Earlier this morning the United State’s Senate, Committee on Judiciary, unanimously approved Senate Bill 714, The National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009.
NORML first blogged about this federal legislation back in November, and encouraged NORML supporters to contact their U.S. Senators in favor of this long-needed reform. Fortunately, many of you did so, and today the Senate Judiciary responded accordingly.
As amended, Senate Bill 714 will establish a `National Criminal Justice Commission’ to hold public hearings and “undertake a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system, including Federal, State, local, and tribal governments’ criminal justice costs, practices, and policies. … The Commission shall make findings regarding such review and recommendations for changes in oversight, policies, practices, and laws designed to prevent, deter, and reduce crime and violence, improve cost-effectiveness, and ensure the interests of justice at every step of the criminal justice system.”
It’s been many years since a federally appointed commission has taken an objective look at American criminal justice policies, and it’s been nearly 40 years since federal lawmakers have undertaken a critical examination of U.S. drug policy. As affirmed by the bill’s chief sponsor, Democrat Senator Jim Webb of Virginia:
“America’s criminal justice system has deteriorated to the point that it is a national disgrace. … The United States has by far the world’s highest incarceration rate. With 5% of the world’s population, our country now houses nearly 25% of the world’s reported prisoners.
… Drug offenders, most of them passive users or minor dealers, are swamping our prisons. … Justice statistics also show that 47.5% of all the drug arrests in our country in 2007 were for marijuana offenses. Additionally, nearly 60% of the people in state prisons serving time for a drug offense had no history of violence or of any significant selling activity. … African-Americans — who make up about 12% of the total U.S. population population — accounted for 37% of those arrested on drug charges, 59% of those convicted, and 74% of all drug offenders sentenced to prison.
… It is incumbent on our national leadership to find a way to fix our prison system.”
NORML supporters can play a role in this ‘fix’ by contacting their U.S. Senators and urging them to support Senate Bill 714, The National Criminal Justice Commission Act. (Note, the measure must still be approved by the full Senate, and then the House of Representatives, before it can become law.)
‘Change we can believe in?’ It’s about damn time.
This is almost enough to make me jump with joy. this may the beginning of the end of the drug war.
Well, one can hope anyway.
Thanks to Senator Webb we may actually see true justice in this country again. Only poor people go to jail in America. Rarely does the likes of Bernie Madoff actually go to jail here. The numbers speak for them selves. Cannabis prohibition is purely a racist tool to incarcerate people of color. Shame on us for allowing this to happen in America the land of the not so free.
Two letters printed out and signed, ready to put in the mail tomorrow. Thanks NORML for making the letter writing easier.
Did get a discouraging letter from Bennett in Utah two days ago over legalization. Sent it to you NORML.
How about Senator Webb for President?
He’d have my support.
NORML is doing an excellent job by continuing to bring us these news stories & i urge your support of NORML .
In other news i just signed a contract
with Jeremy F. Lacy of :
” Cameo Entertainment Group ” a World – wide radio station based out of Massachusetts in which i will be delivering the TRUTH about marijuana to ( i think they said ) 3.4 million listeners Worldwide . I will have the power to change how the World thinks about Marijuana but now i got to learn all about the Audio stuff first so it’ll take some time before hopefully i am on the air . When I’m there i ask for your support & listenership .
We will defeat the Great Satan with his many lies and deceptions. & free all those who numbers are many who have been prosecuted by simple Marijuana crimes . Prosecuting anyone for a gift given by God ( Marijuana ) is truly the work of the Devil .
a unanimous vote? did that seriously just happen? a unanimous vote on something GOOD. As Paul Armentano just said “It’s about damn time” indeed.
Wow. A unanimous vote for a policy reform that makes sense. Could it be that our representatives are actually “getting it”? The only ones these days who want to keep things as they are are those whose jobs depend on locking people up and “dyed in the wool” conservatives who still equate drugs with evil while drinking their martinis and popping pills. The drug war makes about as much sense as a war on aspirin.
We hear a lot about the death toll in wars overseas but I see a deliberate lack of coverage on the 8000 or so people who have died on the Mexican border. Think about it, that is a lot of dead people right here at home and lets not forget all the millions who have had contact with our police. Should we refer to them as POW’s?
Congratulations Senator Webb. Very well done sir, stay the course.
I hope they take a good look at Texas. Here in Brown county a guy just got life in prison for selling drugs while a murdering preacher in east Texas only got 65 years for killing his wife. As far as the guy with the drugs it was his 5th time or so and it was meth but he still shouldn’t have gotten life. People here get extra long sentences for any drug while real criminals get off easy. If your not white it’s even worse. Not only that, if you are convicted for drugs you can never get food stamps or medicade but you can if you murder, rape, steal or anything else. Texas might talk about suceding but they deserve to be thrown out of the union, except there are some good people here who cant afford to move.
Now it looks like we need to do something about the supreme court. unfortunately there isn’t anything we can do. The ruling that lets corporations spend as much as they want on campagn ads has turned America into a fascist nation overnight. Corporatism is fascism.
ya right we will never see legalization, when pigs can fly !!!!, Oh yah!, Swine Flew!!!!
Hallelujah! Let the sanity begin!
Yes yes yes, I read about this on NORML’s blog a while back, and nearly forgot about it. Will you let us know when it moves to the Senate floor for a vote?
THIS IS AMAZING NEWS!!! One could only hope that drug policy gets reviewed soon.
Im Sending mine to my Senator too.
I’m facing jail time for selling my medical marijuania to friends out of state. Being a combat Vet, I have had enough violence for a life time in Iraq and I dont want to hurt another living person. Shurly dont deserve to loose my freedom that I fought for. This could help me if it would hurry up and pass legislation we all know makes sence.
And this will take a year and a half or two years to complete?
YES!!!! This is very good! Thanks for the updates NORML!
When I read this and almost pissed my pants.Amen!!!. Now we can focus on real crime. We can finally get the cops back on patrol to seek real criminals of society. this has not only lit up a smile to my face.
End of the drug war? Not likely… I don’t see the point in supporting this. They already make laws up outta thin air. This is just a free pass to make more looney laws. I wish it was the end of the drug war but I see this as a tool to destroy more lives.
Sorry but I have to reserve my joy until it makes it all the way through. My optimism is a little lacking when it comes to federal progress. With the recent Supreme Court decision allowing corporations to make campaign donations the uphill battle just got steeper. Grrrr
Hopefully my pessimism is misplaced and this ends up being this century’s equivalent of the Whickersham Commission, only more far reaching.
After all our prison system is one of the loudest,most visible remnants of the bigotry that once was so common to the American lifestyle and to get that under control would be one of the last great victories for the civil rights movement as well as a huge victory for human rights in the home of the brave.
Thanks for the news Paul.
#19
You may have a point, but can things really get any worse? I mean, it’s the single most expensive war right now in terms of the loss of life and money. We’re rock bottom. Our country is an international disgrace.
its about damn time they take a real look at their prison systems. Ive seen so many people go to prison for crap reasons that it makes me sick to my stomach. If its a non-violent crime they should ever go to prison unless maybe for burglery or somthing. Im not a big fan of democrats at the moment but Mr. Webb has my respect for this.
What was that noise? Oh, it was just a bunch of cops nationwide gasping for air. I mean, it IS their jobs we’re talking about here. I first heard about this commission a couple of months ago on C-Span, and it felt like our country’s drug policies were in the fore front of their minds. Lots of stuff we say, they said. An example is the overcrowded prisons, and cops going after non-violent law breakers. Also, if I do recall correctly, they even mentioned that our drug policies will be one of the very first things they review. And now it gets voted in unnanimously? Oh, happy day. I am very, highly optomistic about this, especially because they said that everyone, from all political parties to the president will have to be on board and follow there suggestions if they expect it to be successful, and that fairness and guidance from the citizenry is an absolute must. Believe me people. Unless they suddenly change direction (wouldn’t be surprised, but I don’t think they will), their attitudes towards cannabis is in our favor. They want new policies regardsing the entire drug war. Their biggest desire is to hire non-gov’t, unbiased scientists to examine each drug on the CSA, starting with cannabis. As each substance is studied, they will submit their policy guidelines for it. It will then go through both sides of congress, then onto the president to sign. They want the police to “stop filling our jails and prisons with non-criminals, and keep the rapists and murderers in them.” That’s not an exact quote, but close enough – it’s been 2 or 3 months since I saw this. Start planning your victory garden now, people. I am. I would be willing to bet money that this unamerican policy is going to go down quick. About damn time is right.
Oh, happy day indeed.
oops. My post #20 was misinformed…”With the recent Supreme Court decision allowing corporations to make campaign donations”….They can “only” buy ads supporting candidates….just as disgusting
It’s about time someone look into the America’s criminal justice system and remove that blindfold that the prohibitions placed over everyone’s eyes. America need to stop putting people into jail, all over a harmless herb that caused no known death. We need to stop releasing violent criminals to make room for non-violent Cannabis users. Take a look at Holland, their crime rate is much lower than America all due to fact that Cannabis and other drugs are legal. Having Cannabis legalized in America does not mean that everyone will use it, but will have that freedom to choose whatever medicine or recreational drugs (like alcohol) we desire.
why do we have to wait up to 2 years? get the petitions going in every state where the general public can have an issue on the ballot. it will be the only way where one man (or woman) one vote counts. the majority has already spoken. every poll shows that. and i’d say that when the issue is placed on a national referendum, it to would pass…complete legalization. put that on the petition. if you allow any other scenario than complete legalization you will forever be encumbered by the lawyers and politicians representing the special interests. look at michigan, huge majority for 12 plants, by the individual, now the end game, they’ve already started the process to put government in control, for your best interests. better grow a pair quick or almost 70% of the voters in michigan will be misrepresented, just like the majority of the citizens of the land of the free and home of the brave.
This committee is only as powerful as every other committee that has been assigned to study marijuana or other programs within the government,and lawmakers routinely ignore the findings of these committees. The one rock hard obstruction that even the industrial lobbies can’t buy around is that we don’t have the tax dollars to build more prisons,jails and court systems
or even “treatment centers” hinted at by the drug czar.
We don’t have the money to continue the present levels of possible prison offenses now awaiting trial with not even room in the prisons for more “customers”.
The money or lack of it will decide how much common sense prevails.
America does not have a marijuana problem,we can find marijuana in any town in America.
this is indeed good news…. i just wrote my senators…. however, my letter went to john kerry and paul kirk… not scott brown… norml needs to update that so we can show the new guy what he got himself into
I have to agree with Randy! Our government only pretends to care what we think, just enough to pacify us! I approach this with very cautious optimism just like I did Obama. Speaking of him, instead of wating the time of these lawmakers he could use his magic executive order pen to end prohibition. These lawmakers have so many other things going on I feel that this may be swept under the rug, just like our opinion, rights, and everything else! Our government is the joke!
Medical Marijuana Clinic in Bozeman, MT
MCN is hosting a medical marijuana clinic on the 25th of Jan. at the C’Mon Inn off I-90 off the 19th St exit. The event will be from 8am-10pm on Monday. Come check out the event it is FREE to all!! Caregivers will be on hand to sign up patients if they so desire.
Montana Biotech will have a display on cannabis potency testing.
There are links to the MCN website at http://montanabiotech.wordpress.com come and learn more about Montana medical cannabis and the other services offered by other patients and caregivers!
* Medical Marijuana Clinic in Bozeman, MT
I think this great, I pledge to extent full support to any politician thats supports this bill. The hideous decision, by Wa state supreme court, is so gestapo it makes me ill. To enable the “bully pulpit” law enforcement agencies, the right to just claim, “there was something in the air” is so beyond ridiculous, because it gives them, an unproveable right, to kick doors down and point guns at us and our children , Over a plant. PLEASE AMERICA,WAKE UP AND SUPPORT ALL FORMS OF MARIJUANA REFORM, THAT FREES PEOPLE TO DO AS THEY PLEASE , IN THEIR OWN HOMES. A right that just went out the window , with this judgemant call.
I foresee their recommendations: more bars, fewer beds, and plenty of new sharp edges for inmates to fillet one another.
“Pot is bad because you could get imprisoned and wind up raped and stabbed in the bathroom of a nightmare. We need harsher penalties to keep people from using it so they’ll stop going to prison…for pot?”
It is difficult to remain optimistic when it takes so long to get anything accomplished, not only for medical reasons but for all the recreational users that want to consume without fear of incarceration and loss of rights.
If Obummer makes it to a second term his last two years will be our opportunity to really pounce on Legalization. I know, I know, it shouldn’t be this way.
#28 claygooding: Can’t remember the dollar amount but the Federal G’ment recently gave Utah money to build a new prison.
Hi Just Legalize It…….
Don’t hold your breath,
…from norml website..
“On Wednesday, the House Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee voted against two pieces of legislation….”
“The legalization bill ( HB 2401 ) was voted down 6-2. For a moment, HB 1177, which would have decriminalized marijuana, looked as though it might have a chance, but it too died, with a final vote of 5-3. ”
It seems they want to put it to a public vote instead of just passing it. They are still afraid of the ramifications of voting for a bill like this. It boils to “I want to make sure I keep my job”. In this regard, they are no different than the cops, lawyers, etc.
I applaud the new initiative but I am not naive enough to think the battle is over. Washington loves to create commissions to “study” things. It makes it look like they are actually doing something. The “study” has been done a thousand times over already. It could just be a stall tactic.
This bit of news is very good.
But the worst news today… no limits on corporate spending during elections.
This is truly the end of the American citizens freedom.
It’s all going out the window. The 5 supreme court justices who voted for ending limits should be in review and or impeached.
re;
“the recent Supreme Court decision;
no limits on corporate spending during elections.
surely they had some planned / expected result; even more money for politicians, from the same old campaign contributors.
BUT, there are ALWAYS UNEXPECTED CONSEQUENCES to ANYTHING NEW / DIFFERENT.
GEORGE SOROS, PETER SPERLING, etc, will now be able to spend MILLIONS of dollars on this issue, which they could not do before, and perhaps we will get MAJOR REFORMS IN PLACE !!!
FULL ADULT USE could happen quickly by initiatives, in the states with the petition proscess.
in the other states, green party candidates are allready on the ballot, they just need the funding / airtime.
this has honestly brought a tear to my eye. i never thought i would see the day when reform would truly be talked about. AMEN
1. Perspective on statistics
“The United States has by far the world’s highest incarceration rate. With 5% of the world’s population, our country now houses nearly 25% of the world’s reported prisoners.”
–Well, we knew that already? Like Australia a high proportion of immigrants were either “criminals” kicked out of Engl. etc., or Africans imported for slavery purposes. For centuries PUNISHMENT has been the #1 Obsession of the USA.
“He knows when you are sleeping,
he knows when you’re awake,
he knows if you’ve been bad or good
so be good for goodness sake!”
2. To further augment Sen. Webb’s figures,
US has 4.5% of world pop., consumes over 20% of world’s resources.
— Notice how the figures match. The price of being rich is that you have to imprison more potential challengers to the privilege?
3. US: over 20% of resources, over 50% of world’s armaments expenditures.
–Seems as the disproportionate privilege increases arithmetically, the disproportionate defensiveness increases geometrically?
4. US: 4.5% of world pop., 8.2% of hot burning overdose niggatine $igarette deaths (440,000 of 5.4 mil.)!!
–1. 146 years after Emancipation, we still lead the planet in SLAVERY. (And the wages thereof is Death.)
–2. All that wealth can’t buy happiness? It seems, maybe from a muslim point of view, obvious: Allah/Gaawd is PUNISHING the United States of America for having too damn much money!
I join the chorus in applauding the Senate Committee for taking a giant step forward but I share the fears of Jeralyn at TalkLeft that “the work of the commission could become a wall of talk that stops real reform from happening for a couple of years and could easily “result in an 18 month moratorium on the passage of much needed crime bills that have been languishing for months and years”. It has already taken something like 10 months to get to this point and the bill still has a long way to go just too clear congress.
She goes on to say, and I agree completely, that “more important is citizens keeping pressure on lawmakers to pass individual reforms, even as the commission goes about its investigation.”
While in full agreement with Senator Webb regarding the need for a complete overhaul of the system, this process will take time and a lot of hard work by many and then there will be further delay while congress argues over the fine print in the course of action recommended by the panel.
In the interim, there are several compelling issues that can be remedied right now by legislation that has already been introduced. Two very good examples of this are H.R. 1475, the “Good Time” bill and H.R. 1529 the “Second Chance for Ex-Offenders Act of 2009.” There is absolutely no reason to further delay passage of these two bills that will offer immediate relief to those who have and are suffering the consequences of the “war on drugs”. H.R. 1529 has been introduced in every session of Congress since the year 2000, now is the time to make it law.
Congress should move forward with Sen. Webb’s proposal but they should move faster, stop the delay and do the job that “We The People” expect them to do regarding pending legislation. Either pass H.R. 1475, H.R.1529 and other pending legislation to equalize the crack-powder cocaine disparity, eliminate mandatory minimum sentences or give us good reasons why not.
Meg Whitman: “I am absolutely, 100% not in favor of legalizing marijuana for any reason.” (What about to increase tax revenues?) “That is the last reason that one should think about legalizing marijuana.” (BTW: It was good to see Whitman answer the question at a brief press avail in San Francisco after our Calbuzz Rant yesterday. Our follow-up to Meg is this: By “any reason” do you mean you oppose the medicinal use of marijuana?)
Enjoy. Rate. Comment. Thanks!!!
Mark – outstanding.
Luke: Thanks !
They need to change the law at the federal level to give states the command and control over medical, industrial and recreational cannabis. Customs should act according to the state law in which they are operating.
Outright legalization will put the U.S. in control of the international trade of cannabis products. Get us some of that terrific Afghan hash. It’s about time we got something to help foot the bill for our forces in the Middle East and thereabouts. Cannabis is already traded in U.S. dollars. The U.S. taxpayer might as well get his peace dividend from ending the war on cannabis. My state, my town, not just my country, my relatives, my friends, my fellow citizens need the jobs that can be created by using the taxes on cannabis to cut taxes on companies and corporations while creating cannabis sector jobs above ground, and they also need the health care coverage from the international, national, state and local taxes and permit fees generated from an above ground cannabis market.
The sooner they make the recommendations the better.
my grandmother used to take rorer7/14s when i was a teenager.i dont know what they were for.i will stick with reefer.im 53now and i smoked since i was 17.pot gets better all the time.
The fact of the matter is the DEA has tons of excellent experience with advanced law enforcement techniques. Those agents can be folded into an expanded FBI, ATF, etc. They can use their experience fighting smugglers to wipe out human trafficking, international theft rings, the endangered species trade and such. The same applies to narcotics officers in local police departments, but with local crime. The same applies to prosecutors, investigators and court personnel, who could actually take the time to properly try cases instead of pleading almost everything out. The big potential losers from this are those in the prison/treatment complex, not the law enforcement complex.
#9 where have you been? This has been a fascist Government since the Hearst/Anslinger days oe the late 30’s. Even more now since they legalized BRIBERY for campagns.
The passage at the committee came down like thunder. Most people are only looking at the medical usage of marijuana and the impact on our judicial system, rightly so. But most do not realize that the plant is a fibrous plant. The plant can be used to make paper,clothes, and numerous textiles. Passage of this Bill would allow the Department of Agriculture to conduct a commission of their own towards crops, weight and measurement and standards of production. This creates jobs in farming, manufacturing and distribution. It would also become a stock trade item that companies, citizens and other nations can buy.
Just emailed my two senators from Georgia. I am sure i will be recieving some form letter from one of their aides shortly. These Tea Baggers down here all want too reduce spending, here is thier chance.
I hate it when people refer to America as the land of the free and the home of the brave because clearly that’s not what this country is all about. Home of the brave MAYBE in the sense that it takes a brave individual to stand up against unjust laws. I have little faith in this commission. I believe it serves more sinister intentions and not the American people. Besides, it will take years for these guys to come to a conclusion. Allot of lives will be destroyed in that amount of years.