[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12713-12714]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            WINDS OF CHANGE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.

[[Page 12714]]


  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, today, Oregon begins a campaign that 
may turn the corner, once and for all, on our illogical, ill-advised 
approach to marijuana.
  We have reached a critical point, where, over the last 40 years, a 
misguided policy of prohibition has patently failed. It simply doesn't 
work. It criminalizes behavior that most Americans feel should be 
legal. It costs taxpayers billions of dollars a year in the futile 
enforcement of prohibition. It feeds billions more into the coffers of 
drug cartels, which destabilize Mexico while they terrorize Central 
American countries, sending tens of thousands of children fleeing to 
our borders.
  Imagine a situation so desperate that a parent would send a child on 
a treacherous journey, thousands of miles away.
  The current policy undermines the credibility of government drug 
prevention programs. How do we expect people to respect an authority 
that pretends marijuana is more dangerous than methamphetamine or 
cocaine, that cannot answer the simple question: Has anybody ever died 
of a marijuana overdose?
  Why respect an agency that wastes time and money that should be spent 
on drugs that are much more deadly and addictive?
  The winds of change are blowing through the Capitol. We have seen, in 
the recent weeks, we have had five consecutive victorious votes on the 
House floor to have a more rational policy.
  But the real leadership is at the State level. Forcing the issue are 
23 States and the District of Columbia, where, now, over a million 
patients have access to medical marijuana, often in programs authorized 
by the voters.
  In 2012, voters in Colorado and Washington both legalized adult use 
and have now started commercial markets, in Washington State just this 
month.
  The campaign in Oregon is going to be key. It is a carefully-drawn 
statute which will be considered by the voters.
  Now, make no mistake, the one-size-fits-all prohibition fanatics will 
be out in force, and we will hear about any hiccups in the neighboring 
State of Washington, largely blown out of proportion.
  But we are going to hear everybody talk about their legitimate 
concern for keeping marijuana out of the hands of children. We all 
agree that young brains should not be subjected to marijuana. But, 
frankly, this is one of the biggest failures of our current program of 
prohibition.
  We have a huge underground, shadow market. No one thinks that a 12-
year old has a harder time getting a joint than a case of beer. Nobody 
checks ID. No one has a license to lose.
  The success in Oregon will usher in, I think, a new era where the 
States have the right to regulate marijuana, just like alcohol. There 
will be more money for things we care about, like education, drug 
treatment, and drug enforcement, to keep and protect our children.
  The failure of the current Federal prohibition is obvious. I am 
hopeful that voters in Oregon can help usher in this new era of 
regulation for adults and protections for children.
  I think it is going to be a fascinating public policy debate.

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