An interesting Letter from my Congressman

OldMan&TheWeed · 05-09-2008, 09:05 PM

A couple of weeks ago I sent my congressman an email in support of H.R. 5843, an "Act to Remove Federal Penalties for Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults." Yesterday I received this interesting email in response. I've boldfaced the parts I found most enlightning:

May 8, 2008

Dear Mr. Doe:

Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the legalization of marijuana. Your comments on this issue are greatly appreciated, and I hope you will continue to keep me informed on issues of concern to you.

While there is some small grassroots support for legalizing marijuana, primarily among teenagers and young adults, according to the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) the majority of Americans do not support legalization of this harmful substance. Marijuana is still considered to be a potentially dangerous drug. In fact, marijuana smoke has four times the amount of cancer causing toxins as cigarette smoke. Marijuana may suppress the immune system and has been linked to respiratory infections such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and mental illnesses such as panic attacks and bipolar disorder . Although California allows limited usage of marijuana to treat terminally ill patients, even this is quite controversial.

Due to the problems regarding mail contaminated with hazardous anthrax spores, all mail must undergo an irradiation process before reaching congressional offices. This process may delay your letter from reaching my Capitol office by several weeks. . .

There were a few items that caused my eyebrows to raise, such as that most support for legalizing marijuana comes from, "primarily among teenagers and young adults," and the implication that marijuana causes cancer and insanity.

I'm considering writing a response. Any ideas would be appreciated.

ThEnEeD4DaWeEd · 05-09-2008, 10:45 PM

And this is a fine example of why writing a congressman is a waste of time. thier minds are already made up. Instead of reasoning he just threw out a huge speal on why it's bad. Sounded like a standard procedure reply. Telling ya best way to reach this prick is to scare the shit out of him. Let him know that he is wrong as well as his statistics. He can't seriously think smoking of marijuana is done primarily by just the teen and young adult population. I say you let him know how you just might have to organize a rally and give him an idea of how much of an ass he made himself look by making those statements. LoL majority of the pop is against legalization of marijuana my ass. wtfe! Rally is the way to go. You can show him how diverse and massive the smoking community is. I know tons of people who smoke pot and not ciggs. never met anyone who got bipolar from it. Those mother fuckers had that shit since before thier first smoke. Hell it's herditary anyways. Thanx for the effort with the letter man. You have been brushed off by someone who is supposed to represent you, How do you feel?

ANOK · 05-10-2008, 01:18 PM

Yeah definitely let him know how misinformed he is. He probably won't even read it so yes a rally is also a good idea.

If not already in your town, how about setting up a medical cannabis awareness day?
Invite this sob to attend. Have it every year, right in front of city hall if you can.

Flood his email with the truth about cannabis, send him info in the mail.

Contact NORML, or other pro cannabis groups, and let them know about this idiot.
They might even help you set up a rally/awareness day.

This is the sort of opportunity that should be exploited to increase awareness. Even if it doesn't make a difference to the idiot in question he can't ignore it, and it will help the movement as a whole. Think of the big picture.

This guy is your excuse to act...Just be respectful and discreet.

krangs_androidbody · 05-10-2008, 02:31 PM

Aren't there many studies that prove the opposite of what he said? Maybe supply/reference those?

Still hasn't been one death with marijuana as the only drug in their system, correct? How many deaths from tobacco?

Pretty outrageous.

I'm not sure if he'll take it seriously or not (or if he really believes what he wrote), but I would definitely approach it from an objective point of view and not that of a toker.

Good luck.

BearsysRevenge · 05-11-2008, 10:03 AM

Here are some places to begin your response...

Second Largest US Physicians Group Endorses Medical Marijuana

Study Finds No Cancer-Marijuana Connection

As for cancer... Eat it, or vaporize it. Problem Solved.

Point out the double standards, compared against tobacco and alcohol.

Explain the history of racism and social control being the sole driving factors behind cannabis prohibition. Explain how you think it's time to end the racism

Finally, this bill really has nothing to do with marijuana, it is a bill to support State's Rights.
Replace marijuana with "killing & torturing squirrels for fun in the privacy of one's home" and it's still the same problem.
This is a bill to reduce the Federal Government's power, and to recognize state's rights for people to be able to use their medicine(emphasize medicine, he's not a doctor, who is he to say what is and isn't a medicine?) that is legal in their State without fear of prosecution.

add your age, if you haven't already

show it's not just "teenagers and young people"

Start a petition, I'm in the process of writing one... How to Write a Petition - wikiHow

Legal lies · 05-11-2008, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BearsysRevenge

Finally, this bill really has nothing to do with marijuana, it is a bill to support State's Rights.
Replace marijuana with "killing & torturing squirrels for fun in the privacy of one's home" and it's still the same problem.

Huh? Killing and torturing squirrels should always be federally illegal. Marijuana should not. In fact, it should really be legal everywhere. I'm all about personal/individual rights, not state's rights. Didn't the racists in the South use state's rights to argue that they should be allowed to treat blacks like crap?

BearsysRevenge · 05-11-2008, 12:43 PM

Why should killing/torturing squirrels be illegal?
If the person did it in the privacy of their own home and didn't force anyone to watch/participate, why should it be illegal?
Who is it hurting?

©antSEEme · 05-11-2008, 01:20 PM

lol! i didnt know panic attacks were considered to be "mental illness". i guess anyone whos ever been under some kind of pressure and hyperventilates is a loon who needs therapy.

Ziggy Fry · 05-11-2008, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BearsysRevenge

Why should killing/torturing squirrels be illegal?
If the person did it in the privacy of their own home and didn't force anyone to watch/participate, why should it be illegal?
Who is it hurting?

Careful. PETA can find out who you are and where you live.

Choose your next words carefully. They are already watching and listening.

Sin.Ziggy.

ANOK · 05-11-2008, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ©antSEEme

lol! i didnt know panic attacks were considered to be "mental illness". i guess anyone whos ever been under some kind of pressure and hyperventilates is a loon who needs therapy.

What? Panic disorder is most definitely a mental health problem. I think your perception of what it means to have a mental health problem is your problem.

It doesn't mean you're a loon...

Pressure, stress, anxiety and hyperventilation is not a panic attack even though they are often related.

Panic Attacks (Panic Disorders) Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Types on MedicineNet.com

©antSEEme · 05-11-2008, 02:18 PM

i said panic attacks, not panic disorder.

what i meant by my statement is that everyone who has a couple panic attacks are not mentally imbalanced, especially if it was caused by an outside source like marijuana.

and from your article, i gather that panic attacks can lead to, or be symptoms to a mental illness, like panic disorder or an anxiety disorder, but panic attacks themselves are not a mental illness.

whatever. i dont really care. that responce to oldmans letter is full of propoganda hype and the usual "blah-blah" that you come to expect from our goverment officials.

BearsysRevenge · 05-11-2008, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ziggy Fry

Careful. PETA can find out who you are and where you live.

Choose your next words carefully. They are already watching and listening.

Sin.Ziggy.

Nigga fuck PETA

sillygnd · 05-13-2008, 05:14 AM

Wow i think its sad....what a scarry thought...That people that are in charge of makeing laws dont know what is going on around them...we need to vote better people into office...

FineazPR · 05-13-2008, 05:35 AM

...sounds like the same old tired BS politicos always revert to. Its like their Standard Answer. He must still use that old anti-weed flick called, "Reefer Madness" as his resource for info. Stupid movie, but it does show the ignorance in fulll effect. Check it out!

ANOK · 05-14-2008, 09:32 PM

Quote:

i said panic attacks, not panic disorder.

If you have panic attacks you have a panic disorder. Otherwise they are probably anxiety attacks....

WildWill · 05-14-2008, 10:03 PM

Others have already given you the right advice - you can contact ASA or NORML and I'm sure they'll help you draft a balanced response that refutes everything this ignorant congressman said.

BTW - Which Rep. was this?

Oh and he's DEAD wrong about the California Law, I have my Medical Marijuana recommendation and can buy weed legally, and I'm nowhere NEAR terminal.

BearsysRevenge · 05-31-2008, 03:29 PM

I got mine...

kamikazi89 · 06-01-2008, 10:18 AM

now, contact another one (HR 5824)
that's how these things work..constant pressure

Yaotzin · 06-17-2008, 06:10 PM

one thing you must realise about congressmen is that they must always be aware of the public eye (the peoples responses to a taboo... more or less taboo, i cant find any other word :P ). any small quote can, and most likely will, be used against them. finding a congressman who WILL fight for the legalization of marijuana is very hard to find, simply because it is a very controversial subject and can easily eliminate a congressman from running for an office position due to lack of support. it takes a lot more than you may think to run against the flow. you must also be aware that many people do in fact consume cannabis, whether for medicinal purposes or recreational use, and the majority of the cannabis smoker community are outspoken youths or young adults(small percentage of the voting population. also, you can not always expect for the medicinal marijuana community to be so supportive). this is not to say ALL "smokers" are young in age. When the popularity vote for the legalization of cannabis comes along majority of voters will cast their votes in opposition to the legalization of marijuana simply because many ederly(majority of voters) deem the act of smoking marijuana as either: un-american, rebelious or simply un-christian. truthfully the ederly have us by the wevos (sp?). they are a VERY closed minded generation (in general). believe me, in my town the ederly have banned smoking ciggarettes in ANY public building including bars! It's all about numbers with congressmen. they could care less about the issues. all they care about is climbing higher up the chain so they can make more money. Hey, i can't blame them, you do what you can to get what you want OR you just sit in the gutter and love it. + the u.s. is simply a slew of laws built and sustained upon hypocracy and "a$$ kissing". I'm not going to say that we are fighting for a lost cause because anything you love is worth fighting for. I can only dream of an america with legal marijuana and more open minded people.

05-09-2008, 09:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
OldMan&TheWeed The Old Man and the Weed Join Date: May 2006 Location: The West Posts: 1,275 Thanks: 7 Thanked 62 Times in 34 Posts	An interesting Letter from my Congressman A couple of weeks ago I sent my congressman an email in support of H.R. 5843, an "Act to Remove Federal Penalties for Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults." Yesterday I received this interesting email in response. I've boldfaced the parts I found most enlightning: May 8, 2008 Dear Mr. Doe: Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the legalization of marijuana. Your comments on this issue are greatly appreciated, and I hope you will continue to keep me informed on issues of concern to you. While there is some small grassroots support for legalizing marijuana, primarily among teenagers and young adults, according to the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) the majority of Americans do not support legalization of this harmful substance. Marijuana is still considered to be a potentially dangerous drug. In fact, marijuana smoke has four times the amount of cancer causing toxins as cigarette smoke. Marijuana may suppress the immune system and has been linked to respiratory infections such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and mental illnesses such as panic attacks and bipolar disorder . Although California allows limited usage of marijuana to treat terminally ill patients, even this is quite controversial. Due to the problems regarding mail contaminated with hazardous anthrax spores, all mail must undergo an irradiation process before reaching congressional offices. This process may delay your letter from reaching my Capitol office by several weeks. . . There were a few items that caused my eyebrows to raise, such as that most support for legalizing marijuana comes from, "primarily among teenagers and young adults," and the implication that marijuana causes cancer and insanity. I'm considering writing a response. Any ideas would be appreciated. __________________ The above story is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

05-10-2008, 01:18 PM	#3 (permalink)
ANOK YaHookan Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: on the edge Posts: 177 Thanks: 11 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts	Yeah definitely let him know how misinformed he is. He probably won't even read it so yes a rally is also a good idea. If not already in your town, how about setting up a medical cannabis awareness day? Invite this sob to attend. Have it every year, right in front of city hall if you can. Flood his email with the truth about cannabis, send him info in the mail. Contact NORML, or other pro cannabis groups, and let them know about this idiot. They might even help you set up a rally/awareness day. This is the sort of opportunity that should be exploited to increase awareness. Even if it doesn't make a difference to the idiot in question he can't ignore it, and it will help the movement as a whole. Think of the big picture. This guy is your excuse to act...Just be respectful and discreet. Last edited by ANOK; 05-10-2008 at 01:23 PM.

05-10-2008, 02:31 PM	#4 (permalink)
krangs_androidbody i said god damn Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 1,238 Thanks: 6 Thanked 15 Times in 13 Posts	Aren't there many studies that prove the opposite of what he said? Maybe supply/reference those? Still hasn't been one death with marijuana as the only drug in their system, correct? How many deaths from tobacco? Pretty outrageous. I'm not sure if he'll take it seriously or not (or if he really believes what he wrote), but I would definitely approach it from an objective point of view and not that of a toker. Good luck. __________________ intoxication is an evolutionary force

05-11-2008, 10:03 AM	#5 (permalink)
BearsysRevenge Adminfiltrator Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: I've got BuffaLOVE Posts: 4,443 Thanks: 574 Thanked 139 Times in 100 Posts	Here are some places to begin your response... Second Largest US Physicians Group Endorses Medical Marijuana Study Finds No Cancer-Marijuana Connection As for cancer... Eat it, or vaporize it. Problem Solved. Point out the double standards, compared against tobacco and alcohol. Explain the history of racism and social control being the sole driving factors behind cannabis prohibition. Explain how you think it's time to end the racism Finally, this bill really has nothing to do with marijuana, it is a bill to support State's Rights. Replace marijuana with "killing & torturing squirrels for fun in the privacy of one's home" and it's still the same problem. This is a bill to reduce the Federal Government's power, and to recognize state's rights for people to be able to use their *medicine*(emphasize medicine, he's not a doctor, who is he to say what is and isn't a medicine?) that is legal in their State without fear of prosecution. add your age, if you haven't already show it's not just "teenagers and young people" Start a petition, I'm in the process of writing one... How to Write a Petition - wikiHow __________________ Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music -George Carlin

05-11-2008, 12:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
BearsysRevenge Adminfiltrator Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: I've got BuffaLOVE Posts: 4,443 Thanks: 574 Thanked 139 Times in 100 Posts	Why should killing/torturing squirrels be illegal? If the person did it in the privacy of their own home and didn't force anyone to watch/participate, why should it be illegal? Who is it hurting? __________________ Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music -George Carlin

05-09-2008, 10:45 PM	#2 (permalink)
ThEnEeD4DaWeEd TheManWithDaPlan! Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Right behind you! Posts: 215 Thanks: 68 Thanked 14 Times in 12 Posts	And this is a fine example of why writing a congressman is a waste of time. thier minds are already made up. Instead of reasoning he just threw out a huge speal on why it's bad. Sounded like a standard procedure reply. Telling ya best way to reach this prick is to scare the shit out of him. Let him know that he is wrong as well as his statistics. He can't seriously think smoking of marijuana is done primarily by just the teen and young adult population. I say you let him know how you just might have to organize a rally and give him an idea of how much of an ass he made himself look by making those statements. LoL majority of the pop is against legalization of marijuana my ass. wtfe! Rally is the way to go. You can show him how diverse and massive the smoking community is. I know tons of people who smoke pot and not ciggs. never met anyone who got bipolar from it. Those mother fuckers had that shit since before thier first smoke. Hell it's herditary anyways. Thanx for the effort with the letter man. You have been brushed off by someone who is supposed to represent you, How do you feel?

05-13-2008, 05:14 AM	#13 (permalink)
sillygnd YaHookan Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: In a land far far away Posts: 14 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Wow i think its sad....what a scarry thought...That people that are in charge of makeing laws dont know what is going on around them...we need to vote better people into office...

05-13-2008, 05:35 AM	#14 (permalink)
FineazPR YaHookan Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: A HOTT place Posts: 101 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	That letter fr yo congressman.. ...sounds like the same old tired BS politicos always revert to. Its like their Standard Answer. He must still use that old anti-weed flick called, "Reefer Madness" as his resource for info. Stupid movie, but it does show the ignorance in fulll effect. Check it out!

05-14-2008, 10:03 PM	#16 (permalink)
WildWill Go Medical! Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Beverly Hills Adjacent Posts: 212 Thanks: 33 Thanked 29 Times in 24 Posts	Others have already given you the right advice - you can contact ASA or NORML and I'm sure they'll help you draft a balanced response that refutes everything this ignorant congressman said. BTW - Which Rep. was this? Oh and he's DEAD wrong about the California Law, I have my Medical Marijuana recommendation and can buy weed legally, and I'm nowhere NEAR terminal. __________________ Custom Volcano Bags http://www.geocities.com/wmnoe/volcanobags.html

05-31-2008, 03:29 PM	#17 (permalink)
BearsysRevenge Adminfiltrator Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: I've got BuffaLOVE Posts: 4,443 Thanks: 574 Thanked 139 Times in 100 Posts	I got mine... __________________ Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music -George Carlin

06-17-2008, 06:10 PM	#19 (permalink)
Yaotzin YaHookan Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 13 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post	one thing you must realise about congressmen is that they must always be aware of the public eye (the peoples responses to a taboo... more or less taboo, i cant find any other word :P ). any small quote can, and most likely will, be used against them. finding a congressman who WILL fight for the legalization of marijuana is very hard to find, simply because it is a very controversial subject and can easily eliminate a congressman from running for an office position due to lack of support. it takes a lot more than you may think to run against the flow. you must also be aware that many people do in fact consume cannabis, whether for medicinal purposes or recreational use, and the majority of the cannabis smoker community are outspoken youths or young adults(small percentage of the voting population. also, you can not always expect for the medicinal marijuana community to be so supportive). this is not to say ALL "smokers" are young in age. When the popularity vote for the legalization of cannabis comes along majority of voters will cast their votes in opposition to the legalization of marijuana simply because many ederly(majority of voters) deem the act of smoking marijuana as either: un-american, rebelious or simply un-christian. truthfully the ederly have us by the wevos (sp?). they are a VERY closed minded generation (in general). believe me, in my town the ederly have banned smoking ciggarettes in ANY public building including bars! It's all about numbers with congressmen. they could care less about the issues. all they care about is climbing higher up the chain so they can make more money. Hey, i can't blame them, you do what you can to get what you want OR you just sit in the gutter and love it. + the u.s. is simply a slew of laws built and sustained upon hypocracy and "a$$ kissing". I'm not going to say that we are fighting for a lost cause because anything you love is worth fighting for. I can only dream of an america with legal marijuana and more open minded people.