Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009
The Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009 is a bill in the United States House of Representatives introduced by Barney Frank (D-MA) on June 18, 2009 as H.R. 2943. Its passage would eliminate federal criminal penalties for possession of up to 100 grams (3.5 oz) and nonprofit transfer of up to an ounce of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act. It does not change the regulation on the manufacturing or the sale of cannabis.
The Bill incorporates the basic recommendations of the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse (also known as the Shafer Commission). The commission published its findings in 1972 and recommended that then-president Richard Nixon decriminalize possession of marijuana in amounts that constituted "simple possession."
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), and the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) had a large hand in the formation of bill, working closely with Rep. Frank. The bill also as mentioned earlier relied heavily also on information and advice from the federally funded National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse.
Rep. Frank says that it's time “for the politicians to catch up with the public on this. The notion that you lock people up for smoking marijuana is pretty silly."
Supporters
People
Barney Frank, J.D. (D-MA) U.S. Representative, Bill Sponsor
Ron Paul, M.D. (R-TX) U.S. Representative, Bill Co-Sponsor
Barbara Lee, M.S.W., (D-CA) U.S. Representative
Tammy Baldwin, J.D., (D-WI) U.S. Representative, Bill Co-Sponsor
Michael Capuano, (D-MA) U.S. Representative, Bill Co-Sponsor
Maurice Hinchey, (D-NY) U.S. Representative, Bill Co-Sponsor
Dennis Kucinich, (D-OH) U.S. Representative, Bill Co-Sponsor
George Miller, (D-CA) U.S. Representative, Bill Co-Sponsor
Jared Polis, (D-CO) U.S. Representative, Bill Co-Sponsor
Dana Rohrabacher, (R-CA) U.S. Representative, Bill Co-Sponsor
William Lacy Clay, Jr., (D-MO) U.S. Representative
Earl Blumenauer, J.D., (D-OR) U.S. Representative
Fortney Stark, M.B.A., (D-CA) U.S. Representative, Bill Co-Sponsor
Jim McDermott, M.D., (D-WA) U.S. Representative, Bill Co-Sponsor
See also
Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008
Massachusetts Sensible Marijuana Policy Initiative
Adult lifetime cannabis use by country
Annual cannabis use by country
Decriminalization of non-medical marijuana in the United States
Legal and medical status of cannabis
Legality of cannabis by country
Removal of cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act
