cannabisnews.com: Senator To Introduce Legislation To Legalize MJ
function share_this(num) {
 tit=encodeURIComponent('Senator To Introduce Legislation To Legalize MJ');
 url=encodeURIComponent('http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/27/thread27329.shtml');
 site = new Array(5);
 site[0]='http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u='+url+'&title='+tit;
 site[1]='http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit.php?url='+url+'&title='+tit;
 site[2]='http://digg.com/submit?topic=political_opinion&media=video&url='+url+'&title='+tit;
 site[3]='http://reddit.com/submit?url='+url+'&title='+tit;
 site[4]='http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&noui&jump=close&url='+url+'&title='+tit;
 window.open(site[num],'sharer','toolbar=0,status=0,width=620,height=500');
 return false;
}






Senator To Introduce Legislation To Legalize MJ
Posted by CN Staff on February 11, 2013 at 05:50:50 PT
By Shawn Kellmer, Staff Writer
Source: Citizens' Voice
Pennsylvania -- If state Sen. Daylin Leach gets his way, Pennsylvania would become the next state to legalize marijuana. The Democratic senator, who represents the 17th District in suburban Philadelphia, is to introduce legislation at a press conference today in Harrisburg to decriminalize the use of marijuana for any purpose in Pennsylvania. Leach hopes to end what he calls the "prohibition" of marijuana and treat it the same as certain types of alcohol - regulated by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and sold at Wine and Spirits Shops or by licensed beer distributors.
John Tew, Leach's legislative director, said existing laws are not effective. "Prohibition doesn't make sense and hasn't worked," Tew said. "Most of the harm of marijuana comes from the prohibition than it does from the smoking of the plant." A local drug abuse counselor who supports the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes said Leach's proposal is well-intended but worries that across-the-board legalization will harm children. "We've succeeded in keeping it out of the hands of physicians, but we can't keep it out of the hands of 12-year-olds," said Ed Pane, executive director of Serento Gardens Alcoholism and Drug Services in Hazleton and a board member of Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana. Under Leach's plan, approved stores would sell marijuana only to people over the age of 21, who could not resell the drug or use it in public or before driving. Also, employers would be free to prohibit workers from using marijuana. Other senators, including one serving the Hazleton area, are flatly opposed to legalizing marijuana in any form. Sen. John Gordner, R-Berwick, said he would oppose Leach's legislation, noting that it is not yet up for formal consideration. "There is no support from my senatorial judiciary," Gordner said. Sen. John Yudichak, D-Plymouth Township, did not return calls for comment on Leach's proposal. Kline Township police Chief John Petrilla believes any benefits of Leach's proposal are not worth the risk. "It would be a mistake," Petrilla said. "There was talk about legalization of marijuana since the 1960s. It hasn't been done for a reason. It alters the state of mind. I believe it's a gateway drug. I feel more people might want to try it and they may be more prone to try other things." However, Leach said criminalizing marijuana does far more harm than good. "This policy destroys lives. We want to stop that from happening. We want to stop spending that money" on enforcing the current law, he said. Neill Franklin, executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, is a retired Baltimore narcotics officer who will attend today's press conference as an advocate for the legislation. "Cops see the ineffectiveness and harms of marijuana prohibition up close, every day," Franklin said. "Keeping marijuana illegal doesn't significantly reduce use, but it does give tax-free profits to violent gangs and cartels that control the black market." According to Leach, Pennsylvania can not only save a significant amount of money by ending the war on marijuana but also can make money by taxing the drug. "We have spent billions of dollars investigating, prosecuting, incarcerating and monitoring millions of our fellow citizens who have hurt nobody, damaged no property, breached no peace. Their only 'crime' was smoking a plant which made them feel a bit giddy," Leach said in a memorandum to all state senators. He said Pennsylvania can legalize and regulate marijuana in the same manner as alcohol following Prohibition during the 1920s and the 1930s. "We already have an infrastructure. We can plug marijuana into that system," he said. Leach believes legalizing marijuana will aid the safety of those who choose to use the drug. "People that want marijuana are forced to purchase it from criminals out on the street, and it can be laced with dangerous chemicals," he said. Pane said he favors the Gov. Raymond Shafer Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, which Leach introduced on April 25, 2001, and state Rep. Mark Cohen reintroduced on June 13, 2011. Under this bill, patients could legally use the drug with a doctor's approval and after registering with Pennsylvania's departments of State and Health. Leach said he understands his legislation is a tough sell. "The short term is a battle. Long term, it's inevitable," he said. Sens. Jim Ferlo, D-Pittsburgh, and Lawrence Farnese, D-Philadelphia, will co-sponsor the legislation, Leach said. Source: Citizens' Voice, The (Wilkes-Barre, PA)Author: Shawn Kellmer, Staff WriterPublished: February 11, 2013Copyright: 2013 The Citizens' VoiceContact: yourvoice citizensvoice.comWebsite: http://www.citizensvoice.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/3hKhBtHfCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help 
     
     
     
     




Comment #9 posted by License Guy on February 12, 2013 at 18:51:28 PT:
More harm than good
From the article....However, Leach said criminalizing marijuana does far more harm than good."This policy destroys lives. We want to stop that from happening. We want to stop spending that money" on enforcing the current law, he said.When a simple possession can suspend a persons driver's license for 6 months...causing them to lose a job or drop out of school, plus possession disqualifies them for any type of work license, then criminalizing marijuana absolutely does more harm than good.
OLL info
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by runruff on February 12, 2013 at 09:20:51 PT
The war on the herb is fizzling out.
I read the article over at HuffPo where the Drug Czar was whining and complaining because his boogieman stories have lost their charm and is losing his audience and support.As this professional public trough feeder is finding out, lies have a shelf life and the expiration date on product "Drug War" is up!From now on I will enjoy seeing these professional liars and charlatans go down squealing like a bunch of stuck hogs!
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by kaptinemo on February 11, 2013 at 18:55:10 PT:
'Something he calls prohibition'? Where has this 
guy been for the past ten years? The MSM is echoing the work we began at sites like this over a decade ago. And I daresay that particular ball got rolling right here. The media was not saying the word 'prohibition' in conjunction with the act until we reformers began to make the (painfully obvious) relationship in our LTE's. Now it's everywhere...save in this persons' seemingly demi-consciousness. And this is a 'journalist'? Another vindication of Richard Cowan when he said long ago that part of the reason why this farce has gone on for so long could be summed up in two words: bad journalism.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by FoM on February 11, 2013 at 14:30:22 PT
MikeEEEEE
I think legalization would help to reduce price as long as it wouldn't be taxed to death. Allow people to grow their own if they can't afford to buy it. Taking the profit out will make it all just fade away. As far as the other article I didn't get past the first paragraph. I don't watch very much news anymore. The Republicans have turned me off so badly I don't want to hear any of them talking on the tv news.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by MikeEEEEE on February 11, 2013 at 14:15:54 PT
FoM
Presently, in$urance companie$ can deny a claim for med. marjuana, thats because it's illegal under federal law. If legalized on all levels, in$urance weasels will claim that it's an OTC med.
A doctor once told me, the best way to deal with in$urance companie$ is not to get sick.YOU ARE NOT IN A FREE COUNTRY (executing Americans without charges):
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/02/11-5
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by The GCW on February 11, 2013 at 10:26:08 PT
Prohibitionists are the problem, not cannabis.
This is the type of statement one politician is saying to prohibitionist politicians:"We have spent billions of dollars investigating, prosecuting, incarcerating and monitoring millions of our fellow citizens who have hurt nobody, damaged no property, breached no peace. Their only 'crime' was smoking a plant which made them feel a bit giddy," Leach said in a memorandum to all state senators.(BULL'S EYE, Leach)All the prohibitionists can say is: "flatly opposed to legalizing marijuana in any form."-And not address the facts at all.But the facts are not going away. The statements acknowledging those facts are becoming louder, more frequent and with vengeance. More and more this is an exercise in exposing prohibitionists for what they are: BAD PEOPLE.  
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by FoM on February 11, 2013 at 08:50:31 PT
This Is The Way To Go
The medical marijuana issue has gotten way too complicated but legalization makes more and more sense.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by The GCW on February 11, 2013 at 08:29:19 PT
We need sunglasses, the future is so bright.
I'm reading about many different states spending time and energy to end cannabis prohibition and extermination.I'm guessing many or almost all of those states will fail at the rational effort initially but the tide has changed.Most recently, I believe FoM, added a link to New Hampshire making moves to end cannabis prohibition (yesterday I think), now Penn.States are getting in line to end prohibition. I can't even remember all the states that mentioned doing this since Colorado and Washington did it.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by ekim on February 11, 2013 at 08:14:45 PT
Diane Rehm show on now NPR radio
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-02-11/inside-addiction-treatment
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment