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| Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas |
Clarence Thomas, one of our conservative Supreme Court Justices, spoke out recently on, what he feels, are our country's uneven marijuana laws.
Legalization? He didn't exactly call for that.
He just wants marijuana use treated equally in all 50 states.
“Once comprehensive, the Federal Government’s current approach is a half-in, half-out regime that simultaneously tolerates and forbids local use of marijuana,” stated the justice.
Currently, marijuana is legal in 18 states, but illegal in 17.
37 states allow medical use only, while others merely decriminalize it.
Yet, a few states decriminalize and allow medical use.
The situation, as Judge Thomas sees it, is a“contradictory and unstable state of affairs,” that “strains basic principles of federalism and conceals traps for the unwary.”
Thomas also addresses the situation in certain states that require the sale of marijuana to be a "cash only" business, necessitating security guards and make the business "attractive to burglars and robbers."
Yet, if those security guards carry a fire arm, they become susceptible to a "drug trafficking crime."
Thomas is fascinating. He is more to the middle or even left on criminal law. In several cases for the police and military he has indicated it is time to revisit immunity. It fascinates me that in the last term three times Thomas was the only vote to hear qualified immunity cases for the police, while the Democrats in each case voted no. Had they voted yes the cases would move forward. You just need 4 votes. We shall see what happens with Breyer and how it impacts the Court.
ReplyDeletea lot of guys already locked up for possessing just a little
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