

To support the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act of 2009, please log on to NORML’s Take Action Center here.

Co-sponsors of the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act of 2009

• Barney Frank (D-MA)
• Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
• Sam Farr (D-CA)
• Jim McDermott (D-WA)
• Ron Paul (R-TX)
• Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
• Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)
• Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)
• Mike Thompson (D-CA)
• George Miller (D-CA)