Marijuana Opponent Threatens the Life of Virginia Rep. Scott Taylor

A marijuana legalization opponent and retired military veteran, Wallace Godwin, went to Virginia Rep. Scott Taylor’s office on Thursday and threatened his life and two of the staff members with a shotgun. Godwin filed a lawsuit against the federal government for failing to uphold the laws of the Substance Abuse Act and has commented on Facebook that, “Marijuana and Social Media is the biggest problem of USA.”

Rep. Taylor fights to have marijuana removed from the Substance Abuse Act and also believes that the decision to legalize cannabis is up to the states and that the federal government should stay out of it. Virginia recently voted to expand their medical marijuana program significantly opening the door for many more patients to access cannabis therapy.

Wallace Grove Godwin, 69, allegedly went to Taylor’s office on Thursday. “Scott is having an event this Saturday. I am going to get my shotgun and do something about this. I will just handle this myself,” he said, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Then authorities say he pointed at two staffers in the room and added, “You two are next.” The alleged dispute happened after he apparently became “frustrated during a discussion about marijuana policy,” the U.S. attorney’s office said.

The apparent incident was not the first between Godwin and Taylor, or his staff. Last year, Gowdin went to the congressman’s home and blocked his vehicle with his own vehicle, according to an affidavit the U.S. attorney’s office released Friday. When the congressman came outside, Godwin apparently began talking about marijuana policy before leaving. Another time last year, Godwin waited and also went to his office and yelled at his staffers, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. The incident was reported to the U.S. Capitol Police, according to the affidavit.

Unfortunately, violence by gun is only too common here in the United States, and with as many people marching in cities around the country this weekend for increased gun control, Godwin’s threats end up being much more about gun control than marijuana legalization. Hopefully the continued peaceful movement that has brought marijuana law reform as far as it has will continue without anymore violence or threat of violence.

read more at newsweek.com

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cannabis newscannabis therapygun violenceRep. Scott TaylorSubstance Abuse ActVirginia medical marijuanaWallace Grove Godwin