I'm thinking of writing a letter to my senator(Please read first).

It's about legalization of "drugz" for recreational purposes, and it's going to be detailed as hell. Here's the essay structure I was thinking of:

II.The Current State of The Unites States

A.The Good(Rights and Freedoms)
B.The Bad(Crime and Corruption)
C.The Ugly(Drugs)

III.The State of the States Before 1914

A.The Good
B.The Bad
C.The Ugly

IV.Proving that the U.S. Would Be Better Off if Drugs Were Legalized

A.Crime would go down
1.Correlate the nondrug crime rate over 40 years to cracking down on drugs
2.Point out that there would be less actual crimes to commit

B.Health would go up(akwardly put, but it's just an outline)
1.Less misinformation about drug use
2.More unbiased information about drug use

C.Hope would go up(I think I can pull this one off, it would help my argument if I did)

D.Money would happen
1.More employment opportunities
2.Government could tax it

V.Combatting the Projected Negatives

A.Nation of Addicts
1.Not everyone is addicted to alcohol
2.Have addiction treatment centers set in place
3.Use the Dutchs' example

B.Drug use would go up
1.Use Dutch example
2.Explain that isn't the goal anymore

C.It's morally wrong
1.Freedom of Church and state clause
2.For some people, it's morally right

VI.Closing
VII. Sources

In case you're wondering why I'm posting this outline for all of you to read, it's mainly for two reasons. One, I'd like your personal opinion. Tell me what you think I'm missing, tell me what you think I DON'T need, and tell me if you think my information is in the wrong order. Two, GO AHEAD AND WRITE YOUR OWN LETTER! If you've ever wanted to write one but never had it thought out, look at this as a starting block. Hell, I don't care if you copy and paste it word for word and e-mail it. Just get the message out. Three, I'd like your honest opinion. Tear this to shreds, rip it apart, make me spit at the mere sight of your handle. I just want this to be the best it can be.

Fuck if I know this'll work, I'm just an 18 year old who couldn't get through 2 years of high school. All I know is that I hope it works. And I have a feeling that hope is all we really have.




And to the mod that moves this, please read it as a mod, then respond as a poster.

You should write the letter. Writing your congressman and senators is one of the smartest and best things you can do... You won't cause any harm, shit he may even read it and try to pass something... you never know.

Moved from HOMELESS. Mods, please find a better home if needed, but I thought since it was drug related and in the US...well, merry xmas.

Whatever you say TLB I'll leave it here, hopefully he'll get some suggestions and replies that he's looking for, if BC007 thinks otherwise, it's up to him.

its always good to write your congressmen and senators, but in this case I think its pretty pointless. Im sure they have their minds made up on this issue, and aren't thinking about completely changing drug policy. Youd have better luck if you wrote about something less significant, such as marijuana decriminalization. But if you want to write the letter about all out legalization, the following article has a lot of good points you could use:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-op-legalize16oct16,0,4914395.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

It is a wonderful idea, since it is your right as a citizen to write your congressperson about anything.

However; one should be careful when addressing the envelope. I am very wary of showing my favor for something that is illegal, then putting my addy on the envelope. One should look up a case in Alabamastan, about a chick running for governor....look what putting her real name on a letter got her...

(along with being incredibly stupid, but that's a whole *other* story....)

UTFSE, please.

Just my .02....

~beatdown4life~

Write often... make it count... call... visit... etc.

One has actual lobbying experience in North America. One would recommend a fairly brief, polite, and too the point letter to their respective elected representative. As a rule politicians never read their own mail. A staffer will read it. If it is a long diatribe / treatise on the failed War on Drugs it will do little unless you have a hundred additional signatures, you are a major campaign donor, or are a famous person in your own right. Never writer a ‘get it off your chest’ letter. Never write an anonymous letter. As a general rule; personal visits are taken the most serious, followed by an original letter, followed by a telephone call, followed by a fax, and least serious is an e-mail (unless they get hundreds). Lobbying usually works best on specific legislation rather than on broad issues. Your elected official will not likely change their opinions about the overall War on Drugs as a result of anything you do. You can, however, move them on specific legislation. If even 100 people were to write in on a specific bill they will take notice and may vote (or at least abstain) accordingly. Politicking is a tough row to hoe. Canada may have some movement if the NDP, Bloc, or Greens make major in-roads. The United States, is even a more dismal project due to the ‘winner take all’ system there. In Canada, direct political action may pay off in the not too distant future; in the US, bureaucratic techniques are the best option at this time (FDA approved Schedule 1 research, rescheduling hearings, legal challenges, etc.).

As for your particular letter:


Representatives Name & Title
Location



Re: Oppose Expanding Draconian Drug Legislation.


Dear Hon. So & So High Muckety Muck;

I am writing as a deeply concerned and involved constituent in your district/riding who is strongly opposed to HR 1234 which seeks to expand the penalties for ‘Ecstasy’ (MDMA) possession. I feel deeply about the issue of reforming our current laws with regard to drug possession. I personally favor a move toward harm reduction strategies / decriminalization /legalization… yadda yadda yadda…

Thank You for your attention in this matter and know that you will hear more from me and my circle of similarly concerned friends and family on this issue.

Joe Sixpack
1234 Your District Way
Your State or Province Your Country
God Bless America / Save the Queen… whatever….

While this above example was a bit glib etc., it should give you a rough idea of what works… oh and ALWAYS sign it in pen.

I B

Wow, once it was moved...damn

This shit got flooded...thanks for all your replies...I may have to rethink my approach...slightly.

You see, for anything to work, you can't just rely on the cold hard facts, because they suck and make almost everything except doing nothing to change things. You have to rely on faith. Not the kind of faith that started the drug laws, but the kind of faith we need to end the drugs laws.

I'm hoping against hope that this'll work. You ever hope against hope before? It feels like having a mahogany desk on your back that sorta disintegrates when things work out. Luckily, I'm too stupid to care about sensible comments saying this'll never work, because I want this to work with all the heart and mind that I have. I'd also like this to work with all the heart and mind we have. So I'm going to collect all your ideas for a few days now that the thread is really rolling...your replies posses a dimension I hadn't explored before.

Thanks for posting.