On Feb. 20, house representatives Jared Polis (D-CO) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced two bills which would effectively end prohibition of marijuana while taxing it at the federal level. 

Polis’ legislation H.R. 1013, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, removes marijuana from the Controlled Substance Act, which defines it as a schedule-one drug. Other drugs that reside on this list include cocaine and heroin, both of which provide jail time on the first offense. 

H.R. 1013 would not only declassify marijuana as a schedule-one drug, but it would also move oversight away from the Drug Enforcement Agency and into the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 

Blumenauer’s legislation, H.R. 1014, would create a federal sales tax on nonmedical marijuana purchases.  While I don’t want there to be any more tax on recreational sales, prohibition is something that must be ended.

In the aftermath of Initiative 502, which made marijuana legal in Washington State, I can assure you that the same questions voters tackled then will once again become relevant. 

H.R. 1013 would allow states to create their own laws to either ban or allow the sale of recreational marijuana, which gives the states some wiggle room on specifics. For example, in Colorado there were no driving laws implemented with their legalization. 

In Washington, if you are pulled over with a blood test showing a THC level greater than 5 ng/mL, you are subject to a DUI. This specification led to a lot of marijuana users to reject Initiative 502, despite the current standing of marijuana as a schedule-one drug.

While I for one think it is unrealistic to not regulate the level of intoxicants one can have in their system while behind a wheel, the important matter is simply legalization. 

If you want to improve a law, you can do so by lobbying your state representatives. However, the first step is the end of prohibition. This was the sentiment that Alison Holcomb expressed while campaigning I-502 and it is the right way of approaching this issue. 

These two bills are currently residing in the House of Representatives, but it is fair to assume that this issue will also reach our other legislative body. Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray have been working with Representative Adam Smith to appeal to Attorney General Eric Holder urging the Department of Justice not to pursue preemption of state marijuana laws in Washington and Colorado. 

Our Representatives want to support their constituents and it is safe to say that they will be supporting H.R. 1013 and 1014 if the public wants them to.

As we approach a possible end to prohibition of marijuana there are a few important points to remember. First, ending prohibition will provide the government with a huge income through taxation and this money will be put right back into the community. 

Second, the only reason that Washington and Colorado have been able to push forward with our own recreational laws is because the Obama administration has allowed us to. Since the 1860s Federal law trumps state law and a new president in 2016 might not be inclined to allow the states to continue in our current path. 

Federal legalization would end this possibility and if you are a recreational user, I urge you to take some form of action. If you don’t know your district representatives in the house, www.house.gov will point you in the right direction.

Prohibition only promotes the black market and other crime syndicates. Besides, the war on drugs is over, and now is the time to reverse the backward thinking of the 1980s. 

If you have any strong feelings what-so-ever on this issue please write your representatives and senators. I can promise you they will listen – after all, it is your right as an American.