Tell members of Congress that you support HR 2306, the ‘Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2011’ and that you oppose efforts by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) to stifle its debate.
You can do so by clicking the link below to NORML’s commentary, ‘Let the states decide their own marijuana policies,’ which appears today on TheHill.com’s influential Congress blog and is excerpted below. (The Hill is the paper of record for Washington, DC insiders, members of Congress, and their staff.)
After you have done so, please also join the thousands of other advocates who have e-mailed their US House Congressional Representative here and urged him or her to support ending federal marijuana prohibition. You can also stay up-to-date regarding the latest political developments surrounding HR 2306 via the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2011 Facebook page here.
Let the states decide their own marijuana policies
via The Hill.com
[excerpt] Lawmakers for the first time have introduced legislation in Congress to end the federal criminalization of the personal use of marijuana.
The bipartisan measure — H.R. 2306, the ‘Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2011’ … prohibits the federal government from prosecuting adults who use or possess personal use amounts of marijuana by removing the plant and its primary psychoactive constituent, THC, from the five schedules of the United States Controlled Substances Act of 1970.
Speaking during an online town hall in January, President Obama acknowledged that the subject of legalizing and regulating marijuana was a “legitimate topic for debate.” Yet last week Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, boasted that he would not even consider scheduling the measure for a public hearing. On Friday, when NORML requested its members to contact Rep. Smith’s office, the Congressman promptly shut off his DC office phone and later closed down his Facebook page.
It’s obvious why marijuana prohibitionists like Rep. Smith will go to such lengths to try and stifle any public discussion of the matter. Over the past 70+ years, the federal criminalization of marijuana has failed to reduce the public’s demand or access to cannabis, and it has imposed enormous fiscal and human costs upon the American people. Further, this policy promotes disrespect for the law and reinforces ethnic and generational divides between the public and law enforcement.
Since 1970, police have arrested over 20 million American citizens for marijuana offenses — nearly 90 percent of which were prosecuted for the personal possession of marijuana, not marijuana trafficking or sale. Yet today federal surveys indicate that the public, including America’s young people, have greater access to marijuana — including stronger varieties of marijuana — than ever before. It is time to stop ceding control of the marijuana market to unregulated, criminal entrepreneurs and allow states to enact common sense regulations that seek to govern the adult use of marijuana in a fashion similar to alcohol.
After 70 years of failure it is time for an alternative approach. The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2011 is an ideal first step.
Jesus said to do unto others as we would have them to do unto us. None of us would want our child thrown in jail with the sexual predators over marijuana. None of us would want to see an older family member’s home confiscated and sold by the police for growing a couple of marijuana plants for their aches and pains. It’s time to stop putting our own family members in jail over marijuana.
The current proposal before Congress, bill HR 2306, will remove marijuana from the list of federally controlled substances while allowing states to decide how they will regulate it.
Email your Congressperson and Senators at http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml and ask them to sign on as a CO-SPONSOR of HR 2306.
For more info, here’s the USA Today article
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/06/ron-paul-barney-frank-marijuana-/1
And a big THANK YOU to the courageous, freedom-loving legislators, governors, and countless others who are working so hard to bring this through! You’re doing a great service for all of America!
C Lloyd: You are spot on. I have a solution, if we organize our vote, we can put the squeeze on these pols. Dems & Repubs. Reality is that the 2012 Prez election is going to be close, real close. Neither party can afford to lose a single vote! Let’s organize, and threaten to vote 3d party libratarian. Why this party? Because they are established and I beleave they are on the ballot in all 50 states. the best part of this plan? I won’t cost us a penny, only a single vote. I would like to hear everyones thoughts on this.
Just caught this on CNN..another screwed up political guy ripping on my man Ron Paul http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/06/30/bennett.drug.legalization/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
everyone here do me a big favor..spread the word..vote for Ron Paul..and lets shit can assholes like the writer of this article
[Paul Armentano responds: FYI: I have sent a commentary to CNN in response to Bill Bennett’s op/ed, and it is presently under consideration for publication.]
here’s that asswhipes page http://www.billbennett.com/email.aspx
get him people !!
Why arent more Republicans behind this? Any prohibitionist can get behind this and still be against legalization,since it just makes it a states rights issue.Furthermore DEA will still have jobs interdicting all the myriad of other drugs & also foreign cannabis.
More government control. Give the control to the states. Government can’t afford them unless they work for nothing.
56. Sharon
The Constitution and the Supreme Court already does that. It’s the DOJ and the DEA that refuses to obey the law. Right! they’re law breakers! – and – should be treated like any law breaker. Throw all their asses in the prisons they have built.
“JUST SAY YES to N.O.R.M.L.”!!!
Let’s take Schutte, to court. 63% of michigan voters approved the michigan medical law, and a very Bias’d, and Prejudiced attorney general. this is definitely aginst our constitution
This joker wants to change he law his way, not once thinking of the 63 percent voters..this is not right
Dear Sirs & Misses, Thanks for all the efforts by NORML…I took it upon myself to do a Poll on Facebook.Hope it will help us in this Cause HR2306…I last counted over 5,600 YES VOTES With 150 Followers In 1 Week.If you will & can please take my Poll Votes & Use Them in a Positive Way.I’m Not Compter Savvy & am Alone with this Poll. I used a link from NORML to Conduct This Poll,If that may be helpful…Thank You All at NORML Again !!! Fred A. Willis 7/5/11