Both The Public And The House Want Marrijuana Legalization— But Moscow Mitch Has Prohibited It

Mitch McConnell, with apprarent support from most Republicans, shut down bipartisan marijuana normalization bills this year. Several pieces of legislation passed the House as part of the must-pass spending bills. The most important of the riders would have allowed legal marijuana businesses to access banking services in the 10 states (11 next year when Illinois’ legalization law goes into effect) where marijuana is fully legal, allowing them to operate as normal businesses. Moscow Mitch found that unacceptable and won’t even permit a Senate debate.

Another crucial law McConnell-- who does nothing without the OK from Trump-- quashed an attempt to prevent federal law enforcement stopping states where marijuana is legal to implement their one laws authorizing distribution, cultivation and even possession.

McConnell, an elderly, sick and untreated closet queen, has decided on his own standard: medical marijuana is OK but recreational is not-- regardless of what voters in the states say. States rights? Not in the purview of MoscowMitch. One of the bills McConnell killed is targeted towards making life better for veterans, a group he has long detested-- ever since he was caught fondling a private’s privates and kicked out of the army.

A bill introduced in the Senate by Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) was silently sidelined by McConnell and a bill by Ed Perlmutter passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support, only to run into the Grim Reaper, as McConnell styles himself.

McConnell may run into problems in his own state when, already dramatically unpopular among Kentucky voters, he seeks reelection in November.

An eastern Kentucky lawmaker has proposed a bill to legalize the recreational use of marijuana and dedicate tax revenues from the industry to the state’s cash-strapped pension systems.

The proposal is a long-shot in the Republican-dominated Kentucky legislature, but Democratic Rep. Cluster Howard of Jackson says that citizens are more receptive to marijuana than they have been in the past.

“I think that a lot of people make this a moral issue. To me, we know as a society that times have changed. People are more apt to accept legalization of the product,” Howard said.

The bill would allow the state to regulate marijuana growers, processors, testers and retailers. It would also decriminalize possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and expunge the criminal records of those with marijuana-related misdemeanors.

Howard predicted the bill could bring in more than $200 million per year in tax revenue. The bill would dedicate revenues to the state’s struggling pension systems, which are short about $37 billion.

So far, 11 states have legalized marijuana use for adults over age 21 and 33 states have legalized it for medical use.

Howard said he doubts the bill will get a hearing in the Republican-dominated legislature, but encouraged citizens to call their lawmakers about the issue.

“I think it depends on how much people actually call their reps and their senators and insist that it be heard. I do think that the chance of the bill being heard is much greater this session than it was last session,” Howard said.

Newly-inaugurated Gov. Andy Beshear has signaled support for medical marijuana but says he doesn’t favor recreational use.

A medical marijuana bill passed out of a Kentucky legislative committee earlier this year, but never received a vote in the house. The bill would have not allowed patients to smoke marijuana.

Adult marijuana use will be legal in Kentucky’s northwestern neighbor Illinois starting on Jan 1, 2020. Officials there predict it will bring in about $375 million a year in tax revenue and create a path to clear 700,000 low-level marijuana convictions.

This is a losing battle for Republicans-- and it is sure to have electoral ramifications far beyond Kentucky. There are a lot of Democrats running for the two Georgia Senate seats. Teresa Tomlinson is there progressive one taking on Trump/McConnell lickspittle David Perdue. She has a far more enlightened approach to marijuana than Perdue. “Marijuana is now legal at some level in 33 states,” she said. “In Georgia, 77% of those polled support medical marijuana and 50% support recreational marijuana. Accordingly, it is time we address at the federal level the decriminalization, legalization, and regulation of marijuana as a medicinal and recreational substance. Our state and federal laws should not be in conflict. We are informed by a post-Prohibition legislative model of states and the federal government working together. For instance, we can provide federal market guidance to prevent abuses, ensure regulated access to the market for all adults and alleviate the impact of harsh and racially disparate criminal sentences for minor marijuana offenses.”

Cristina Ramirez has a very different perspective on this than drug warrior John Cornyn, the incumbent Texas senator, she’s running to replace. “Mitch McConnell,” she told us today, “won’t permit a debate on marijuana issues because he knows that public opinion favors the legalization of marijuana. The only thing that the criminalization of marijuana has done is create the largest prison population in the world, composed disproportionately of black and brown people. We must stand up to the for-profit prison system that makes millions of keeping Americans imprisoned and end the failed Drug War by legalizing marijuana and expunging the records of those who were locked up for low-level drug offenses.”