Hinchey Amendment Talking Points

Please read these talking points before contacting your member of Congress.

• The Hinchey Amendment would prohibit the Department of Justice, specifically the DEA, from using any funds to interfere with state medical marijuana laws.
• The DEA is clearly out of control. They have resorted to arresting patients and providers and destroying their medicine in situations where federal prosecutors will not even press charges.
• The American people clearly and overwhelmingly support medical marijuana. National polls show that more than three out of four Americans favor its legal use. It is now time for the politicians to follow the will of the people.
• Although the federal government is impeding research on the medical use of marijuana, thousands of patients and doctors have testified, explained and acknowledged that it helps relieve some of the debilitating symptoms -- such as nausea, pain, and loss of appetite -- associated with serious illnesses.
• Twelve states -- Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Washington -- have enacted medical marijuana laws. Because of these laws, thousands of patients are able to alleviate their suffering without fearing arrest by state or local authorities. The threat of arrest by federal agents, however, still exists.
• In the states where medical marijuana is legal, thousands of licensed physicians have recommended marijuana to their patients.
• This is a quality of life issue for thousands of Americans who suffer from debilitating conditions and who benefit from the therapeutic and palliative benefits of medical marijuana.
• The American Nurses Association, American Public Health Association, American Academy of HIV Medicine, and many others support safe and legal access to medical marijuana for patients whose doctors recommend it.
• (For Republican members of Congress) - It is my understanding that the Republican Party has always stood for states' rights and limited government. How can any Republican support the DEA going into a state and arresting someone acting in compliance with state law?