Ask Your U.S. Senators to introduce "Truth in Trials"

February 09, 2010 Subject: Dear Senator: Thank you for your leadership on behalf of our state. I am writing to urge you to introduce a "Truth in Trials" bill in the U.S. Senate. Such a bill would allow law-abiding medical marijuana patients and providers to inform federal juries during federal prosecution that they were acting in accordance with state law. We already have H.R. 3939 in the US House of Representatives. This bill, the “Truth in Trials” Act of 2009, was introduced by U.S. Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA), U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, and a bipartisan group of original co-sponsors. . I hope you will play a leadership role and introduce similar legislation in the U.S. Senate. 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 hope you will consider introducing "Truth in Trials" companion legislation in the U.S. Senate. For more information, you may contact Rochelle Dornatt, Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Farr (D-CA), at (202) 225-2861 or Rochelle.Dornatt@mail.house.gov. Thank you for your leadership on behalf of our state. 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