Republicans Might Be More Supportive Of Legalizing Marijuana Than Liberals Think
COMMENTARY | Marijuana ban ending proposals are now being thrust upon the federal government. Lawmakers from states that recently approved state marijuana decriminalization measures are behind the pair of currently circulating proposals. Some liberals have noted that the bills designed to end the federal marijuana ban will get stalled in the Republican controlled House of Representatives. The Democrats might just be very, very wrong.
Marijuana prohibition does not have as much support as it once had. Just like the Volstead Act (alcohol prohibition), the marijuana ban did not curb usage and created a street corner market for the illegal cannabis. Republicans are by nature fiscally conservative and therefore do not support wasted taxpayer dollars. Police departments across the country have spent the last several years struggling with budget cuts. The GOP-controlled House of Representatives might very well decide officers’ time could be better spent protecting the community from violent crime instead of picking up a college kid with a quarter bag in his backpack.
Republicans are also huge supporters of states’ rights. The marijuana legalization bills do not mandate that states allow the cultivation and sale of cannabis, Fox News notes. The laws merely give states the option to craft their own marijuana policies and procedures. Many Republicans may not support toking personally, but could stand behind the right for states to have the power to deal with the matter on their own.
Should the federal marijuana ban come to an end, states could opt to regulate and tax the cultivation and sale of cannabis. Republicans are all about creating jobs and that is exactly what would happen in rural areas should the pot ban cease to exist. The marijuana industry would be consumer driven and not need a government subsidy to exist, another big plus for Republicans.
A growing number of Republicans, especially the younger ones, possess a Libertarian mindset. When it comes to social issues, Libertarian-leaning Republicans adhere to a Thomas Jefferson point of view. As Jefferson once so aptly stated, “If it does not pick my pocket or break my leg, what business is it of mine?”
Republicans that firmly believe in personal freedom and states’ rights, are likely to support legalizing marijuana; even if they never intend on rolling a joint themselves. What do you think about putting an end to marijuana prohibition and how GOP lawmakers will vote on the matter?
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