Cory Booker introduces bill to legalize Marijuana at the federal level

[Shadows]

@CoryBooker 
Today at 12:30pm ET I'm introducing the Marijuana Justice Act to legalize marijuana at federal level.

twitter.com/CoryBooker

[Beet]

Good news, further support of my view that Booker is somewhat underrated here on Atlas.

[CMB222]

That is a real surprise and I could also see that drawing support from some more libertarian-esque Republicans.

[heatcharger]

This is a good way for Democrats to pull over the young male demographic away from Bernie and Trump, so I hope they follow Booker's lead on this.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

This is a pivotal move for Booker and gives him at least one major talking point for 2020. He's definitely running.

Also, this:

This is a good way for Democrats to pull over the young male demographic away from Bernie and Trump, so I hope they follow Booker's lead on this.

but without the "pull the young males away from Bernie" because I think they should move more towards Bernie's ideology in order to win in 2020.

[RINO Tom]

Good news, further support of my view that Booker is somewhat underrated here on Atlas.

Booker could be the worst Senator in DC and this still might be true, haha.

[dw93]

He's clearly running for President. While I fully support this bill he proposed, I think he's only pushing it to help his chances in the primaries and knows full well it won't get through with Drug Warrior Trump in the White House and Drug Warrior Sessions as AG.

[Stranger in a strange land]

This is brilliant and long-overdue. If Hillary had come out in support of legal marijuana and opposed the DAPL pipeline, she would be president now.

[Santander]

Disgrace. We need to be locking up stoners.

[Gay Republican]

Disgrace. We need to be locking up stoners.

Man shut it with the fascist act.

Frankly, this is a good enough development I might even consider rejoining the Democratic Party.  We need to stop the federal war against our own citizens!

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Disgrace. We need to be locking up stoners.

[RINO Tom]

Disgrace. We need to be locking up stoners.

Man shut it with the fascist act.

Frankly, this is a good enough development I might even consider rejoining the Democratic Party.  We need to stop the federal war against our own citizens!

What we need is for this to be more bipartisan, so stay right where you are!

[Gay Republican]

Disgrace. We need to be locking up stoners.

Man shut it with the fascist act.

Frankly, this is a good enough development I might even consider rejoining the Democratic Party.  We need to stop the federal war against our own citizens!

What we need is for this to be more bipartisan, so stay right where you are!

Gee thanks for the support?

[MarkD]

Even if the bill does not get passed, if you very much want marijuana to be legalized nationwide, you can still turn to the federal courts.

Those Due Process Clauses -- Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments -- are still a favorite way to get laws struck down as unconstitutional when you can't get the legislatures to do it. Instead of looking at those clauses as if they say:

Do not deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

Just look at them as if they say:

Do not deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due law.

When you treat the adjective "due" as if it modifies the noun "law" instead of the noun "process" then you can get the courts to second-guess the merits of the law that has been passed. If there's not a good enough reason to have a law, or if the harms that come from having the law seem to outweigh the benefits, then the law is not "due," and so the courts say that it violates "due process." It goes back to Dred Scot v. Sandford, and it has been used dozens of times, in the last 120 years, to strike down laws that did not actually violate anything in the Constitution. I wish this misinterpretation of the Due Process Clauses would wither on the vine and die once and for all. Ending this misinterpretation is a crucial part of my proposal for a constitutional amendment.

If we DO end that legal doctrine - that legerdemain - then our views about whether we want marijuana to be legalized will be quite important. If the courts strike down the marijuana laws -- federal with the Fifth Amendment and state with the Fourteenth -- then our views don't mean diddly-squat.

[Kingpoleon]

Manchin, Heitkamp, Donnelly, and McCaskill will vote against it. Paul, Murkowski, Collins, Heller, Flake, and Sasse are the only Republicans we might see vote for it. That's a 50-50 vote.

In the House, the Liberty Caucus and Mainstreet Caucus could carry it over.

[publicunofficial]

Aww that's cute.

Still not voting for him.

[This is Eharding, guys]

Everybody's ignoring the other part of the bill (see Sec. 3, beginning on page 5), which will kill most of its blue dog Dem support and almost all of its Republican support. It has precisely no chance of passing in its current form.

http://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/Marijuana_Justice_Act_2017.pdf

[Coraxion]

Everybody's ignoring the other part of the bill (see Sec. 3, beginning on page 5), which will kill most of its blue dog Dem support and almost all of its Republican support. It has precisely no chance of passing in its current form.

http://www.drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/Marijuana_Justice_Act_2017.pdf

I don't think anyone thinks it's actually gonna pass. Bills like this are just fun to think about, because it gives us a glimpse into what policies Congress would enact were there a Democratic trifecta.

[publicunofficial]

Bold Prediction: The Booker 2020 campaign is going to look a lot like Justin Trudeau

[RINO Tom]

Disgrace. We need to be locking up stoners.

Man shut it with the fascist act.

Frankly, this is a good enough development I might even consider rejoining the Democratic Party.  We need to stop the federal war against our own citizens!

What we need is for this to be more bipartisan, so stay right where you are!

Gee thanks for the support?

Not sure what offended you about suggesting that we need more people with your views in the GOP to better the party and political discourse in general...?

[Suburbia]

I support the legalization of marijuana, but I have no sympathy if stoners do something stupid if their brains make them impaired. No sympathy what so ever.

Use your marijuana, but don't be surprised if you do something stupid. (Drive with speed, etc.)

[Gay Republican]

Disgrace. We need to be locking up stoners.

Man shut it with the fascist act.

Frankly, this is a good enough development I might even consider rejoining the Democratic Party.  We need to stop the federal war against our own citizens!

What we need is for this to be more bipartisan, so stay right where you are!

Gee thanks for the support?

Not sure what offended you about suggesting that we need more people with your views in the GOP to better the party and political discourse in general...?

Not offended just didn't know how to respond?  We're good buddy don't worry.

[houseonaboat]

Bold Prediction: The Booker 2020 campaign is going to look a lot like Justin Trudeau

Something along those lines, though it's worth noting that Trudeau consolidated party support way better than I think Booker will (helps that the Liberal Party is the equivalent of a New Democratic Coalition party).

[BuckeyeNut]

Disgrace. We need to be locking up stoners.

Man shut it with the fascist act.

Frankly, this is a good enough development I might even consider rejoining the Democratic Party.  We need to stop the federal war against our own citizens!

wat

[MAINEiac4434]

Well, Senator, you have my attention.