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Newsbrief:
Friend
of
Drug
Reform
Upsets
Veteran
in
Detroit
City
Council
Race
5/2/03
Former radio talk show host
and first woman director of the Detroit branch of the NAACP JoAnn Watson
scored an upset victory over Detroit political perennial Gil Hill Tuesday
to win a seat on the city council. Watson is also a member of the steering
committee for the Detroit Coalition for Compassionate Care (DCCC), the
grassroots groups pushing the city for the last two years to embrace
policies that would recognize medical marijuana.
Watson defeated Hill, a former
Detroit police official who gained fame as Eddie Murphy's superior in the
"Beverly Hills Cop" movie series, by a margin of 52% to 48%. She
attributed her electoral success to a strong door-to-door grassroots
effort.
That effort included help from
the DCCC, said coalition leader Tim Beck. "We were looking to beef up our
steering committee, and we hit the jackpot with JoAnn," Beck told DRCNet.
"She agreed early on to support medical marijuana and join the steering
committee, in return for some assistance with her
campaign."
While medical marijuana is not
Watson's primary focus, said Beck, she is a "left of center candidate in
the style of Rep. Maxine Waters [D-CA] and is strongly aware of how people
of color are victimized by the drug war." And she can read the polls
showing strong support for medical marijuana in Detroit, Beck
added.
As for the DCCC, Beck told
DRCNet the group is organizing for the November 2004 elections and pushing
the Detroit City Council to pass an ordinance to either make medical
marijuana "the lowest law enforcement priority" or cut all funding to
prosecute such cases. In the event such efforts are blocked, the coalition
will pursue a municipal initiative and Watson could apply an important
"seal of approval," Beck said.
-- END --
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Issue #285, 5/2/03
Editorial: Much to Emulate from Abroad | Senator Nolin Comes to Washington | Cannabis Canada: Decrim on the Way, Says Prime Minister -- The People are Ready, Says Poll | Vancouver: Unsanctioned Safe Injection Site Opens in Midst of Police Crackdown on Downtown Eastside Hard Drug Scene | Peruvian Coca Growers Move from Joy to Anger as Meeting with President Yields FALSE Accord | Sentencing Reform through Budget Crisis: Washington State Passes Early Release Bill | Drug Czar Escapes Prosecution for Election Law Violations in Nevada | Newsbrief: Scottish Police Call for Drug Law Reform | Newsbrief: Oregon House Passes Bill to Restrict Medical Marijuana, Action Pending in Senate | Newsbrief: Friend of Drug Reform Upsets Veteran in Detroit City Council Race | Newsbrief: Utah Marijuana Case against Dennis Peron Crumbles | Newsbrief: Missouri Court Challenges Meth Arrest for Cold Pills | Newsbrief: This Week's Corrupt Cop Story | Web Scan: CSDP, Policy Review, High Point Enterprise | Job Opportunity: Criminal Justice Policy Foundation, DC | Fellowship Opportunity: Ira Glasser Racial Justice Fellowship Program, American Civil Liberties Union | The Reformer's Calendar
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