This is the reply I got
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Dear Mr. Knight:
Thank you for contacting me about the laws that govern marijuana use in our country. I appreciate you taking the time to write about this issue.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ Uniform Crimes Report for 2012, there were over 1.5 million arrests for drug abuse violations in 2012, and nearly half (48.3 percent) were marijuana related. Of those nearly 750,000 arrests, an estimated 658,000 were for marijuana possession alone—not production or distribution.
The troubling statistics in the FBI’s crime report correlate directly to the burden of excessive drug enforcement and sentencing laws, contributing immensely to our overpopulated prison system. The United States is home to five percent of the world’s population, and 25 percent of the world's prisoners. In Wisconsin, from 2001 to 2010, spending on corrections by the state has increased 9.1 percent while spending for the entire University of Wisconsin system decreased by more than 20 percent. These vast expenditures on prisons and drug enforcement policies hurt our economic recovery at a time when our country must be focused on putting Americans back to work.
Under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the cultivation, distribution, and possession of marijuana are prohibited for any reason other than to engage in federally approved research. Yet 18 states and the District of Columbia currently exempt qualified users of medicinal marijuana from penalties imposed under state law. In addition, Colorado and Washington recently became the first states to legalize, regulate, and tax small amounts of marijuana for nonmedicinal use by individuals over the age of 21.
On November 4, 2015, Senator Bernard Sanders (I-VT) introduced the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act (S. 2237). This bill would end the federal ban on marijuana possession, production and distribution—leaving the states to make their own laws related to the drug. Under the bill, the federal government would still play a role in ensuring that marijuana does not illegally enter the country or cross state lines where the drug is prohibited. S. 2237 has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, on which I do not serve.
Clearly, federal law has not kept pace with the reality that marijuana can be lawfully used for medicinal purposes in a growing number of states. This has left patients and caregivers, medical marijuana businesses, states and those looking to conduct research in an untenable position. I am a cosponsor of the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States (CARERS) Act (S. 683), which takes a number of steps to allow federal law to better accommodate the reality of state medical marijuana laws.
This bill, introduced by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), changes marijuana’s status under the Controlled Substances Act in order to recognize its potential medicinal uses; clarifies that federal law does not bar states from enacting medical marijuana laws; permits Department of Veterans Affairs physicians to prescribe medical marijuana to veterans consistent with state law; removes the burdensome federal approval process for marijuana research; and allows medical marijuana businesses access to financial institutions like banks and credit unions. S. 683 has been referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, on which I do not serve.
Again, thank you for sharing your views on our nation’s drug policies. I agree that intelligent reform in drug enforcement and sentencing laws is essential for the long term economic well-being of our nation. Stringent sentencing guidelines, harsh enforcement, and overcrowded prisons are not an effective way to curtail the distribution and production of illegal drugs.
Once again, thank you for contacting my office. It is important for me to hear from the people of Wisconsin on the issues, thoughts and concerns that matter most to you. If I can be of further assistance, please visit my website at www.baldwin.senate.gov for information on how to contact my office.
Sincerely,
Tammy Baldwin
United States Senator