COP on the Hill: Stories from the week of March 2, 2012

• COP on the Hill
• Your Voice in the United States Congress

Very slow week:  I was in the halls of Congress (House side) this week and despite putting almost 4 miles on my pedometer, I only had three meetings.  The 100 offices left to do represent staffers who avoid me, ignore my email & phone requests for meetings etc. 

About a dozen have told their receptionists that when you see a tall guy in a cowboy hat asking for a few minutes, always tell himI am in a meeting.  After 6 years I am familiar with this…the majority of receptionists will go to the desk of the person I want & physically check.

The time is not a total loss.  Upon seeing me (the hat), brand identification kicks in and our issue pops back in the mind of the staffers.  This occurs in the hallways, in the lunch room, etc.   One staffer and I chatted for 5 minutes about my latest 2306 informational email (sent to all staffers..see below).  While speaking to the receptionist about 2306, the Congressman from Arizona was exiting his office.  He  took over.  He said his office is aware of the bill & had made no decision yet.  This does not count as a presentation, but it was something.          

The Oppenheimer show I did is still not on their websiteL

• Stats for COP’s third year, started on August 1, 2011:
• 257presentations to Congressional staffers:   3 this week
• 9 Letter to the Editor:  0 this week (at bottom)
• 3 Major Television appearances (Univision, BBC):   this week
• 16 Other media (blogs, cable TV, etc):   this week
• 12 radio shows:    this week
• 12 (Member of Congress or VIP) contacts:   this week
• Permanent invitation to Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 140 conservative VIPs.  Named the “Grand Central Station of the Conservative Movement.”
  • 3 Major conferences attended: Drug Policy Alliance International, the Congressional Black Caucus September conference & CPAC – Conservative Political Action Conference
  • Consider being a member of COP at $30.00 or more per year.   All contributions are tax-deductible.   Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal prohibition.  COP provides that voice.   If you agree that Modern Prohibition/War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional and immoral policy since slavery & Jim Crow…  Go to:
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  • www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org and click on Donate/Join – by credit card or send a check to: 
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  • COP
  • POB 2902
  • Washington, DC  20013
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  • If you have questions or comments, please send an email to: howard@citizensopposingprohibition.org
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  • COP total stats in first two years:  August 1, 2009 thru July 31, 2011)
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  •  649 Presentations to Congressional staffers
  • 22 Appearances on major TV networks
  • 10 published interviews in newspapers
  • 12 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, etc
  • 57 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $56,000)
  • 19 brief chats with Members of Congress
  • 13 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, etc.
  • 6 major conferences attended (CPAC, LULAC, NRA, etc)
  • Permanent invitation to Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 140 conservative VIPs

***this was sent to all House judiciary staffers ***

Estimates of consumption of marijuana & its tax potential in post-prohibition setting.

Per the 2007 National Survey of Drugs and Health* about 10% of adults are now & will be users of marijuana. (45,000 per Congressional District) On average, those adults are expected to consume 4.8 ounces (134 grams) per year. If taxed at a dollar/gram, a state would realize $134 per consumer or 6+ million per Cong. District..($900,000 per 100,000 population)  A federal excise tax of 15 cents per gram would yield $20 per consumer per year or just over 1 billion dollars for the US Treasury.

• Formerly called the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA).  Conducted by SAMHSA.

NOTE:  A 20 pack -containing 20 grams- of marijuana cigarettes would sell for about $30/pack which includes taxes.  Current black market price for a gram of non-medicinal grade marijuana is 4 dollars or $80/pack.  The illicit market will be hard-pressed to compete with legal marijuana, as people value quality control & consistent product.  Moonshine whiskey can be bought for about half of the cheapest bottle in a store.  Few people risk buying black market whiskey due to lack of quality control.

Federal and state expenditures to enforce Marijuana Prohibition

Per a study* done by Harvard economic Professor Jeffrey Miron state and local costs to enforce prohibition run about 5.3 billion.  Federal costs are about 2.4 billion.  Total: circa 8 billion dollars

NOTE:  The Miron study did not take into account the police time spent on enforcement but no arrests were made i.e. cutting down a field of marijuana and no arrests made or searching 10 cars to find a baggie in one of them. Factoring this, enforcement costs rise to about 13 billion.

• Full report found at: www.prohibitioncosts.org/mironreport

NOTE:  What cannot be measured in dollars is the clogging of the nation’s courts with 800,000 marijuana arrests per year.

Another point that is difficult to measure is the economic impact on families of earning potential lost for having a conviction.  See Pew study

http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/report_detail.aspx?id=60919

This report prepared by:

Howard ‘Cowboy’ Wooldridge

 Education Specialist – www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org

Washington, DC