[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 932]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGALIZING MARIJUANA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, since I was a high school student, I've 
watched the escalation of the war on drugs, especially marijuana. I 
slowly became aware of its widespread use. As a freshman legislator in 
Oregon 40 years ago, my opinion was set by a hog farmer from eastern 
Oregon who was a State representative named Stafford Hansell.
  Stafford held the Oregon House, and the people crowded into the 
gallery spellbound with his tutorial on marijuana and its comparison to 
other addictive substances, both legal and illegal. This older 
gentleman, who didn't smoke, didn't drink alcohol--let alone use 
marijuana--made his case. He pointed out how tobacco was highly 
addictive and killed hundreds of thousands of Americans per year. He 
discussed alcohol, whose damaging properties had once led the country 
into a foolish, costly and ultimately self-defeating experiment with 
prohibition. Alcohol use was damaging for some, led to dependency for 
many, while contributing to tens of thousands of highway deaths every 
year, and serious health problems for countless others.
  By the time Representative Hansell got to marijuana, he'd convinced 
me that the bill he was advocating--two plant legalization--was not 
just worthy of my support, which I was already inclined to do, but 
something that I should advocate that Oregonians should be allowed this 
choice, less damaging and addicting than tobacco.
  We didn't legalize marijuana in 1973, although I was assured that if 
the 22 of us who had voted for the bill had been supported by the 
people who used it but voted no, the measure would have passed easily. 
We did make Oregon the first State to decriminalize the use of 
marijuana. Possession of a small amount was made a minor infraction, 
treated like a traffic ticket. Today, 40 years later, the case is even 
more compelling. Fourteen States have now decriminalized policies like 
Oregon passed in 1973.
  In 1996, California pioneered the legal use of medical marijuana 
whose therapeutic qualities have long been known and employed. And 
since then, 18 States and the District of Columbia have approved 
medical marijuana initiatives, allowing its use to relieve chronic 
pain, nausea, and other conditions. Notably, two-thirds of these 
approvals were a result of voter initiatives.
  Last fall, voters in Colorado and Washington approved adult 
recreational use with 55 percent approval margins. Studies show that a 
majority of Americans now agree that marijuana should be legalized. It 
is time that the Federal Government revisit its policies. Drugs with 
less serious classifications, like methamphetamine and cocaine, have 
more serious health and behavioral impacts; yet marijuana retains its 
Schedule I classification.
  In 2011, two-thirds of a million people were arrested for using a 
substance that millions use, many more have tried, and a majority of 
Americans feel should be legal. Because there are stark racial 
differences in enforcement and incarceration, there are wide 
disparities in the legal treatment for communities of color versus 
their white counterparts. Medical marijuana is widely accepted but 
subject to inherent conflict with Federal law that is unfair, confusing 
and costly.
  A bipartisan group of legislators is developing a comprehensive 
package of legislation to clarify and reform outdated, ineffective, and 
unwise Federal policies. In a time of great fiscal stress and a sea 
change in opinion of voters, this is a unique opportunity to save money 
on enforcement and incarceration, avoid unnecessary conflict and harsh 
treatment of users, provide a framework for medical marijuana, and even 
reduce the deficit--all by honoring the wish of two-thirds of Americans 
to respect states' rights for marijuana, just like we do for alcohol.
  I would invite my colleagues to join this effort in developing a 
marijuana policy that makes sense for America today.

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