From Filibusters to. . . Marijuana?
Senate Democrats Bow to "Big Weed" and Its Legalization Campaign
On the cusp of practically eviscerating the Senate’s filibuster to advance the Democrat’s aggressive if somewhat unpopular progressive agenda, including outlawing voter ID requirements and some gun ownership, US Senate Majority (tenuously, by one vote) Leader Charles Schumer is now focused on an issue that clearly seems to have broad public support: Legalization of Marijuana.
One might think that legal weed is not on the list of kitchen table concerns of working (and even non-working) Americans. Quite true. But with President Biden’s approval rating dropping below 50 percent after less than 100 days, Democrats understandably want to find an issue or two that reflects popular support. Thus, despite massive public debt, the impending bankruptcy of Social Security and Medicare, pandemic-related issues, and overseas concerns, here comes legal weed! Might as well pollute our brains into an altered state of consciousness than deal with the challenges of the day.
President Biden is not on board with Schumer’s legal weed idea. At least just yet. Stay tuned. I predict he will be, sooner than later.
I am confused by Schumer’s legislative strategy. He is rushing so fast to jam his agenda that one wonders what his caucus will be running on in 2022. “We delivered, even though things suck?” Especially if inflation starts to skyrocket and the economy tanks from massively higher and deeply unpopular tax increases that he’ll cram through via the filibuster-proof budget process?
This brings us back to marijuana legalization. Is it really going to prove the popular issue Schumer thinks it will be? Perhaps, but facts matter.
The Rocky Mountain High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (RMHIDT), a consortium of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies have been tracking various health and traffic statistics since Colorado legalized weed for recreational purposes more than 7 years ago.
Let’s look at a snippet of their work, via their 2020 update.
Don’t take my word for it. Read the full study here. Is this what you want for your state or commonwealth? Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), an organization that is emerging as Big Weed’s largest nemesis has also published a detailed presentation on its excellent website that analyzes state governments’ struggles with marijuana legalization.
Of course, big weed has tried to discredit the RMHIDTA’s work. They don’t account for population growth is the biggest complaint. But they do. RMHIDTA is not partisan; their data is from official sources. They have no ax to grind or agenda to pursue. And unlike Big Weed, they’re not about the money. And Big Weed is spending big money for trade association conferences and well-connected lobbyists - Democrats and Republicans - to pitch their utopian promises of tax revenue and profits.
Some Big Weed proponents will ultimately respond with a mixture of whataboutism and a classic strawman argument that compares marijuana to alcohol. So, compounding societal problems with a new mind-altering substance that actually lasts longer in your system is a good thing? Tell that to warehouse operators who employ forklift drivers.
No one is defending alcohol legalization and certainly not alcohol misuse, nor calling for a return to the 18th Amendment and the prohibition era it briefly launched before the 21st Amendment repealed it. Alcohol misuse burdens our economy by an estimated $250 billion annually, and alcohol-impaired driving contributes to more than 10,000 traffic deaths every year. We will see how much marijuana abuse adds to those numbers soon enough, especially if Senator Schumer has his way.
And what does this have to do with the Senate’s filibuster? Legalizing weed will likely become a “budget and reconciliation” matter since it will almost certainly be taxed by the federal government (on top of state taxes already in place). As discussed previously, budget and reconciliation bills are exempt from the Senate’s three-fifths majority rule to end debate. Republican votes won’t be needed, so long as Democrats remain unified. And some Republican Senators may actually vote for it.
Some 16 states and the District of Columbia have legalized the recreational use of weed. More states are poised to follow suit. The media have completely failed in its responsibility to inform you of the impact in other states that have legalized it. At least we have the RHMIDTA. God bless them. We should all be paying careful attention.