United Nations agency demands U.S. government sue states over marijuana decriminalization laws

United Nations agency demands U.S. government sue states over marijuana decriminalization laws



(NaturalNews) Americans have differing opinions about the wisdom of
marijuana legalization but most of us would agree that no matter what we
think about it personally, it is an issue for Americans to decide.

So,
an admonishment by a United Nations agency urging the U.S. government
to sue the states of Colorado and Washington, whose citizens recently
voted to support pot legalization in their states, should be dismissed
out of hand as the carnival sideshow that it is, right?

If only it were that easy.

You see, while such decisions should
be left for Americans and states to decide on their own, decades of
allowing our leaders to strike bargains (otherwise known as "treaties")
with the UN has created an impediment to liberty, thus allowing an
unelected global body a say in our country's political processes. Some
call that "civilized" and "reasonable;" George Washington called such
arrangements an "entangling alliance" we should strive to avoid.

Then there is that federal law regarding marijuana...

Nevertheless,
the International Narcotics Control Board is now prodding the U.S.
government to challenge Colorado and Washington in court over pot
legalization for recreational use in those states because the agency
says the laws violate international drug treaties, The Seattle Times reported.

The INCB (which seems an inappropriate agency to make the complaint considering pot is not a narcotic) made its recommendation
in an annual drug report. Officials called on Washington to act quickly
to "ensure full compliance with the international drug control treaties
on its entire territory."

In late February, U.S. Attorney
General Eric Holder said he was in the final stages of reviewing the
state laws, adding that he was looking at policy options as well as
international implications of the laws' passage. Meanwhile, marijuana
possession and use remains illegal under federal law; based on this
Justice Department's history, states have to pass their own illegal immigration and voting registration laws to get sued by the Feds.

In any event, because pot is still illegal on the federal level, Holder and Justice could decide to sue - or not.
Given that Holder's boss, President Obama, has freely admitted he
smoked copious amounts of weed during his younger days ("I inhaled
frequently. That was the point.") and that he has said prosecuting
Colorado and Washington state over their laws is not on his radar,
chances are good that there won't be any subpoenas delivered to their
capitals anytime soon.

"We've got bigger fish to fry," Obama told ABC News
shortly after the laws passed. "It would not make sense for us to see a
top priority as going after recreational users in states that have
determined that it's legal." (So, is he saying state laws now trump
federal laws - at least, when the violation is one he agrees with?)

Just pointing out the obvious?

It
may be none of the UN's business (and it wouldn't be, were it not for
that pesky treaty), but at least someone is attempting to hold Obama and
his Justice Department accountable to the rule of law, and not just
when it suits them.

"The entire international system is based on
countries respecting the rules, and there's a broad fabric of
international treaties that are part and parcel to that," said David
Johnson, the U.S. delegate to the Vienna-based board.

The role of the UN board is to act as an "independent" monitoring body, monitoring for compliance with and implementation of United Nations
drug control conventions. Raymond Yans, the head of the agency, has
also called on Holder to do his job and challenge the laws in both
states shortly after voters approved them in November.

Granted,
there are plenty of Americans who are in agreement with Colorado and
Washington for legalizing marijuana, as well as with the Obama
administration's decision to pass (so far) on prosecuting them for
passing a drug law in violation of federal law. But the point here is
this: Americans live by the rule of law. As president, Obama is the nation's chief law enforcement officer (EDITOR'S NOTE: THIS ISN'T TECHNICALLY TRUE; IT'S HOLDER);
he should not be deciding which laws he wants to enforce and which laws
he wants to ignore because he simply doesn't agree with them.

So
the path forward is clear: Repeal the federal prohibition against
marijuana possession and usage, and withdraw from UN drug treaties. That
may sting a bit on the international geopolitical scene (remember, part
of our effort in Afghanistan is an anti-drug effort aimed at
interdicting heroin production), but at least we won't have a president
who is being hypocritical on the issue.

It shouldn't take a UN treaty or a global agency to remind our leaders how to govern.

Source:-
http://www.naturalnews.com/039423_United_Nations_US_government_marijuana_decriminalization.html