Hey blades so I wrote senator Nelson an email a little over 3 weeks ago about medical marijuana. I just received his response and thought that any fellow FL residents who are interested in legalizing marijuana might want to hear his response. "Dear Mr. ____________: \tThank you for contacting me regarding medical marijuana. \tOn June 6, 2005, the Supreme Court ruled in Gonzales v. Raich that Federal laws supersede state medical marijuana laws since Congress has the power to regulate interstate commerce. In the majority opinion, Justice Stevens wrote, "limiting the activity to marijuana possession and cultivation 'in accordance with state law' cannot serve to place respondents’ activities beyond congressional reach." As you may know, marijuana is defined as a schedule I narcotic, meaning medical professionals cannot prescribe cannabis. However, tetraydracannabinol (THC), the ingredient that has been found to help medical patients, is available in Marinol. Marinol is a schedule II narcotic that can be prescribed by doctors. Please know that I will keep your views in mind should this issue come before the Senate. Your communication helps me better serve you in the Senate. \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSincerely, \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSenator Bill Nelson" Below is the letter I had sent him: "Hello senator Nelson, I just wanted to express my support for medical marijuana in the state of Florida. Currently Florida is the only state with state penalties regarding cannabis exceeding those set by federal law. If you are curious as to the apparent conflict between state and federal laws the supreme court actually made an interesting decision on this topic today, you can read for yourself at Supreme Court Hands Medical Marijuana Major Victory. I believe that the voters of Florida are more inclined towards the legalization of medical marijuana than elected representatives such as yourself would believe. I am a student and as such my opinion may not weigh as heavily as, for example, an elderly voter here in the state of Florida. Nevertheless I believe that this is a topic that both youth and the elderly can agree upon. I will make this brief and end here, thank you for your time. - ________________"
Send your letter and his reply to Norml, Russ will post it on the stash: NORML Daily Audio Stash He didn't really say anything did he. He just stated the current laws regarding MMJ but didn't give a hint as to whether he'd support it. Interesting. One thing he left out is that the feds have agreed to stop busting dispensaries, so now it's really all about state laws. And he has the power to change those!
I got a very similar response today from a state rep in MI. I'm pretty sure it was a copy and paste job. I replied back to try to set him straight on a few things though. He said: I answered back with: He also mentioned Gonzales V. Reich which I didn't really address more than stressing state rights because the email was getting too long. We are also now a MMJ state and he mentioned it then said: My retort: Sadly, I forgot to spell check before I sent it and made some spelling errors that make me look stupid. I'm so used to firefox underlining misspellings and for whatever reason it doesn't always work in gmail.
Man ive sent a few letters to our 'representatives' and that response was better than Ive heard. I sent Nelson an email last year regarding legalizing it, his response: ' Dear Mr.: \tThank you for contacting me regarding proposals to legalize marijuana.I oppose legalizing this dangerous drug. Your communication is important and enables me to better serve you in the Senate. Please contact me again with any input or concerns you have.' Actually I just found an email from congressman Mica, his wasnt as bad: Dear Michael: Thank you for contacting me regarding the issue of H.R. 5843, the Act to Remove Federal Penalties for the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults. I appreciate you taking the time to share your situation with me and am pleased to respond. While I will not be supporting this legislation, I share your concern about how drugs and prison can affect a family and our communities. You may be interested to know that I originally sponsored legislation during the 106th Congress, the Alternative to Prison Drug Treatment Act, that would establish grants for drug treatment alternatives to prison programs administered by state or local prosecutors. Please know that I will keep your thoughts in mind as Congress continues to address the problem of drugs in our communities. Thank you again for contacting me and please do not hesitate to let me know if I can be of further assistance on this or any other matter.
haha thats better than my sen.. who sent back a short form letter 2x the same letter, to 2 different questions. it said Thank you for conatacting blah blah blah. i do not and will not support any legislation lessing the penalties on marijuana for any purposes. thank you blah blah blah!
I also sent a e-mail to Senator Nelson and it read as such: Hello Senator Nelson, I would like to express my support for Medical Marijuana and decriminalization for it all through out the U.S., but especially here in FL. As you know we are in a "Recession" and the economy is not by any means at it's best. I believe that you can tax marijuana dispensaries and make additional money for the state budget and also provide jobs by doing so. I also know that it would reduce the crime rates. But I too am not sure if it should be totally legalized, because I don't want people who are ignorant and behave disrespectfully to have a legal means to make money and associate Marijuana (a non-toxic herb)with crime, ignorance, disrespect and those type of things. As I can imagine, you are an intelligent man as am I and I partially know the mindset of a politician. I would like a sincere answer and a solution to OUR problem. Respectfully, Thank you, God Bless.