Date: Mon Sep 6 13:15:56 1999 From: LVNORML420@aol.com Subject: Please ask your two U.S. senators to support forfeiture reform.
Subj: Please ask your two U.S. senators to support forfeiture reform. Date: 8/27/99 4:35:43 PM Pacific Daylight Time From: MPP@MPP.ORG (Marijuana Policy Project) Sender: owner-mppupdates@igc.apc.org Reply-to: <A HREF="mailto:MPP@MPP.ORG">MPP@MPP.ORG</A> To: MPPupdates@igc.org
Dear Friend:
If you are a dues-paying member of the Marijuana Policy Project, you should have received this legislative alert via the U.S. Postal Service a few weeks ago. Whether or not you are an MPP member, would you please take action as soon as you can?
On June 24, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed an important, historic bill that would reform our nation's disastrous federal property forfeiture laws.
The passage of this legislation (H.R. 1658) is a huge victory for MPP members and others who have been working to liminate the penalties that the government inflicts upon marijuana users -- and alleged and suspected marijuana users.
The U.S. Senate is expected to take up this legislation in the next couple of months. MPP urgently needs your help at this time. Would you please help us build support for this bill in the Senate?
======================================================================== This alert also appears on the Web at http://www.mpp.org/forfeit.html. =======================================================================
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?
There are three things you can do right now to help:
1. Please mail or fax a letter to each of your two U.S. senators that mimics the sample letter found at http://www.mpp.org/forfltr.html. The address for all 100 U.S. senators, who are listed at this Web address, is as follows:
U.S. Senator _______
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
2. If you have any extra time, please tell your U.S. representative what you think of his or her vote on June 24. A breakdown of the final vote on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives can also be found at http://www.mpp.org/forfprog.html.
U.S. Representative _______
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
3. There is much that MPP must do to build support for this legislation in the Senate -- faxing and e-mailing updates to MPP's members and allies across the country, lobbying on Capitol Hill, and building coalitions with other organizations. Would you please consider using the contribution form at http://www.mpp.org/join-mpp.html to send MPP your financial support at this time?
HOW WILL H.R. 1658 AFFECT MARIJUANA POLICY IF IT IS ENACTED INTO LAW?
Property forfeiture laws -- passed by Congress in the 1980s in the name of the "war on drugs" -- have given police extensive power to take your property for alleged marijuana crimes and numerous other offenses.
Federal and state forfeiture laws give the DEA and your neighborhood police an incentive to investigate you for a marijuana crime: If they find marijuana on your property or in your car, they can take your land or vehicle and keep it for their own use.
In fact, you don't even need to be convicted of a crime. Indeed, an astounding 80% of the people who have their property seized are never even charged with a crime.
When the government takes property that it claims was used in a drug crime, you must "prove" the innocence of your property if you want to keep it! Under existing law, the burden of proof is on you, not the government.
In sum, the federal property forfeiture laws are "legalized theft" for police agencies who want to seize and keep your property for their own use.
H.R. 1658, if passed by the U.S. Senate and signed by President Clinton, would change all this. It would shift the burden of proof from you to the government -- where it belongs.
This important legislation would make eight other key changes to existing law, all of which MPP supports. For more information on the House floor debate on H.R. 1658, a nine-point analysis of the bill, or a copy of the bill, please see http://www.mpp.org/forfeit.html.
WHO SUPPORTS AND WHO OPPOSES THIS LEGISLATION?
U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Illinois), despite being one of the most conservative members of Congress, introduced this legislation, which received strong support and a "yes" vote from most Democrats and Republicans in the House.
In addition to the Marijuana Policy Project and several drug policy reform organizations, this legislation is supported by the American Bankers Association, American Bar Association, American Civil Liberties Union, Americans for Tax Reform, Credit Union National Association, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, National Association of Home Builders, National Association of Realtors, National Rifle Association, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
On the other side, 19 major law enforcement groups wanted togut this bill because it would cut into their profits. These include the Drug Enforcement Administration, Fraternal Order of Police, International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Sheriffs Association, and National Troopers Association.
THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW.
For the first time ever, a chamber of Congress has passed a bill that MPP supports -- a bill that would reform a key aspect of our nation's disastrous marijuana policies.
Your assistance is urgently needed at this time. At your earlies convenience, would you please complete the three projects at the beginning of this e-mail message?
Thank you, as always, for your support.
Yours truly,
Robert D. Kampia Executive Director ------------------------------------------------------------ Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) 202-462-5747 (phone) P.O. Box 77492 202-232-0442 (fax) Capitol Hill mpp@mpp.org Washington, D.C. 20013-8492 http://www.mpp.org ------------------------------------------------------------