A bipartisan alliance of House members asking Congress to leave marijuana laws to the states has an unusual member: A Republican and former Reagan speechwriter.
Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) made the conservative argument for leaving legalization to the states at an event Thursday: “The fundamental principles are individual liberties, which Republicans have always talked about; limited government, which Republicans have always talked about; doctor-patient relationships, which of course we’ve been stressing a lot about lately; and of course, states’ rights and the 10th Amendment,” he said, according to the Hill.
“Let’s have a common sense approach to this,” he added. “Let’s not waste tax dollars and oppress people with big government. Let’s leave these issues up to the states and strike a blow for liberty.”
Rohrabacher was once a senior speechwriter for the Reagan administration, which amplified the War on Drugs. But now, he argues that even if Republicans can’t agree to marijuana legalization based on principle, “This is going to help you politically.”
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) urged removing marijuana’s heavily disputed classification as a Schedule 1 drug—the same rating as heroin. The government defines Schedule 1 substances as “the most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence.”
Methamphetamines and cocaine, meanwhile, are Schedule 2 substances, defined as having “less abuse potential than Schedule I drugs.”
“The federal government is lying to people, saying that marijuana is more dangerous than meth and cocaine,” said Blumenauer.
“Or tequila,” Rohrabacher chimed in.
As for how many deaths have been caused by marijuana: “Spoiler alert — it’s zero!” said Blumenauer, holding his hands up over his head to illustrate:
Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and Jared Polis, (D-Colo.) were also at the event.
Watch a clip below via CNN:
