Urdedpal
New Member
If you live in Ohio, please see the following message from my fellow activist, Rob Ryan and NORML! If not, please forward this to your friends who do, thanx!
NORML needs your help persuading the Ohio Legislature to reject Senate Bill 8, which seeks to amend state law to criminally punish marijuana smokers for "drugged driving," even if the individual is neither under the influence nor impaired to drive. The House Criminal Justice Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on this ominous proposal on Tuesday, March 21, at 2:30pm. It is imperative that you contact the members of the Committee today and urge them to reject this poorly drafted legislation. The lobbying efforts of NORML supporters and concerned citizens like you helped to successfully derail a similar legislative effort in 2004, and we need your assistance again now.
Senate Bill 8, which passed the Senate overwhelmingly in 2005, seeks to make it a criminal offense in Ohio for any person to operate a motor vehicle if trace levels of marijuana or non-psychoactive marijuana metabolites (inert compounds produced from the chemical changes of a drug in the body) are present in their blood or urine.
Senate Bill 8 represents an all out assault on the marijuana smoking community. Because marijuana's main metabolite, THC-COOH, remains detectable in certain bodily fluids, particularly urine, for days and sometimes weeks after past use, this legislation seeks to define sober drivers as if they were intoxicated. Someone who smokes marijuana is impaired as a driver at most for a few hours; certainly not for days or weeks. To treat all marijuana smokers as if they are impaired, even when the drug's effects have long worn off, is illogical and unfair.
In addition, Ohio already has effect-based laws on the books targeting and prosecuting drivers who operate a motor vehicle "under the influence" of illicit drugs. Under Section 4511.19 of Ohio's Revised Code, motorists face up to six months in jail if they drive "while under the influence of a drug of abuse." By contrast, SB 8 seeks to create a new crime of "drugged driving" that is divorced from impairment and that would jail motorists for simply having consumed an illicit substance at some prior, unspecified date. While Ohioans certainly do not wish to condone illegal drug use, it's also clear that this proposal seeks to misuse the state's traffic-safety laws to target illicit drug use in general. In short, there is no need for this additional legislation.
Please take time today to contact members of the the House Criminal Justice Committee, and urge them to vote "no" on this proposal. Please enter your zip code to access NORML's prewritten letter to the Committee.
Thank you for your support on this important issue.
Members of the House Criminal Justice Committee are listed below.
Bob Latta (R)
614-466-8104
district06@ohr.state.oh.us
David Evans (R)
614-466-1482
district71@ohr.state.oh.us
Danny R. Bubp (R)
614-644-6034
district88@ohr.state.oh.us
Stephen Buehrer (R)
614-644-5091
district74@ohr.state.oh.us
Mike Gilb (R)
614-644-3819
district76@ohr.state.oh.us
Ronald Edward Hood (R)
614-466-2500
district91@ohr.state.oh.us
Jim Hughes (R)
614-466-2473
district22@ohr.state.oh.us
Sally Conway Kilbane (R)
614-466-0961
district16@ohr.state.oh.us
Derrick Seaver (R)
614-466-1507
district78@ohr.state.oh.us
Bill Seitz (R)
614-466-8258
district30@ohr.state.oh.us
John R. Willamowski (R)
614-466-9624
district04@ohr.state.oh.us
Timothy J. DeGeeter (D)
614-466-3485
district15@ohr.state.oh.us
William J. Healy, II (D)
614-466-8030
district52@ohr.state.oh.us
Annie L. Key (D)
614-466-1414
district11@ohr.state.oh.us
Lance Mason (D)
614-466-5441
district08@ohr.state.oh.us
Jeanine Perry (D)
614-466-1418
district49@ohr.state.oh.us
Tyrone K. Yates (D)
614-466-1308
district33@ohr.sate.oh.us
Kenny Yuko (D)
614-466-8012
district07@ohr.state.oh.us
The Bill
Laws, Acts, and Legislation
REAL Audio tape of the last hearing
https://www.robryan.org/sb8/March_8th/Side_1.RA
My personal thoughts on SB8
DUID Ohio Senate Bill 8
Please contact me at 888-385-2843 if you wish to testify.
NORML -- House & Senate Pass Dangerous "Drugged Driving" Bill
NORML needs your help persuading the Ohio Legislature to reject Senate Bill 8, which seeks to amend state law to criminally punish marijuana smokers for "drugged driving," even if the individual is neither under the influence nor impaired to drive. The House Criminal Justice Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on this ominous proposal on Tuesday, March 21, at 2:30pm. It is imperative that you contact the members of the Committee today and urge them to reject this poorly drafted legislation. The lobbying efforts of NORML supporters and concerned citizens like you helped to successfully derail a similar legislative effort in 2004, and we need your assistance again now.
Senate Bill 8, which passed the Senate overwhelmingly in 2005, seeks to make it a criminal offense in Ohio for any person to operate a motor vehicle if trace levels of marijuana or non-psychoactive marijuana metabolites (inert compounds produced from the chemical changes of a drug in the body) are present in their blood or urine.
Senate Bill 8 represents an all out assault on the marijuana smoking community. Because marijuana's main metabolite, THC-COOH, remains detectable in certain bodily fluids, particularly urine, for days and sometimes weeks after past use, this legislation seeks to define sober drivers as if they were intoxicated. Someone who smokes marijuana is impaired as a driver at most for a few hours; certainly not for days or weeks. To treat all marijuana smokers as if they are impaired, even when the drug's effects have long worn off, is illogical and unfair.
In addition, Ohio already has effect-based laws on the books targeting and prosecuting drivers who operate a motor vehicle "under the influence" of illicit drugs. Under Section 4511.19 of Ohio's Revised Code, motorists face up to six months in jail if they drive "while under the influence of a drug of abuse." By contrast, SB 8 seeks to create a new crime of "drugged driving" that is divorced from impairment and that would jail motorists for simply having consumed an illicit substance at some prior, unspecified date. While Ohioans certainly do not wish to condone illegal drug use, it's also clear that this proposal seeks to misuse the state's traffic-safety laws to target illicit drug use in general. In short, there is no need for this additional legislation.
Please take time today to contact members of the the House Criminal Justice Committee, and urge them to vote "no" on this proposal. Please enter your zip code to access NORML's prewritten letter to the Committee.
Thank you for your support on this important issue.
Members of the House Criminal Justice Committee are listed below.
Bob Latta (R)
614-466-8104
district06@ohr.state.oh.us
David Evans (R)
614-466-1482
district71@ohr.state.oh.us
Danny R. Bubp (R)
614-644-6034
district88@ohr.state.oh.us
Stephen Buehrer (R)
614-644-5091
district74@ohr.state.oh.us
Mike Gilb (R)
614-644-3819
district76@ohr.state.oh.us
Ronald Edward Hood (R)
614-466-2500
district91@ohr.state.oh.us
Jim Hughes (R)
614-466-2473
district22@ohr.state.oh.us
Sally Conway Kilbane (R)
614-466-0961
district16@ohr.state.oh.us
Derrick Seaver (R)
614-466-1507
district78@ohr.state.oh.us
Bill Seitz (R)
614-466-8258
district30@ohr.state.oh.us
John R. Willamowski (R)
614-466-9624
district04@ohr.state.oh.us
Timothy J. DeGeeter (D)
614-466-3485
district15@ohr.state.oh.us
William J. Healy, II (D)
614-466-8030
district52@ohr.state.oh.us
Annie L. Key (D)
614-466-1414
district11@ohr.state.oh.us
Lance Mason (D)
614-466-5441
district08@ohr.state.oh.us
Jeanine Perry (D)
614-466-1418
district49@ohr.state.oh.us
Tyrone K. Yates (D)
614-466-1308
district33@ohr.sate.oh.us
Kenny Yuko (D)
614-466-8012
district07@ohr.state.oh.us
The Bill
Laws, Acts, and Legislation
REAL Audio tape of the last hearing
https://www.robryan.org/sb8/March_8th/Side_1.RA
My personal thoughts on SB8
DUID Ohio Senate Bill 8
Please contact me at 888-385-2843 if you wish to testify.
NORML -- House & Senate Pass Dangerous "Drugged Driving" Bill
