In one of the stranger political teamups since the uneasy Bloomberg-Gingrich-Sharpton triumvirate of 2009, liberal Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank and libertarian Texas Rep. Ron Paul have joined forces to introduce new legislation today. And what topic could possibly bring these two titans together? The stickiest of the ickiest.
The two Congressman are introducing a bill which would allow states to "legalize, regulate, tax and control marijuana without federal interference." Most importantly, the bill would permit people to grow and sell marijuana in states that approved the measure, which lines up well with Paul's limited government views. "The legislation would limit the federal government's role in marijuana enforcement to cross-border or inter-state smuggling, allowing people to legally grow, use or sell marijuana in states where it is legal," the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws said in a statement.
Of course, everyone also readily admits that there's almost no way the bill could possibly pass. But that's not the point! "It could be held up by anybody that wants to put a hold on in Congress. The important thing is that it's starting a conversation among lawmakers at a time when the rest of the country is already talking about the failure of marijuana prohibition," Morgan Fox, communications manager at the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), told the News.
To that end, MPP also cites the recent report made by the Global Commission on Drug Policy (which includes prominent former heads of state and a former U.N. secretary-general) which declared the war on drugs a massive failure, and recommended decriminalization of pot.
So will this token gesture generate more buzz for the pro-marijuana cause, or just be another noise in the din? One thing is for sure: this finally explains one Ron Paul fan's rapping pizza video.
