Norma Torres on Drugs

Food stamps for drug felons; immunity for reporting overdose

State Senate voting record on drug issues:
• Torres voted YEA on Sept. 10, 2013 on bill SB 649
  Classifies Certain Drug Infractions as Misdemeanors
  Concurrence vote passed Senate (24-14)
• Torres voted YEA on Aug. 26, 2013 on bill AB 721
  Amends Definition for the Transportation of Controlled Substances
  Bill passed Senate (24-15)
• Torres voted YEA on Aug. 27, 2012 on bill AB 472
  Authorizes Immunity for Reporting Drug Overdoses
  Concurrence Vote Passed House (55-24)
• Torres voted YEA on May 13, 2010 on bill AB 1756
  Food Stamps for Drug Felons
  Bill passed House (44-31)

Reduce drug possession from felony to misdemeanor

• Existing law provides that the unlawful possession of opiates, opium, opium derivatives, mescaline, peyote, tetrahydrocannabinols, and cocaine base, is a felony punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for 16 months, or 2 or 3 years.

  This bill would make the unlawful possession of any of those substances punishable as either a felony punishable in county jail or as a misdemeanor punishable in a county jail for not more than one year.

OnTheIssues Explanation: "Tetrahydrocannabinols" means marijuana and its derivatives. The failure of this bill joined a series of similar bills to reduce penalties for marijuana usage. Only medical marijuana usage is currently legal in California. (Norma Torres voted YEA).

Rated B by NORML, indicating a pro-drug-reform stance.

OnTheIssues.org interprets the 2016 NORML scores as follows:

• C-/D/F: "hard-on-drugs" stance (approx. 243 members)
• C: mixed record on drug reform (approx. 45 members)
• A/B: pro-drug-reform stance (approx. 293 members)

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Law's mission is to move public opinion sufficiently to achieve the repeal of marijuana prohibition so that the responsible use of cannabis by adults is no longer subject to penalty.

NORML is a nonprofit, public-interest lobby that for more than 30 years has provided a voice for those Americans who oppose marijuana prohibition. We represent the interests of the tens of millions of Americans who smoke marijuana responsibly and believe the recreational and medicinal use of marijuana should no longer be a crime.

NORML supports the removal of all criminal penalties for the private possession & responsible use of marijuana by adults, including the cultivation for personal use, and the casual nonprofit transfers of small amounts. This model is called "decriminalization."

NORML additionally supports the development of a legally controlled market for marijuana, where consumers could purchase it from a safe, legal and regulated source. This model is referred to as "legalization."

NORML believes that marijuana smoking is not for kids and should only be used responsibly by adults. As with alcohol consumption, it must never be an excuse for misconduct or other bad behavior. Driving or operating heavy equipment while impaired from marijuana should be prohibited.

NORML strongly supports the right of patients to use marijuana as a medicine when their physician recommends it to relieve pain and suffering.

Lastly, NORML supports the right of farmers to commercially cultivate hemp for industrial purposes, such as food and fiber production.