House votes to decriminalize marijuana as GOP resists national shift on pot

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post

The House endorsed a landmark retreat in the nation’s decades-long war on drugs Friday, voting to remove marijuana from the federal schedule of controlled substances and provide for the regulation and taxation of legal cannabis sales.The vote was 228-to-164 and marked the first time either chamber of Congress has voted on the issue of federally decriminalizing cannabis.

The measure is not expected to pass into law, and, due to political skittishness, it was only voted on after the November election and more than a year after it emerged from committee. But the House took a stand at a moment of increasing momentum, with voters last month opting to liberalize marijuana laws in five states — including three that President Trump won handily.

Friday’s vote, however, was largely along party lines, with Democrats voting overwhelmingly to support the federal decriminalization bill and Republicans broadly opposing it.“We are not rushing to legalize marijuana — the American people have already done that. We are here because Congress has failed to deal with a disastrous war on drugs and do its part for the over 50 million regular marijuana users in every one of your districts,” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), a longtime liberalization advocate. “We need to catch up with the rest of the American people.”

Top Republicans — including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) — made derisive public comments about the bill this week, painting the measure as a frivolous diversion from the task of funding the federal government and delivering a new round of emergency coronavirus aid to Americans.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/house-marijuana-republicans-election/2020/12/04/db2b00a8-35b0-11eb-8d38-6aea1adb3839_story.html

---

The vote is in the books.

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. Count of Republicans to be on the wrong side of an issue that affects millions of people. nt

[peanut57]

19. the war on drugs had the same effect as prohibition

If anything it has increased usage. It has really helped drug lords our government trying to stop it just made the price higher and increased profits same thing prohibition did for bootlegging.

[OAITW r.2.0]

29. Welcome on board!

The enforcement has always been political. Who gets arrested? Oh yeah, blacks in disproportionate % of arrests and convictions.

[underpants]

2. Have a Willie nice Christmas 🎄

[JudyM]

3. "Derisive public comment" is the only card they play when it comes to progress for people.

[droidamus2]

4. You can try

I think the idea is to pass it in the House and then hope that people put enough pressure on the Senate to at least get a vote. Once you have a recorded Senate vote they can ask the supporters of this move to put pressure on specific Senators that voted against it on both sides. In the midterms you can use this as one more mark against those Senators up for election that you want to defeat. They don't always pass something in Congress because it has a chance to pass it is just part of the vast political games that they play.

[AllyCat]

21. Hmmm...maybe Ossoff and Warnock need to bring this up

during their campaigns.

[Maxheader]

5. Baa..worthless wingers get stoned every day..

There getting instructions from the far right religious crowd...

[Polybius]

6. What was the vote by Party?

Would love to see a roll call.

[George II]

8. Here it is:

https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2020/roll235.xml

Dem: 222 yea, 6 nay, 4 no vote
rep: 5 yea, 158 nay, 34 no vote

[Polybius]

9. Thanks!

Here's hoping the Senate takes it if we win both GA seats, but there's no way Manchin will vote for this, so we'll have to rely on Rand Paul (he supports it), assuming every other Democrat votes for it.

[George II]

7. McCarthy and McConnell should be reminded that the House already passed an emergency bill.....

....back in September.

It's the republican SENATE that has refused to act, not the Democratic HOUSE!

[Evolve Dammit]

10. Never knew any Repugs who were fun to be around anyhow. Nothing has changed. War against drugs!!!

[Submariner]

11. Moscow Mitch's Kentucky has pumped millions of gallons of liquor

into the blood vessels of all 50 states that have spilled blood all over the highways, ambulances, ERs, the first responders, and the bloody bedrooms of half beaten to death women, forever costing billions in highway crash cleanup, totaled vehicle insurance company payouts, billions in medical care for quadriplegics, those crippled for life and the braindead on respirators.

That shitbag has no right or reason to criticize people smoking a joint and hurting no one, while the poison he exports kills hundreds of thousands annually.

FU Mitch.

[maxsolomon]

26. Delicious poison, though.

Assuming you're referencing Bourbon and not Moonshine...

[Voltaire2]

12. support for legalization runs in the 60's.

Democrats should stop running away from this issue and instead embrace it as a wedge issue.

[ProfessorGAC]

32. +1

I don't understand the political skittishness.
2 in 3 people support it.
What's the fear?

[KS Toronado]

13. Hope some day people are allowed to grow their own for personal use

without getting in trouble with the law or being taxed. Lots of people have gardens to produce articles
for their own consumption, this shouldn't be any different. Grow your own homegrown.

[trueblue2007]

14. THAT'S MY EARL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PORTLAND OREGON.

[NNadir]

15. I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but nothing about commercial pot...

...makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

I don't consider Marijuana to be good for people and I voted against legalization in New Jersey.

I know I'm about to be lambasted about the injustice of prison for Marijuana infractions, and while I agree on that score, I certainly don't approve of easier access to it either.

I wasn't impressed with what I saw in Amsterdam 20 years ago, and I wasn't impressed with what I saw in Colorado the last time I was there.

I'm not looking forward to it in New Jersey. I have a very limited tolerance to many facets of libertarian ideology and in some places I'm a "nanny state" kind of guy.

[BBG]

17. Anecdotal opinions do not make for good policy

Your sample size of one doesn’t make for good basis to make national policy decisions.

[NNadir]

34. Nevertheless, one's life and opinions consist entirely of thousands of anecdotes, and one's training

Last edited Sat Dec 5, 2020, 12:33 PM - Edit history (1)

It's called "experience." I'm not throwing away all of my life experience because someone objects to me choosing two "anecdotes" out of a lifetime.

It's not like I'm a "wet behind the ears" kid, and haven't spent a lot of time around stoners. On the contrary, one cannot have been in my generation in this country without knowing lots and lots of them. I cane if age in the early 1970's and know whence I speak, I think.

The pot legalization efforts, including many of the "pot is good for you" claims seems to involve lots of anecdotes, and the "medical marijuana" movement was, initially at least, incredibly devoid of formal controlled clinical trials. This is less true today, but drugs, including legal drugs like nicotine, and of course, alcohol, that have psychological effects are not entirely without consequence to those who are affected by them in spite of not using them.

In fact, many psychoactive compounds are prescribed for things like depression and schizophrenia, and some of them have well known side effects.

Alcohol has well known side effects.

Cannabinols are lipophilic molecules, and are well known to have a long physiological half life.

It also happens that I am on the mailing list - and otherwise seek out - for many, many scientific publications, including a quite a few about neurobiology.

Good policy would, many people agree, involve good science ideally, but seldom does. People are of course, allowed to have opinions that disregard science.

The argument that alcohol is worse than pot is generally anecdotal of course, but whether or not it is true, and it probably is, does not mean that pot is a good thing.

A quick shorthand, by the way, for thinking clearly about issues like this is to spend a few seconds on Google scholar and search, say, for instance, say the following search terms: cannabinoid exposure neural and psychological processes.

Of the About 24,200 results generated in 0.10 sec, number one on this list as I just ran it is this paper:
Long-term consequences of perinatal and adolescent cannabinoid exposure on neural and psychological processes (Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews Volume 55, August 2015, Pages 119-146)

The second is this: Adolescent Cannabinoid Exposure Permanently Suppresses Cortical Oscillations in Adult Mice (Neuropsychopharmacology volume 38, pages 2338–2347(2013), a Nature publication.)

...and so on...

Of course, the libertarian view is that the "nanny state" should not involve any consideration of things of this nature, just as the libertarians view of face masks is that they impinge on freedom.

I'm sorry that I don't agree that better and freer access to mind altering drugs is an issue of "freedom." I take a somewhat more social view of humanity, and in times such as these, with so much of the future at stake, I'd rather we be more sober than stoned.

I apologize for offering what you call "anecdotes" for my opinions, but I am not dissuaded from them.

[Butterflylady]

16. This is how I personally feel.

In my 74 years of here on earth I have personally seen my share of violent drunks. I was married to one. I have had my share of black and blue marks, had a gun pointed at me and had knives thrown in my directions along with other items. All done by someone who got drunk and used me as a punching bag.

On the other hand I've also been around a number of people have smoked pot and have never seen a violent pot smoker.
While I have never smoked anything but cigarettes at one time I would rather be around someone who does then be around a mean drunk.

[Traildogbob]

18. A good stance for

Two running for senate in Georgia. Many many pot heads in Georgia, red neck ones, Christian ones, liberal ones, all colors, and very good growing conditions. Less cotton fields, more pot fields. Employment and massive tax revenue. If rich GOP won’t pay taxes, pot heads will. Rich people smoke weed too. One way to get taxes out of em.
Not gonna see stoned people chasing innocent black men down a street in trucks and assassinate them.

[flibbitygiblets]

20. Democrats are wise to do this. Youths are going to be more motivated to vote for us.

They know pot is so much less harmful than booze and pills.

[LittleGirl]

22. This is important to me

When I lived in AZ , I had a medical marijuana license and it worked for me.
I have DNA that is allergic to pain medication so when I had my hysterectomy, I used marijuana for pain, not opioids. Opioids make me nauseous and I throw up which means that the pill I just took is in the toilet and I’m still in pain. They are expensive and the doctor said to use Motrin instead. No, it didn’t even touch the pain.

Smoking some medical marijuana takes my pain away. Eating edibles smells even better. It makes me less anxious and less depressed. It lifts my mood and sometimes is all the motivation I need to tackle that garden project. I use it wisely and safely. I’m an adult mind you so for people like me, it’s the best solution and I don’t want to hear anymore about prohibition. Suffering with chronic insomnia allows me to finally sleep like the rest of humanity.

Legalize it already. I’m not a criminal. I’m a patient.

[BrightKnight]

23. I think Texas spends abt half of it's criminal justice budget

on marijuana. I’m not convinced it is harmless but it is not worth what we spend fighting it. I would think that the fiscal conservatives and libertarians in the right would like it.

[rickyhall]

24. In a real democracy the majority decides.

[nykym]

25. What gets me is

that in a lot of southern states weed has been a cash crop for local farmers for quite some time.
Sheriffs down there know this and do not enforce it mush because they are elected.
You don't want to piss of the people that put you in office.
Yet all the rpugs in the south aways talk bout the evils and dangers of weed.

[bucolic_frolic]

28. "the evils and dangers" that someone else might be growing it too! /nt

[bucolic_frolic]

27. Once they cram their portfolios with marijuana stocks they'll pass it fast

"Hey, Mitch! You got the munchies?"

[twodogsbarking]

30. Reefer Madness

A classic.

[George II]

31. Sorry for the long post, but here is the list of co-sponsors for the bill (sorted by date)

The bill was introduced by Jerrold Nadler of New York on July 23, 2019. * signifies original co-sponsor

Those at the top were original co-sponsors ( * ) or co-sponsored it early, those at the bottom were late-comers.

Rep. Lee, Barbara [D-CA-13]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Jeffries, Hakeem S. [D-NY-8]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Velazquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Gaetz, Matt [R-FL-1]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Cicilline, David N. [D-RI-1]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Deutch, Theodore E. [D-FL-22]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Escobar, Veronica [D-TX-16]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank," Jr. [D-GA-4]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-33]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-19]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-15]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Gabbard, Tulsi [D-HI-2]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Haaland, Debra A. [D-NM-1]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17]* 7/23/2019
Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Perlmutter, Ed [D-CO-7]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Waters, Maxine [D-CA-43]* 7/23/2019
Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]* 7/23/2019

Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5] 7/24/2019
Rep. Horsford, Steven [D-NV-4] 7/30/2019
Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] 7/30/2019
Rep. DeFazio, Peter A. [D-OR-4] 8/2/2019
Rep. Luria, Elaine G. [D-VA-2] 8/16/2019
Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2] 8/16/2019
Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] 9/6/2019
Rep. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ-7] 9/6/2019
Rep. Grijalva, Raul M. [D-AZ-3] 9/11/2019
Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] 9/11/2019
Rep. Lujan, Ben Ray [D-NM-3] 9/17/2019
Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1] 9/17/2019
Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1] 9/19/2019
Rep. Morelle, Joseph D. [D-NY-25] 9/24/2019
Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-5] 10/4/2019
Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] 10/4/2019
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-13] 10/4/2019
Rep. Rush, Bobby L. [D-IL-1] 10/8/2019
Rep. Clay, Wm. Lacy [D-MO-1] 10/11/2019
Rep. Heck, Denny [D-WA-10] 10/17/2019
Rep. Garcia, Jesus G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4] 10/28/2019
Rep. Cardenas, Tony [D-CA-29] 10/30/2019
Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] 10/30/2019
Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] 11/8/2019
Rep. Sherman, Brad [D-CA-30] 11/14/2019
Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9] 11/15/2019
Rep. Levin, Andy [D-MI-9] 11/19/2019
Rep. Hastings, Alcee L. [D-FL-20] 11/19/2019
Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2] 11/21/2019
Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24] 11/22/2019
Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-35] 11/22/2019
Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2] 11/22/2019
Rep. Beyer, Donald S., Jr. [D-VA-8] 11/22/2019
Rep. Fudge, Marcia L. [D-OH-11] 11/22/2019
Rep. Boyle, Brendan F. [D-PA-2] 11/22/2019
Rep. Lowenthal, Alan S. [D-CA-47] 12/5/2019
Rep. Foster, Bill [D-IL-11] 1/7/2020
Rep. Kennedy, Joseph P., III [D-MA-4] 1/8/2020
Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6] 1/15/2020
Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1] 1/24/2020
Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-20] 2/4/2020
Rep. Lawrence, Brenda L. [D-MI-14] 3/2/2020
Rep. Engel, Eliot L. [D-NY-16] 3/10/2020
Rep. Trone, David J. [D-MD-6] 3/12/2020
Rep. Doyle, Michael F. [D-PA-18] 5/15/2020
Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] 6/24/2020
Rep. Rice, Kathleen M. [D-NY-4] 7/1/2020
Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9] 7/24/2020
Rep. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE-At Large] 7/24/2020
Rep. Phillips, Dean [D-MN-3] 7/31/2020
Rep. Porter, Katie [D-CA-45] 8/4/2020
Rep. Clark, Katherine M. [D-MA-5] 8/7/2020
Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5] 8/11/2020
Rep. Welch, Peter [D-VT-At Large] 8/11/2020
Rep. Cox, TJ [D-CA-21] 8/14/2020
Rep. Speier, Jackie [D-CA-14] 8/14/2020
Rep. Kirkpatrick, Ann [D-AZ-2] 8/14/2020
Rep. Payne, Donald M., Jr. [D-NJ-10] 8/14/2020
Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1] 9/1/2020
Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] 9/1/2020
Rep. Brown, Anthony G. [D-MD-4] 9/1/2020
Rep. Courtney, Joe [D-CT-2] 9/1/2020
Rep. Maloney, Carolyn B. [D-NY-12] 9/1/2020
Rep. Trahan, Lori [D-MA-3] 9/1/2020
Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] 9/4/2020
Rep. Crist, Charlie [D-FL-13] 9/4/2020
Rep. Gonzalez, Vicente [D-TX-15] 9/4/2020
Rep. Yarmuth, John A. [D-KY-3] 9/4/2020
Rep. Kildee, Daniel T. [D-MI-5] 9/4/2020
Rep. Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [D-VA-3] 9/4/2020
Rep. Levin, Mike [D-CA-49] 9/11/2020
Rep. Connolly, Gerald E. [D-VA-11] 9/11/2020
Rep. Price, David E. [D-NC-4] 9/11/2020
Rep. Gomez, Jimmy [D-CA-34] 9/11/2020
Rep. Davids, Sharice [D-KS-3] 9/11/2020
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY-14] 9/11/2020
Rep. Torres, Norma J. [D-CA-35] 9/11/2020
Rep. Scott, David [D-GA-13] 9/11/2020
Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] 9/11/2020
Rep. San Nicolas, Michael F. Q. [D-GU-At Large] 9/15/2020
Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14] 9/15/2020
Rep. Crow, Jason [D-CO-6] 9/15/2020
Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] 9/17/2020
Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20] 9/18/2020
Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3] 9/22/2020
Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-41] 10/1/2020
Rep. Aguilar, Pete [D-CA-31] 10/6/2020
Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12] 10/20/2020
Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4] 10/23/2020
Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33] 11/19/2020
Rep. Butterfield, G. K. [D-NC-1] 11/19/2020

[Mr. Ected]

33. This would be a dandy issue to raise in the Georgia race

Let Ossoff & Warnock help America decide whether or not to legalize weed. Perdue & Loeffler preaching the tired old rhetoric about cannabis might sway a vote or two.