This Bill Will Finally End Cannabis ProhibitionBy Claire Bernish While its brevity is astonishingwithout the obligatory title pomp, it would struggle to take up a single pagethe legislation is capable of ending perhaps the most contentious provision in the ubiquitous War on Drugs. Simply titled the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2015, the bill introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher has incredible potential for substantial reform that makes its passage of paramount importance. Like a pebble thrown into a still pond, once federal cannabislaw is essentially nullified, states where lawmakers were previously reluctant to approve medical or even recreational use will be far likelier to approve decriminalization. As ripples go, once constituents see neighboring states endprohibition, the chance exists for those states with even the harshest pot penalties to succumb to public pressure and follow suit. Its entirely feasible to expect the death of cannabisprohibition altogether, resulting from this single-sentence legislation. From there, the ripples become waves. If the de facto elimination of prohibition passes, the true beauty of the legislation will begin to shine. Consider the U.S. claim to fame as the worlds leading jailer of its citizensa notorious achievement resulting from the insanity of sentencing due to the plants inexplicable designation as a Schedule I substance (Could there be any clearer evidence the War on Drugs is purely for government profit than lumping pot with heroin? But I digress). Removing the possibility for such penalties would immediately ease prison overcrowding and free court dockets to begin to deal with more serious criminal cases. And thats not all. Besides the legal benefits, there are myriad beneficial economic corollaries stemming from passage of this little bill. Consider Colorado. In the states first year of legal weed, tax and licensing revenue alone topped $60 millionmost of which the state devoted to school construction. That figurethough less than the anticipated $100 millionsharply contrasts the estimated $145 million Colorado had previously been spending to enforce cannabislaws, according to a 2010 Harvard study. With Americas seriously sketchy infrastructure in desperate need of repair and improvement, schools around the country in total disrepair, and countless other improvements in every state waiting to happen, there are endless possibilities. Ending cannabis prohibition would benefiteveryoneironically enough, even those who somehow still believe negative propaganda. If ending prohibition takes away any possible legal consequences, people whose only ostensible criminal activity involves cannabissuddenly arent able to incur a related arrest record. This would make employment possible for countless people, not to mention better jobs for those who were previously constrained by a dubious criminal history. Its even feasible to expect consequent additional legislation to stem from the original bill that would expunge past offenses related to cannabis. The total effect is destigmatization of the consumption and cultivation of a plant. According to the latest figures available from the ACLU, the cost of enforcement of laws for pot possession alone are simply inexcusablemore than $3.6 billion each year. New York City is a prime example of the inanity of arrests resulting from unnecessary laws. In 1991, there were less than 800 total arrests for potbut by 2010, less than two decades later, that number was a whopping 59,000. And the bias against minorities for those arrests is stunning, toothough cannabisuse remains rather even regardless of race, black people are almost four times likelier to be arrested for possession. While endingcannabis prohibition wont end institutionalized racism in America, its certainly a significant step forward in the effort. There are plenty of other positive repercussions should this bill become law. It might just be time to get to know your Congresspeople a little better. Find your representatives by clicking here and for your senators click here. Claire Bernish writes for theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, email edits@theantimedia.org. Claire Bernish joined Anti-Media as an independent journalist in May of 2015. Her topics of interest include social justice, police brutality, exposing the truth behind propaganda, and general government accountability. Born in North Carolina, she now lives in Ohio. Learn more about Bernish here! I look forward to cannabis prohibition being lifted. But what will the corrupt law enforcement and private prison systems do to survive without that source of income? I bet they have something else in mind Even though legal, as is liquor, the new LEO perspective would be driving, operating machinery, walking/running/biking/hiking, etc under the influence of medical grade plants. My I cant wait to see what happens moment is the Google auto-drive cars. what will LEO do without the possibility of driving infractions? No more DUI? No more speeding tickets/traps? Maybe they;ll have to actually reform and get rid of the PTSD ridden assholes that continue to murder innocent (or not so innocent does it really matter?) civilians daily. PTSD ridden assholes that continue to murder innocent-until-proven-guilty citizens daily. FIFY Police are civilians, too your poor choice of words shows a penchant for copsucking. . . you might want to look into that. Are you forgetting to put on your reading glasses before you reply? Are you really implying there is a penchant for copsucking in the phrase PTSD ridden assholes that continue to murder innocent (or not so innocent does it really matter?) civilians daily ? Police are not civilians, asshole. Police are badged and licensed to kill protected gangs representing the state apparatus. If youd bother to read my other comments, you wouldnt have made a terribly incorrect FTFY correction. Let me try: Police are completely above citizenry thats why they never appear accountable. My poor choice of words shows a penchant for my apparent love to perform copsucking. . . FTFY What part of NOT CIVILIANS are you intentionally failing to understand, shitferbrains? Lets try again NOT CIVILIANS! Civilian is the copsucker term for anyone who isnt a cop. Using the copsucker term for non-cops is evidence that the user is a copsucker. NOT CIVILIANS! Get it? Got it? Good. :,( Poor little fella. Civilians are those who are not hell-bent on beating others down in the name of justice. The federal and state branches are not civil, they are very hostile towards their citizens. Cops are citizens yes but they are not civilians. They are para-military, Mossad trained, asshats without a conscience. And your penchant for copsucking sounds like it has reached fevered pitch. Nice try, fuckwit. So do you prefer leather-flavored jackboots, or the ranch-flavored ones? Can one envision a world where you do not have to pee thc free? 