thedailywhat:

Historic Legislation of the Day: Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Ron Paul (R-TX) introduced a bill today that would amend the government’s Controlled Substances Act to remove all federal penalties for the production, distribution, and possession of marijuana, effectively striking down its classification as a scheduled drug.

The bill aims to allow individual states to set their own marijuana laws without the concern of being overridden on the federal level. The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2011 [pdf] — the first bill of its kind — resembles the repeal of the 18th Amendment in that it restricts the government’s role in controlling the substance to keeping the drug out states where it is banned.

Frank stressed the bill was “not a legalization bill,” telling reporters it offered limited-government politicians the perfect opportunity to put marijuana where their mouth is.

[latimes / reason / image: thcfinder.]