Rep. Barney Frank Offers Legislation to Legalize Marijuana

Massachusetts Democrats says government should not interfere with how people spend their leisure time

By Robert Schlesinger

July 31, 2008 RSS Feed Print

The federal government should stop interfering with people's "leisure" activities, including using marijuana, Rep. Barney Frank said Wednesday, unveiling a bill to remove federal criminal penalties for possessing the drug. "I don't think that it is the government's business to tell you how to spend your leisure time," Frank said, according to the Washington-based Examiner. "There are a lot of things people do that I don't do, and I think that they should be free to do them. There are things that I do that other people don't do, and I ought to be free to do them." While Frank is a senior Democrat and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, he conceded that there is little chance of the bill becoming law anytime soon.

The legalization debate has been ongoing in USNews.com's Opinion section, where Peter Moskos of John Jay College of Criminal Justice argues in favor, while former Drug Czar Lee P. Brown says we should not decriminalize. Should drugs be legalized?

Tags:
Barney Frank,
drugs,
law,
marijuana

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I believe marijuana should be legalized, and I'm not just saying this just so people can finally smoke it without being arrested. I believe that marijuana could help out our economy (which is very poor). Now I know some parents will disagree with this law for they do not want their kids doing it, but if the regulate it, tax the hell out of it the budget and amount of money this country gets will raise. Millions, Billions of people smoke marijuana, legal or not they'll still do it, and the government uses our tax money, $8 billion to $14 billion a year just to get rid of, or arrest marijuana users and dealers. Instead of wasting money on what seems as an endless cycle of a cat chasing a mouse, they should just legalize and tax it. They should focus more on heavier "drugs" (I refuse to call marijuana a drug) like cocain, heroin, meth, LSD and other drugs. For those are the substances that ruin a persons life, and kills them. Since when has there been a recorded death of someone maybe OD-ing off of marijuana? As far as I know, never. I'm 18 years old and I know the causes and affects of marijuana for I have experimented for quite a long while and I have to say, it is not bad.(my opinion) Kills off brain cells? No, the governments so called "legal version of marijuana" serenity kills off brain cells. Marijuana at its normal state (without being tampered with or mixed) is the safest and less life threatening substance a person could use.

This is just an opinion and what I think of legalizing marijuana, I'm not saying everyone should do it or saying its awesome. I just believe that it could help our economy.

Israel of TX 1:33AM April 20, 2012

I think weed should be legalized..im 17 and smoke it. it does no harm what so ever it dont kill your brain cells the scientist only said that because they tested it on a DOG. we are not dogs here people!!!

Sierra of WI 5:28PM October 28, 2009

ya weed is way better than any thing else you can smoke so yes lets ghet it done i smoke almost every day

eddymears of FL 11:13AM April 30, 2009

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