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For Immediate Release April 7, 2010 Contact Mason Tvert, SAFER executive director, 720-255-4340 Nederland Becomes Third City in Colorado to Remove All Penalties for Adult Marijuana Possession Mayor who opposed measure ousted -- Boulder District Attorney says he's "paying attention to public sentiment" Statement below from SAFER Executive Director Mason Tvert NEDERLAND -- On Tuesday, April 6, a majority of voters in Nederland approved a ballot measure that removed all local penalties for private adult marijuana possession, making the mountain town the third Colorado locality to "legalize" marijuana in the past five years. Denver voters adopted a citizen-initiative to do so in November 2005, and voters in Breckenridge approved a similar measure in November 2009. More than 54 percent of Nederland voters supported the measure in what Town Clerk Christi Icenogle said was a high turn-out election. Voters also ousted incumbent Mayor Martin Cheshes, who had vocally opposed the measure and referred to it as "foolish," replacing him with Trustee Sumaya Abu-Haidar. Prior to the announcement of the vote, the Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett told The Daily Camera: "I'll pay attention if it passes. Marijuana enforcement is a sensitive issue, and it's important to gauge public sentiment.” "It's time for Colorado's elected officials to recognize that many -- and in some cases most -- of their constituents support an end to Marijuana Prohibition," said SAFER Executive Mason Tvert. "Those who fail to do so are the 'foolish' ones, and in some areas it could result in them losing votes. "Nederland is not the first Colorado locality to express its opinion that marijuana should be legal for adults, and it certainly won't be the last," Tvert said. "More and more Coloradans are beginning to recognize the fact that marijuana is far safer than alcohol for the user and for society, and it's only a matter of time before they decide to stand up against irrational laws that drive people to drink by prohibiting them from making the safer choice." Durango, which voted largely in support of the statewide initiative to legalize marijuana in 2006, will likely to vote on a similar local marijuana legalization initiative this November. A recent poll of likely Colorado voters found that 50 percent now support making marijuana legal for adults and regulating it like alcohol. In Denver, ground zero of the statewide movement to reform marijuana laws, polls find # # #

Cultural Baggage * Century of Lies * 4:20 Drug War NEWS Cultural Baggage for 04/04/10 29:00 Scott Bullock of Justice Institute on "Policing for Profit", Allison Holcom of ACLU, ABC interview of drug czar Gil, BBC report on heroin injection in Vancouver LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/2844 TRANSCRIPT: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/2844#comments Century of Lies for 04/04/10 29:00 Jerry Epstein of Drug Policy Forum of Texas on why the drug war continues, Extract from Bill Moyers "Journal" + Russians bring out their dead, Courtesy BBC LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/2845 TRANSCRIPT: TBD 4:20 Drug War NEWS, 04/05 to 04/11/10 Link at www.drugtruth.net on the right margin - Sun - Jerry Epstein, Drug Policy Forum of Texas 2/2 Sat - Jerry Epstein, one of the founders of Drug Policy Forum of Texas Fri - Scott Bullock with Institute for Justice 2/2 Thu - Scott Bullock with Institute for Justice on Policing For Profit Wed - US drug Czar courtesy ABC TV Tue - Allison Holcomb of Wash state ACLU re rights of MJ using employees Mon - Russians bring out their dead, Courtesy BBC 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 to "Face The Inquisition?": Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn of Clergy Against Prohibition Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.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 72 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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Rob Dougherty [email protected] Derek Rosenzweig [email protected] Chris Goldstein [email protected] Philadelphia is not decriminalizing pot Yesterday Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams announced a change in how minor marijuana possession offenses will be treated. To be clear: Philly is not decriminalizing cannabis. However, the shift in prosecutor and court procedures will treat marijuana consumers less harshly while saving the city a significant chunk of public safety resources. PhillyNORML welcomes the change. Arrests for minor marijuana offenses have been growing steadily over the last 5 years. In 2008 there were 4716 adults who faced the stand-alone violation of possession less than 30 grams. There is also a racial disparity to the arrests with over 70% being black men. Again, the pragmatic procedure shift cannot be described as "decriminalization" because Pennsylvania state law still classifies marijuana possession as the lowest level of criminal offense; a Class-A Criminal Misdemeanor. Specifically, the proposed procedure change for marijuana will see a policy made of common practice. Most offenders currently arrested for less than 30 grams in the city plead to disorderly conduct or other lesser offenses. This keeps a drug conviction off their record and allows for a more lenient sentence than the up to 30 days in jail that a pot conviction could net. DA Williams, with the backing of the state Supreme Court, are proposing to have offenders simply pay a fine and go to a diversionary court to streamline the process. This will immediately take the marijuana arrest burden off of the criminal courts. The proposed change would also result in a tangibly less traumatic experience for Philadelphia cannabis consumers who run afoul of prohibition laws. PhillyNORML welcomes an open debate with legislators and the public on the prospect of decriminalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania. There are almost 30,000 marijuana arrests in PA every year, most are for minor possession. www.phillynorml.org CONTACT: Chris Goldstein: [email protected]