Appeal: A Glowing Testimonial for Drug War Chronicle

With the launching of the "Stop the Drug War Speakeasy," DRCNet will now be publishing content on a daily basis -- visit our web site very day to check it out! That said, Drug War Chronicle will continue to be a central part of our educational program. On that note, I thought you might appreciate this wonderful note of support we received from long-time drug reform activist Troy Dayton, whom I first met in 1995 and who is currently doing amazing work as the associate director of the Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative.

Troy wrote this in hopes that you would be inspired to make a donation to enable Drug War Chronicle to continue to be published. Member support makes up a critical part of our budget -- I hope we can count on your support this month! To donate online, please visit http://stopthedrugwar.org/donate -- donation-by-mail info appears below.

I have at least skimmed every issue of the Drug War Chronicle since 1997 when it was called the Week Online. You know that sense of excitement when your favorite television show is about to come on? That's what I feel on Friday mornings when I see the Drug War Chronicle in my box. It's like an old friend.

Over the last 10 years I have spent about six of them working full time in drug policy. I definitely read it more closely when drug policy is my job, but I have still skimmed it and read one or two articles when I have had other professions. As associate director of the Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative it plays a critical role in my work. We are a small organization that focuses narrowly on bringing the faith community into the movement and getting them to contact their legislators in key policy efforts.

That means we rely on MPP, DPA, MAP, and DRCNet for the knowledge that we act on and share with our community. MPP and DPA email alerts serve a vital purpose for us since our main goal is to help them with their legislative efforts. MAP is useful because it is an easy way to find out what is being reported in the major media. But the Drug War Chronicle serves a uniquely valuable purpose. It is original hard-hitting reporting that isn't skewed to the perspective of one drug policy reform group's perspective. When I tell people what is happening broadly in drug policy, I am mostly telling them what I read in the Drug War Chronicle.

Every week our views are challenged by the conventional wisdom. The editorial each week is an immediately relevant refresher on the big picture of why I get up every morning... to end the human suffering caused by drug prohibition.

If the Drug War Chronicle were to disappear, the obvious tangible value it brings would be lost. But one thing that might be overlooked is the inspiration it gives to people fighting the good fight and the morale boost that happens when people realize that great work is being done on this front by people of conscience all over the world.

Sincerely,

Troy Dayton, associate director
Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative
http://www.idpi.us

Again, I hope we can count on your support this month! To donate online, visit http://stopthedrugwar.org/donate -- or send a check or money order to: DRCNet Foundation (tax-deductible donations supporting Drug War Chronicle) or Drug Reform Coordination Network (non-deductible donations for our lobbying work), P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036.

Sincerely,

David Borden
Executive Director