Urgent Alert

From Drug Policy Alliance: Please read this post and be prepared to call your Congressman tomorrow (Tuesday).

In a last minute effort to keep money and power flowing through the Drug Czar’s office, House leadership are playing political games to push a bill that would re-authorize funding for failed ‘drug war’ programs. Just scheduled for tomorrow (September 30th), the vote is clearly designed to keep opponents from voicing alarm. They’re also trying to bring the bill up under a process known as “suspension of the rules” which limits debate to less than an hour and prohibits Representatives from offering amendments to improve the bill.

The drug war bill (HR 2086), known as the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act, provides five more years of funding for the Drug Czar’s office and its campaign to arrest drugs users. Already, the Drug Policy Alliance has worked with a number of groups to remove as many of the extreme provisions from the bill as we could. But the bill still authorizes the White House to spend over a billion dollars on anti-drug television ads – the same ads ridiculed by the public and shown to be ineffective by the government’s own studies. It also contains no protections to ensure that the drug czar cannot use taxpayer money to campaign against state medical marijuana ballot measures he personally doesn’t like.

If only 146 (out of 435) Representatives vote against the bill the House will be forced to bring the bill up under a more democratic process that will allow amendments to improve it.

Call before 6pm (EST) on Tuesday. Tell the receptionist, “I’m calling to urge my Representative to vote against HR 2086 when it comes up under suspension of the rules. Among other things, HR 2086 allows the drug czar to spend taxpayer money to influence local and state elections. By voting no, the Representative can ensure that the bill will be brought up under a process that allows amendments to improve it.”
Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard for free at 1-800-839-5276. (They can also tell you who your Representative is if you’re not sure. You can also find out who your Representative is at the Drug Policy Action Center.