So I emailed my congressman about legalization and got a BS email back today... here it is... Dear Mr. ****: Thank you for your correspondence in support of legalizing marijuana. I appreciate your suggestions. I recognize your argument that legalizing marijuana for recreational uses could save our State money and could add to our tax revenue if the purchase of this substance is taxed; however, you should know that I oppose legalizing the use of this drug even for medical uses due to my concerns with the dissemination of this illegal substance, and the potential costs associated with regulating its use in our State. In order for the use of marijuana for medical purposes to be legalized, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the federal agency responsible for ensuring that foods are safe, wholesome and sanitary, working in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the department responsible for enforcing restrictions on controlled substances, would have to declare that the medical benefit of marijuana outweighs its addictive qualities. As you may be aware, H.R. 2943 or the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009 has been introduced, which would allow individuals to legally possess 100 grams or less of marijuana, and would legalize the not-for-profit transfer of less than one ounce of marijuana. You may wish to contact your Congressman, Eric J.J. Massa, at 1 Grove Street, Suite 101, Pittsford, NY 14534 or call (585) 218-0040 to express your opinion of this legislation. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. As always, please feel free to contact me again if you need any additional assistance.
wow, surprised he even responded (even if it might be just a secretary). You should continue the correspondence with a reasonable rebuttal. There's plenty you could counter him on there.
send that letter to NORML, they're posting all the letters people have sent to representatives.... and the more the merrier.
I got an email also Dear ******, I have listened to your argument, but I'm afraid that we will have to disagree on this issue. I do not support using marijuana under any circumstance. Edgar Starnes fuck that ass hole
Prick, he was probably a stoner in college. Now hes chosen his career over his morals. For the people my ass.
Respond back and tell him he's a pussy for not standing up for his states rights. Fuck the FDA, they should be able to evaluate drugs and food but not make the decision of whether i eat it or not.
No don't do that. This has to be done without insults people. Calling somone a pussy isn't going to get you anywhere and it's that attitude which still portrays stoners as lowlifes. Email him back with facts showing that marijuana is not addictive. Plain as.
Oxycontin is legal, and you can't say that isn't about 20 times more addictive than weed. Apparently it's ok though... BULLSHIT
hah, I just got an email back too: "Dear Mr. *****, Thank you for your recent letter to express your support for S119, the “New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act.†I appreciate hearing from you. As you are probably aware, the bill received a majority of the votes required to pass the Senate on February 23. The bill has now been referred to the Assembly with its Assembly counterpart, A804. On June 4, 2009, the bill was amended by the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee and is currently pending a vote by the General Assembly. Though I understand, acknowledge, and agree with many of my constituents' interests in providing patients with access to methods to reduce their pain and discomfort, I am concerned that this bill is far too broad and overreaching to be safe and effective. I believe that it is more prudent to establish compassionate use medical marijuana as a pilot program to measure the advantages and disadvantages of a policy change, just as we have done with the needle exchange program. Another issue I find with the legislation is that although it is touted as treatment for the side-effects of terminal illnesses, yet it provides access to marijuana for a broad range of medical disorders. Moreover, it is my understanding that an average marijuana plant can yield 1.25 – 3.5 pounds of marijuana; the bill allows up to six marijuana plants, which is far more than necessary to use for medicinal purposes. For approximately 100 years, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has overseen patient access to medications to protect the American public from harmful and deadly medications by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human drugs. This process provides patients with the assurance that scientific evidence has demonstrated that the approved drug will be safe and effective for its intended purpose. It also assures us that patients will receive instruction regarding proper dosage, dangers, and side effects. The Institute of Medicine, an independent medical organization relied upon to provide information and advice concerning health and science policy, has indicated that the use of marijuana in its crude form is not recommended, except for individuals who are terminally ill. They report that the use of crude marijuana exposes patients to harmful substances, which places their health at greater risk. They also indicated that the future of marijuana in medicine exists solely in its cannabis components. This information should give us pause to permit the use of crude marijuana for an unlimited number of health conditions, as proposed by S119. I do not agree that New Jersey should bypass the FDA's approval process to place New Jersey patients at greater health risk and to permit an alternative form for dispensing drugs. It is also important to note that crude smoked marijuana is not supported by many national health organizations because of its questionable medicinal value. The American Medical Association, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, The American Cancer Society, the American Glaucoma Society, all organizations that provide medical information to patients, whom medical marijuana supporters say will potentially benefit from medicinal use of marijuana, have all discounted its medical value. Beyond the negative health concerns, I am also concerned about the negative social effects that this bill would potentially cause. As a former public school teacher in the Trenton district, and as an elected representative who hears from constituents daily regarding their hardships, I have witnessed, firsthand, the devastating effects that drugs can have on families and communities. I am concerned that our communities will become worse off and more dangerous when subjected to hosting legal medical marijuana sales and all of the excess baggage that it brings, including increased crimes. In California , where there are more marijuana dispensaries than coffee shops, crime has increased around those dispensaries where patients are being robbed upon exiting. There have been many reports of other drugs being distributed near dispensary sites, and dispensaries being subjected to break-ins and robberies. Also, in California , more than half of the dispensary patients are between the ages of 17 and 35, and I am concerned that allowing access for a broadly defined medical condition will create a generation of future drug addicts. This is especially so considering that patients have access to medical marijuana for far too many illnesses. Moreover, doctors already provide easy access to too many prescription drugs upon the request of a patient. Marijuana is the gateway drug and watching a parent smoke would express to a child that it is all right to do so. The ease of availability of marijuana and avid usage will desensitize children to its harmful effects. These children are already receiving mixed messages regarding the use of illegal substances from “heroes,†including athletes like Michael Phelps and countless entertainers, like Michael Jackson, rap star Lil' Wayne, Snoop Dogg and even athletes who use steroids, like Alex Rodriguez. Allowing such easy access, I feel, is an irresponsible act of government. I have talked to constituents who deal with chronic pain and who believe that there is a disconnect between the medical community and the realities that they face. Truly, I can see both sides of the coin. However, I feel convinced that legalizing medical marijuana will not be in the best interests of the vast majority of people of this state. The reasons mentioned above weighed most heavily in my decision to vote against this bill. I do appreciate your interest in legislative issues, and I am grateful that you took the time to communicate with me. Though we do not agree on this issue, I hope that you will always feel free to contact me regarding any matter before the Legislature or of concern to you. Thanks, again. Sincerely, Shirley K. Turner Senator - 15th District" It's a pretty well thought out response and I have to agree with the first bit regarding the bill at hand. It is broader than what they lead on to. I mean 6 plants is more than what Holland allows. That being said, I'd like to see the FDA report about the crude marijuana. I find that report hard to believe and I know I can find several reports from other sources stating otherwise. The bit about crime is moderate. I don't see marijuana itself causing much crime, however I wouldn't buy from a dispensary in Trenton. You would likely get mugged. The gateway theory can always be argued. I find it thin.
Why is it that everyone believes that if you keep marijuana illegal that you are protecting individuals ( mainly minors ) . If marijuana was regulated, it would be MUCH harder for kids to go into a store and buy it versus a dealer who doesn't care how old someone is ... Fucking tards.
oh and one more comment , regarding the gateway theory ... Thats like saying drinking your mothers breast milk lead you to start drinking alcohol ... so that means Breat Milk is a gateway to alcoholism and should be illegal for minors ( infants really ) to slurp on ! Totally bogus ...
Man, the people who told him that must be growing some thick outdoor plants! I wish i could get 56oz off 1 plant.
I was thinking the same thing and the only way that those numbers could be an average would be with growing outdoors . And you would only get two harvest's a grow season and gaurenteed this guy is assuming you can get that kind of weight year round ... Ignorant people breed ignorance to spread...
1)The federal government has kept Cannabis from actually being researched by keeping it in Schedule I instead of Schedule II or lower. 2)The AMA just reversed thier 70 year opinion that marijuana has no medical value and needs to be researched. Smoking cannabis can cause respitory illnesses, thats basically it. But if you look at 90 percent of the perscription drugs on the market today, most of their side effects are DEATH! 1) Its not a gateway drug. Period. 2)What if the parent has AIDS, Cancer, glaucoma or another painful/debilitating disease that only cannabis could help? The child will see how many medications thier parents had before they used cannabis and now see they don't need as many meds becuase thier parent acutally feels better. The message they would get is that cannabis is helping thier mom/dad and they should be able to use whatever helps. Its not going to make them run out and do it just becuase its legal for medical purposes. They could do that anyway right now and its still illegal. 1) Marijuana is not physically addictive. You will not see it ruin lives like herion or coke or oxycotin or other opiates. So this means marijuana users will not turn to crime to fill thier "drug habit" 2)That is what is great about cannabis. It can be used for so many things. Medical and non. Why should that be a bad thing that Cannabis has more then one or two uses? Doesn't the fact that it has so many uses make it even more credible as a medicene? 3) The people who use cannabis are not going to stop. Period. They want to use it, they will continue to use it and we need to respect that and move on. The fact they use it does not make them drug addicts and they do not harm society. 4) Let me guess, the other half of dispensary patients are between 35-50? Whats your point? What does it matter how old a patient is? I could do this all day with her letter.
I'm assuming we have been sending letters from NORML's site? That's where I sent mine from, with an auto generated message. Either my senator's a dumb ass, or he has a TERRIBLE bot program. This is straight from my email.... WTF?! The letter itself mentinoed the bill name, number, and what it was for!! WTF!!
OMG! HAHAHAAHAHAHAH Senator Response FAIL Roland Burris is a dumbass....He bought he seat from disgraced ex gov. Rod Bljackoffovich. He should never have been appointed, (not even elected...APPOINTED to a senate seat) and he is a disgrace to everyone who lives in his state. Its fucking sad he has any power at all.