A few years ago, Arizona passed a medicinal marijuana law which the legislature quashed saying that Arizonans were too stupid to understand what the law was about.
Arizonans that voted for the law knew exactly what it was about. Many of those who voted for it were voting to make the statement that they wanted it legal. The Ninth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States makes it legal for you to possess and use marijuana, as well as any other drug. Anyone with the ability to read plain English can see that.
A new group, the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project (AMMPP), is bringing the issue up again hoping to get a proposition on the November ballot.
Andrew Meyers—Campaign Manager for the group—wrote in an editorial, “Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a formal directive to U.S. attorneys instructing them not to prosecute medical-marijuana patients and providers who are acting in accordance with their state law.”
“Unfortunately, unless the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act – a ballot initiative backed by my organization, the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project – passes in November 2010, patients and their doctors in Arizona won’t be able to benefit from the Justice Department’s decision,” he wrote further.
Mr. Meyers skirts the issue. The issue here is that we should not have to “…benefit from the Justice Department’s decision.” The Justice Department does not have squat to say about the issue Constitutionally. The decision by the legislature a few years ago had nothing to do with stupid Arizonans—although it is nice to know what they think of you, isn’t it? It had to do with money. The Clinton administration threatened to withhold certain monies from the state if they allowed the “democratic” decision of the voters to stand. The Clinton’s, of all people. The federal government has already withheld millions from us anyway because they don’t have the money to pay up what they owe us.
I could launch into a diatribe about the wars that Bush got us into and Obama has expanded—after promising to get us out of—that is costing us billions of dollars. And, by the way, it does not seem to have helped the economy at home.
The true issue, however, is that the federal government is given no authority in the Constitution to regulate the matter at all. That is a State’s rights issue—under the Tenth Amendment—and a personal rights issue—under the Ninth Amendment. The “Interstate commerce” clauses are what the federal government holds over the heads of Americans to deny all sorts of rights. Including your right to own any arm—fully automatic AK-47, switchblade knife, grenades and so forth.
The state has the right to fully legalize marijuana, or any drug, and tax it. The people of the Great State of Arizona has been given the right to vote it in, even though that is a Communist principle never anticipated by the founding fathers.
That is not to say that the state cannot control it. For example, they could set up special houses—crack houses, if you will—where those disposed to that sort of activity can use it and stay safely until their “high” is over. Marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol. If you believe the FDA you are probably sucking down aspartame like candy, anyway, and are doing more damage to your body than marijuana. Marijuana could be regulated in much the same fashion as alcohol.
You waste time and money with this “medicinal” marijuana argument. Just make it legal and get it over with. We are not promoting, nor in favor of, the legalization of “hard drugs.” Marijuana is not a hard drug. We are simply pointing out that it is up to the individual States, not the federal government.
Of course, it would eliminate one source of government funding, now wouldn’t it?
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Tags: Arizona, Bill of Rights, Constitution, Ninth Amendment, OpEd, Opinion, Tenth Amendment
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