This article is about a proposal by the United States government to eliminate penalties for possessing under 100 grams of marijuana. The bill is called H.R. 5843, the bi-partisan "Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008" and needs the support of every smoker / activist to even have a chance too pass.
I can't do much about it cause I'm canadian, but I urge all americans to tell their elected representative to support this movement and help it pass.
Don't just tell your congress, tell anyone who will listen. Cross post to other forums, send letters to celebrities in the cannabis culture, do whatever it takes to spread the news of this "light at the end of the tunnel" and make the voices of the marijuana movement heard.
>>> Look up your elected officials
http://ucsaction.org/ucsaction/leg-lookup/search.html
Here is an example of a well written letter to congress:
I urge you to co-sponsor and support H.R. 5843, the bi-partisan "Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008." This bill removes federal criminal penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use, so that federal law enforcement agencies can concentrate on violent offenders and major drug traffickers.
In 1972 a special commission formed by Congress and President Richard Nixon concluded that punitive marijuana laws do more harm than good. Among other things, the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse urged states and the federal government to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Twelve states did, but most states and the federal government ignored the report. (Those twelve states are Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Ohio, and Oregon). A 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine (commissioned by the Drug Czar's office) found no difference in marijuana use rates among states that have decriminalized marijuana and those that have not.
Last year alone the police made almost 830,000 arrests for marijuana law violations in the United States. 89% of those arrests were for possession for personal use. Those arrested were separated from their families, branded criminals, and in many cases fired from their jobs and denied school loans and other public assistance. The arrests cost taxpayers billions of dollars and consumed an estimated 4.5 million law enforcement hours (that's the equivalent of taking 112,500 law enforcement officers off the streets).
A 2001 Zogby poll found that 61 percent of Americans oppose arresting and jailing nonviolent marijuana smokers. A 2002 Time/CNN poll found that 72% of Americans think people arrested for marijuana possession should face fines and not jail time.
I strongly urge you to co-sponsor and support H.R. 5843. The federal government has more important things to do than arrest people for small amounts of marijuana.
The time is now.
