E-Mailed to hemplady@fn.net - Monday, March 4, 1996 - Received 03/05/96 @ 09:45:36

Congress might increase marijuana penalities : Act now!

Dear friend,

On Wednesday, March, the house Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime will be holding a hearing to investigate the “adequacy” of existing federal penalities for marijuana-related offenses.

On November 1, 1995, the penalities for certain federal marijuana cultivation offenses were reduced as a result of an amendment to the federal sentencing guidelines which was approved by the U.S. Sentencing Commision. Although Congress had the authority to prevent this amendment from taking effect, Congress did not block the amendment.

However, U.W. Rep. Jim Bunn (R - OR) introduced a bill which would repeal the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s amendment. This bill (H.R. 2507) has attracted 23 co-sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives.

This bill, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank’s medical marijuana bill (H.R. 2618), and marijuana-related mandatory minimums will be discussed at Wednesday’s hearing.

Please call or preferably fax the following offices “TODAY’ to say that you oppose incresing the penalties for marijuana offenses, and in fact you support “reducing” the penalities for nonviolent marijuana offenses. Please contact the following u.s. representatives, who are listed in decreasing order of importance (all number are in the 202 area code):

1) Your U.S. representative (if you kon’t know who thi is, call the congressional switchboard operator at 202-225-3121 and ask)

...and the 13 members who sit on the subcommittee...

2. U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum (R - FL 3. U.S. Rep Steve Schiff (R - NM 4. U.S. Rep Steve Buyer (R - IN) 5. U.S. Rep Howard Coble (R - NC) 6. U.S. Rep Fred Heineman (R - NC) 7. U.S. Rep Ed Bryant (R - TN) 8. U.S. Rep Steve Chabot (R - OH) 9. U.S. Rep Bob Barr (R - GA) 10.U.S. Rep. Charles Schumer (D - NY) 11.U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D - TX) 12.U.S. Rep Zoe Lofgren (D - CA) 13.U.S. Rep Robert Scott (D - VA) 14.U.S. Rep Melvin Watt (D - NC)

We have heard that the hearing might include three panels:

PANEL #1) An NFL player who had a marijuana abuse problem

PANEL #2) One Representative from each of four organizations: DEA, Drug Watch International, D.A.R.E., and the Partnership for a Drug Free America

PANEL #3) - don’t have second page of communication

*****SEE RESPONSE ACTION I TOOK.