BILL PUSHES PRISON FOR MARIJUANA SUPPORTERS

The Senate is poised to pass legislation that would give the federal
government enormous power to fine and imprison supporters of marijuana
legalization, even if they've never smoked marijuana.

The bill, known as the Reducing American's Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act
(RAVE Act-S.2633), was introduced in the Senate on June 18 and has already
passed the Senate Judiciary Committee. It is moving very rapidly and could
be passed by the Senate by the end of July. (A similar bill is also pending
in the House).

The legislation, which purports to be aimed at ecstasy and other club
drugs, would "prohibit an individual from knowingly opening, maintaining,
managing, controlling, renting, leasing, making available for use, or
profiting from any place for the purpose of manufacturing, distributing, or
using any controlled substance, and for other purposes."

The terms "any controlled substance" and "for any other purposes" are aimed
at "marijuana use" and intended to shut down hemp festivals, marijuana
rallies, certain music festivals and punish business owners and activists
for hosting or promoting them. Property owners, promoters, and event
coordinators could be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars or face up to
20 years in federal prison.

The proposed law would also make it a federal crime to temporarily use a
place for the purpose of using any illegal drug. Thus, anyone who used
marijuana in their own home or threw an event (such as a party or barbecue)
in which one or more of their guests used "pot" could potentially face a
$250,000 fine and years in federal prison.

Those of you who still care about "civil liberties" should contact your
congressional representatives as soon as possible.

WALTER F. WOUK

Director, The Thomas Paine Project

Cobleskill

www.wintersoldier.org