Hinchey Amendment Update

According to the Drug Policy Alliance, the Hinchey Amendment is scheduled to come to a vote this week, perhaps as early as tomorrow. The Hinchey Amendment would block funding for federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries in states where medical marijuana is legal under state law. If you haven't yet taken action on this, please do so now. Last year's vote on the Hinchey Amendment was the closest ever. Here's an excerpt from the DPA's action alert:

What to Do: Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask to speak to your U.S. Representative. If you're not sure who represents you, the operator can tell you. You can also look up your Representative by entering your zip code at the top of the page.

What to Say: Once the operator transfers you to your Representative's office, give the person who answers the following message:

"Hi, I'm a constituent. I'm calling to urge my Representative to vote for the Hinchey medical marijuana amendment to the Commerce-Justice-Science ('CJS') spending bill, which will be voted on this week. This issue is very important to me."

(Hinchey is pronounced Hinchee.)

Then forward this alert to friends and family.

Some Quotes

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen." -Samuel Adams

"The best jockey hinders the horse the least." -Eddie Arcaro

"Democracy means that when there's a knock in the door at 3 am, it's probably the milkman." -Winston Churchill

"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." -Jeff Cooper

"The Prohibitionist must always be a person of no moral character; for he cannot even conceive of the possibility of a man capable of resisting temptation." -Aliester Crowley

"When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny." -Thomas Jefferson

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." -Friedrich Nietzsche

Act Now to Stop the DEA's War on Sick Americans!

At the Drug War Rant, Pete Guither reports that the Hinchey Amendment, which would stop the Justice Department from arresting or prosecuting users and providers of medical marijuana in states where medical marijuana is legal under state law. Please take a few minutes to clikck on one of the following links and tell your U.S. representative to vote yes on the Hinchey Amendment to the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill. The Marijuana Policy Project, NORML, and StopTheDrugWar.org all make it easy to contact your congressman via e-mail. If you prefer to make a telephone call, Paulie Cannoli provides the number for the Capitol Hill switchboard, along with a brief telephone script.

Sign the Petition!

The Buckeye Association of Club Executives has a list of locations where you can sign the petition to overturn Senate Bill 16.

Mom's Column

My favorite elected official's quarterly newspaper column recently appeared in newspapers throughout southern Ohio, including the Chillicothe Gazette.