September 17, 2020 John,
We are on the cusp of making history. But now we face some unexpected developments, as ongoing legislative disputes over COVID-19 and our current climate crisis are threatening to stop the MORE Act from coming to the House floor for a vote next week.
Prohibitionists are clamoring to take advantage of the political uncertainty and division that plagues Congress in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and wildfires ravaging our nation. They are warning certain Democratic Representatives that bringing the historic MORE Act to the House floor next week is an abdication of Congress’ responsibility to address these other issues. But the true political risk is continuing to kick the can down the road at a time when two-thirds of the American public say that they support ending marijuana prohibition. In reality, we have been waiting for 50 years for a chamber of Congress to hold this vote; we have waited long enough.
We must not let our political opponents be successful at convincing House Leadership to pull the vote at this eleventh hour...
We have come too far to let that happen.
We know that when marijuana is on the ballot, voters are more likely to turn out to vote. We know that a supermajority of Americans supports ending federal marijuana prohibition. Now, all we have to do is make sure Congress takes decisive action toward ending the scourge of prohibition.
Call your Representative’s office today to make sure they support bringing the MORE Act to the House floor this month and are committed to voting “yes” when it does.
Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Sample Script:
“As a constituent and concerned citizen, I am calling to ask for the Representatives' support in passing the MORE Act next week.
To date, 33 states and the District of Columbia regulate the production, sale, and use of marijuana and marijuana-infused products for medical purposes. Eleven of these states also permit marijuana possession by adults, and ten of them also regulate adult-use sales. Yet, to date, all of these state-level legalization policies are incongruous with federal law, which classifies the cannabis plant as a Schedule I criminal substance.
The MORE Act removes cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act — thus providing individual states with the authority to be the primary arbiters of cannabis policy and eliminating the existing conflict between state-level marijuana legalization policies and federal law.
The MORE Act would also make several other important changes to federal marijuana policy. For example, it permits physicians affiliated with the Veterans Administration for the first time to make medical cannabis recommendations to qualifying veterans who reside in legal states, and it incentivizes states to move ahead with expungement policies that will end the stigma and lost opportunities suffered by those with past, low-level cannabis convictions. The MORE Act also allows the Small Business Administration to support entrepreneurs and businesses as they seek to gain a foothold in this emerging industry.
Be on the right side of history. Please commit to vote for and cosponsor the MORE Act.”
So please, take just a few moments and call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and make your voice heard in support of ending federal marijuana prohibition.
Once you do that, be sure to share our action alert with your friends and family:
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When we come together, we win. Let’s make history.
The NORML Team
P.S. During these difficult times, NORML’s efforts have largely been supported by our amazing sustaining members who contribute a few bucks a month to help ensure we have the resources for the long fight. If you can, please kick in $5, $10 or $20 a month to help us keep going.
