Attention all Stoners, Straight Edgers and Lovers of Liberty

Representative Barney Frank (and Representative Ron Paul) has introduced a bill decriminalizing marijuana on the Federal level. Now it’s time to pressure your district’s Representative into voting for Mr. Frank’s and Mr. Paul’s legislation. This isn’t some frivolous issue. On a purely economic level each marijuana arrest pulls $10,400 out of our collective wallets. Not to mention the government must be taught we won’t tolerate its overreach into our personal lives.

Here’s the letter I sent to my Representative:

Dear Congressman Steve Kagen,

As a constituent and concerned citizen I am writing to you in regards to H.R. 5843, the "Act to Remove Federal Penalties for Personal Use of Marijuana" and H.R. 5842, the "Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act", currently in the House of Representatives. These pieces of legislation would respectively "eliminate most Federal penalties for possession of marijuana for personal use, and for other purposes" and "provide for the medical use of marijuana in accordance with the laws of the various States."

Both bills would end the failed drug prohibition which has robbed the taxpayers of $40 billions per year while national drug usage increases. Half of the United States prison population is nonviolent drug offenders. This is intolerable as there are no documented cases of a cannabis-induced fatality on record. The lethal dose of marijuana is unknown, making it more benign than either tobacco or alcohol. This is significant because the recorded history of cannabis use spans 5,000 years and is consumed by twenty to fifty million people daily without professional supervision.

The benefits of medicinal marijuana have been immobilized due to the "War on Drugs". The following diseases have been proven to be alleviated with marijuana and deemed legitimate by at least one court, legislature and/or government agency: Multiple Sclerosis, A.I.D.S., Epilepsy, Glaucoma, and Chronic Pain. According to a Pew poll 74% of Americans view the drug war as unsuccessful, and a June 2005 Mason-Dixon Poll discovered 65% thought it acceptable to use marijuana for medical purposes.

I urge you to keep these facts in mind and vote for both H.R. 5843 and H.R. 5842. It is time to put an end to the nation’s reactionary position against marijuana use. Thank you for your time.

It won’t take long, and you’re helping fight for personal liberty against an irrational, racist and costly drug policy. Find your representative and write them!