Decriminalizing Mary Jane

Politics Buzz US Congress Rep. Barney Frank proposes bill that, if passed, will radically curb federal penalties for personal marijuana use. The bill is titled the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008, or HR 5843, and would be aimed at ending federal penalties for Americans carrying less than a quarter ounce. The bill comes at a time when general consensus has been reached that US drug laws are a misuse of valuable resources and disproportionately target Black Americans. Frank, a cigar-smoker, has indicated that if the bill is passed he will promptly switch to blunts…ahem, sorry, I mean not smoke marijuana anyway.