In one of more hilarious bill sponsoring pairings in the history of American politics, openly gay congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts and militant libertarian darling Ron Paul are teaming together to introduce a bill in Congress that would effectively abolish the ridiculous federal laws making marijuana an illegal drug.
A group of House members led by Reps. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and Barney Frank (D-Mass.) plans to introduce legislation Thursday that would legalize the use of marijuana and allow states to develop their own rules on the drug’s use within their borders.
Modeled on the 21st Amendment to the Constitution that repealed the prohibition of alcoholic beverages, the legislation is being cast by the Marijuana Policy Project as the “the first bill ever introduced in Congress to end federal marijuana prohibition.”
The bill would let states legalize, regulate and tax marijuana. It would also “reprioritize federal resources” away from the enforcement of anti-marijuana laws, limiting the federal government’s role in combating cross-border and interstate smuggling, as well as in fighting the growth, use and sale of the drug.
While the chances of the bill being passed in a Republican-controlled House of Representatives are, let’s face it, slim, this is national conversation America is overdue to have. It’s desperately needed, in fact, and I’m not even someone who smokes weed.
And by merely introducing the legislation, these two politicians’ joint effort (Get it?) likely solidified their place in stoner lore for the remainder of time. They’ll be hailed in every stoner movie ever made going forward, just as Ronald Reagan and the Founding Fathers are hailed in every GOP candidate’s campaign speeches. I even look forward to them being immortalized in stoner songs like “Legalize It.”
(Video HT: Hypervocal)