There’s something so very similar to admitting to being a homosexual and admitting publicly that you support the legalization of marijuana. One of our favorite (D) Congressmen, openly out-of-the-closet, Barnett “Barney” Frank known as “one of the brightest and most energetic defenders of civil rights issues”, representing the Fourth Congressional District of Massachusetts, has done both many times. And, he has just introduced a bold new bill into congress that would allow states to make their own medical marijuana laws free of federal interference. Finally!
The bill, HR 2835, would move marijuana from the FDA’s Schedule I to Schedule II. Currently, that Schedule I designation allows the Feds to keep their heads in the sand and pretend that cannabis has no medical value, has a high risk of abuse and is extremely harmful. By keeping marijuana in Schedule I, the federal government makes research impossible. Now, porting weed over to a Schedule II designation would recognize its medical value, allow safe access to weed for research and would set in motion some regulatory framework so the Feds could begin a drug approval process for marijuana.
Sounds pretty awesome, right? Well, it gets even better. Frank’s legislation would also explicitly protect patients from federal arrest in state’s where medical marijuana is legal.
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