Lobby Day in Montgomery Feb. 23, 2005
Today, on behalf of MPP and the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment I traveled to Montgomery, Alabama to lobby Congressman Mike Rogers and encourage him to support HR this time around. I had previously sought Congressman Rogers support for this amendment in April of 2004. You can read about that
here
The last meeting with Congressman Rogers failed to produce the desired result
in that he voted against HR in 2004 and each time I wrote or called his office on the med mj or decrim issue I got the same old canned response “There are other treatments available besides marijuana” “decrim sends the wrong message to our kids” blah, blah, blah…and truthfully I had about given up on the guy.
Today was different!
I arrived with not a second to spare, having turned the wrong way off the exit, and it had been a hectic day…I did the Morning Show with Roberta this morning and I left my HR talking points paper at home and did not have a chance to print another one. I was a bit flustered but figured if I don’t know these things off the cuff by now then I probably never will. So, in I go.
I am greeted by a young staffer and led directly into the office where I am greeted by Congressman Rogers with a smile and a firm handshake and a recollection of our last meeting.
“How are you doing Mrs. Nall? It’s wonderful to see you again.”
I reciprocated in kind and then got down to business.
“Congressman Rogers, I am here today to lobby for your support on the Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment when it comes back before you in this legislative session.
Last year you said you would do more research based on the information I provided and then you would make a decision. When it came before you, you voted against it. Where are you now almost a year later?”
“Tell me more about the medical marijuana issue” he said.
“The Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment would put an end to the federal governments arrest and prosecution of medical marijuana patients, their doctors and caregivers in the states where marijuana has been legalized for medical purposes. It would not stop arrest and prosecution of recreational users.”
“As you may or may not know The Alabama Compassionate Use Act is about to be introduced in the Alabama Legislature. If passed it would allow doctors to recommend medical marijuana to their patients for certain conditions and it would prevent the arrest and prosecution of patients, doctors and caregivers. Alabama Attorney General Troy King filed an Amicus Brief in the Supreme Court in support of Angel Raich who is a medical marijuana patient. King supported Mrs. Raich based on states rights.
In July of 2004 The Mobile Register conducted a poll that showed 76% of Alabamians support medical marijuana. Overall 80% of Americans in poll after poll support medical marijuana. The American Nurses Association, the New England Journal of medicine and over 7000 US doctors support the use of medical marijuana. In a recent poll conducted by the AARP, 72% of adults age 45 and older support the use of medical marijuana.
Congressman Rogers: “What does the American Medical association have to say about it?”
That question caught me off guard. I thought about it for a few seconds and I said, “ I am not completely certain but I believe the AMA has acknowledged that marijuana has medicinal benefits for some patients but that, like any government agency, they want more studies. There have been numerous studies over the course of many years that show the medicinal qualities of marijuana. Just yesterday it was reported that one property of the cannabis plant could help in the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease. However the past and current administrations have had a way of throwing out studies that do not agree with their ideology and commissioning new studies that provide the results they want.”
“You’re right about that,” he agreed with a chuckle.
“Mrs. Nall why do you think the AMA has not completely endorsed medical marijuana, because honestly you are going to have a hard time getting this through Congress without their endorsement?”
I had to stop at that one for a few seconds as well. How could I possibly know why the AMA has stopped short of an all-out endorsement of med mj? I decided to theorize and I said
“Possibly the pharmaceutical companies have a hand in their decision.”
He said, “I don’t know…the pharmaceutical companies and the AMA are often at odds.”
I said, “Well I can only guess that it must be some other political pressure because the science is there.”
“Do you know anyone that would benefit from medical marijuana?”
“Yes I do. Recently my step-father signed himself into a nursing home because he has advanced Parkinson’s disease. He worked hard all of his life and valued his freedom and it was very hard to see him have to give up. I believe and studies I have seen also indicate that his symptoms from Parkinson’s disease might have been treated with medical marijuana, with fewer side effects than the pharmaceutical drugs he took for many years. It would have improved his quality of life and perhaps enabled him to remain at home.”
“My grandmother, who is 86, has advanced osteoporosis and has been bed-ridden for a number of years in a nursing home. She has to take so much morphine that she is no longer in her right mind. She is barely coherent. The times that they have tried to reduce the dosage she has reacted badly. I believe medical marijuana would benefit her
possibly allowing for a lower dosage of morphine and a better quality of life in her last years. When she isn’t knocked out on morphine she knows all of us, she recognizes and interacts lovingly with her great-grandchildren.”
“I also would benefit from the use of medical marijuana. Like my grandmother I have a very advanced case of osteoporosis in my cervical spine. My physician told me he had never seen such an advanced case in someone my age. I am only 30. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I am literally paralyzed by the pain. I have to have help getting out of bed. The only thing aside from marijuana that has ever helped has been the Cox-2 enzyme inhibitors Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra. They all worked wonderfully. However they can cause heart attacks and strokes and I have two young children to raise so, regardless of how well they work it is simply a risk I cannot take. On the other hand I face prison if I am caught with marijuana in Alabama again and I don’t think I belong in prison Congressman Rogers.”
“I agree Mrs. Nall that you do not belong in prison. You have presented a very compelling case to me today. If the AMA has agreed that marijuana has medical benefits but they want more studies then I have no reason to vote against Hinchey-Rohrabacher when it comes before me again in this session. However, I need to be certain what the AMA’s position is.”
“I’ll get that information to you right away Congressman Rogers.”
“So tell me what other things you have been doing here in Alabama. The last time I saw you you had very big plans in the works.”
“Well let’s see…on Sunday Feb. 13 the Libertarian Party gave me their tentative nomination for Governor in next years election.”
(Big look of surprise) “Really?!” “And you are going to make a serious run for it?”
“Yes. I am seriously hoping Roy Moore gets the Republican nomination and Don Seigelman gets the Democratic nomination.”
“Why those two Mrs. Nall?”
“Well for one thing I will be the only female contender and another things is we are all three criminals so I would dare one of them to call me one.” “Also, I think a square-off between myself and Moore would provide Alabama with the most polarized and colorful election since the days of George Wallace. It’ll be a hoot. A rock worshipper and a pot smoker.”
At this Congressman Rogers laughed out loud and looked at his staffer “Can you get me front row tickets for that debate? I want to be there.”
“I am also now a member of the prison advisory board. As you know Alabama is in a crisis with our prison system. We have 28,000 people in a system built for 12,000. Many of those people are there for non-violent drug offenses and property crimes related to drug prohibition. They are not really a threat to anyone and our state would be better served if we came up with alternatives that kept them in the community, working and with their families.”
“Mrs. Nall, before I became a member of Congress I sat on a community corrections advisory board in Calhoun County for 10 years. I helped establish a community corrections program there and it is a model for the state of Alabama that actually makes money. I agree with you that we have way too many people in prison here in Alabama. Too many lives have been destroyed. I would like to see the community corrections programs in every county in Alabama.”
“Congressman Rogers, I talk to officials all over this state. Judges, lawyers D.A.’s, and so on. Most all of them are in favor of a community corrections program but there is no money in most places to start one.”
“Mrs. Nall, I’d like you to go up to Anniston and spend a few days observing the community corrections program I established there. If you like what you see then I will see to it that you get “seed money” to start one in Tallapoosa County.” To his assistant..”Get Mrs. Nall that information at once and set her up an appointment with the people who run the Calhoun County program.”
“Now, Mrs. Nall my community based program covers other crimes beside low level drug offenses. I happen to think the many people in prison and jail for property crimes, bad checks and things of that nature don’t belong there either. I mean why are we paying $19,000 (this is the wrong figure but I did not correct him) a year to house people who are not a threat to anyone?”
“Well Congressman Rogers, it seems that a lot of politicians on both sides of the aisle figured out that FEAR is a huge motivator when it comes to voting. They swore to be tough on crime and drugs, and they have been that…but they have also been stupid on crime with incarceration being their only solution. So we have this mess of politicians wanting to hold on to their jobs at the expense of taxpayers. They have scared everyone so badly that they are afraid to say “Wait a minute this isn’t working…they are afraid they will be seen as soft and lose their office.”
Laughs…”Yes I agree with that 100%. In fact I say the same thing often. We have to fix that situation here in Alabama. You go to Anniston and get back with me on what you think of my program.”
“I’ll do that. Were you aware that a private prison is being built in Perry County?”
“No I was not.”
I then proceeded to tell him the story of our protest a few weeks ago and about the dog encounter. When I was done he said “I don’t much appreciate that.” (with regard to the dog intimidation)
After this we had just a general sort of chat. I mentioned the fact that people who are sent to prison for even minor drug offenses are denied federal student financial aid, public housing and food stamps. He claimed to be unaware of all of these things and seemed somewhat disturbed, especially about the Drug provision of the HEA.
I asked him what were people, say a young mother like me for example…should I be sent to prison…supposed to do upon release if I couldn’t get a job, food, housing or an education? I said that basically all that leaves is drugs and crime and the same people continue to be recycled through the prison system because additional penalties llike the ones mentioned above do not allow them to be productive.
He asked me if any other crimes prevented people from getting financial aid for college and I told him no….just drug offenses.
“Even misdemeanor ones?” he asked
“Yes even misdemeanor ones…like mine. In fact if I were to apply for a Pell Grant today I would be denied.” This law in effect punishes poor people who need financial assistance for education the most.”
“You’re right about that Mrs. Nall and I will be looking into it.”
“Congressman Rogers, I will have someone there in Washington bring you information on the drug provision of the HEA.”
Congressman Rogers then gave me some off the record advice about politics in Alabama (which I will leave off-record) and some helpful hints on how to get the Compassionate Use Act through the legislature. I was surprised at his advice and his candor with me. Not something I was expecting from a Republican.
I then decided to see if I could draw him out about a couple of things that have happened in the last week with regard to the current administrations drug policy stance.
I mentioned what Drug Czar Walters had said about not locking up low level offenders and destroying minorities generation after generation. Then I mentioned Bush’s admission that he had smoked pot but refuse to answer the question in the media because “he didn’t want some little kid doing what he tried.” I said, Mr. Bush went on to become President so I guess pot can’t be all that bad. I told him I thought that maybe the administration is having a “change of heart” because they ran out of money and I asked him if these two events were possibly a trial balloon to see how the religious right would react.
I think I may have nailed it with that scenario because he got really quiet for a minute then he looked at me and he said “Maybe.”
At that my 30 minutes was up and it was time to get back in the road. He thanked me again with what appeared to be complete sincerity, told me to get him the information on the AMA and the drug provision of the HEA and also to get to Anniston ASAP and study his community corrections program and let him know what I wanted to do with starting one here in Tallapoosa County.
So colleagues, I believe we have won Congressman Mike Rogers over for Hinchey-Rohrabacher and the HEA. Someone from MPP will be paying him a follow-up visit and providing him with the information he has requested. And I will most certainly be in touch with him in with regard to the community based corrections program and “seed money” to start one here in my county.
Overall I’d have to say it was a very productive day. Had a good beat and I could dance to it.
I give it a 10!
Loretta
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