Have a hit offa this...
Conservative Bob Barr's grass root effort to weed out bad law...
"Bob Barr, who as a Georgia congressman authored a successful amendment that blocked D.C. from implementing a medical marijuana initiative, has switched sides and become a lobbyist for the Marijuana Policy Project.
But that doesn't mean he has become a bong-ripping hippie. He isn't pro-drug, he said, just against government intrusion.
"I, over the years, have taken a very strong stand on drug issues, but in light of the tremendous growth of government power since 9/11, it has forced me and other conservatives to go back and take a renewed look at how big and powerful we want the government to be in people's lives," Barr said."
Stunning ...
I totally forgot what I was going to say ....
Oh yeah, stunning that in 1998, DC voters overwhelmingly approved a measure that legalized marijuana for medical treatment, Barr's amendment struck it down .. and now he's done a complete flip-flop.
Some people say that the federal government has no right to regulate marijuana anyway .. which makes it a states rights issue. Some states have voted yes, marijuana can be used for medicinal purposes, and that a small amount can be grown for personal use. Then the federal government comes in and says NO. A clear violation of state's rights .. big government riding herd over the wishes of the citizens of that state.
Maybe at some point this country is going to get into so much trouble with greater budget deficits, and the outcry over higher taxes becomes so deafening, that the government will be forced to consider ending the BS war on marijuana .. and legalize it .. and tax it. Think of the money they could rake in .. not to mention the bonus of doing away with many of the drug smugglers/dealers at the same time.
Conservatives like Bob Barr are going to help pave the way.
With the baby boomers retiring in droves and clamoring for their social security and prescription drugs, they're all going to remember that they made it just fine through the 60's .. and taxing demon weed would work pretty good to keep the SS checks rolling in. They'd vote for legalization.
You know .. come to think of it, I'll bet all those Republicans in the White House smoke weed .. explains how they manage to FUBAR everything they touch.
Seriously, everyone forgets this country's rich hemp history .. the Mayflower was outfitted with hemp sails and ropes .. John Adams drafted the Articles of Confederation on hemp paper .. Betsy Ross made the first flag of the United States of America out of the finest, strongest fiber available, hemp fabric.
Americans were even legally bound to grow hemp during the Colonial Era and Early Republic .. it was second only to tobacco as the best cash crop. George Washington grew hemp at Mount Vernon, and kept a planting diary .. the same thing for Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.
No, it wasn't really used for smoking, it was used for everything from rope, fishnets, the weaving of fabric, making paper .. even saddles and shoes.
Everything was fine until 1937 when Congress passed the Marihuana Tax Act .. which started the era of hemp prohibition. American farmers had to give up growing hemp because of the expensive tax and licensing regulations. The chief promoter of the Tax Act, Harry Anslinger, began traveling around the world promoting anti-marijuana legislation.
My funny friend says, "I'll never understand why conservatives hate the plant that proves God loves us."
