For those unable to attend the protest in person we strongly recommend writing (preferable), faxing or calling your Senator on September 6th. A fax form, sample letter and senator info is available here.

A link to the petition, the Drug Policy Alliance's analysis of the bill along with the full text of the bill and the introductory statements for the bill from the Congressional Record are also available at that link.

Glenn Reynolds points to another source of opposition to the Act

Bipartisan stupidity is alive and well in Washington. On June 27, just nine days after its introduction, the Senate Judiciary Committee reported out S. 2633, the "Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act," or the "RAVE Act." The cute acronym alone should earn this bill a one-way ticket to the legislative dustbin. But when the Senate reconvenes in September, the odds favor consideration and passage of this bill, which should be properly called the "Increasing Americans' Vulnerability to Prosecutorial Abuse Act." Sadly, IAVPA just doesn't sound snappy enough.

The Rave Act is designed to expand the federal "crack-house" statute to cover certain kinds of electronic music concerts, known as raves, on the dubious ground that these particular concerts are prone to drug use among patrons. The bill would make it a federal crime to "knowingly" operate or lease property "permanently or temporarily...for the purpose of unlawfully manufacturing, storing, distributing, or using a controlled substance."

That may sound innocent enough, but the purpose of the bill is manifestly clear: Concert promoters will be held criminally and civilly liable for any drug use that may occur on premises they are operating. The RAVE Act has nothing to do with reducing drug use, and everything to do with giving politically motivated prosecutors a tool to go after innocent businessmen who have no ties to the drug trade.

Right off the bat, the RAVE Act creates a non-objective law. What does that mean? It means that the language is so vague as to render it impossible for anyone to know what specific conduct will actually make them liable under the law. For example, unlike the current crack-house law, the RAVE Act says an owner is liable if his premises are "temporarily" used for drug purposes. This one word actually negates the entire purpose of the crack-house law in the first place! A crack-house is supposed to be a building or property whose purpose is to facilitate drug use. The purpose of a concert is to, well, entertain people with musical performances. That's not illegal. But under the RAVE Act, if even one person is using drugs at a show, that can technically create civil and criminal liability for the owner.

Of course, it's doubtful that many raves will actually be prosecuted nationally. What will more likely happen is a few jurisdictions--fueled by misleading news reports about the dangers of ecstasy--will take the opportunity to enforce the law in a very draconian fashion. New York City will probably have a field day, as under former mayor Rudolph Giuliani the city engaged in a massive "crackdown" on dance clubs in the name of preventing drug use.

page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4