Thank you for contacting me about H.R.2306, the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2011. I appreciate your thoughts and concerns on this important issue.
Marijuana became federally illegal in 1937, and while I recognize the problems of today's prohibition of the drug, I do not believe that the legalization of marijuana will ever be beneficial to our country's society. Smoking marijuana damages the brain, heart, lungs, and immune system and because it interferes with memory, perception, and judgment. The drug has been implicated in a high percentage of automobile crashes and workplace accidents. Marijuana is a gateway drug that can lead to escalation to stronger drugs such as cocaine and heroin. Ending the prohibition on marijuana will invariably increase costs to the taxpayers in the form of court cases and incarceration for drug-related DUI accidents as well as publicly funded drug treatment centers.
H.R. 2306 does not distinguish between domestically produced marijuana and cross-border trafficked marijuana. Even if the bill limited its scope to domestically produced product, enforcement of cross-border drug trafficking would be severely hampered. I believe we must approach international drug trafficking from a national security perspective rather than merely a criminal justice perspective. Our porous borders have facilitated the cross-border importation of narcotics from Mexico and South America. Our borders must be better fortified and protected. Mexican drug cartels have murdered United States citizens, law enforcement officers and border patrol agents. Even now, the committee on which I serve, the Committee on Oversight and Reform, is investigating the sales of firearms to individuals who provided those weapons to Mexican drug cartels - weapons that were used in the commission of crimes on U.S. soil.
I believe these Mexican drug cartels should be designated as foreign terrorist organizations, and that there has been a policy of denial that has allowed the cross-border drug trade to flourish and embolden the cartels and drug gangs, endangering U.S. citizens from the Border States to our urban centers. Because of this, I have co-sponsored H.R. 1270, which would direct the Secretary of State to designate as foreign terrorist organizations certain Mexican drug cartels. This is an issue that has expanded beyond individual citizens being arrested and prosecuted for possession of drugs. It is an issue of immediate national security. Giving the cartels a pass with respect to one type of drug will not stop them from continuing their terroristic and violent trafficking activities of other illegal drugs. Anyone who believes otherwise is simply being naïve. We cannot afford to give an inch.
Please know that your correspondence is important to me and that I appreciate the benefit of your views. Maintaining open communication is crucial to better representing my constituents. While we may not always agree on everything, my goal as a Member of Congress is to carefully consider everything that comes to my desk before making decisions. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your ideas or concerns in the future.
Sincerely,
Dennis A. Ross
U.S. Member of Congress
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