Rep. Barney Frank Proposes HR 5843 to Eliminate Penalties for Marijuana Use

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) proposed HR 5843 on Wednesday to end federal penalties for people with less than 100 grams of marijuana.

Frank says that the current laws target marijuana users, place undue burdens on law enforcement resources, punish ill Americans whose doctors have prescribed the substance and unfairly affect African-Americans.

"The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government's business," Frank said on Capitol Hill. "I don't think it is the government's business to tell you how to spend your leisure time."

House Resolution 5843 is sponsored by Frank and co-sponsored by Rep. Ron Paul R-TX), as well as six others.

Marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

There have been 20 million marijuana-related arrests since 1965 and 11 million since 1990. Marijuana users are arrested "every 38 seconds," according to Brian St. Pierre, the spokesman of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).

NORML contends that marijuana can be used to treat a range of illnesses, including glaucoma, asthma, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS and seizures.

House Resolution (HR) 5843, titled the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008, would support marijuana smokers possessing up to 100 grams, which is about 3½ ounces, of cannabis without being arrested.

HR 5843 would not address laws forbidding growing, importing or exporting marijuana, or selling it for profit. The resolution also would not speak to state laws regarding marijuana use.

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