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http://blog.mpp.org/tax-and-regulate/mexico-took-a-step-forward-but-only...
Mexico Took a Step Forward But Only U.S. Policy Can End the Violence
by Ben Morris

Last week, Mexico passed a new law decriminalizing simple possession of marijuana and other drugs. Perhaps our neighbor to the south will now consider the possibility of full legalization (regulating marijuana like alcohol, as opposed to simply removing penalties for possession). A number of people in Mexico are calling for a debate, with former President Vicente Fox as one of the most prominent voices in that chorus. However, others are wondering if legalization in Mexico would make a difference. The answer, as I see it, is unfortunately no.

The World Health Organization’s 2008 report on drug use found that more Americans use marijuana than people in any of the other 16 countries studied (which included Mexico). The report, along with many other sources, concludes that America is the largest illicit drug market in the world. The cartels in Mexico cater almost exclusively to customers in the U.S., pulling in huge profits every year (70% of which are from marijuana sales). If Mexico were to legalize marijuana, the cartels’ business would continue as usual. They would still smuggle marijuana into the U.S. and continue to profit from doing so.

No, the answer to the cartel problem does not lie in Mexico; it lies here in the U.S.

The U.S. alone has the power to wipe out the cartels, and it can do so with a simple change in policy. Were we to abolish marijuana prohibition and replace it with a system of taxation and regulation based on alcohol laws, a new, legal marijuana industry would put the criminal competition out of business overnight. We did it once before. In the 1930s, following our failed experiment with alcohol prohibition, the fledgling alcohol industry took over, producing a safer product and putting money into the economy rather than taking it out. And it happened without the moral degradation prohibitionists predicted.

This is precisely why the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy released a report in January calling on the U.S. to change its marijuana laws. Drug producing countries in Latin America have first-hand experience with the devastating effects of America’s war on drugs. The violence and organized crime feeding the U.S. market have been rooted there for decades, with disastrous results. The U.S., on the other hand, has never faced these realities on its own soil – not to the same scale and severity as our neighbors in Mexico or those who lived through the reign of Pablo Escobar in Columbia.

But that is beginning to change. Violence in Mexico is spilling over into Texas, Arizona, and southern California. The cartels now operate in 230 American cities – think about what that means. 230 means more than New York, Los Angeles, and other large metropolitan areas, it means Bismark, N.D., Wichita, Kan., and even Kalamazoo, Mich., small towns where Americans are feeling the impact of bad drug policy. More directly, it means that the U.S. government can no longer ignore the failures of its war on marijuana.

The sensible solution is right in front of us. We just need the political will to see it through.

If you’d like to help make a change, write your member of Congress and ask him or her to support marijuana policy reform. More information on how to do so can be found at mpp.org/federal-action.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.2943:

Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009 (Introduced in House)

HR 2943 IH

111th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 2943
To eliminate most Federal penalties for possession of marijuana for personal use, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 18, 2009
Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts (for himself, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. PAUL, Mr. ROHRABACHER, and Mr. HINCHEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

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A BILL
To eliminate most Federal penalties for possession of marijuana for personal use, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009'.

SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF CERTAIN MARIJUANA-RELATED PENALTIES.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no penalty may be imposed under an Act of Congress for the possession of marijuana for personal use, or for the not-for-profit transfer between adults of marijuana for personal use. For the purposes of this section, possession of 100 grams or less of marijuana shall be presumed to be for personal use, as shall the not-for-profit transfer of one ounce or less of marijuana, except that the civil penalty provided in section 405 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 844a) may be imposed for the public use of marijuana if the amount of the penalty does not exceed $100.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.02943:
H.R.2943
Title: To eliminate most Federal penalties for possession of marijuana for personal use, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4] (introduced 6/18/2009) Cosponsors (9)
Latest Major Action: 7/23/2009 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
https://secure2.convio.net/mpp/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction...
Support the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults ActSupport the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act:
I am writing today to ask that you support H.R. 2943, the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009.
Introduced by Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), H.R. 2943 aims to reduce the number of non-violent prisoners and free up law enforcement resources by eliminating federal criminal penalties for possession of up to 3.5 ounces of marijuana, and the not-for-profit transfer of an ounce of marijuana.
On August 20, Mexico enacted a similar law in order to free up law enforcement resources needed to fight drug cartels along its border with the U.S. Many in Mexico have called on the U.S. to have a similar debate over punitive marijuana policies on our side of the border.
For 70 years, our punitive marijuana laws have failed to curb marijuana use. Today, more than 800,000 arrests are made for marijuana offenses every year. 89% of these arrests are for possession, not sale or manufacture. Despite U.S enforcement efforts, our marijuana use rates are the highest of any nation surveyed by the World Health Organization, according to its most recent reports.
Congressman Frank's legislation is a step in the right direction. By eliminating federal criminal penalties for possession, this bill will send a message to the states that the federal government is leading the way in freeing up law enforcement resources that are better spent fighting violent crime.
Would you please cosponsor and support H.R. 2943? I will greatly appreciate your support.