Help me form a response

Research the cannabis history of your state and also research drug use around your part of the nation. Write up a letter but instead of mailing it in, call your rep see if you can get a face to face going.

Email is great, not saying it isn't but try to do a face to face and bring him pamphlets and other forms of educational information.


At the end of the day you did far more than the average stoker/supporter does. Thanks.

 

Thank you for your response. It gets tiresome reading automated replies. I understand you feel strongly about the safety of our children and citizens in general. However, studies suggest that the United States of America presently entertains some of the highest rates of addiction in the world, and this is in spite of 40+ years of federal prohibition. As a physician, I'm surprised you think incarcerating 20,000,000+ fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters is a better option for our children? Is this the case?

As you may be aware, the several instances of legalization in the rest of the World fly in the face of your cherry-picked studies. Funny, you mention the word studies quite often. As a physician, I would think that you would be able to provide a bit more information than the mere mention of "studies". Can you provide examples for myself and my community to review and discuss? We are firm advocates of Truth and Science-Based Decision-Making in public policy. Are you?

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91y9KqvVggY[/ame]

Your example of Alaska and teen drug abuse is, as I'm sure you understand, meaningless. We both know that drugs require regulation. As a physician, I'm surprised you lean more towards treating drugs as a criminal justice issue rather than a medical or mental health issue. I strongly question your commitment to your profession. We do not disagree in our views on drugs and children. You would protect them with jail cells and criminal records. I would protect them with ID verification, education and, if necessary, rehabilitation. You, on the other hand, would see them destroyed.

Again, the same hold true with your arguments regarding the Netherlands. Liberalization or Decriminalization only empower dealers and encourage children to use drugs. Full legalization is the only way to safeguard our children, aside from good parenting and education. I think this should be pretty obvious to a physician. Have you seen the conditions in modern prisons? You think the punitive option a healthier one? Are you really a physician?

In light of historical examples and studies, I believe that nature vs nurture is a much stronger argument for child drug use than is the boogey-man known as the "Gateway Effect". The real gateway effect is the dealer who sells our kids crack when they come to buy marijuana. Regulate distribution. Is it that hard to puzzle out? Maybe for a full vested salesman for Big Pharma. But that's not what you are, I'm certain.

Again, thank you for taking the time to respond. As it stands, I believe that prohibitionists and the prohibitionist mindset is more dangerous for our country and our children than terrorism ever will be. My vote for any office that you content for in the foreseeable future shall reflect this sentiment exactly.

Most Sincerely,

You

 

Focus on the harms being caused by the prohibition. The prohibition was founded on the concept that it would *eliminate* marijuana use. It didn't achieve this and because it didn't achieve this it has created a situation of massive, unrelenting demand combined with zero legal supply - the harms caused by this are way out of proportion to the potential harms drugs could cause.

The Mexican drug cartels get most of their money selling marijuana in the U.S., this money provides them with the incentive and ability to brutally murder thousands of people. In just the last five years they've murdered more than 40,000 people - many of them were children, police officers, journalists and politicians. In addition to the murders, the cartels spend about half of their income corrupting the police, army and government. There is NO way that the potential dangers in drugs could EVER match the harm being caused by their prohibition!!

Closer to home, because we'll NEVER eliminate the use and sale of marijuana in this country, parents have an important decision to make - they can either have drug dealers selling marijuana to kids or supermarkets selling marijuana to adults.

If your legislator is preventing supermarkets from selling marijuana to adults at prices too low for the drug dealers and cartels to match, then he is making kids LESS safe!!

 

Mention this:



And mention that we didn't need to imprison 20,000,000 people to accomplish it. Education and cultural influence work where prohibition has ALWAYS failed.

 

As a physician who is concerned about our children and their use of drugs, I find it highly suspect that you are so focused on the "over-medicating" in our society on illicit substances while so many of our children are over-medicated, often at the request of schools. If this is truly a concern, I strongly encourage and expect you to introduce legislation making it ILLEGAL to accept any finances for campaigns or other politically-motivated activities from the Pharmaceutical industry. The FDA and it's "approval" process of new medications was long ago hijacked by the pharmaceutical companies, whose funding of the FDA is in direct conflict of interest in providing safe, peer-reviewed medications in the marketplace. The dismal record of the FDA, especially in light of the "fast track" process of approving new medications, has provided us with numerous recalls and more importantly, deaths and injuries. Until you can prove the safety and efficacy of pharmaceuticals to be equal to or superior to that of non-toxic cannabis, your arguments haven't a leg to stand on.

Also, please explain to the American people how the United States Government has a PATENT on CBD, while simultaneously claiming there is no medical benefit. Licensing your corporate political keepers to produce this medicine is again in direct conflict of interest while simultaneously dragging out dated, completely refutable "Reefer Madness" style propaganda "studies." People are aware of what is going on, and you best stop sending form letters and take this issue seriously. Statistics are made to be manipulated. The American people are not.