POLITICS: Anti Drug Alabama Argues For California Medical Marijuana Law Before Supreme Court

Alabama Attorney General Troy King filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in which he asserts that California's medical marijuana law is a states right issue. At first glance, the brief is a puzzling one. Alabama has some of the nations toughest drug policies. However, feels that while they do not agree with the California law, they could be forced to accept it if States rights were undermined. Peaking in an interview, King said - But if somebody can go in and tell California you can't regulate drugs the way you want to regulate them in California, the next step is they could come to Alabama and tell us we can't do it.




Politics can make for strange bedfellows. Medical marijuana use is a hot button topic. Advocates will point to the medica benefits. Opponents will point to the gradual chipping away of drug laws. It interesting to find California and Alabama united in this fight. States rights are a key issue particularly in light of the division that exists in the United States. Abortion is yet another issue where states rights become very important if Roe Vs. Wade is overturned by a more conservative Supreme Court. This issue bears watching.

A person convicted three times of possessing marijuana in the state can end up serving as much as life in prison.

Gots to get manpower for dem chain gangs somewhere!

Originally posted by dubiousone

A person convicted three times of possessing marijuana in the state can end up serving as much as life in prison.

Gots to get manpower for dem chain gangs somewhere!

And they say Slavery in America is dead.

[edit on 5-12-2004 by Wask]

This is a paradox. If State's rights means that the federal government must not tell the states what to do, namely potentially accomdate MM, then Alabama must do the job to argue against a duly constituted decision by the people of the State of California through referendum. Here are the representatives of a state aruing against the decision of the people on this one issue. On the face of it, this is not necessarily a decision of the state government, but the people puting binders on a State. Here it must refrain from bothering its people who are sick and in their view have no alternative.

The 10th amendment here is in the most broad sense about the rights of the people, since it is the people who assembled in cause to overturn what they regarded as an unjust law in its application. The Constitution says "We the people," not "We the States." There was an early argument, was there not, to say the latter?

So this kind of situation goes right back to the beginning, the founding of this nation. Our founding fathers were far wiser than many of us today, since we do not have the time to think about anything it seems. Perhaps Alabama should ask its people, in a hand counted paper ballot referendum what they think before interfering with a decision of the people of another state? Also the Supreme Court could take the innovative option of doing the same nationwide as counsel to their design?

[edit on 5-12-2004 by SkipShipman]