Sorry, my bad, that was a bit of fantasy that the Federal government, which sued Arizona over their illegal immigration bill using the “Supremacy Clause,” would follow suit
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Thursday signed into law a bill that decriminalizes the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana. The bill reduces simple possession from a misdemeanor to an infraction.
Under the bill signed today, SB 1449, by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), pot possession will be treated like a traffic ticket. The fine will remain at $100, and there will be no arrest record.
Well, isn’t that a fine how do ya do. Interestingly, Arnold stated that he disagreed with the legislation. Yet, he went and signed it. So, will Obama and Holder follow federal law and sue California?
….the federal law does not qualify possession by amount.  Possession of any amount of marijuana (even a single marijuana cigarette) is punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of $1,000 on the first offense. The second offense carries a 15-day mandatory sentence, and can be extended for as long as two years in prison. Any possession after that gets a 90-day to three year prison term, and a $5,000 fine. (It should also be noted that distribution of a small amount of marijuana for no money is usually treated as simple possession).
California is obviously not following federal law on this. Ca. and 13 other states allow medical marijuana. Cities around the country fail to follow federal immigration law, proclaiming them sanctuary cities. Come on, DOJ, follow the law! But, then, the Obama administration doesn’t want to enforce civil rights violations against whites, so, why should we think they would care about enforcing the law in a “justice is blind” kind of way?
PS: just to reiterate what I have written before, I could really care less whether pot is legal or not. I don’t smoke it myself, and don’t plan on it. It is much less a dangerous drug than alcohol, and, not only could it be an interesting revenue source (with proper controls), minor possession charges are a drain on our criminal justice system. I actually think the law Arnold signed is a decent intermediary one. I’m just pointing to the blatant hypocrisy of our government. Also, any marijuana laws about usage should be left to the states.
