Two things you can do to promote humane marijuana policy

Published: April 20, 2004

Are you outraged that adults are ripped from their lives and their families to be incarcerated for marijuana offenses?

If so, here's your chance to take action and affect Missouri lawmakers' decisions on two relevant bills. H.B. 983 would further intensify the war on marijuana by making it a crime, punishable by up to a year in prison, to be under the influence of marijuana. And a Senate bill, S.B. 1348, could end mandatory minimum sentencing for nonviolent felonies.

H.B. 983 can be defeated—but not without your help! So please, contact your legislators and let them know that you oppose this harsh measure, which would waste further tax dollars by locking up more nonviolent citizens.

Please take a few moments to Take Action. After you choose your favorite pre-written letter and type in your address, our site will automatically e-mail your letter to your legislators … all with the click of a few buttons. The whole process takes less than two minutes, but it makes a world of difference. Also, you can print the letters and send them to your legislators through regular mail.

H.B. 983 would criminalize being under the influence of controlled substances. The punishment would be outrageously harsh—up to a year of imprisonment, a maximum fine of $1,000, or both. If H.B. 983 passes, it will probably increase police harassment and profiling.

The second bill that needs your attention is S.B. 1348, which could end mandatory minimum sentencing for nonviolent felons. Currently, anyone convicted of a nonviolent felony who has a prior felony conviction must serve at least forty to eighty percent of the sentence, depending on the number of prior convictions. Possession of more than 35 grams of marijuana is a felony, as are growing and selling marijuana. If S.B. 1348 passes, the Board of Probation and Parole will have the discretion to review nonviolent prisoners' sentences and release them before their sentences are completed.

On March 15, the Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee held a hearing on the mandatory minimum bill, S.B. 1348. But the committee still hasn't voted on it, and there is only one month left in the legislative session. So please call the committee chair, Sen. Matt Bartele (R-8th District), at 573-751-1464, and ask him to call S.B. 1348 to a vote.

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project. Please tell others about this site so that even more voices can speak out for reform.