Late on Thursday (April 10, 2003) the Senate and House passed the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act (formerly known as the RAVE Act) as an attachment to the child abduction-related Amber Alert Bill.
The Drug Policy Alliance provides background on the issue - they are very concerned, you should be too:
- This year Senator Biden (D-DE) railroaded controversial legislation through Congress that threatens your free speech, right to dance and peacefully assemble and that threatens innocent business owners.
....The "RAVE Act" legislation was introduced in a conference committee as an attachment to Senate bill 151, widely referred to as the AMBER Alert bill, legislation about child abduction that has nothing to do with drug policy issues. The "RAVE" Act, in contrast, has not passed a single committee this year. In addition, it was so controversial when it was introduced last year that two Senators withdrew their sponsorship. The "RAVE" Act makes it easier for the federal government to prosecute innocent business owners for the drug offenses of their customers - even if they take steps to stop such activity!
Sadly, a Senate and House Conference Committee agreed to attach the "RAVE Act" to the Amber Alert conference report despite the fact that the "RAVE" Act did not have a public hearing, debate or a vote this year. It is important to note due to overwhelming opposition to the "RAVE Act" legislators were forced to remove some of the most egregious language before it passed. For example, the word "rave" was removed from the version of the bill that passed. Eliminating such blatant discrimination is a victory for our continued freedom of speech. Also, the original bill suggested that prosecutors should view the sale of water and the presence of glowsticks or massage oil as evidence of drug use. These ludicrous "findings" were completely removed thanks to activists who sent nearly 30,000 faxes this year alone to their Senators urging them not to support such dangerous legislation. This legislation must be signed by President Bush before becoming law.
When it was first introduced there was widespread belief that this legislation would move through the Congress quickly with no hope of revision. Instead, due to the overwhelming opposition to this legislation it took 10 months, a change of power in the Senate, backroom policymaking, and substantial changes to the bill before it was passed - and even then it did not pass through "normal" legislative procedures.
Article comments
1 - Brian Flemming
You think Bush would line-item-veto an anti-drug measure?
2 - RJ Elliott
Wasn't the Line Item Veto declared unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court?
3 - roger allen
just vote in november get rid of the worst president we have ever had and clean house in congress with a sweeping vote. stop whinning and vote for the sake of the country.
4 - roger allen
just vote in november get rid of the worst president we have ever had and clean house in congress with a sweeping vote. stop whinning and vote for the sake of the country.
5 - Rev Tokeval
Oh good Lord. This is absurd, how do these goons manage to do things like this? I severely doubt that signing a petition to Pope Aschroft will do any good either.
6 - A. Lee Stewart
The horror of a law holding 3rd parties criminally responsible for the acts of others is the obligation of business owners and private citizens to police their customers and guests.
That such social control legislation has even been proposed and taken seriously is proof that US drug laws have succeeded in undermining even the most basic tenant of a free people in a free society.
7 - lauren paisley
I had a dream that I lived in america, with freedoms. But I think I woke up and I am now living in some sort of socialist republic?? I want my old america back! "America wasn't founded so we could all be better people, it was founded so we could do what we damnn well please." (stolen from PJ O'Rourke, Rolling Stone Magazine) Not anymore, PJ... we have no more freedoms than the rest of the world. Aren't we supposed to be "Land of the Free???" Please vote Biden out of OUR gov't in Delaware, and please vote Lamar Smith out of OUR gov't in Texas. We cannot afford such sneaky, dangerous minds in public office.
8 - inderjeet
had a dream that I lived in america, with freedoms. But I think I woke up and I am now living in some sort of socialist republic?? I want my old america back! "America wasn't founded so we could all be better people, it was founded so we could do what we damnn well please." (stolen from PJ O'Rourke, Rolling Stone Magazine) Not anymore, PJ... we have no more freedoms than the rest of the world. Aren't we supposed to be "Land of the Free???" Please vote Biden out of OUR gov't in Delaware, and please vote Lamar Smith out of OUR gov't in Texas. We cannot afford such sneaky, dangerous minds in public office.