Urge Your U.S. Representative to cosponsor Truth in Trials!

May 21, 2012 Subject: Dear Representative: Thank you for your leadership on behalf of our community. I am writing to urge you to cosponsor the “Truth in Trials” Act of 2009, H.R. 3939. "Truth in Trials" would enable medical marijuana patients and providers facing federal prosecution to be able to inform federal juries if they were following state law. The legislation has been introduced by U.S. Representative Sam Farr. One in four Americans lives in a state with laws governing medical marijuana. Thirteen states now have these laws on the books, representing the will of nearly 75 million Americans. Unfortunately, antiquated federal law still criminalizes any use of marijuana – even for medical purposes. To make matters worse, federal defendants are prevented from introducing evidence of medical use or state law compliance in order to exonerate themselves at trial. As a result, dozens of people have been convicted in federal court and sentenced to lengthy prison terms for activity that was lawful under their state’s medical marijuana law. Furthermore, there are currently at least two dozen pending federal cases in which defendants are unable to mount an adequate defense, underscoring the urgent need for this legislation. "Truth in Trials" amends the U.S. Code to establish an affirmative defense for those individuals authorized to use or provide medical marijuana in accordance with their state law. The legislation is a logical and necessary complement to the Obama Administration’s new medical marijuana policy guidelines. Unfortunately, those recently issued DOJ guidelines do not direct U.S. Attorneys to permit evidence at trial that might exonerate defendants in medical marijuana cases. The “Truth in Trials” Act would ensure that defendants have the ability to defend themselves and present evidence that may demonstrate compliance with state law. I urge you to cosponsor the “Truth in Trials” Act of 2009, H.R. 3939, today. Sincerely, We will add your signature from the information you provide.		First Name* Last Name* Email* Street* Street 2 City* State/Province* Select a state Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Armed Forces (the) Americas Armed Forces Europe Armed Forces Pacific Alberta British Columbia Manitoba Newfoundland New Brunswick Nova Scotia Northwest Territories Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Territory Other Zip/Postal Code* Send an Email Send a Fax