If you do one thing for methadone patients this year….
DO THIS!
Write to your representative in Congress and tell them that methadone saved your life and that it
works. You do not have to sign your name you can make up a name like “Mary Methadone” or “Tommy Treatment” and say that you cannot sign your name because
of the stigma and prejudice directed towards this treatment and the recipients of it.
Several years ago NAMA started a tradition asking methadone patients, their families and advocates to write their representatives at the federal and state levels.
While the first year produced a blitz of letters methadone patients and their families have continued to write — and NAMA thinks this is a positive effort for all patients and their families to continue. WHY? Because even one letter can be effective.
Most methadone patients believe that their representatives will not listen to them. This is not true. As a law abiding and voting constituient you will discover that your representatives will listen to you. And politicians have a way of counting letters
so that one letter often represents the views ofhundreds of their constituients. So to them receiving one letter is really like receiving 50, 100, or 1000 letters. Your one letter can mean a lot!
You can easily write one letter for the year and send it each month. With some editing you can add the isues that a particular representative is interested in or oversees.
So make a note of where to send your letter each month.
| MONTH | SEND LETTER TO: |
| JANUARY | President Bush |
| FEBRUARY & MARCH | Congressional Representative U.S. House of Representatives |
| APRIL | Senator U.S. Senate Home Page |
| MAY | State Governor State Legislature Internet Links |
| JUNE | State Senator and/or Assemblyperson State Legislator Internet Links |
| JULY & AUGUST | Mayor or City Council U.S. Conference of Mayors |
| SEPTEMBER | John P. Waters Drug Czar White House Office Of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) |
| OCTOBER |
|
| NOVEMBER | Congressional Representative U.S. House of Representatives |
| DECEMBER | Senator Again U.S. Senate Home Page |
This is
Important!
After you write your letter send NAMA a copy!
Send it to the President Joycelyn Woods [email protected]. We are keeping a tally on the
letters written throughout the year.
Or send your note by snail mail to:
NAMA
435 Second
Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Attn: National Letter
Writing Campaign