Missouri SB 764: food stamps for those convicted...

FROM: Nathan Miller, MPP legislative analyst

Missouri: Bill would restore food stamp eligibility for those convicted of marijuana offenses

As frustrating as it has been to move the medical marijuana bill forward this year, it is encouraging to see progress being made elsewhere. SB 764 would restore food stamp eligibility to Missourians convicted of drug offenses, including marijuana offenses.

The bill was debated by the Senate on March 4, but was set aside without a vote after being attacked by senators who didn't seem think people who have been convicted of drug possession need to eat.

Whether it will be brought back up depends on several things, but one of the most important is whether senators are aware that there is support among their constituency for this bill.

Call your senators today and urge them to support SB 764!

Under the United States Code (USC), persons convicted of a federal or state law involving felonious possession, use or distribution of a controlled substance, including marijuana, can be stripped for life of their eligibility to receive food stamps. Luckily, the USC also allows states to opt out of this ill-advised law, which is exactly what SB 764 would do.

Taking food away from a person and their family because of a marijuana conviction does nothing but breed contempt for our laws and is bad public policy.

The Missouri Association for Social Welfare reports that over 16,000 Missourians currently suffer from this cruel law, which has caused Missouri to lose $14 million in federal funding to aid our citizens.

Please call your senator today and show your support for SB 764. If you are directed to leave a message, it can be as simple as "Hello, my name is ____________, and I am from ____________. Please pass SB 764 so people with marijuana convictions can receive food stamps. Thank you."

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project and all of our allies. Please pass this alert on to others in Missouri who might be interested in helping ensure this bill passes.

Missouri: Urge your state senator to restore food stamp eligibility to those convicted of drug offenses

Please call:

• State Senator Chuck Graham (D-MO-19)
Instructions
Can't call while online? Want to call later? Print this alert.
Please be polite when talking to your senator or the senator's staff.

We have provided some talking points below for you to use in your call.

If you are directed to leave a message, it can be as simple as "Hello, my name is ____________, and I am from ____________. Please pass SB 764 so people with marijuana convictions can receive food stamps. Thank you."

Call Here: (573) 751-2162

Jefferson City office of State Senator Chuck Graham
(please call between 9am & 5pm)

Talking Points:


1) SB 764 would restore food stamp eligibility to Missourians convicted of drug offenses, including marijuana offenses.
2) Under current law, Missourians convicted of drug crimes, but not most other felony offenses, can have their eligibility to receive food stamps stripped for life.
3) Taking food away from a person and their family because of a marijuana conviction does nothing but breed contempt for our laws and is bad public policy.
4) The Missouri Association for Social Welfare reports that over 16,000 Missourians currently suffer from this cruel law, which has caused Missouri to lose $14 million in federal funding to aid our citizens.

I don't know much about it all, but i thought it was a nice sentiment. what do you mean by 'conservative pot smokers'? you mean comfortable wealth/upper middle class republican or something? I guess this bill wouldn't really hurt them though, seeing as they probably don't even know anyone with food stamps, much less give a damn whether or not they eat. i do feel that the stay-at-home "yummies" (yummy mommies-the hot, soccer mom types) who tend to smoke a lot of herb could probably be pursuaded to support it.

haha. i actually called Senator Graham's office. nobody answered, so I left him a nice brief, polite message.

Fuck foodstamps & 90 % of the bums who collect them.

It was pretty exciting leaving a message for the Senator though, I must say. I kind of felt important, like my voice actually mattered there for about 20 seconds.

right. i wish people actually had as much say in choices our leaders make as they think they do.

Damn! They can't take food stamps away. If they do, the inner-city economies will collapse. I mean, if one can't sell one's food stamps for twenty-five cents on the dollar to buy crack, what's the world coming to?

Vi

Vi, foodstamps don't work like that anymore. nowadays you get what's called an "EBT card" it's like a debit card with an allotted amount of funds. the amount is determined by many factors, your rent, dependents, income, etc. I had an EBT card when I was in college. I don't know how I would have eaten if I didn't seek public assistance. And now that I've graduated, I'm looking for a good-paying job. I'm actually looking forward to paying the taxes that help pay for welfare endeavors.

I know about the debit cards ... I was joking.

Poor Japanese students live on a diet of Ramen and rice.

You keep looking forward to paying the taxes ... I'll keep looking for loopholes and we'll be even.

Vi

haha i just called and left a message too, i used points 2 and 4, and make sure if you call you are polite, gl porchmonkey

gl? what does that mean. I'm always polite when in person or over the phone-especially when talking to someone important. I respect Chuck's time.

haha it means good luck, and the politeness was being refrenced to whoever else is gonna call...wouldn't want your work turning into something being ignored because someone called and left a message like "420!!! BITCHESSSSS" or something like that

ViRedd said:

You keep looking forward to paying the taxes ... I'll keep looking for loopholes and we'll be even.

Click to expand...

You got that right brother.

porchmonkey4life said:

Vi, foodstamps don't work like that anymore. nowadays you get what's called an "EBT card" it's like a debit card with an allotted amount of funds. the amount is determined by many factors, your rent, dependents, income, etc.

Click to expand...

Your wrong,if you think the reason behind the food stamp system being changed over to debit cards has anything to do with stopping fraud your way off base,the reason they changed over was to give lazy bums dignity instead of sending them into a store with monopoly money.

And the credit cards have done nothing to stop fraud,i own rental houses & every month i get tennants who want to sell me their card for 50 cents on the dollar,and you know what,i buy them all,if i dont a party store owner will anyways.

Foodstamps are for senior citizens,single mothers who are trying to get ahead,poor working families & lazy bums.

With our socialistic, government monopolized school systems brainwashing our children, with politicians constantly offering something for nothing, we, as a people, have become a dependant class of citizen. We honestly believe we are entitled to government cheese, therefore where we were once fiercely independent, we have developed an entitlement mentality.

What ever happened to the idea of college students getting a part time job to buy food instead of relying on their fellow citizens to pay their way? Oh yeah, I forgot ... it all started with free breakfast, free lunch and free after-school snacks.

Vi

food stamps, I am proud to say, are also for students with little or no financial aid besides grants and scholarships, who work their asses off to maintain a 3.5 cumulative GPA, and don't have much time left over after that to spend slaving for the man for money to eat. I certainly was not a "lazy bumb" while maintaining my GPA. Now is another story, because I cant manage to find a job, but hey, I'm having no trouble paying off my student loans, if you know what I mean