Support Maryland's "treatment, not incarceration" bills

MPP is passing along the following message on behalf of the Drug Policy Alliance.

Tell your state senator and House delegates that you support "treatment, not incarceration" bills!

Bills would immediately free 3,000 nonviolent prison inmates, saving state taxpayers $7 million!

The Maryland General Assembly is considering two important bills that would immediately shift 3,000 nonviolent offenders from prison to drug treatment. Passing these bills would save state taxpayers $7 million. The House and Senate companion bills—H.B. 797 and S.B. 501—would reduce the inmate population, save money, and provide treatment for nonviolent drug offenders. The Drug Policy Alliance worked hard to help draft these bills and earn widespread support for them in the General Assembly. But state lawmakers need to hear that you, Maryland voters, believe that the bills make good common and fiscal sense. FAX your state senator and House delegates today: http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2anditem=15373andms=mdmpp

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1. FAX your Maryland state senator (S.B. 501) and House Delegates (H.B. 797), asking each of them to vote in favor of his or her chamber's bill as it comes up for a vote. http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2anditem=15373andms=mdmpp

2. Forward this e-mail to everyone you know in Maryland.

3. Write back to us at ActionFeedback@drugpolicy.org and let us know how your senator and delegates responded to your appeal.

Maryland prisons are filled with nonviolent drug offenders who need treatment, not incarceration. Drug-treatment programs are less expensive than prisons and more effective at helping people turn their lives around. H.B. 797 and S.B. 501 would immediately shift nonviolent drug offenders from prison to drug treatment, saving state taxpayers close to $7 million. These bills have earned support from the Black Caucus, the Republican House leadership, the Women's Caucus, and other influential groups. Governor Robert Ehrlich (R) has introduced a competing bill that is a step in the right direction—but it does not go far enough to offer treatment instead of incarceration. FAX your elected officials in the Maryland General Assembly and tell them that you support the passage of H.B. 797 and S.B. 501.

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