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Weekly: Blogging @ the Speakeasy

"Rachel Hoffman's Family Issues an Urgent Call for Change," "If You Write Bad Pro-Drug War Editorials, We Will Find Them and Embarrass You," "The Obama Campaign Responds to My Criticism of His Position on Marijuana Decriminalization," "Informant Identified in Fatal Maple Tree/Marijuana Mix-up," "Virginia Senator Jim Webb Speaks Out Against Marijuana Laws," "New British Drug Czar Supports Reducing Penalties for Ecstasy," "Drug Czars Say the Darndest Things," "Dick Morris Tells John McCain to Propose Harsher Cocaine Laws," "'You Don't Want This!'"
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Rachel Hoffman's Family Issues an Urgent Call for Change

The mother of slain drug war victim Rachel Hoffman has started the Rachel Morningstar Foundation to advocate legislation requiring legal counsel for prospective drug informants as well as decriminalization of marijuana in Florida. You can make a donation here.

For anyone still catching up on Hoffman's story, this heartbreaking video is a good starting point:


Rachel was involved in NORML and SSDP. She was one of us, and while I wish she'd thought better than to become an informant, we still don't know what threats police used to coerce her into assisting in the operation that took her life.

Rachel is someone we might have met at a conference someday. Someone who might have posted a comment on a drug policy blog or responded to an action alert. For whatever reason, that simple thought bothers me in an uncomfortable way that the drug war atrocities I cover daily often do not. It's a feeling I've had to shake off as I type, reminding myself that I've seen too much of this already to be rattled by the inevitable.

Every drug war victim has a story, each of them upsetting and important in its own way. We know all too well the common thread that binds these tragedies together and we'll stand without hesitation behind the Hoffmans as they've so bravely stepped forward so that their loss can become something positive, something Rachel would be proud of.

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If You Write Bad Pro-Drug War Editorials, We Will Find Them and Embarrass You

One of the many valuable services performed by Pete Guither at DrugWarRant is that of finding the most mind-numbingly absurd drug war editorials, reading them in their entirety, and illuminating the gratuitous logical fallacies upon which pro-drug war editorialists are so habitually reliant.

Recent examples can be found here and here.

Believe me, it ain't easy responding with any civility to the frightened and frustrated fulminations of these paranoid drug war cheerleaders, but Pete does so as gracefully as can be expected.

I know from painful experience that it begins to feel like you're banging your head against a wall defending the most basic principles against attacks from scared and angry people. Still, there's value in demonstrating that incoherent pro-drug war rants will be picked apart and their authors identified unflatteringly. These people do google themselves, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if a few of them have taken a long pause after being eviscerated by Pete Guither and his readers.

People with bad ideas about drug policy at least care enough about the issue to speak their minds. As long as they know the issue matters, there's a chance they'll come to reach the right conclusions. Bob Barr and the brave folks at LEAP are proof that our best allies don't always start out on our side.

Update: I changed the title to say "Pro-drug war editorials" instead of "Anti-drug editorials." While our opposition likes to think of itself as "anti-drug" that's often not the effect of their policy preferences. I also reject the kneejerk "pro-drug" label often used to smear reformers, so I shouldn't be defining our opposition as "anti-drug" either.

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In The Trenches

Who killed Rachel Hoffman?

 

In memory of Rachel Morningstar Hoffman...
December 17, 1984 -
May 7, 2008


Donate to the Rachel Morningstar Foundation

Dear Friend,

Nearly two weeks ago, an SSDP member lost her life in the crossfire of the War on Drugs.

Rachel Hoffman had just graduated from Florida State University, with plans to attend culinary school. As an undergrad, she was popular among her group of friends, many of whom she met through her involvement in FSU's chapters of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).

Like many college students, she shared marijuana with her friends, and would often "go in" on larger amounts in order to save money. And that's how she got busted.

Rachel was threatened with prison time, then promised a slap on the wrist if she agreed to wear a wire and set up a deal with her suppliers. Tallahassee police gave her $13,000 in cash and told her to purchase 1,500 ecstasy pills, 2 ounces of cocaine, and a handgun. They never informed her attorney, family, or the state prosecutor before they sent Rachel into the lions' den that day. And nobody had the chance to tell her she was in way over her head.

After police found Rachel's body, they held a press conference and blamed her for her own death. Among Rachel's family and friends, sadness quickly turned into outrage and action. Last Wednesday, hundreds of students marched in protest of the role the Tallahassee Police Department played in Rachel's death. They held signs that read "Who Killed Rachel?" and "No More Drug War" while wearing t-shirts from SSDP and other allied organizations. Please take a moment to watch this powerful video of the demonstration:

Protest video

In her memory, Rachel's parents have established the Rachel Morningstar Foundation, the goal of which is to pass a law requiring legal advice to be sought before a civilian can consent to undercover work. They will also work to decriminalize marijuana in Florida. Please make a generous donation to the foundation today, and include a personal note to Rachel's parents if you are moved to do so.

In the meantime, Rachel's murderers must be brought to justice. But the drug dealers who pulled the trigger clearly aren't the only ones responsible for her death. They are the police who coerced her into being an informant and the politicians who justify waging a War on Drugs to "protect young people from drugs," while using those very same young people as pawns in their deadly game. On Wednesday, one protester's sign poignantly asked, "Do you feel safe?"

Whether you are a student, an alum, an educator, or a nonstudent, there are plenty of ways you can join with SSDP in the fight to replace the War on Drugs with policies of regulation and control that will actually make us safe.

But for today, I hope you'll take a moment with me to reflect upon the countless lives lost in the name of this unjust war, and to honor the passing of one of our own.

Then, let's get to work.

Sincerely,
Micah Daigle
National Field Director
Students for Sensible Drug Policy

In The Trenches

Drug Truth Update 05/22/08

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 05/21/08 Dr. Mitch Earleywine discusses his new book Parents Guide to Marijuana + Report from Doug McVay of Common Sense for Drug Policy MP3 LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=audio/download/1896/FDBCB_052108.mp3 TRANSCRIPT: (To be posted by Friday) Century of Lies for 05/20/08 4:20 Drug War NEWS reports selected from Feb 2007 to Jan 2008 MP3 Link: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=audio/download/1895/COL_052008.mp3 TRANSCRIPT: (No Transcript will be provided for this one show) Chief Clarence Bradford: "We can't possibly hire enough officers to effectively deal with the drug problem in Houston, Harris County...". - Cultural Baggage 050708 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: TBD - Century of Lies 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: TBD Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.org and at www.radio4all.net. We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates in the US and Canada. 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
In The Trenches

Help decriminalize marijuana in Massachusetts

[Courtesy of Marijuana Policy Project]

The Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy (CSMP) has just begun the second and final stage of the signature drive to place a marijuana decriminalization initiative on the Massachusetts ballot ... giving voters the chance to decriminalize the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for personal use in the state.

Last November, after two months of petitioning, CSMP turned in more than 105,000 signatures to qualify the initiative for the November 2008 ballot. State law then required the state legislature to consider the initiative between January 2 and May 6. That period is now over, and CSMP began the second stage of the signature drive, which requires another 11,099 valid signatures by June 18. To ensure a place on the ballot, the campaign must collect approximately 20,000 raw signatures — at a cost of about $65,000.

Would you please consider making a contribution to the campaign to ensure that voters have the chance to decriminalize marijuana this fall?

This is the first time in history that an initiative to decriminalize marijuana will be placed on any statewide ballot. And winning in Massachusetts could dramatically advance marijuana policy reform elsewhere in the country.

So far, the campaign has done everything right, including successfully completing the first part of the signature drive and lobbying the legislature not to take any actions that would harm the campaign.

But now the campaign must raise the money that's needed to complete the second phase of the signature drive. Will you please visit www.SensibleMarijuanaPolicy.org/donate to donate $10 or more today?

Thank you,
Kampia signature (e-mail sized)

Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

In The Trenches

The Pain Relief Network: Update 5-19-08 -- Schneider Defense Calls DOJ Prosecution Unconstitutional

Schneider Defense Calls DOJ Prosecution Unconstitutional: Read the Briefs



kansas
As always, we ask that you help PRN fight to protect the rights of patients and the doctors who treat them. Please click the link below.

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Schneider defense calls DOJ prosecution Unconstitutional

This case is an effort by the federal government to define and regulate the practice of medicine masquarading as a criminal prosecution. This case should not be about whether Dr. Schneider fell short of the standard of care for certain patients, but whether he engaged in the legitimate practice of medicine [...]

Memorandum of points and authorities in support of the defendants' joint motion for absention

The federal government has usurped the authority of the State of Kansas to regulate medicine within the State by bringing a halt to its regulatory process, and assuming that authority, impermissibly, through the federal criminal process. If any part of the Indictment is not dismissed as unconstitutional or otherwise defective, this Court should abstain, allowing the State process to run its course [...]

Competetive Enterprise Institute Joins Pain Relief Network in the battle against untreated pain

May 16, 2008
Cei.org
Today, millions of Americans live in chronic pain, without adequate access to prescription pain medications, because their doctors are too afraid of being harassed or even arrested by the Drug Enforcement Administration to prescribe sufficient doses. Everyone agrees that doctors should not be using their positions to supply addicts with narcotics or feed the illicit drug market. Many doctors, however, have been arrested or threatened with loss of their medical licenses simply for prescribing opiate-based pain medications in doses that federal drug authorities believe are too high [...]