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For Immediate Release: January 29, 2009 Contact: Rod Skager at 831-594-0483 or Tony Newman at 646-335-5384 California Student Survey Finds Drug Use More Prevalent than Previously Thought 3/4th of 11th Grade Students Report Using at Least One Drug Abstinence-Only Drug Education Failing Students; Need for Comprehensive Drug Education with Focus on Safety The 12th biennial California Student Survey (CSS) released this week by the Attorney General's Office's challenges the nation to reassess the nature and frequency of youth drug use. This statewide survey, founded by Professor Rodney Skager in 1985, collected substance use data from 13,930 students from 115 public middle and high schools in the 2007-08 school year. The report concludes that both state and national surveys, including the National Monitoring the Future Survey, have significantly underestimated true levels of substance use among secondary school students. The primary reason has been failure to provide a measure of total use that includes alcohol. The current (2007-2008) CSS combines for the first time alcohol, illicit drugs, diverted prescription drugs and cold/cough medications (used to get high) into a total percentage of respondents who tried at least one such drug in their lifetime. The result is that 60% or 9th and 74% of 11th grade students reported using one of the substances at least once. It is important to note that the great majority of youth who experiment do not become regular drug users and for a significant number of substances once was apparently sufficient. Professor Skager points out that, "By taking into account the entire range of drugs, of which alcohol is by far the most commonly used, it is obvious that the social climate among youth tolerates widespread drug experimentation and use, though not necessarily use that causes problems to self or others. We need to take this cultural reality into account in our approach to drug education and other approaches to prevention. In this climate simplistic abstinence messages, as well as accurate, information, are met with skepticism and may result in an oppositional or 'boomerang' effect." Rodney Skager, Professor Emeritus in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, is the author of Beyond Zero Tolerance: A Reality-Based Approach to Drug Education and School Discipline published by the Drug Policy Alliance. The educational booklet advocates for educating students through comprehensive, interactive and honest drug education with identification of, and assistance for, students whose lives are disrupted by substance use. "To prevent adolescents who do experiment from falling into abusive patterns, we need to create fallback strategies that focus on safety," Skager said. "Putting safety first requires that we be careful to provide our young people with credible information and resources. We also need to teach our teenagers how to identify and handle problems with alcohol and other drugs -- if and when they occur-and how to get help and support." The new Obama Administration has the opportunity to replace failed Bush Administration strategies such as the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign and the Random Student Drug Testing Grants Program. Research shows both programs are not only ineffective, but also counterproductive to promoting healthy behaviors in students. The Obama Administration should replace fear-based approaches with programs that promote honest, open and respectful discussion with teens about their experiences and the realities of drugs and drug use today. * The 2007-2008 California Student Survey is available online at: http://www.safestate.org/index.cfm?navID=254 * Beyond Zero Tolerance: A Reality-Based Approach to Drug Education and School Discipline is available online at: www.safety1st.org.

The Unvarnished Truth About the Drug War From the Drug Truth Network: (To downlad these 29:00 files, click on links below. To simply listen, go to www.drugtruth.net and select the arrow below the shows description.) Cultural Baggage for 01/28/09 Cassandra Herrman, producer of new PBS documentary "Tulia Texas" & Tulia defense attorney Jeff Blackburn + Terry Nelson of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition MP3 LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=audio/download/2275/FDBCB_012809.mp3 TRANSCRIPT: TBD Century of Lies for 01/27/09 Kathleen Staudt, professor at UT El Paso regarding the cartels battles in Mexico + the return of Corrupt Cop Story with Phil Smith of Stop The Drug War MP3 LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=audio/download/2274/COL_012709.mp3 TRANSCRIPT: TBD PLEASE NOTE: We now have transcripts, potcasts, searchability, CMS, XML, sorts by guest name and by organization. Next - Century of Lies on Tues, Cutural Baggage on Wed, listen online at www.kpft.org: - Cultural Baggage 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: Richard Mack of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition - Century of Lies 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: Cliff Schaffer of Drug Library & Marijuana Business News Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.org We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates in the US, Canada and Now Australia!!! Programs produced at Pacifica Radio Station KPFT in Houston. www.kpft.org Check out our latest videos via www.youtube.com/fdbecker: More than 55 Drug Policy Videos online) Please become part of the solution, visit our website: www.endprohibition.org for links to the best of reform. "Prohibition is evil." - Reverend Dean Becker, Drug Truth Network Producer Dean Becker 713-849-6869 www.drugtruth.net

California: Appeals Court Denies Claim That State Disenfranchisement Violates 14th Amendment A California state court of appeals denied a petition requesting the court direct elections officials to register certain persons in prison or on parole for a felony conviction, arguing that only persons convicted of common law crimes should be disenfranchised. The plaintiffs argued that Section 2 of the 14th Amendment only permits states to disenfranchise persons "for participation in rebellion or other crime" when those crimes were felonies at common law. These are defined as: treason, murder, manslaughter, mayhem, rape, arson, burglary, robbery, larceny, and sodomy. The plaintiffs claimed that the framers of the Constitution did not intend for "other crime" to encompass the broad range of felonies that currently populate state and federal statutes. The court disagreed, highlighting three key reasons. First, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its primary decision regarding felony disenfranchisement, Richardson v. Ramirez, never once referred to common law felonies in upholding the practice, but simply applied the ruling to all felonies. Secondly, the word "crime" in other parts of the U.S. Constitution is construed to apply more broadly than simply common law crimes. And, finally, the contemporary definition of crime in the mid- 19th Century, when the 14th Amendment was constructed, applied to more than felonies at common law. Virginia: Lawmakers Working Toward Reform Together Virginia law currently states that individuals seeking to restore their right to vote must wait between three to five years following completion of sentence before they may apply. Legislators, however, are working to reform this law by sponsoring separate constitutional amendments that would restore voting rights after completion of sentence, the Henrico Citizen reported. "During the last election, we realized how important voting rights are," Delegate Roslyn C. Tyler said. "If inmates have paid their debts to society, I think their rights should be restored. If we don't do something to help the process, they're going to return to the penal system again, and so it's a revolving door." A resolution must be passed by the General Assembly in two consecutive sessions and then approved by voters in a statewide election. - - - - - - Help The Sentencing Project continue to bring you news and updates on disenfranchisement! Make a contribution today. Contact Information -- e-mail: [email protected], web: http://www.sentencingproject.org

Contact: Kirk Tousaw at 604-836-1420 or [email protected], or Philippe Lucas at 250-884-9821 or [email protected] The most comprehensive constitutional challenge to Health Canada's medical marijuana policy and practice will conclude next week in the B.C. Supreme Court. A decision will be heard in BC Supreme Court (800 Hornby Street Vancouver BC Canada) on the 2nd of February at 9 a.m., marking the final chapter of this nearly five year charter challenge. The decision is open to the public. This court case is the most extensive legal challenge ever mounted against Canada's much-maligned federal medical cannabis program. It stems from a May 2004 RCMP raid of a medical cannabis research and production facility near Sooke, B.C. overseen by the Vancouver Island Compassion Society (VICS), a non-profit medical cannabis organization located in Victoria, B.C. The raid resulted in the destruction of over 900 cannabis plants being cultivated for the 400+ members of the VICS, all of whom use medical cannabis with the support of their physicians, and to the arrest of Mr. Mat Beren, who was the VICS employee responsible for the facility at the time of the raid. "Our hope is that the courts will come to the aid of Canada's critically and chronically ill by defending their constitutional right to access and use medical cannabis from a safe source without unnecessary bureaucratic delays or obstacles," said Philippe Lucas, the founder and director of the VICS and a newly elected municipal councillor in the city of Victoria. "Canadians have a well-established legal right to access medical cannabis," added Kirk Tousaw, counsel to Mr. Beren. "It is tragic that Health Canada has not put in place a system to effectively allow patients to exercise that right. Because of their failure, the arrest and prosecution of both patients and caregivers continue to this day." The VICS is a medical cannabis non-profit society founded in 1999 that currently supplies a safe source of cannabis-based medicines to over 850 critically or chronically ill Canadians with a doctors¹ recommendation for its use. Where/When: Vancouver's Provincial Court (800 Hornby St.) on the 2nd of Feb. at 9:00 a.m. What: Final decision in Regina v. Beren Charter challenge Press: Press conference to follow decision (10:15 a.m. EST)