Congress is starting to listen...

Post to:TwitterFacebookDiggStumbleUponRedditby David Guard, December 03, 2009, 01:05pm



Posted in: Action Alert, Congress, Medical Marijuana

Dear friends:



I wanted to say thank you to Sioux Colombe, an ASA Ambassador in Sacramento, California.  The email she received below demonstrates that Congress is starting to hear us.



Sioux had asked her Member of Congress, Representative Doris Matsui, to support the Truth in Trials Act.  Sioux got the response below, which is a perfect example of the kind of dialog we want to build with our elected officials.



This reply means that Rep. Matsui's office took the time to research the Truth in Trials Act and respond.  The next step is to ask Rep. Matsui to become a supporter -- a "cosponsor" -- of the bill.



Will you do the same for your U.S. Representative?



If your Rep gets a phone call from you, they will start paying attention.



Here's what you have to do -- it will take 5 minutes.



1. Find out who your Rep is.  Go to http://www.house.gov and type in your zip code in the upper left corner.  If it asks for your full "Zip+4", just look at your last piece of junk mail.



2. Dial 202-224-3121.  Ask the operator to transfer you to your Member of Congress.



3. Tell your Rep ... "I'm calling from ______ and I want you to cosponsor HR 3939, the Truth in Trials Act."



4. Reply to this email and tell me who you called.



Thanks!



- Sanjeev, ASA



P.S.  The full email that Sioux received is below.





Sanjeev Bery

National Field Director

Americans for Safe Access





----- Forwarded Message ----

From: Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui

To: Sioux Colombe

Sent: Tue, December 1, 2009 12:22:29 PM

Subject: From the Office of Congresswoman Matsui



December 1, 2009





Ms. Sioux Colombe

Sacramento, California



Dear Sioux:



Thank you for contacting me regarding medical marijuana.  I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.



As you may know, 13 states, including California, currently allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes.  In these jurisdictions, state-level penalties for the cultivation, possession, and use of medical marijuana have been removed, and programs to regulate patients' use have been established or are currently being considered.  However, in these 13 states where medical marijuana use is legal, users remain subject to federal penalties for such use.



In an effort to correct this, legislation has been introduced in the 111th Congress to permit the use of medical marijuana under federal law in states where marijuana is currently being used for medicinal purposes.  The Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act (H.R. 2835), would achieve this end by re-classifying marijuana into a less restrictive category of drug under the regulatory structure of the Controlled Substances Act.



Another piece of legislation, the Truth in Trials Act (H.R. 3939), responds to the Justice Department's directive on medical marijuana policy, which tells federal prosecutors to avoid pursuing cases against individuals who legally use medical marijuana.  Specifically, H.R. 3939 would allow a person on trial for a federal marijuana-related offense to introduce evidence that the alleged marijuana-related activities were performed in compliance with state laws.



Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding medical marijuana.  To learn more about my work in Congress, or to sign up for occasional e-mail updates, please visit my website at http://matsui.house.gov.





Sincerely,





DORIS O. MATSUI

Member of Congress