A victory against drug prohibition, chance for another

Victory over the DEA, plus a chance to legalize pot at the federal level Retweet

Before sending your letter, please see the System Notes below the signature.

Good news! The DEA has backed off its effort to ban kratom. Remember, kratom is a supplement that could alleviate pain better than opiates, with less risk. The DEA was proposing to ban it, but…

Massive public backlash, including from DC Downsizers, has stopped the DEA dead in its tracks. Some in Congress are also responding to public opinion on a similar issue — marijuana. Specifically…

Representative Jared Polis of Colorado has introduced HR 1013, the “Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act.” HR 1013 already has 20 sponsors. In addition to Polis, the sponsors include…

• Arizona: Ruben Gallego [7]
• California: Jared Huffman [2], Barbara Lee [13], Eric Swalwell [15], Michael Honda [17], Zoe Lofgren [19], Ted Lieu [33], Alan Lowenthal [47], Dana Rohrabacher [48]
• Colorado: Ed Perlmutter [7]
• DC: Eleanor Holmes Norton [At-Large]
• Illinois: Janice Schakowsky [9]
• Massachusetts: Michael E. Capuano [7]
• Maine: Chellie Pingree [1]
• New York: Jerrold Nadler [10]
• Oregon: Earl Blumenauer [3]
• Tennessee: Steve Cohen [9]
• Virginia: Donald S. Beyer [8]
• Wisconsin: Mark Pocan [2]

This bill essentially legalizes marijuana at the federal level. We believe passage would place marijuana prohibition on the road to extinction in all the various states and jurisdictions. But the bill is not ideal, so…

Additional analysis of this legislation is included in the comments I sent to my representatives (below).

If you believe marijuana should be legalized, and you do NOT see your rep on this list, please join me in asking your representative to co-sponsor this bill. You can copy and paste my letter, unless you want to draft a message of your own.

This isn’t a perfect bill. It’s imperfections are reflected in its title. I’m convinced that neither pot nor booze should be regulated by The State.

Nevertheless…

This bill represents the present position of the American people, and it moves a long way in the right direction. It would also end federal interference with states that have already legalized pot either for medical or recreational use.

I have a list of the 21 sponsors. But I do not see your name on it. I urge you to sign-up as a co-sponsor. Obviously, I’ll be aware if you do or do not.

–END OF LETTER–

• Send your letter to Congress using our Educate the Powerful System.
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Thank you for being an active DC Downsizer,

Jim Babka

Downsize DC

SYSTEM NOTES…

In September, Downsize DC announced that we were moving to a new system called Engage. You can learn all about the wonderful benefits of Engage on our blog. Until then…

#1 We are having a temporary issue with password resets. It is being investigated. But if you need to change your password or you’re having another issue, we can help. Simply hit Reply. 

#2 As we explained in September, our proprietary Educate the Powerful System is having delivery issues due to a new form of CAPTCHA. But even in those SIX districts, two members will still get your letter. So, please do NOT be dissuaded from sending.

If your comment is off-topic for this post, please email us at feedback@downsizedc.org

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