Pro-marijuana bills gaining momentum in Congress

Rep. Matt Gaetz calls himself a "constitutional conservative." Joining other Republicans in rolling back environmental regulations wasn't enough for the 34-year-old freshman congressman from a conservative district in Florida. Not long after arriving on Capitol Hill, Gaetz introduced a bill that would get rid of the Environmental Protection Agency altogether.

That bill generated headlines but remains stuck in committee, and now Gaetz is looking to make another splash with a completely different issue: marijuana. Earlier this week, his office tweeted infographics listing different diseases that are treated with medical marijuana and posted another graphic detailing the social costs of marijuana prohibition on Facebook. The posts suggested that Gaetz and Rep. Darren Soto (D), a fellow Floridian, are preparing to introduce legislation that would take marijuana off the federal government's Schedule I list of drugs considered too dangerous to be legal for any purpose, including medicine.

Expanding access to marijuana is certainly not on the GOP's agenda, and has never been a top priority among congressional Democrats either. So, why is a self-described conservative sticking up for medical weed?

For years, even liberal lawmakers told marijuana advocates that while reform may be a good idea, the political will to make it happen did not exist, at least at the federal level. That is all starting to change now that legalization is becoming increasingly popular in the polls and more states are moving ahead with reforms, despite the Trump administration's pledges to crack down on illicit drugs, potentially including marijuana.

Gaetz is expected to propose placing marijuana on the government's Schedule II list, where it would still be considered to have a "high potential for abuse" but also accepted medical uses. Opioids such as fentanyl and morphine are currently categorized as Schedule II drugs. Marijuana is, of course, far less dangerous than morphine. Justin Strekal, the political director at the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said placing marijuana on Schedule II is timid compared others proposed reforms, but it's an encouraging sign.

"A Republican from Florida directing their office staff to make little memes about medical marijuana [on social media]…that's a good thing to see," Strekal told Truthout.

Will Jeff Sessions Target Legal Weed?

Gaetz, who previously ushered limited medical cannabis measures through the Florida legislature, is not the only lawmaker working on weed policy. Congress recently saw the creation of a bipartisan "Cannabis Caucus" along with a flurry of proposed marijuana reforms, including two bills that would legalize marijuana nationwide. Voters in eight states approved ballot measures legalizing either recreational or medical weed in last November's election, and legislation to decriminalize or legalize marijuana is on the move in cities and states across the country.

These efforts come amid widespread speculation over how Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the outspoken marijuana prohibitionist that President Trump picked to roll out his "law and order" agenda at the Justice Department, will proceed.

Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, and both Sessions and the White House have sent mixed messages about federal marijuana enforcement, raising fears about a possible crackdown in states where the drug is legal for recreational use. On Thursday, Sessions issued a memo asking a new crime reduction task force created by the White House to review federal policies on marijuana enforcement and report back to him by July, providing advocates with a time frame in which to expect further policy moves by the Trump administration.

Under President Obama, the Justice Department adopted a policy that generally prevented federal raids on marijuana businesses that comply with state laws, while continuing to target unlicensed marijuana operations. As a result, the number of federal prison sentences for marijuana violations has dropped dramatically since 2012, according to NORML. Still, 3,000 people -- the overwhelming majority of them people of color -- received federal sentences in 2016 alone.

Sessions has called the Obama-era policy "valid" and may choose not to scrap it, but advocates warn that the attorney general has plenty of leeway to disrupt state-legal markets as long as marijuana remains prohibited at the federal level. The uncertainty has left states with legal marijuana programs anxious. On Monday, the governors of Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington sent a letter to the Justice Department asking Sessions to consult with them before making any changes to the policy established under Obama.

States that have legalized weed are now considering so-called "sanctuary" legislation to protect their legitimate marijuana businesses from the Trump administration. Last week, California Rep. Reggie Jones-Sawyer introduced a bill in the state's legislature that would bar state and local agencies from teaming up with federal law enforcement to take action against legitimate marijuana businesses, unless they receive a court order. Medical marijuana has been legal in California for years, and last year voters approved a ballot initiative for recreational use.

"I want to stop law enforcement from impeding on one of the best businesses we can start for the next millennium," Jones-Sawyer told reporters last week.

The Trump administration has indicated that it is not interested in going after medical cannabis, and Colorado lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow recreational marijuana businesses to reclassify their products as medical products "due to change in local, state or federal law enforcement policy."

"In the grand scheme of things, I think Sessions is [a] new catalyst for urgency for states and Congress to take action," Strekal said.

Congress Considers a Flurry of Marijuana Bills

In Congress, the legislation currently receiving the most attention is the Marijuana Revenue and Regulation Act, a bill recently introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colorado) that would remove marijuana from drug scheduling entirely and set up a basic federal taxation and regulatory structure, allowing states to establish their own polices free from interference by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The bill is part of a package from the Cannabis Caucus that would shield individual consumers from federal prosecution and remove tax and criminal penalties that have made it difficult for marijuana businesses to access banking and other financial services.

Perhaps the most important legislation for marijuana advocates is a bill and a separate pair of budget amendments that would protect states with legal weed from federal prosecution. The proposals are designed to stop Sessions from targeting states with legal weed, even if Trump's crime task force decides that a crackdown is a good idea.

A budget amendment preventing federal prosecution of state-legal medical marijuana activities passed last year, but another amendment protecting recreational marijuana narrowly failed. Strekal said the recreational measure, which was also introduced by Rep. Polis, has a much better chance this year now that more states have passed legalization measures. However, as a budget rider, it's only good for one year. That leaves Congress with more work to do if legalized states are to be protected from the Trump administration over the course of his term.

"We absolutely expect to see advancement of legislation in Congress, but will it be the end of prohibition in this Congress? Probably not," Strekal said. "But we are cautiously optimistic about a swelling of political will behind this."

Source

Government persecutes Campaign For Liberty

From Campaign For Liberty:

I've been bracing for this for months now.

Recently, my attorneys informed me the IRS has launched a new attack on Campaign for Liberty.

The IRS is now demanding sensitive contributor information on C4L donors going all the way back to 2012!

I've instructed Campaign for Liberty staff to give them absolutely nothing until I hear from you.

This assault is flat-out UNCONSTITUTIONAL and illegal.

But I'm not naïve.

I know that more legal threats and hefty fines designed to cripple Campaign for Liberty – or even force us to shut our doors – are right around the corner.

And I don't think it's any accident this is happening right in the midst of our fights to finally audit the Federal Reserve and stop the NSA's out-of-control domestic spying schemes!

But the truth is, I have a decision to make - a critical decision that could affect Campaign for Liberty's very survival in the months ahead.

Do I fight on? Do I risk everything? Do I tell the statist IRS to go fly a kite?

Or should Campaign for Liberty just pay up, keep our head down, and hope this never happens again?

I'm afraid those are my only options.

That's why I urgently need your advice.

So, I've included a special "IRS Battle Survey" with this letter. Will you please fill it out, and return it to me right away?

The truth is, I must hear from you IMMEDIATELY.

Even after Campaign for Liberty members and supporters finally forced the IRS to back down during our standoff last year, I knew there would be more assaults in the works.

And as I warned you not long ago, my worry was they would try to weaken our liberty movement right in the midst of our most critical legislative efforts – right when it matters most!

Now – with congressional fights over NSA spying and the Federal Reserve smearing anyone who dares question their secrecy - it's happening.

What the IRS is demanding from Campaign for Liberty is contributor information on some of our top donors - pointing to a rarely enforced and unconstitutional bureaucratic rule.

As a 501(c)(4) organization under IRS law, all Campaign for Liberty contributor information is supposed to be confidential.

This is a critical protection I wholeheartedly support.

Privacy and liberty go hand-in-hand.

When Thomas Paine published his pamphlet Common Sense in 1776, he did so anonymously.

Forcing organizations like Campaign for Liberty to publicize donor information would have an incredibly chilling effect on political free speech.

Many liberty-loving Americans would silence themselves for fear of becoming targets of political "retribution."

And after the Obama IRS was caught red-handed targeting pro-limited government groups for harassment and intimidation, these fears could not be more well-founded.

So there's no way I would ever just hand this kind of information over to these government bureaucrats.

That's not an option. Campaign for Liberty is prepared to lead this fight on behalf of all freedom-loving Americans. But I need you to tell me what to do. Please tell me how I should respond to this new IRS threat.

When we filed annual reports with the IRS as required by law, we refused to provide this information.

Now, the IRS is demanding this information – from all the way back in 2012!

But the truth is, the IRS has only occasionally sought to "enforce" their ridiculous rule.

And for good reason. Several years ago, the National Organization for Marriage complied with IRS demands and promptly saw their donor information publicized. The IRS was forced to pay a fine to the organization and issue a public apology.

I'm afraid the real reason they're coming after Campaign for Liberty is something far more sinister.

They know more Americans are beginning to agree with you and me.

They know our r3VOLution is growing stronger by the day.

Americans are fed up with BOTH parties' out-of-control spending, unconstitutional spying, backroom "deals," and weekly assaults on our remaining freedoms.

That's why Campaign for Liberty is being targeted.

That's why the statists in BOTH parties want so much to shut us up and shut us down.

I'm afraid without your support and advice today, they could very well get their wish.

I have no doubt if I took the IRS to court over its ridiculous demands, Campaign for Liberty would win, hands down.

But I'm afraid that's not what this is about.

Campaign for Liberty is run on a shoestring budget.

We don't have millions lying around in the bank.

This is about draining us.

This is about forcing me to take resources from other critical programs like Audit the Fed just to keep our doors open!

That's why I want so badly to just say "NO!"

But without an IMMEDIATE influx of funds, I'm afraid we'll be sitting ducks.

I just won't be able to pay for everything.

But the alternative could be worse.

Paying any fine the IRS levies and complying with the IRS' demands - just to exercise our rights as American citizens to petition our government – may be cheaper in the short run.

But it'll simply embolden the IRS and an alphabet soup of other federal agencies to come after us.

This is the price you pay for daring to stand up to a federal government that wants to keep taxing, spending, and printing every American into the poorhouse.

So what do I do?

Won't you please fill out your "IRS Battle Survey" right away?

I'm going to ask my staff to tally up the votes, and I will proceed as C4L's generous members and supporters tell me to.

The decision is in your hands.

But if you tell me to fight, please realize this is serious.

Any potential legal fight is going to take money - money Campaign for Liberty does not have lying around.

So I must ask you to agree to an emergency gift of $30 .

I know that's a lot. But this is the IRS we're talking about. This is not a game.

I have to ask all Campaign for Liberty supporters to go above and beyond what they've done in the past.

But if $30 is just too much, won't you please agree to $20 , or at least $10 ?

This is not something I can just put off. I need to hear from you right away. I'm anxiously awaiting your response.

Please fill out your "IRS Battle Survey" and agree to your most generous gift of $30 , $20 , or at least $10 TODAY.

For Liberty

Ron Paul
Chairman

P.S. The IRS has struck again. Campaign for Liberty received a letter DEMANDING we turn over sensitive contributor information to the IRS!

The statists' goal is to cripple Campaign for Liberty and perhaps even force us to shut our doors. So I need you to tell me how I should respond to this new IRS threat using your "IRS Battle ?Survey."

And if you possibly can, please agree to your most generous gift of $30 , $20 , or at least $10 to help Campaign for Liberty fight back TODAY!

Federal government pushes its weight around in Arizona

I need your help.

Let me lay it out for you. I continue to be under attack by Barack Obama's federal government.

Two years ago, the Obama Justice Department sued me for so-called "civil rights" violations which turned out to be purely politically motivated, based on the timing of their lawsuit. Filed just months before the election, it was a blatant attempt on their part to influence my re-election as Sheriff.

But I won with your support.

Then, just two months after I was re-elected after being targeted by the media and millions of dollars in outside special interest groups, a recall campaign was launched against me.

But I beat them with your support.

Then, in the middle of the recall effort a federal judge claimed that my office engaged in racial profiling while we were enforcing illegal immigration laws. My office was following the guidelines that were laid out to us by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Yet, I'm the one they pin the "racial profiling" label on.

That same judge has now ordered a "federal monitor" to oversee the actions of my office. This is an egregious attempt by the federal government to take over my office and keep me from doing the job I was elected to do.

Shortly after that judge's ruling, another federal judge ruled that we can no longer detain illegal immigrants that pay a coyote, or professional smuggler, to sneak them across our borders! You see, Arizona passed a law years ago that made human smuggling a crime. Yet, in every other instance, paying someone to break the law for you means that you too are guilty of a crime. But now, a federal judge is saying local law enforcement has no power to detain these criminals.

Do you see a pattern here? The federal government is going out of their way to tie the hands of my office and my deputies to enforce the law - and take over the office of a constitutionally elected Sheriff! This is unacceptable and it is why we are appealing these rulings. We'll go all the way to the Supreme Court if we have to. This aggression will not stand.

But you know how pervasive and aggressive the federal government can be, especially under Barack Obama's Justice Department.

Maricopa County in Arizona has been the gateway into the United States for illegal immigrants, human smuggling, drug-trafficking and illegal weapons for years now. But I'm the bad guy for trying to stop it?

That's why I need your immediate support today. Will you stand with me by following this link and making an instant online contribution of $25, $50, $100 or more?

I am sure this is not the end of it. They'll keep coming after me until I completely surrender. That's not going to happen. I'm going to continue doing the job I was elected to do, and the job the people want me to do.

I've spent 50 years in law enforcement, including as a top official with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration around the world, and 21 years as Sheriff. I'm not about to back down to a bunch of political threats from a federal government that is simply out of control.

Between the federal government harassing me, radical activists protesting and burning me in effigy, and the numerous death threats against me and my family, it would be easy to surrender in this fight, retire from office and go away. But I won't do that.

I'm going to keep fighting for what I know is right. I took an oath to protect and defend the US Constitution and I will keep that oath until my last breath.

But I need your help. You've been such a strong supporter that I must ask for your help again.

Will you show your immediate support and stand with me by following this link and making an instant online contribution of $25, $50, $100 or more?

I have already filed the necessary paperwork to run for another term - much to the angst and consternation of my political opponents. They would just rather see me worn down and defeated but they have no idea how much more fight I have left in me.

But I cannot do it alone.

Will you please make a contribution to "Elect Sheriff Joe Arpaio" today? Your help and support will give me the resources I need to stand and fight against these groups that wish to see me go away.

And, a new law was recently passed here in Arizona that raises the contribution limits for my campaign. Those new limits are now $5,000 per person, which covers the primary and general election cycles. I know that's a lot, so any amount you can give today, $500, $250, $100, $50 or even $35, is greatly appreciated.

Please click here to make a contribution today. I would be forever grateful if you would continue supporting my efforts and send a signal to my political opponents that I'm not done fighting just yet!

Thank you for everything you have done. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Sheriff Joe Arpaio
Maricopa County, Arizona

P.S. Please don't delete this email. It's clear there is a pattern here that shows the federal government is coming after me. They don't want me to expose their hypocrisy in enforcing illegal immigration laws and it doesn't fit their political agenda. I'm up against the most powerful government in the world and I need your help today! Thank you.

P.P.S. We must get the word out about this. Please do me one more favor after making a contribution please forward this email to at least five of your friends or family members who share our values in upholding the Rule of Law! Again, I thank you for your support.

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