Medical Marijuana: Time to Contact Your U.S. Representative
Now is a particularly good time to educate your U.S. representative on medical marijuana, and the importance of this issue to his or her constituents."The U.S. House of Representatives has delayed its vote on House Resolution 372, the anti-medicinal-marijuana resolution, until Tuesday April 21 at the earliest. This would be the first-ever congressional vote on medicinal marijuana. If you are a patient, doctor, or otherwise have a personal story to tell about medicinal marijuana, please call the office of your U.S. representative to schedule a meeting while he or she is visiting his or her office near your home town during the April 4-20 congressional recess." [from March 27 press release of Marijuana Policy Project, Washington, D.C.]
House Resolution 372 (abbreviated H.Res. 372, not H.R. 372) states in part, "The U.S. House of Representatives is opposed to legalizing marijuana ... a dangerous and addictive drug ... for medicinal use, and urges the defeat of state initiatives which would seek to legalize marijuana for medicinal use."
Opposition to H.Res. 372 has been growing rapidly. For example, when the House Judiciary Committee issued a 15-page report on the resolution on March 18, nine Democrats on the committee strongly dissented: "If a state, by referendum or legislative enactment, adopts a policy that marijuana can provide some relief to those of its citizens who are suffering from AIDS or cancer, it is the height of Washington-centered arrogance for the Congress to override that state's position."
The Marijuana Policy Project suggests the following language for writing or calling your representative: "I am writing/calling to urge you/Representative ____________ to vote against House Resolution 372, the anti-medicinal marijuana resolution. I believe patients should be allowed to use medicinal marijuana if their doctors approve of such use. At the very least, Congress should not take any action on this issue until the Institute of Medicine completes its review of medicinal marijuana this coming December."
You can call your representative through the Congressional Switchboard, 202-225-3121. If you do not know who your representative is, the switchboard can use your ZIP code to connect you. Or you could contact their local office; the phone number is probably listed in the U.S. Government section of your phone book.
For more information, contact the Marijuana Policy Project, phone 202-462-5747, fax 202-232-0442, mail P.O. Box 77492, Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. 20013, email mpp@mpp.org, Web http://www.mpp.org.
