RLCTX Statement On Attorney Jeff Sessions Decision On Federal Marijuana Policy
January 4, 2018, Houston, Texas. The Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas was disappointed to hear the news that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has decided to rescind an Obama-era policy that paved the way for legalized marijuana to flourish in states across the country, creating new confusion about enforcement.
The War on Drugs has caused irreparable harm on our society by imprisoning citizens on non-violent drug offenses, using no knock warrants mistakenly on wrong addresses, and by police tactical errors that have left innocent citizens dead. In addition, families have been torn apart, property seized and numerous other maladies have stemmed from this failed policy. And what do we have to show for this battle we are surely losing? No reduction in the amount of drugs located in Any Town USA, and an out of control opioid epidemic fueled by Doctors, Government and Big Pharma. People with the medical disease of addiction are locked in cages with actual violent offenders and offered little if any treatment.
It has caused many of our very own Texas citizens to flee to the safety of States like Colorado in order to treat their children’s illnesses with marijuana-based medicine, as they would be common criminals here for this action. As former State Representative David Simpson remarked while in office, “Current marijuana policies are not based on science or sound evidence, but rather misinformation and fear. All that God created is good, including marijuana. God did not make a mistake when he made marijuana that the government needs to fix…Let’s allow the plant to be utilized for good—helping people with seizures, treating warriors with PTSD, producing fiber and other products—or simply for beauty and enjoyment. Government prohibition should be for violent actions that harm your neighbor—not of the possession, cultivation, and responsible use of plants.”
The mission of this caucus is to promote Individual Freedom, Private Property, Free Market Policies, and most importantly, the original intent of the Constitution. We feel Mr. Sessions has made a grave error with this decision. Unconstitutional over extension of federal authority hurts everyone. Continuing this prohibition on the federal level is terrible policy, and should be left for the individual States to decide.
It is a sad day for those who have had to flee the state to provide medically necessary treatment for their children and who are being deprived of employment, property and access to their families by this unjust policy. It is a sad day for Liberty, and it certainly is a sad day as we see the damage of the high stakes game of the War on Drugs reignited to the 1980’s era levels.
Is this making America great again? Or, is this continuing the theft of property and incarceration of more of its citizens than North Korea or Communist China?
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