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followed Texas, and in 1937, Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act. This law made the

possession of marijuana illegal anywhere in the United States. During the McCarthy era, the

Boggs Acts were passed to define mandatory minimums for the possession of marijuana.

Congress moved to an even stronger position in 1956 by lengthening these mandatory minimum

sentences. Anti-marijuana feelings continued to grow, and state laws often imposed stricter

penalties than the federal penalties (Potter 98). In the 1960?s, however, a strange phenomenon

began to occur. For the first time in history, marijuana use began to rise amongst the white

middle class. Many mandatory sentences were called to be repealed. This was seen in the

Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. Most of the states followed

the federal government, and the possession of marijuana was decriminalized. However in the

1980?s the government once again changed its mind, with the passage of the Anti-Abuse Act of

1986, which once again imposed mandatory minimum sentences for a wide range of drug

offenses (Potter 101). The last major piece of legislation passed by the federal government (not

state governments) was in 1996, which stated that any American convicted of a marijuana felony may

no longer receive federal welfare or food stamps (Potter 101). How a Bill Becomes a Law The

ultimate goal for a special interest group would be to have a law passed by the federal government

either legalizing marijuana, or keeping marijuana illegal. A bill or proposal for a law can originate in

either the Senate or the House of Representatives of the United States Congress. Both houses must

pass the law in its exact form, and then the president must sign it. If a group wants marijuana

to be legalized on the federal level, it must contact a specific committee within the House or Senate.

The proposal would go to a highly specialized sub-committee within the committee itself for

hearings, revisions, and approval. Next the bill would again go back to the original committee for

any further revisions. If the whole committee approves the bill, then it goes before the Rules

committee. This is the committee that is responsible for setting actions for a debate. After

the debate, if the bill is approved, then it is submitted to the Senate. In the Senate, similar

proceedings would occur and leadership would schedule action and the bill would be debated. If

the Senate approves it, any differences are worked out by conference with the House. The

final version of the bill would finally go back to both the Senate and the House for approval. Then

it will go to the President who may either opt to sign the bill or veto it. If the bill is signed, it

becomes a law, and it is enforced throughout the nation. If the President vetoes the bill, Congress

may override the veto with a two-thirds majority in each house. This would then turn the bill into a

law. Advocates for Legalization (Interview with Charles Garner) A major advocate for the

legalization of marijuana is the Drug Policy Foundation (DPF). It is an independent, non-profit

organization with over 23,000 supporters that publicizes alternatives to current drug strategies.

The current annual budget for DPF is just over $3 million. DPF believes that the current policy on

drugs is not working: It erodes individual rights, is extremely expensive, creates a new class of

criminals, subsidizes a violent black market, does not control drug use trends, and ignores the health

aspect of drug use. The major objectives of DPF are: ? Harm reduction: policies that help drug users

to help themselves, such as needle exchange programs, which can lower the risk of spreading

deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS. ? Decriminalization: selectively enforcing the laws on

the books to focus on major drug offenders, as in Holland. ? Medicalization: allowing doctors to

prescribe otherwise illegal drugs to patients under certain conditions, as is the case now in Arizona

and California, and also allowing doctors to maintain an addict as in Great Britain and

Switzerland. ? Legalization: making drugs available

to adults in a regulated market, similar to U.S. alcohol laws. DPF tries to propose its solutions by

means of: ? Public education: promoting alternatives to the drug war in its publications and

by providing information to the public, the media, and government officials. ? Conferences: DPF

hosts an annual conference for the public, policy-makers, public health workers, and medical

and legal professionals. This ranges from media seminars to special interest group training sessions.

? Public Policy: Through its Public Policy Office, DPF seeks to change America?s drug laws by

monitoring and analyzing Congressional legislation, informing the public and DPF membership about

legislation through Action Alerts and the monthly newsletter on legislation. ? Grants: to fund a

variety of programs and projects in the field of drug policy. Examples include needle exchange

programs, pioneering drug treatment services, as well as some research and advocacy projects.

Advocates Against Legalization (Interview with Jeffery Kluger) Drug Watch International (DWI) is

a volunteer, non-profit information network and advocacy organization, which promotes the

creation of healthy drug-free cultures in the world, and it opposes the legalization of drugs. It has

about 13,000 members in 15 countries worldwide with

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