Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) says people should be able to smoke marijuana if they want to, and he's now leading a fight to end penalties for recreational smokers.

Pot, weed, marijuana - whatever you call it, right now it is illegal, and if you are caught with it you could face stiff fines or jail time. But, Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank is fed up with federal penalties and wants to stop them altogether.

"I don't think it's the government's business to tell people how to spend their leisure time," Frank said.

Frank proposed HR 5843 Wednesday to end federal penalties for people possessing less than 100 grams of marijuana - enough to make roughly 50 marijuana cigarettes.

The Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws says currently, a marijuana smoker is arrested every 38 seconds. The Massachusetts Democrat said it is time to bring that to an end, adding, "there are a lot of things that people do, that I don't do. And I think they should be free to do them."

The proposed bill would not affect current laws for growing, importing or exporting marijuana. The White House says the substance is dangerous and has no accepted use.

CBS 3 traveled to Amherst, home of the Extravaganja - an annual marijuana festival. But, some people we spoke with there disagree with the plan.

"It doesn't bring anything good to health or to people, so I don't really think it's a good idea if it becomes legal," said one critic of the proposal.

But far more people we spoke with say they are in favor of de-criminalizing recreational use.

"I think it's a waste of money to prosecute people for using it. We can use it for taxes - we can tax marijuana and have a lot better use for that," said Hilary Lithgow, an Amherst resident.

It is still unknown how many of Frank's congressional colleagues will support him on the bill, but for many residents, they hope this is the beginning of the end for tough laws against their recreational activities.