The state House of Representatives unanimously approved legislation that would impose criminal penalties on those who transmit information pertaining to marijuana on the Internet if they “know that the information will be used in furtherance of illegal activity.”
NORML Executive Director R. Keith Stroup, Esq. called the proposal one of the “dumbest” he’d ever heard. “First, it illustrates the phobia many legislators hold toward marijuana,” he said. “Under this measure, someone could legally transmit information about potentially violent activities like building bombs, but face criminal prosecution for posting messages about the documented medical uses of marijuana. Second, this is an attempt to circumvent the first amendment guarantee of free speech by turning the transmission of certain factual information via the Internet into a ‘thought crime.’ Proponents of this type of legislation are the equivalent of modern day book-burners.”
House Bill 792, introduced by Rep. Gerald Mitchell (R-Rock Falls), seeks to make the transmission of “information about cannabis by the Internet” a Class A misdemeanor if the provider is aware the information could be used for an illegal activity. The Senate Judiciary will hold hearings on the proposal next Wednesday.
The House approved the measure 114 to zero.
For more information, please contact either Keith Stroup or Paul Armentano of NORML @ (202) 483-5500.