I Wrote the Law

[Samantha in Salem]

And the law wrote back.

Here's a form letter I received from my congressman in response to one of the NORML action alerts. Has anyone else received any answers? If so, please feel free to post them in this thread. Negative or positive, I'm curious to see.



Dear Ms. S:

Thank you for your recent e-mail in support of the new Justice Department guidelines regarding state laws for medical marijuana.

I have noted your views. As you probably know, a significant number of Americans support a doctor’s right to prescribe medications that may include controlled substances in cases that truly warrant such an approach. Initial reports have pointed to potential success in the use of such substances in the treatment of chronic pain, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis (MS), cancer, and other devastating conditions. Accordingly, I believe expanded research into this area appears warranted, and intend to continue work to ensure that sufferers of chronic pain should have available to them all avenues of relief that pose no real danger to the public.

As you seem to be aware, on October 19, 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder announced formal guidelines for federal prosecutors in states that have enacted laws authorizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes, which make clear that the focus of federal resources should not be on individuals whose actions are in compliance with existing state laws. As such, local law enforcement are empowered with the discretion to maximize limited resources in enforcing state and local laws.

Separately, as you seem to be aware, legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives which would strengthen legal protections for state-authorized medical marijuana patients. You may be interested to know that the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, H.R. 2835, which you mentioned in your correspondence, is currently under consideration by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Be assured that, moving forward, I will continue to monitor this bill's progress closely and will certainly keep your comments in mind as I do so.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Please feel free to do so regarding any matter of concern to you.

Sincerely,
John F. Tierney
Member of Congress


Please feel free to visit my website at Congressman John Tierney to learn more about my legislative initiatives and to subscribe to my E-Alerts.

[Señor Ramos]

I've received a few of these, but it's always through the postal service.