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Amendment to halt federal raids on marijuana clinics wins 152 House votes

Friends:

On Wednesday, the House measure that would have put an end to federal raids on medical marijuana clinics failed by a vote of 152-273.

According to sources in the drug reform community, Capitol Hill offices were inundated with "tens of thousands of faxes, phone calls and e- mails" as a result of the last-minute lobbying campaign by Libertarians and others around the country.

The amendment to the appropriations bill funding the Commerce, Justice, and State departments, sponsored by U.S. Reps. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), would have prevented the DEA and the Justice Department from spending any money to investigate or raid medical marijuana patients and providers in states where medical marijuana is legal.

And although the measure lost, there is cause for optimism:

* 67 percent of Democrats voted for the amendment.

* 15 House Republicans supported it.

* The number of "yes" votes was 62 percent higher than the last time the full House voted on a medical marijuana issue, in 1998, indicating that Congressional support for medical marijuana is rapidly growing.

Legislative analysts predict another vote next year on the Hinchey/Rohrabacher amendment.

Thanks to everyone who contacted their Congressional representative in support of this proposal.

Joe Seehusen
Executive Director
Libertarian Party
http://www.LP.org

It Costs Over $7 Billion Annually to Fund U.S. Marijuana Prohibition*
Nearly Three Quarters of a Million Marijuana Arrests Occur Each Year
$4.2 Billion in Lost Productivity Wasted by Locking Them Up
135,488 are Currently Behind Bars for Felony Marijuana Offenses
$2 Billion Annually to House Them
20,000 Defendants Locked Up Awaiting Trial for Felony Marijuana Charges
It Cost About $85 Million to House Them
$2 Billion Likely Cost for Marijuana Arrests Since 1998
An Estimated $257 Million Spent on Probation Costs From 1998-2001
*Costs do not include disposition of misdemeanor marijuana cases.

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posted by NeoN @ 7/26/2003 06:51:00 AM