Montco lawmaker seeks sponsors for bill to legalize pot
Washington. Colorado. Pennsylvania? A Democratic lawmaker from Montgomery County plans to introduce a bill making marijuana use legal in Pennsylvania.
Montco lawmaker seeks sponsors for bill to legalize pot
Washington. Colorado. Pennsylvania?
A Democratic lawmaker from Montgomery County plans to introduce a bill making marijuana use legal in Pennsylvania.
What is Sen. Daylin Leach smoking, you might ask?
Common sense, he says.
Buoyed by the legalization of marijuana by voters in Washington and Colorado in the November election, Leach is circulating a memo seeking co-sposors for his bill to make pot legal in the commonwealth.
To Leach, the war on drugs, as it relates to marijuana is a waste of money and makes criminals out of otherwise law abiding citizens.
In Pennsylvania alone, there were 24,685 arrests for marijuana possession since 2006, according to the office of National Drug Control Policy.
That means $325 million to prosecute, incarcerate and disrupt the lives of thousands of people whose only crime, says Leach, "was smoking a plant which made them feel a bit giddy."
But could it happen in the socially conservative Pennsylvania legislature, where even medical marijuana legislation can't find its way out of committee let alone become law as it has in 19 states?
"I acknowledge that it may take a while," said Leach. "But like same-sex marriage, this will inevitably happen. Demographics and exposure will in time defeat irrational fears, old wives tales and bad science. This bill furthers the discussion, which hastens the day."
Leach said persecuting marijuana users is foolish, ill-conceived, costly and destructive policy must end.
His bill, he said, will remove the possession, use, and regulated sale of marijuana from the purview of our state's criminal justice system and legalize the consumption of marijuana for adults.
Leach adds the state could benefit from hundreds of millions in taxes on a product that continues to be trafficked underground.
Provisions of the legislation would include that marijuana be a regulated product, treated in a way similar to how alcohol is treated. It will be sold legally only in either state stores or beer distributors.
It still would be illegal to:
- Operate of motor vehicles under the influence of marijuana
- Possess narijuana if you are under the age of 21 or for an adult to sell it to a minor.
- It would be illegal to resell marijuana, as it is illegal to resell alcohol in Pennsylvania today.
- It would be illegal in public places - as alcohol is - and employers may prohibit its use on their property.
Said Leach: "It is time for Pennsylvania to be a leader in jettisoning this modern-day prohibition, and ending a policy that has been so destructive, costly, and anti-scientific."
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If it ever become legal, I feel the coffee shops should only be open at night. chronic users will have a hard time functioning if they get to smoke all day.- This is a democracy, why not let the registered voters decide, put it to vote, versus leaving it in the SCUMBAGS hands who vote based on who is paying them the most money.— jg21
I don't drink or do drugs. I can't understand where the downside to legalizing ALL drugs is. You have to be naive to actually believe the illegality of drugs is anything other than a nuisance for addicts or kids. Funny how some of the conservatives are so anti-government - except when it comes to what they belive in.
These crumudgeons always have to be dragged into modernity.— wokmaster- The government likes to be involved in the human vices. They control liquor and gambling so maybe they should control drugs and sex. So we should build Opium Dens and Houses Of Ill Repute, lay off the vice cops and narcs, get rid of the prosecutors, lawyers, judges and jails and everybody will be happy and nobody will get hurt. Far out!— Sportyrider71
- Just to show how things have changed from Biblical times. Then, people who murdered someone were taken out and stoned. Now, they get stoned, then go out and murder someone.— DonQ
- Wow. You are incredibly clueless. — wokmaster
- "High on pot". Lol. Add 'nerd' to your resume.
I know that mankind is better off today than people were in biblical times - regardless of whether or not marijuana is legal in Pennsylvania.— wokmaster - funny how states ban smoking, cities ban smoking in indoor / outdoor areas and now they are embracing legalizing pot(smoking primary way of using it). From a libertaian standpoint Im for legalizing, but government banning smoking cigarettes, pipes and people against smoking(Im sure there are pot proponents who like banning smoking) are such hypocrites. And this is not for medical marijuana uses, mainly proponents of med marijuana are jsut people who like to smoke pot a lot and use it to justify there usage.— uandwhosearmy
- funny how states ban smoking, cities ban smoking in indoor / outdoor areas and now they are embracing legalizing pot(smoking primary way of using it). From a libertaian standpoint Im for legalizing, but government banning smoking cigarettes, pipes and people against smoking(Im sure there are pot proponents who like banning smoking) are such hypocrites. And this is not for medical marijuana uses, mainly proponents of med marijuana are jsut people who like to smoke pot a lot and use it to justify there usage.— uandwhosearmy
- Sen. Daylin Leach = American hero!— FlyerX
- Don't get the Cheetos out quite yet.— Fritz and Alice
- Instead of legalizing pot, change the possession of small quantities to the equivalent of a traffic violation. Give offenders a ticket and avoid the costs of prosecution and incarceration.— Falls Ed
- Leach is right. There is absolutely no intelligent debate about the utter failure of the war on drugs - especially as it pertains to cannibis. Billions of dollars have been spent arresting, trying, and jailing non violent offenders while we see surges in drug use, drug sales, violent cartel activity, cops selling the stuff, fast and furious... It is like with alcohol prohibition but much worse: you may be able to make some arguments (about prohibition) SOUND good in congress but you will NEVER make them look good in practice. We had al capone and in stead of learning our lesson, we created escobar and thousands of others that make the 30's look like a picnic.— freemarkets
