Congressman, an Air Force reservist, wants to legalize growing pot

By

Jeff Schogol

A congressman who is also a lieutenant colonel if the Air Force Reserve wants to reduce by half the has proposed cutting funds spent to eradicate marijuana plants for cannabis eradication and suppression in half.

“This is a ridiculous waste of precious federal resources, especially when multiple states and jurisdictions have already legalized marijuana,” Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said in a Thursday news release. “It is time for the federal government to stop making marijuana use or possession a federal crime.”

Lieu’s amendment to a fiscal 2016 appropriations bill would cut funding for the Drug Enforcement Agency’s salaries and expenses account from $18 million to $9 million, the news release says. The account is used to fund the DEA program to eradicate and suppress cannabis.

Next year, Lieu will introduce legislation to eliminate the entire program, he said in the news release, noting that the DEA arrested 6,130 people in 2014 for growing marijuana plants.

State Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, calls for passage of his measure that changes the criteria for obtaining a court order authorizing DNA testing, Friday, Aug. 29, 2014, in Sacramento, Calif. By a 32-3 vote the Senate approved Lieu’s SB980 that would require law enforcement agencies to tell defendants when they possess evidence that could be tested for DNA. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Then-California state Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, addresses the Legislature in Aug. 29 in Sacramento, Calif.

Photo Credit: Rich Pedroncelli/AP

“There is a growing, bipartisan consensus across the country that our marijuana policies must change,” Lieu said in the news release. “Despite the overwhelming support from scientists, doctors, and people across the nation for lessening restrictions on marijuana, the DEA still spends millions of dollars each year on domestic cannabis eradication.”

If Lieu’s amendment becomes part of the final appropriations bill that is passed by both the House and Senate, it would divide the $9 million cut from the DEA’s funding accordingly:

  • $4 million would fund the Violence Against Women Act Youth Oriented Program.
  • $3 million would fund the Victims of Child Abuse program.
  • $2 million would go to the Spending Reduction Account.

“We need to focus our resources where they are actually needed: Standing up for children who have been victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault, not spending taxpayer dollars on going after people who grow marijuana plants,” Lieu said in the news release.

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Jeff Schogol