Dear Mr. -------: This letter acknowledges your communication regarding the medicinal use of marijuana. I appreciate hearing your views on this matter. Several pieces of legislation regarding the use of medical marijuana have been introduced in Congress over the past several years addressing this issue. In the 112th Congress, H.R. 1983, the States' Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, was introduced by Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts on May 25, 2011. H.R. 1983, which would require federal law enforcement agencies to recognize the laws of states that have enacted regulations governing the use medicinal of marijuana, was subsequently referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health where it is awaiting further action. Additionally, H.R. 1984, the Small Business Banking Improvement Act, was introduced by Congressman Jared Polis of Colorado, and H.R. 1985, the Small Business Tax Equity Act, was introduced by Congressman Pete Stark of California. These bills would remove many banking and tax barriers currently in place against medical marijuana dispensaries. H.R. 1984 was referred to the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit. H.R. 1985 is currently awaiting further action by the House Ways and Means Committee. In the past, I have supported measures that would prevent the U.S. Justice Department from using appropriated funds to interfere with states' medical marijuana laws. I believe medical marijuana should be regulated at the state level. In Maryland, the law seeks to limit judicial penalties for medicinal users arrested for possession of marijuana. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if you have any questions or comments. To receive additional information about issues that are facing Congress, Maryland, and the Nation that may affect you and your community, please visit my website at www.dutch.house.gov and sign up for my periodic e-mail newsletter Sincerely, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger Member of Congress Glad to know someone in congress has a brain..
Glad your congressman has one, mine doesn't. Every reply I get has the old law and order spin. It's like I'm asking a personal question that I have no right to ask. My congressman even thinks that if a woman is raped she shouldn't have an abortion. Sorry to get off topic, but I use this to illustrate how out of touch my congressman, Dan Webster R. Florida, is with the real world...
Here is a response from my MP(I'm in Canada) regarding an email I sent in regards to the Omnibus Crime Bill: Dear Mr. ___, Thank you for your e-mail regarding Bill C-10 the Safe Streets and Communities Act. The Safe Streets and Communities Act, is a comprehensive piece of legislation that will target crime and terrorism and provide support and protection to victims of crime. Our Government received a strong mandate from Canadians to continue making our streets and communities safe. The Safe Streets and Communities Act will help us do that. By moving quickly to reintroduce comprehensive law-and-order legislation, our Government is fulfilling our commitment to take action to protect families and hold criminals accountable. Canadians want and deserve to be able to feel safe in their homes and communities and that means that criminals need to be off our streets. Our Government is committed to ensuring criminals are held fully accountable for their actions and that the safety and security of law-abiding Canadians and victims comes first in Canada’s justice system. We will continue to fight crime and protect Canadians so that our communities are safe places for people to live, raise their families and do business. It is important to know that the content of the Safe Streets and Communities Act has already been extensively debated in Parliament. These combined bills have been debated on 52 separate days, including 250 speeches. They have also been in committee for 58 days, hearing 295 witnesses over 123 hours. For example the Penalties for Organized Drug Crime bill alone has been debated on 21 separate days in Parliament, including 75 speeches. The Youth Criminal bill spent 16 days in committee, 87 witnesses were heard as well as two ministers. The reality is that these bills have already been extensively debated and that we are providing two extra days of debate before the bill is voted on and referred to Committee for further study. In regards to sentencing in the Safe Streets and Communities Act, the proposed mandatory minimum penalties on child sexual offences were increased as high as possible in order to withstand constitutional scrutiny. That being said, my Government would be happy to consider higher mandatory minimum penalties for child sexual offences if the Opposition would support it. The NDP not only do not support higher penalties, they also believe sex offenders should be eligible for pardons. This Government wants to crack down on organized crime and on drug dealers who sell drugs to children. The marijuana fines and sentences are directed at grow ops and organized crime, seriously who needs more than 6 marijuana plants for personal use? This Bill is meant to impose serious sentences on those who commit these serious crimes. As for the cost of this Bill, it may end up costing $100,000 per year, however when a dangerous criminal is still on the streets and able to reoffend, the cost to society is far greater. In any case the NDP’s “estimated” cost of this Bill is highly exaggerated. No one actually believes it will cost that much. Both the NDP and the Liberals are using inflated numbers. I hope this information helps clarify the realities of Bill C-10 and the Government’s stance on these issues. Thank you again for your e-mail, if I can provide assistance with any other matter please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, G K MP -----Original Message----- From: webadmin@greenparty.ca [mailto:webadmin@greenparty.ca] On Behalf Of ____ Sent: November 18, 2011 9:31 AM To: K, G - M.P. Subject: Please stop Omnibus! From: k-----k@hotmail.com Cc: mcu@justice.gc.ca To: House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 Canada Dear Member of Parliament, As a voter and one of your constituents, I want to clearly express to you my concerns with and opposition to Bill C-10 – the omnibus crime bill. This legislation is severely flawed. While there are parts of the Bill that are indeed worthwhile, I believe many of the others will undermine our justice system. I do not believe a teenager charged with possessing over five marijuana plants, even if the police allege they were for the purpose of trafficking, should be treated more harshly than someone charged with sexually molesting a child. In Canada we have a correctional system, not a penal system. I do not believe mandatory minimum sentences serve the best interests of justice. This legislation will fill our jails with people who should not be in jail. I have seen the news reports from the United States. I know this approach to justice has been tried there, and it has failed. Furthermore, as a taxpayer, I am very concerned with what this legislation is going to cost me. Each new prisoner will cost an additional $108,000 per year of my money. I understand the new prisons that will need to be built to house these extra prisoners will also cost billions more. In this time of deficits, this is not how I want my government to spend my money. As my representative in Parliament, I am therefore calling on you now to faithfully respect the wishes of your constituents and vote against Bill C-10. Sincerely,