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Stop Pot Act of 2023 [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-09-16
Rep. Charles Edwards (R-NC) has introduced H.R. 5323: Stop Pot Act of 2023. This bill would withhold 10% of the states federal highway funding for states that legalize marijuana. Rep Gregory Murphy (R-NC) and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) are co-sponsors of the bill.
People who support this bill believe that it will lower drug use. Rep Edwards said in a press release “The laws of any government should not infringe on the overall laws of our nation, and federal funds should not be awarded to jurisdictions that willfully ignore federal law. During a time when our communities are seeing unprecedented crime, drug addiction, and mental Illness, the bill will help prevent even greater access to drugs and ease the strain placed on local law enforcement and mental health professionals who are already stretched thin.”
However opponents counter that states and tribal governments should set their own laws on matters within their jurisdictions. Four North Carolina Democratic County chairs jointly wrote in a North Carolina Tribal newspaper, The Cherokee One Feather, “Rep. Edwards threatens to eliminate federal funds to tribal governments that choose to legalize any form of marijuana use. His bill reeks of the same paternalism we have seen throughout the history of federal dealings with tribal governments. This is not the action of a friend with a disagreement, it is patronizing and coercive. Rep. Edwards offers false friendship. The federal funding owed must never be a tool for extorting one mans policy goals”
Even though the chances of this bill passing are extremely low, bills like this can become the norm if the Republicans regain control of Congress. (They have a slight majority in the House, but Democrats hold the Senate by a slim margin as well)
Bills like this are a good example of why it is especially important to get out and vote!
To many times have Republicans said that they believe in states rights, but when it is something that they do not agree with, they try to enact laws to force their beliefs on the people. In every one of the states where Marijuana was legalized, it was voted on by the people of the state.
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/16/2193689/-Stop-Pot-Act-of-2023
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