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For Immediate Release: August 7, 2007 Contact: Tony Newman at 646-335-5385 Artist, Activist Tony Papa to Highlight Cruel Drug War with Art Installation at Criminal Justice Conference at John Jay College in NYC on August 9-10 Show Visually Depicts Major Tragedies of Drug War: “Two Years for One Joint”; “HIV Due to Dirty Syringes”; “Racial Disparity of Drug War” Papa Discovered Art in Prison and Painted His Way to Freedom after 12 Years Behind Bars Under Draconian Drug Laws Noted artist, activist and author Anthony Papa will highlight the casualties of the war on drugs in an art installation during a conference titled “On the Edge: Transgression and the Dangerous Other on August 9 and 10 at John Jay College of Criminal Justice located at 899 10th Ave. in New York City. The conference will involve presentations, art and photographic exhibits, music, spoken word performances and film screenings centered around the concept of a new criminology for the 21st century. “The Drug War” is an art installation by artist/activist Anthony Papa. The installation is a multi-media presentation that visually portrays some of the most compelling drug war issues in the news. The visual narratives in the installation are powerful reminders of the raging war on drugs that ravages many of our communities. “The use of art as a political weapon is not new,” says Papa who discovered his political awareness through his art and has used his art as a vehicle to fight the drug war. “Through history, the role of the artist as a social commentator has been invaluable.” “Like Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ and Goya’s ‘Third of May,’ which both powerfully portrayed the atrocities of war, my installation follows their lead in revealing the impact of America’s drug war. Papa spent 12 years in prison for a first time non-violent drug offense. While imprisoned, he discovered his artistic talent. In 1995, after a showing of his art at the Whitney Museum, his case attracted national attention. Two years later, New York Governor George Pataki granted Papa executive clemency. Papa currently works for the Drug Policy Alliance. The installation highlights issues that affect all Americans, whether they use drugs or not. It is steeped in a continuous motif of an upside down American flag, which signifies the universal concept of the state of distress in war. “Justice in Black and White” shows the racial imbalance of the effects of the New York’s Rockefeller Drug Laws. Ninety-four percent of those incarcerated under the laws are black and Latino. Ten crying babies dress in prison garb dangle in front of their incarcerated mothers and ask “where are our mothers?” “Two Years in Jail for One Joint” shows the madness of the drug war. Mitchell Lawrence, an 18-year-old was sentenced to two years in jail for one joint by an over zealous prosecutor in Massachusetts. A single golden joint sits in a silver jewelry box surrounded by dozens of candles “Give Them All Dirty Needles and Let Them Die” - taken from the cruel quote of TV’s “Judge Judy” - boldly illustrates how New Jersey is the only U.S. state that lacks a needle exchange program. Dozens of bloodied syringes penetrate a coffin draped with the New Jersey flag. In “Cops or Docs” a marijuana plant asks the question who should decide what medicine we should put in our bodies. “Got a Cold? Prove it and Sign the Log” portrays the hoops Americans must now jump through to buy cold medicine due to the federal government’s desire to monitor our everyday actions in the name of the curbing the methamphetamine “epidemic.” Papa hopes the installation raises awareness for those in mainstream society who rarely think about the drug war. “I use my art as a means of visually translating the deep emotional responses of the human condition,” Papa said. “My life choices forced me to discover my hidden artistic talent.” For more conference info: www.jjay.cuny.edu/ontheedge/

If you’ve ever wanted to hang out with author Tom Robbins, this is your chance. On behalf of the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy (CSMP), I’m pleased to invite you to a VIP reception featuring the bestselling author in Boston on Friday, September 14. This is the only time we’re going to promote this event to MPP’s national e-mail list, so please purchase your tickets here (http://sensiblemarijuanapolicy.org/?msource=5164&tr=y&auid=2891378) today. Tom Robbins, who has penned such classics as Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, and the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy (http://sensiblemarijuanapolicy.org/) will host the event at the home of Woody Kaplan and Wendy Kaminer in Boston’s Back Bay. The event will raise much-needed funds for the signature drive to place a binding marijuana “decriminalization” initiative on the November 2008 statewide ballot in Massachusetts. This will be the first such initiative to remove all criminal penalties for the possession of marijuana in any state. The initiative seeks to change Massachusetts state law so that the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana would be a civil fine instead of a criminal sanction. You can find more information about this event and purchase tickets here (http://sensiblemarijuanapolicy.org/?msource=5164&tr=y&auid=2891382). The signature drive to place the initiative on the ballot will cost approximately $350,000, which must be raised by mid-October, because the signature drive must take place from September 19 to November 21 of this year. Who: Woody Kaplan, Wendy Kaminer, and author Tom Robbins will be joined by me and CSMP's campaign manager Whitney Taylor What: VIP reception to support the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy Where: 2 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Mass. When: Friday, September 14, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $250 in advance or $350 at the door. Purchase tickets here (http://sensiblemarijuanapolicy.org/?msource=5164&tr=y&auid=2891407). Please join us to discuss how the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy intends to make history in November of next year. I look forward to seeing you in Boston on September 14 ... Sincerely, Rob Kampia Executive Director Marijuana Policy Project Washington, D.C.

[Courtesy of DEA] News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 6, 2007 American Express Bank International Enters Into Deferred Prosecution Agreement And Forfeits $55 Million To Resolve Bank Secrecy Act Violations AUG 6 -- WASHINGTON ­ Miami-based American Express Bank International has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement on charges of failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program and will forfeit $55 million to the U.S. government, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Karen Tandy announced today. A criminal information filed today at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami charges American Express Bank International with one count of failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program. American Express Bank International waived indictment, agreed to the filing of the information, and accepted and acknowledged responsibility for its behavior in a factual statement accompanying the information. The company will pay $55 million to the United States to settle forfeiture claims held by the government. In light of the bank¹s remedial actions to date and its willingness to acknowledge responsibility for its actions, the government will recommend the dismissal of the charge in 12 months, provided the bank fully implements significant anti-money laundering measures required by the agreement. ³Banks and other financial institutions must uphold their responsibility to safeguard financial markets from the illegal activities of international drug cartels and professional money launderers,² said Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division. ³An effective anti-money laundering program is critical to law enforcement efforts to detect and cut off the flow of drug money. The Department of Justice will continue to work to stop financial institutions from knowingly disregarding their obligations to have these vital programs in place.² ³Today an established and respected financial institution learned a valuable lesson about its legal responsibilities. American Express and all legitimate banking organizations must take every step possible to avoid becoming entangled in the web of international drug money laundering,² said DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy. ³Today the message is loud and clear: due diligence-don't take money without it.² The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has also assessed a $25 million civil money penalty against the company for violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve has assessed a $20 million civil money penalty. The $20 million Federal Reserve penalty and $15 million of FinCEN¹s $25 million penalty will be deemed satisfied by the payment of the $55 million forfeiture, resulting in total payments of $65 million by American Express Bank International under these settlements. Under the Bank Secrecy Act, banks are required to establish and maintain an anti-money laundering compliance program that, at a minimum, provides for: (a) internal policies, procedures and controls designed to guard against money laundering; (b) the coordination and monitoring of day-to-day compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act; (c) an ongoing employee training program; and (d) independent testing for compliance conducted by bank personnel or an outside party. Banks are also required to have comprehensive anti-money laundering programs that enable them to identify and report suspicious financial transactions to the U.S. Treasury Department¹s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys John W. Sellers and Thomas Pinder of the Criminal Division¹s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, which is headed by Chief Richard Weber. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration¹s Miami Field Division, Fort Lauderdale District Office.

ASA ACTION: Pursuing the Truth about Medical Marijuana FEDERAL: DEA Interfering with Medical Marijuana Dispensaries OREGON: Feds Escalating Investigation of Patients CALIFORNIA: Merced Patient Wants Seized Property Back CALIFORNIA: Implementation Around the State CALIFORNIA: Dispensary Debates Continue RESEARCH: Biased Reporting Skews Findings -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ASA ACTION: Pursuing the Truth about Medical Marijuana When ASA petitioned to correct misinformation about medical marijuana spread by the federal Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration, the agencies stalled for two years and then refused to respond. So ASA filed suit to force the issue. The judge hearing the case has indicated that ASA may be able to make the government respond, but may have no legal recourse to correct the false information. Yet the law says federal agencies must rely on sound science in the information they disseminate, so ASA will first try to get an answer. And if that answer does not acknowledge the consensus of doctors and scientists about the medical efficacy of marijuana, there will be an appeal. Suit Over Pot's 'Benefit' Stumbles by Matthew Hirsch, The Recorder (CA) An Oakland, Calif.-based nonprofit can't put the federal government on trial for saying that marijuana has no medical use -- but it might get to challenge the government for blowing deadlines, a federal judge in California ruled last week. Americans for Safe Access sued in February after two federal agencies refused to alter government-published statements saying marijuana has "no currently accepted medical use in the United States." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FEDERAL: DEA Interfering with Medical Marijuana Dispensaries In the week after the coordinated raids on medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, editorial pages and patient protests around the state have denounced the interference with state and local handling of public health matters. Collusion between the DEA and rogue elements of the LAPD is being investigated, and local officials are calling for changes in the law. Feds, LAPD freeze Berkeley pot club's assets by Paul T. Rosynsky, Oakland Tribune A city-sanctioned medical marijuana dispensary had its assets frozen this week, prompting some city council members to call for new city laws protecting such businesses. Berkeley medical pot club raided by Carolyn Jones, San Francisco Chronicle The Los Angeles Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency seized the assets of a Berkeley marijuana club Tuesday, following a raid of its sister club in Los Angeles. Backers of medical marijuana protest raids by John Asbury, Press-Enterprise (CA) Medical-marijuana advocates staged a protest in front of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration building in Riverside on Friday to oppose recent raids on Southern California distributors. DEA's Scarlet Letter by Celeste Fremon, LA Weekly The DEA and the City of Los Angeles are at war over medical marijuana. On one side of the fight is the Drug Enforcement Administration, which seems to be doing all within its power to shut down the 180 or so medical-marijuana collectives (as dispensaries are called) in Los Angeles County. COMMENT Only Congress can resolve pot battle EDITORIAL, Daily Breeze (CA) In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled that medical marijuana users could be federally prosecuted, though the court did suggest that supporters of medical marijuana could lobby Congress to change the law. That's where municipal leaders who support regulating medical marijuana at the local level should place their energies. Federal intervention EDITORIAL, Los Angeles Daily News Feds, back off. That's what the Los Angeles City Council and medical marijuana advocates hope will happen by adopting a moratorium on new dispensaries and bringing current ones into compliance while stricter rules are written. Why Don't More Republicans Oppose the DEA's Medical Marijuana Raids? by Jacob Sullum, TownHall.com Last week, the Los Angeles City Council voted for a measure that asked the federal government to stop harassing medical marijuana users in California. Minutes later, the Drug Enforcement Administration raided 10 medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles County. Fed's medipot raid priorities are out of whack by Thomas Elias, Columnist, San Gabriel Valley Tribune (CA) There's something almost idiotic about the obviously confused and misguided way in which federal authorities are trying to enforce anti-marijuana laws in California today. DEAsy Pickings by Dan Bernstein, Columnist, Press-Enterprise (CA) I never realized the Drug Enforcement Agency gets the summer blahs, just like everybody else. But I happened to be talking with a friend who knows all about this stuff. DEA thwarts Montana's medical marijuana law by Robin C. Prosser, OpEd, Billings Gazette (MT) Five years ago, I starved myself to bring attention to the plight of the sick in Montana that need medical marijuana. Two years later, I worked hard on the campaign for our state medical marijuana initiative, which passed with more support than any other.