Tell Your Congressman to Co-Sponsor and Support the States’ Rights to Medical Marijuana Act


Republicans Ron Paul (T and Dana Rohrbacher (CA) and Democrats Barney Frank (MA) and Jane Schakowski (IL), along with 33 additional co-sponsors, have reintroduced the States’ Rights to Medical Marijuana Act. This bill, assigned bill number H.R. 2233, has been introduced in each of the last six legislative sessions, and has gained increased support and co sponsorship each time around.

This bill would reschedule marijuana under federal law so those states that wish to legalize the medical use of marijuana under state law could do so without federal interference. If this bill were approved by Congress, federal prosecution of patients who qualify for medical use under state law would end, and states could actually provide medical marijuana to patients who qualify under state law. (This is a far more comprehensive, and far more important proposal, than the earlier measure [H.R. 1717] introduced by Rep. Farr and others to establish an affirmative defense of medical use under federal law.)

While the States’ Rights to Medical Marijuana Act has drawn more and more co-sponsors each year, it has failed to receive a hearing in committee. Our hope is that this year the bill will finally receive a fair hearing, and be voted out of committee. However, this will not happen unless members of Congress hear from their constituents in support of this legislation. We are asking every NORML supporter to contact their Congressman and urge their full support for the States’ Rights to Medical Marijuana Act.

Below is a list of the original co-sponsors of this legislation in the current Congress. If your member of Congress is a co-sponsor, please thank them for their support.

If not, please take two minutes to send a pre-written letter to your Congressman, asking them to co-sponsor and support H.R. 2233, the States’ Rights to Medical Marijuana Act.

Original Co-Sponsors of the States’ Rights to Medical Marijuana Act:
Robert E. Andrews (D-NJ)
Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
Michael Capuano (D-MA)
Ed Case (D-HI)
John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI)
William Delahunt (D-MA)
Anna Eshoo (D-CA)
Sam Farr (D-CA)
Barney Frank (D-MA)
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
Michael Honda (D-CA)
Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Jim McDermott (D-WA)
George Miller (D-CA)
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
Ron Paul, (R-T
Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)
Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL)
Fortney H. “Pete” Stark (D-CA)
Mike Thompson (D-CA)
Henry Waxman (D-CA)
Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)