Congressman Mike Gallagher says Wisconsin needs to legalize cannabis and don't wait for the feds to do it - Northern WI NORML (2010

Maybe I am reading between the lines, but the Republican State level elected officials always say “we cannot legalize cannabis because of the federal government” and then the Republican federal government elected officials tell us that the states have the right to legalize and are protected.

Congressman Mike Gallagher Marijuana Record

So what has Congressman Mike Gallagher done on the issue, federally speaking, besides writing the letter below to a constituent….. well.. NORML graded him a D- for the 2019-20 legislative session. We voted “NO” on two key bills this session. Congressman Gallagher voted NO to the 2019: The SAFE Banking Act, HR 1595 and to 2019: Blumenauer/McClintock/Norton Amendment to Protect Legalization.

We do not expect these Congressman to be an expert on all topics, but Gallagher’s “marijuana file” must be outdated as we does not accurately quote the number of medical marijuana states and misses the number of recreational states also.

What is really disheartening, is that Congressman Gallagher fails to mention the bills before him as an elected official and instead, seems to redirect the constituent to a run around answer.

The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act (HR 3884 / S. 2227) is bipartisan legislation that removes marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, thus decriminalizing the substance at the federal level and enabling states to set their own policies. The Act would also allow the existing state-legal marijuana industry to no longer be barred from accessing financial services or standard tax treatment as every other legal business. Similarly, veterans will have better access to medical marijuana with VA doctors no longer risking federal prosecution for filling out state-legal medical recommendations.

The MORE Act is the most comprehensive marijuana reform bill ever introduced in the US Congress. Crafted by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (NY) and carried in the Senate by Sen. Kamala Harris (CA), the bill is backed by a broad coalition of civil rights, criminal justice, drug policy, and immigration groups.

Why doesn’t Congressman Gallagher mention the federal bills before him? Why doesn’t Congressman Gallagher care? You will have to ask him and we urge you to do so, today!

Contact Mike Gallagher

Email: https://gallagher.house.gov/contact/email

Web: https://gallagher.house.gov/

Phone: 202-225-5665

Address: 1230 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515

Here is his letter:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the legalization of marijuana at the federal level. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

As you know, the possession, sale, transportation, and use of cannabis is illegal under federal law and is classified as a Schedule I substance as part of the Controlled Substances Act; however, states can decriminalize cannabis for recreational or medical use if they establish an efficient regulation system. There are currently 29 states that have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes, while eight states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana.

I believe the decision to legalize marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes should be reserved to the individual states. If Wisconsin wanted to pass a law to decriminalize marijuana, it should be up to Wisconsinites and the state-level elected officials. I believe the federal government, in accordance with the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, should not interfere with a state’s marijuana policies.

Once again, thank you for contacting me on this important issue. Please don’t hesitate to contact me on this or any other topic in the weeks ahead. I value your thoughts and believe the respectful exchange of ideas is important in representative government.

Sincerely,