COP on the Hill: Stories from the week of April 19, 2019

COP on the Hill

Stories from the week of April 19, 2019

Not Sunny, not optimistic: I received intelligence this week that the 2019 flagship bill (employ the 10th Amendment and repeal the federal prohibition of marijuana) is being actively opposed not just by some pols like Senator Cory Booker, but also several, major drug reform organizations. The clean, simple half page bill to give back to the States the responsibility for MJ I have promoted the past 8 years – has the votes in the House and the Senate. We believe Trump would sign it.

Alas, the bill has a very slim chance of that happening. The Democrats and drug reform orgs want to load up the bill like a Christmas tree putting on ornaments which will, without a doubt, cause our Republican friends in the Senate to vote no. So, I have a decision to make for 2019 and 2020; continue to push the 10th Amendment for MJ, or revert to a broad educational effort against the Drug War / Drug Prohibition (like I did from 2005 to 2010 in Congress).

NOTE: The ideas of Cory Booker and others absolutely have merit to address downstream evils of our MJ prohibition. But putting these ideas in the 10th Bill doom its chances and we will achieve zip, zero, zilch these next two years. Those ideas should be in a stand-alone bill, IMHO. I won’t put the motivations of Booker and my friends in drug reform in writing, as they are also not pretty. There is a reason they call my work area “The Swamp.”

This week I finished the House receiving info on the clean simple 10th Bill. Copy below.

This week’s stats:

3123 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 18 this week
01 Meetings – Grover Norquist,
164 interviews and reports in minor media = 01 this week. (podcast for MS audience)

COP stats since inception: August 2009

303 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 0this week
102 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 0 This week
Blaze TV {new, popular right-wing}, (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio) Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press + 9 other MI papers. Chicago Tribute, Honolulu Star Advertiser {foto and caption}, Reason Magazine, Reuters
31 major conferences attended – (UN drug conference, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat etc.) 0 this week
363 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 0 this week
85 Radio Interviews.
Weekly attendance at Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 150 conservative leaders. Named the “Grand Central Station of the Conservative Movement.”
* 2 editorials in daily papers mentioning Howard’s efforts & in support of COP position
84 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $83,000) 0 this week
43 published interviews/foto in major (daily) newspapers or magazine… 0 this week
* Consider being a member of COP at $40.00 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 40 dollars buys all the copy paper COP uses in one year. Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal drug prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org

Apply the Tenth Amendment to Marijuana
HR-2093 & S-1028

Washington, D.C. – April 5, 2019 U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) & House Members Dave Joyce (R-OH} and Earl Blumenauer {D-OR} reintroduced the Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act (STATES Act) with broad bipartisan support that spans the political spectrum.

• Amend the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) so that – as long as states and tribes comply with a few basic protections – its provisions no longer apply to any person acting in compliance with State or tribal laws relating to cannabis activities.