Legal medical marijuana from coast to coast?

It's possible. Not that anyone in California is about to get up and cheer, since it's been legal here for 15 years and pot shops have flourished in L.A. for nearly five.

But think about your brothers in the flown-over parts of the country for a minute, stoners. A bill set to be introduced in congress today would indeed give their peace pipes a chance:

The bill by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), would bring marijuana out of the federal dog house and let states legalize it without meddling from the likes of the DEA.

Although President Obama has told federal law enforcement to step back when it comes to enforcing American pot law (it's still illegal) in medical weed states like California, there have been notable raids that have incensed cannabis advocates.

The bill would end that and ensure that if you legalize it, as we did, there will be no question about it, even on a federal level.

In states where it's legal people could have it, smoke it and grow it without ending up in federal prison, essentially.

This is a pretty big deal. But we don't expect a congress that shuns a dude who texted boner picks to women to embrace the bill.

Nevertheless, the pro-pot lobby is pscyhed.

Neill Franklin, a former Baltimore cop and head of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition:

Clearly the 'war on drugs' has failed, and nowhere is that more clear than with respect to marijuana. It baffles me that we arrest nearly 800,000 people on marijuana charges in this country each and every year at taxpayer expense when we could instead be taking in new tax revenue from legal and regulated marijuana sales. Making marijuana illegal hasn't prevented anyone from using it, but it has created a huge funding source that funnels billions of dollars in tax-free profits to violent drug cartels and gangs. More and more cops now agree: Legalizing marijuana will improve public safety.

Smoke on that, Washington.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.