proved, then it is submitted to the Senate. In the Senate, similar proceedings would occur and leadership would schedule action and the bill would be debated. If the Senate approves it, any differences are worked out by conference with the House. The final version of the bill would finally go back to both the Senate and the House for approval. Then it will go to the President who may either opt to sign the bill or veto it. If the bill is signed, it becomes a law, and it is enforced throughout the nation. If the President vetoes the bill, Congress may override the veto with a two-thirds majority in each house. This would then turn the bill into a law. Advocates for Legalization (Interview with Charles Garner)A major advocate for the legalization of marijuana is the Drug Policy Foundation (DPF). It is an independent, non-profit organization with over 23,000 supporters that publicizes alternatives to current drug strategies. The current annual budget for DPF is just over $3 million. DPF believes that the current policy on drugs is not working: It erodes individual rights, is extremely expensive, creates a new class of criminals, subsidizes a violent black market, does not control drug use trends, and ignores the health aspect of drug use. The major objectives of DPF are:Harm reduction: policies that help drug users to help themselves, such as needle exchange programs, which can lower the risk of spreading deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS. Decriminalization: selectively enforcing the laws on the books to focus on major drug offenders, as in Holland. Medicalization: allowing doctors to prescribe otherwise illegal drugs to patients under certain conditions, as is the case now in Arizona and California, and also allowing doctors to maintain an addict as in Great Britain and Switzerland.Legalization: making drugs available to adults in a regulated market, similar to U.S. alcohol laws. DPF tries to propose its solutions by means of: Pub...
