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In The Trenches

Drug Truth 07/26/10

Cultural Baggage * Century of Lies * 4:20 Drug War NEWS  *  Time 4 Hemp

Note:  I now produce a segment each Friday at 11:45 PM Central for Time 4 Hemp on American Freedom Radio (dot com)

 

Cultural Baggage for  07/25/10 29:00 Len Richmond, producer of new film: "What if Cannabis Cured Cancer" + Michael Krawitz re VA's allowing med marijuana & Paul Armentano re bogus Govt stats for emergency room visits for marijuana

LINK:   http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/2999

TRANSCRIPT:  Tue

 

Century of Lies for  07/25/10  29:00  Michelle Alexander, author of "The New Jim Crow - Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness"

LINK:   http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/3000

TRANSCRIPT: Mon

 

4:20 Drug War NEWS, 07/26 to 08/01/10  Link at www.drugtruth.net on the right margin -

 

Sun - Paul Armentano of NORML re Sen. Feinstien not representing her consituents Sat - Mason Tvert of Safer Choice on why DARE dares not compare alcohol to marijuana Fri - Neil Franklin, director Law Enforcement Against Prohibiiton on being prohibited from attending SAMHSA conference Thu - Michelle Alexander, author of "The New Jim Crow"

Wed - Mary Jane Borden of Drug War Facts re narco violence in Mexico Tue - Paul Armentano of NORML on emergency room visits for marijuana Mon - Michael Krawitz, executive director of Veterans for Medical Marijuana Access on positive VA ruling on medical cannabis use

 

Programs produced at Pacifica Radio Station KPFT in Houston, 90.1 FM.  You can Listen Live Online at www.kpft.org

 

-  Cultural Baggage Sun, 7:30 PM ET, 6:30 PM CT, 5:30 PM MT, 4:30 PM PT

-  Century of Lies, SUN, 8 PM ET, 7 PM CT, 6 PM MT & 5 PM PT

 

Who's Next?":  Larry Talley of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition 

 

Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.org and now at James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.  http://www.bakerinstitute.org

 

We have potcasts, searchability, CMS, XML, sorts by guest name and by organization. We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates.  You can tune into both our 1/2 hour programs, live, at 6:30 central time on Pacifica's KPFT at http://www.kpft.org  and call in your questions and concerns toll free at 1-877-9-420 420. 

 

The two, 29:00 shows appear along with the seven, daily, 3:00  "4:20 Drug War NEWS" reports each Monday morning at http://www.drugtruth.net .  We currently have 74 affiliated, yet independent broadcast stations.  With a simple email request to [email protected] , your station can join the Drug Truth Network, free of charge.

 

Check out our latest videos via www.youtube.com/fdbecker  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, DTN Producer, 713-462-7981, www.drugtruth.net

Blog
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LEAPlogo.png

Pro-Legalization Cops Banned from Anti-Drug Event

There's something very seductive about police officers speaking out against the drug war and explaining how their experiences led them to oppose prohibition. Maybe that's why government officials don't want LEAP represented at an upcoming conference on substance abuse:

Blog
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bill-clinton-vienna.jpg

Bill Clinton Calls for Harm Reduction

Three new videos from the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, filmed at the Vienna AIDS 2010 conference this month. In one of them, former US President Bill Clinton calls for harm reduction, an approach to substance misuse and other social issues of which the most well-known example is needle exchange programs.

Blog

It could be a lot worse

Sometimes I get so frustrated at the way the governments,federal and provincial(state in US)are poking their noses into every thing we do and say.We live in a world that is increasingly more contro

Blog

Brain Surgery

Putting the criminal justice system in charge of treating drug addiction is literally attempting to do brain surgery with a billy club. ==== My own idea. Pass it on.

In The Trenches

The DEA is Out of Control: We Can Stop This!

Dear friends,

President Obama's nomination of Michele Leonhart to be permanent head of the DEA is a trial balloon - a test of strength and resolve.

The nomination of a ruthless prohibitionist is a test of whether he takes himself seriously when he says that the federal government is going to stop wasting time, money and people on medical marijuana raids in states where it is legal. It is, more significantly, a test of whether he takes the drug reform movement seriously.

And the only way he will take us seriously is if we write now telling President Obama to replace Acting Administrator Michele Leonhart with someone who respects the rights of the ill and vulnerable.

If you have received appeals from our allies in drug policy reform, please send those along as well as ours.

Every email they receive counts.

Obama's pandering to the prohibitionists is a trial balloon.

We need to shoot it full of lead.

Thank you,



Neill Franklin
Executive Director
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition



Your donation puts LEAP speakers in front of audiences. To support LEAP's work by making a contribution, please click here.





           

121 Mystic Ave. Suites 8&9
Medford, MA 01255
(781) 393-6985 [email protected]

We need help growing our all-encompassing movement of citizens who want to end the failed "war on drugs," so please invite your family and friends to learn about LEAP.

 

In The Trenches

Federal Drug Agency Bans Pro-Legalization Police Group From Conference (Press Release)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 22, 2010 CONTACT: Tom Angell - (202) 557-4979 or [email protected] Federal Drug Agency Bans Pro-Legalization Police Group From Conference SAMHSA Doesn't Want Views Expressed at Treatment Event in Chicago CHICAGO, IL -- A group of police officers, judges and prosecutors who support legalizing and regulating drugs is crying foul after a federal agency reneged on a contract that gave the law enforcers a booth to share their anti-prohibition views at a government-sponsored treatment conference in Chicago next week. After accepting registration payment from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration initially told the police group that it was canceling its booth at the National Conference on Women, Addiction and Recovery because of overbooking and space concerns. However, Sharon Amatetti of SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment later informed LEAP that, in a decision rising all the way to SAMHSA Administrator Pamela Hyde's office, the group was actually being disinvited for its viewpoint. "It's alarming that the federal government is trying to silence the voices of front-line police officers who just want to network and collaborate with treatment professionals to achieve our shared goal of preventing substance abuse through effective public policy," said Neill Franklin, a former narcotics cop with the Maryland State Police and Baltimore Police Department who is now executive director of LEAP. "Perhaps the administration was most concerned that LEAP's law enforcers planned to shine a spotlight on the fact that under President Obama, the White House's drug control budget maintains the same two-to-one funding ratio in favor of harsh enforcement tactics over effective public health approaches." On a phone call with LEAP, Pamela Rodriguez of conference co-host TASC, Inc. of Illinois said that the police group wasn't welcome at the event because "our policy perspective and our policy objectives are different from you guys." She added, "It is the emphasis on prohibition vs. legalization that, for me at least, is the glaring dissonance with regard to our agenda." SAMHSA has since refunded LEAP's money. The conference takes place July 26-28 at Chicago's Downtown Magnificent Mile Marriott Hotel. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) and its 30,000 supporters represent police, prosecutors, judges, FBI/DEA agents and others who want to legalize and regulate drugs after fighting on the front lines of the "war on drugs" and learning firsthand that prohibition only serves to worsen addiction and violence. Info at www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com. # # #
Latest News

Rutgers turns down Gov. Christie's offer to grow N.J. crop of medical marijuana

Federal drug prohibition often uses the power of the purse to control the drug policies of the various states. Rutgers University has declined a request from Gov. Chris Christie’s administration to be the lone grower of New Jersey’s medical marijuana crop because the drug’s illegal status would jeopardize millions of dollars in federal funding. The governor was counting on Rutgers to be the sole grower and a number of teaching hospitals to be the only sellers as a counter proposal to the law that passed before he became governor that would allow up to six nonprofits to provide and distribute the drug.
Latest News

Psychedelic Medicine: Using Ecstasy to Treat PTSD

It looks like drug prohibition cost post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) sufferers more than a quarter century. After MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, over 80 percent of sufferers from PTSD no longer meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, as compared to only 25 percent in the control group. Before being criminalized 25 years ago, MDMA (Ecstasy) was used by a circle of therapists for a variety of purposes.
Latest News
Latest News

Marijuana From Mom: Mother Says Drug Helps Son Cope with Severe OCD

After exhausting all of the other options available to help her son, Judy Mendoza turned to medical marijuana and found it worked wonders. Rather than smoke it, children who use medical marijuana consume the drug infused into butters or breads, or concentrated in liquid form, called a "tincture," that can be placed under the tongue for more rapid effect.
Blog
drug reformer
drug reformer

Jane Hamsher Talks Marijuana Legalization on MSNBC

Hey, watch this unbelievable video of firedoglake's Jane Hamsher hurling marijuana legalization like a hand grenade into the middle of the immigration debate:




…and everyone just nods in stunned agreement. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I sure haven't seen much coverage of marijuana policy on MSNBC recently, if ever. Is it necessary to tell them you'll be discussing immigration in order to get some airtime for legalization on the most left-leaning cable news network?

It's time to stop labeling marijuana reform as a liberal issue when FOX News has two pundits talking about it constantly, and MSNBC's got nothing to say.

Chronicle

Do You Read Drug War Chronicle?

Do you read Drug War Chronicle? If so, we need your feedback to evaluate our work and make the case for Drug War Chronicle to funders. We need donations too.
Chronicle

Weekly: Blogging @ the Speakeasy

"Jane Hamsher Talks Marijuana Legalization on MSNBC," "Diane Feinstein Wants to Continue Arresting Marijuana Users, and Other News," "How to Get Arrested for Marijuana in One Easy Step," "The New Politics of Marijuana Reform," "DARE Attacks Marijuana Legalization While Praising Alcohol."
Chronicle
Chronicle
Ciudad Juarez
Ciudad Juarez

Mexico Drug War Update

Last Friday, the Juarez Cartel unveiled a frightening tactical innovation: the car bomb. Meanwhile, the killing goes on...
Chronicle
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orangesunshine_0.jpg

Review: "Orange Sunshine: The Brotherhood of Eternal Love"

In the late 1960s, a small group of California surf bums and teenage working-class troublemakers took LSD, found God, and set out to turn on the world. Nicholas Schou's "Orange Sunshine: The Brotherhood of Eternal Love and Its Quest to Spread Peace, Love, and Acid to the World," from St. Martin's Press, is their story.
In The Trenches

D.A.R.E. to DONATE: Help SSDP fight anti-drug propaganda!

 


Act now!Make a donation today to help SSDP continue our
important work.

Dear friends,

Today is the final day of D.A.R.E.'s annual conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.  And they are mad.  They're losing the drug war, and they are grasping at anything to stop our progress. 

As the only drug policy reform organization representing students and youth, SSDP is directly countering the propaganda machine at D.A.R.E.  We're advocating for alternative drug education and prevention programs based on science and compassion, not a rabid ideology.  

In order to keep fighting their propaganda, we need your support.  Can you help us bring more students to our 2011 SSDP International Conference by making a contribution now?  

Unlike the D.A.R.E. conference, where attendees spend upwards of $800 on a single registration fee, we raise funds year-round for our conference scholarship fund, to help cover the travel and lodging costs of students from around the world.  Will you D.A.R.E. to make a donation to SSDP's scholarship fund that will go directly to students?  (Don't worry, we won't spend it on a custom painted Mustang sports cars or lion costumes, like D.A.R.E. does with your tax dollars.)  

Help us make SSDP's 2011 International Conference bigger and better than D.A.R.E.'s by making a donation online RIGHT NOW!

Sincerely,

Jonathan Perri

Associate Director

Students for Sensible Drug Policy

http://www.ssdp.org/donate

In The Trenches

Call Congress Today to Tell Them to Vote YES for Crack Cocaine Sentencing Reform

Please Support S. 1789, the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010

Take Action!

Call Your Representative Today

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

Early next week, the House of Representatives may vote on legislation, recently passed unanimously by the Senate, to reduce the 100-to-1 sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine to 18-to-1. The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, S. 1789, also would eliminate the mandatory minimum for simple possession of crack cocaine (5 years for 5 grams without intent to distribute). The U.S. Sentencing Commission estimates the changes could reduce the average crack cocaine sentence by nearly 30 months and reduce the federal prison population by 3,800 over 10 years.

NACDL has been working hard with a diverse group of allies to pass this legislation, but we need your help now. Please call your representative today to ask them to vote yes for the Fair Sentencing Act.   If you have never called your Member of Congress before, it's quick and easy. Now is the time to make your voice heard.

Please Take Action by clicking the link and/or entering your zip code to contact your U.S. House of Representatives. Suggested talking points are provided once you follow the instructions and links.

 

Thank you for taking a few moments to help pass this long overdue, historic legislation.

 

Kyle O'Dowd

Associate Executive Director for Policy 

In The Trenches

MPP Insider Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 4

 

Newsletter V1_I4 Header

 

MPP calls for Obama to withdraw nomination of DEA head

Newsletter V1_I4 LeonhartThe Marijuana Policy Project, along with a coalition of allies, has called for President Obama to withdraw the nomination of Michele Leonhart as DEA Administrator. Under Leonhart's leadership the DEA has staged medical marijuana raids in direct defiance of Attorney General Eric Holder's directive to respect state medical marijuana laws. Read more...

Maine licenses its first dispensaries as New Mexico approves more

Newsletter V1_I4 DispensaryMaine's medical marijuana law has taken a great stride in the right direction as the state issues the first licenses to dispensaries there. This is the implementation of a law passed last November when residents voted on an MPP-drafted initiative to add dispensaries to the state's existing medical marijuana legislation. Read more...

DEA violates federal medical marijuana policy!

Newsletter V1_I4 DEAThe DEA, under Michele Leonhart, has once again thumbed its nose at the Obama administration's directive to not interfere with medical marijuana providers legally operating within state laws. Raids conducted in California last week on state-legal medical marijuana operations have yet to be explained by the DEA. Read more...

Marijuana use has little association with emergency room visits

Newsletter V1_I4 EmergencyUniversity of Michigan researchers have come to the conclusion that marijuana use is associated with the lowest rate of drug-related emergency room visits. Though unlikely to change the minds of drug-warriors across America, this data is a valuable tool in countering their rhetoric. Read more...

Tweet much?

Newsletter V1_I4 TwitterWe do! Make sure you're following MPP on Twitter! It's fast, easy, and free to sign-up so what are you waiting for? MPP's Twitter page is a great way to get up-to-date stories related to marijuana prohibition, interact with other supporters, and stay current on all the latest in marijuana policy reform. Join us today!

 

The MPP Insider - Video Edition

Newsletter V1_I4 Insider

Newsletter Ad - Give By Cell (fixed)

Featured Person

Newsletter V1_I4 VictimEsequiel Hernandez, a U.S. citizen, was shot and killed by Marines patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border for drug smugglers.
Hear his story...

Your help is key!

Raised in '10: $2,212,339
Goal in '10: $3,400,000

MPP will be able to tackle all of the projects in our 2010 strategic plan if you help us meet this challenge.

 

To contact MPP, please click here or reply to this e-mail. Our mailing address is Marijuana Policy Project, 236 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20002. Any donations you make to MPP may be used for political purposes, such as supporting or opposing candidates for federal office.

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