Rep. Barney Frank introduced a House bill Wednesday that would end
federal penalties for Americans carrying fewer than 100 grams,
or about a quarter-pound, of marijuana.

Rep. Barney Frank's intern, Avery Morrow, says Frank joked that his bill didn't
have a "high chance" of passing. Current laws targeting marijuana users place
undue burdens on law enforcement resources, punish ill Americans whose
doctors have prescribed the substance and unfairly affect African-Americans,
the Democrat from Massachusetts said.

"I absolutely agree with the legalization of recreational marijuana use as
a means to end the damaging and unproductive war on responsible, non violent
users, but if we deny individuals the right to cultivate and sell marijuana
for profit (with regulation similar that of alcohol), than we continue to
perpetuate the most damaging aspect of marijuana prohibition: the funneling
of money to gangs.

Not everyone will want, or be able to grow their own supply of marijuana,
so they will still go to the same dealers that have been supplying them
before the ban on possession was lifted.

Why not divert all of that money and tax revenue to businesses owned
by citizens and regulated by the government? Think of it, the amount of jobs
created by the rise of an entire new industry the size and scope of alcohol
(a multibillion dollar a year business), would be an astounding boom to
our floundering economy." _iReporter