Members of The House of representatives are proposing legislation that offers a more sensible legal approach to the use of Marijuana.There have been 20 million marijuana-related arrests since 1965and 11 million since 1990, and "every 38 seconds, a marijuana smoker is arrested.Rob Kampia, director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said marijuana arrests outnumber arrests for "all violent crimes combined," meaning that police are spending inordinate amounts of time chasing nonviolent criminals.Representatives, Republicans and Democrats, from California, Missouri, Texas and other states have come forward to call for marijuana laws which follow a more common sense approach. Marijuana laws not only imprison many non-violent offenders, they also imprison a disproportionate number of minorities and people of color.Being arrested is not the American marijuana smoker's only concern, said a member of the Drug Policy Alliance Network. Those found guilty of marijuana use can lose their jobs, financial aid for college, their food stamp and welfare benefits, or their low-cost housing.The bill proposed, House Resolution 5843, titled the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008, would allow "a very small number of individuals" suffering from chronic pain or illness to smoke marijuana with impunity.If HR 5843 were passed by the House, marijuana smokers could possess up to 100 grams. Tagged as: high profile defense