New Voter Guide Grades Members of Congress on Drug Policy Reform

Download the Voter Guide [PDF]

The Drug Policy Alliance, the nation’s largest organization working to enact alternatives to the war on drugs, has released its first-ever Congressional voter guide. The nonpartisan guide covers important drug-related votes and legislation in 2005 and judges members of Congress on their commitment to reducing the harms associated with both drug abuse and the war on drugs.

“We’re going to continue to hold members of Congress accountable for their votes,” said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. “The American people deserve to know if their representatives are working to save lives, keep families together, and cut wasteful government spending.”

The guide covers six key House votes last year on:

• Increasing funding to the corrupt and troubled Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program;
• Prohibiting the DEA from undermining state medical marijuana laws;
• Requiring local narcotics taskforces that receive federal money to ban racial profiling and report their convictions by race;
• Cutting funding to the counterproductive Andean Counterdrug Initiative;
• Increasing funding to the failed anti-marijuana media campaign; and
• Lifting the 30-patient limit on group practices for treating people who struggle with drug abuse using certain narcotic drug replacement therapies, like buprenorphine.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) gets the Drug Policy Alliance’s highest ranking: 2005 Champion. “Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee unquestionably deserves our Champion award because of her commitment to saving lives and taxpayer money,” said Piper. “She is at the forefront of reigning in rogue narcotics taskforces, reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS, fixing the juvenile justice system and reforming mandatory minimum sentencing.”

Highlights of the 2006 Drug Policy Reform Congressional Voter Guide:

• 33 Representatives voted the right way on all six amendments, receiving perfect scores.
• 70 Representatives voted the right way on five of the amendments.
• No Representative voted the wrong way on all six amendments.
• 69 Representatives voted the wrong way on five of the amendments.
• DPA’s 2005 “Champion” was Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), the only member to vote the right way on all six of the floor amendments and to co-sponsor all four of the major drug policy reform bills.
• DPA’s 2005 “Heroes” were Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA), Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA).
• DPA’s 2005 “Badge of Shame” went to Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI).

Download the Voter Guide [PDF]