In a bipartisan display of support for libertarian values, Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Corey Booker (D-NJ) offered a medical marijuana amendment on the floor of the senate today. The bill is similar in scope to the groundbreaking legislation which passed the House of Representatives recently. The bill would outlaw the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Agency from undermining state marijuana laws.
The amendment would also go so far as to prohibit the DEA from interfering with the production of hemp in states where it is legal. Hemp is widely known to be non-narcotic, as one congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) demonstrated recently when he consumed hemp products on live television and did not die.
Director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance Bill Piper said, “The House just made history last month by voting to stop the DEA from interfering with state marijuana laws. Now every U.S. Senator has the opportunity to provide relief for the sick and dying – and to be on the right side of history, not to mention public opinion.”
Letting states set their own medical marijuana policy without federal interference is not just the right thing to do – it’s also very popular with voters in both parties,” said Piper. “No American should have to live in fear of arrest and prosecution for following their doctor’s advice. We’re going to make sure voters know which Senators vote to protect their states and which do not.
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking in the state of New York, where Governor Cuomo is dithering on whether or not to pass a bill that would legalize medical marijuana in the state. Parents of sick children are lobbying hard for the right to treat their children with seizures with a drug that is widely known to help alleviate the harsh symptoms of epilepsy.
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