7/19/96
(This bulletin supersedes the version released on the Usenet on 7/18 and contains information on a bill just introduced.)
As usual during election seasons, an eruption of mean- spirited, draconian drug-war legislation is threatening the safety and well-being of large numbers of Americans. At the same time, the opportunity exists for some positive movement towards a compassionate drug policy. First, the positive:
Please write your two US Senators and ask them to introduce companion legislation in the Senate to H.R. 2618, the House bill that would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana as a medicine. H.R. 2618 was introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), and currently has 17 co-sponsors, including 13 Democrats, three Republicans and one independent.
Now, the negative:
Please ask your two US Senators to oppose the following repressive legislation:
S. 1790: This bill, just introduced by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), would drastically increase marijuana penalties, by lowering the quantities of marijuana that qualify defendants for 5- and 10- year mandatory minimum sentences.
S. 1965: Bill to increase mandatory minimum penalties for methamphetamine possession and trafficking, as well as for regulatory violations involving precursor chemicals use to manufacture meth, including the commonly used medication pseudophedrine. Sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and much the same as an earlier bill introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), this bill is in part an answer to the charge of racial inequity in cocaine sentencing (getting "tough" on a "white" drug too).
S. 1854: The latest Crime Bill, introduced by Bob Dole before he resigned from the Senate. Particularly disturbing provisions to drug law reformers are those that would increase mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses that "involve minors" (including, for example, growing one marijuana plant 999 feet from a university); and for drug offenses where the defendant possessed a gun (including, for example, possessing a small quantity of drugs while legally possessing an unloaded gun packed away in a trunk).
H.R. 2650, the "Mandatory Federal Prison Drug Treatment Act": This bill would eliminate the one- year sentencing reduction currently available, at a judge's discretion, to federal inmates who complete a prison drug treatment program. Sponsored by Rep. Heineman (R-NC), passed by the house on June 4 and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Please ask your two US Senators to ask the Senate Judiciary Committee *not* to pass a companion bill, and to vote against such a bill if one comes to the Senate floor.
You can write your Senators at the following address:
The Honorable {your Senator}
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510
You can call your Senators, (or find out who they are) via the Congressional Switchboard, (202) 224-3121. A list of Senators, courtesy of the Marijuana Policy Project, is attached at the end of this bulletin (contact info below).
Remember, please contact *both* your Senators, and ask them to 1) introduce companion legislation to H.R. 2618; and 2) oppose S. 1790, S. 1965, S. 1854, and the Mandatory Federal Prison Drug Treatment Act that has passed the House.
It's always best to write an original letter; however, feel free to use the following sample letter if that's the only one that will get done. Please send us a copy of your letter and of any replies you receive.
Contacts for more detailed information on these and other bills:
SAMPLE LETTER:
Your Name Your Address City, State & Zip Date
The Honorable {your Senator}
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Sen. _____:
I am writing because I am disturbed by the repressive trend of our drug policy, and to ask you to take specific action on the following four items:
1) Please introduce companion legislation in the Senate to H.R. 2618, a bill that would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana for medical purposes. This bill is modeled after a bill filed in the early 80's by Newt Gingrich, and has attracted bipartisan support.
2) Please oppose S. 1790, a bill that would drastically increase federal penalties for low-level marijuana offenses.
3) Please oppose S. 1965, a bill that would increase already draconian sentences for methamphetamine.
4) Please oppose S. 1854, the new "Crime Bill"; and please oppose particular provisions in it that increase mandatory minimum sentences.
5) Please oppose the "Mandatory Federal Prison Drug Treatment Act", which recently passed the House as H.R. 2650 and is now in the Senate Judiciary Committee. This bill would eliminate the one-year sentencing reduction that the 1994 Crime Bill made available, as an incentive, to prisoners who complete a drug treatment program, at the judge's discretion.
Thank you for considering my opinion on these matters.
Sincerely,
Alabama Howell T. Heflin (D)
Richard C. Shelby (R)
Alaska Frank Murkowski (R)
Ted Stevens (R)
Arizona Jon Kyl (R)
John McCain (R)
Arkansas Dale Bumpers (D)
David Pryor (D)
California Barbara Boxer (D)
Dianne Feinstein (D)
Colorado Hank Brown (R)
Ben N. Campbell (R)
Connecticut Christopher J. Dodd (D)
Joseph I. Lieberman (D)
Delaware Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D)
William V. Roth, Jr. (R)
Florida Bob Graham (D)
Connie Mack (R)
Georgia Paul Coverdell (R)
Sam Nunn (D)
Hawaii Daniel K. Akaka (D)
Daniel K. Inouye (D)
Idaho Larry E. Craig (R)
Dirk Kempthorne (R)
Illinois Carol Moseley-Braun (D)
Paul Simon (D)
Indiana Dan Coats (R)
Richard G. Lugar (R)
Iowa Charles E. Grassley (R)
Tom Harkin (D)
Kansas Bob Dole (R)
Nancy L. Kassebaum (R)
Kentucky Wendell H. Ford (D)
Mitch McConnell (R)
Louisiana John B. Breaux (D)
J. Bennett Johnston (D)
Maine William S. Cohen (R)
Olympia J. Snowe (R)
Maryland Barbara A. Mikulski (D)
Paul S. Sarbanes (D)
Massachusetts Edward M. Kennedy (D)
John F. Kerry (D)
Michigan Spencer Abraham (R)
Carl Levin (D)
Minnesota Rod Grams (R)
Paul David Wellstone (D)
Mississippi Thad Cochran (R)
Trent Lott (R)
Missouri John Ashcroft (R)
Christopher Bond (R)
Montana Max Baucus (D)
Conrad Burns (R)
Nebraska J. James Exon (D)
Bob Kerrey (D)
Nevada Richard H. Bryan (D)
Harry Reid (D)
New Hampshire Judd Gregg (R)
Robert C. Smith (R)
New Jersey Bill Bradley (D)
Frank R. Lautenberg (D)
New Mexico Jeff Bingaman (D)
Pete V. Domenici (R)
New York Alfonse M. D'Amato (R)
Daniel P. Moynihan (D)
North Carolina Lauch Faircloth (R)
Jesse Helms (R)
North Dakota Kent Conrad (D)
Byron L. Dorgan (D)
Ohio Mike DeWine (R)
John Glenn (D)
Oklahoma James M. Inhofe (R)
Don Nickles (R)
Oregon Mark O. Hatfield (R)
Ron Wyden (D)
Pennsylvania Rick Santorum (R)
Arlen Specter (R)
Rhode Island John H. Chafee (R)
Claiborne Pell (D)
South Carolina Ernest F. Hollings (D)
Strom Thurmond (R)
South Dakota Thomas A. Daschle (D)
Larry Pressler (R)
Tennessee Bill Frist (R)
Fred Thompson (R)
Texas Phil Gramm (R)
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R)
Utah Robert F. Bennett (R)
Orrin G. Hatch (R)
Vermont James M. Jeffords (R)
Patrick J. Leahy (D)
Virginia Charles S. Robb (D)
John Warner (R)
Washington Slade Gorton (R)
Patty Murray (D)
West Virginia Robert C. Byrd (D)
John D. Rockefeller, IV (D)
Wisconsin Russell D. Feingold (D)
Herb Kohl (D)
Wyoming Alan K. Simpson (R)
Craig Thomas (R)
If you like what you see here and want to get these bulletins by e-mail, please fill out our quick signup form at http://www.drcnet.org/signup.html.
