The 113th session of Congress (2013-2014) marks a new era in marijuana policy at the federal level. For the first time ever, members of Congress must confront the fact that voters in two U.S. states have made the possession and use of marijuana legal for all adults. On top of the large number of medical marijuana states, this is creating significant pressure for reform. Keep reading to see how you can take action to show your representatives in Congress you support marijuana policy reform.
MPP's federal goals for 2013-2014 are to:
- Build support for legislation that would treat marijuana like alcohol under federal law
- Work with members of Congress on bills designed to protect and assist medical marijuana patients and providers
- Increase public pressure on the Department of Justice to eliminate prosecutions of individuals acting in compliance with state medical marijuana laws
- Generate media coverage about an FDA-approved study of marijuana use as a possible treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in order to put pressure on the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to provide marijuana for the study
MPP's quick and easy online system allows you to communicate with decision makers in Washington, D.C. By following the links below, you can generate support for important marijuana policy reforms in Congress and at the White House. It only takes a few minutes to make a difference. Also, if you get a response from your members of Congress, please forward it to us at federal@mpp.org so we can update our information database.
Current Actions
- Ask your representatives in Congress to co-sponsor the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act. Please take a moment to send your U.S. representative and two senators an email encouraging them to add their names to the growing, bipartisan list of members of Congress who support leaving marijuana policy up to the states. In November, voters in Colorado and Washington state passed laws taxing and regulating marijuana like alcohol. However, with marijuana still illegal under federal law and still a Schedule I substance, implementing these laws will be a difficult and uncertain process. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) introduced H.R. 1523, the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act, which would make the Controlled Substances Act inapplicable to anyone acting in compliance with state laws that remove criminal penalties for the medical or non-medical use of marijuana. More than a dozen other lawmakers have signed on as co-sponsors. Please ask your representatives to join them.
- Urge your U.S. senators and representative to co-sponsor H.R. 499, the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act. Immediately after his home state of Colorado passed Amendment 64, the ballot initiative MPP passed to tax and regulate marijuana in Colorado, Congressman Jared Polis introduced legislation to end the state/federal conflict on marijuana laws. His bill, H.R. 499, would remove all federal penalties for marijuana and establish a comprehensive licensing and oversight system to regulate the production, distribution, and sale of marijuana. Please take a moment to email your representatives in Congress and ask them to join the growing list of co-sponsors supporting this important legislation.
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Tell Congress to end President Obama’s war on medical marijuana. There are three bills pending in Congress that would help take medical marijuana patients and their providers out of the crosshairs of the federal government. First, H.R. 689, the States’ Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, sponsored by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), would reschedule marijuana and make the Controlled Substances Act inapplicable to those acting in compliance with state medical marijuana laws. Second, Rep. Sam Farr’s (D-CA) bill, H.R. 710, the Truth in Trials Act, would provide those charged with violating federal law with an affirmative defense, meaning they would be found not guilty, if their conduct was in compliance with state law. Finally, a bill sponsored by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), H.R. 784, would prevent federal officials from seizing property used by dispensaries to provide medical marijuana to patients. Write your members of Congress today and ask them to stand up for patients by supporting the compassionate legislative proposals.
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Ask your members of Congress to support appointing a commission to re-examine our failed marijuana policies. Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN), one of the strongest supporters of sensible marijuana policies in Congress, is the lead sponsor of H.R. 1635. His bill would create a blue-ribbon commission to determine the best way to resolve the conflict between federal law and state laws that have removed criminal penalties for the medical or recreational use of marijuana. With most Americans in support of ending prohibition, and two states having done so already, this kind of evidence-based, honest assessment of our marijuana policies is exactly what Congress should be doing. Please ask your members of Congress to support this legislation.
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Hemp could be legal! Ask your elected officials in Congress to support the hemp amendment to the farm bill. One of the most absurd consequences of our war on marijuana is that hemp has been caught up in the debate. Even though it contains virtually no THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, the DEA considers hemp no different than marijuana, placing it in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act alongside heroin and LSD. As a result, it’s illegal for American farmers to grow it, and the U.S. imports millions of dollars in hemp products from countries like China. Fortunately, Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have teamed up to support an effort to end this senseless policy. Please contact your members of Congress and urge them to support the hemp amendment to the farm bill. Hurry, this vote could happen any day!
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