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AK74

The things you learn on this site.I had never heard of the AK74 or Kalakov before.Now I find they're trading them for heroin on the Afghan border.The commercial prospects of this drug war never cease
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Drug Czar's Office Admits that Drug Enforcement Can't Be Proven to Work

In a superb column at AlterNet on our nation's world-leading drug use rates, MPP's Bruce Mirken calls attention to this shocking concession from the Drug Czar's office:

Trying to find a link between drug use and drug enforcement doesn't make sense, said Tom Riley, spokesman for the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy in Washington. "The U.S. has high crime rates but we spend a lot on law enforcement and prison,'' Riley said yesterday in a telephone interview. "Should we spend less? We're just a different kind of country. We have higher drug use rates, a higher crime rate, many things that go with a highly free and mobile society."

It is just an incredibly strange argument to emerge from the very people who've tirelessly defended the efficacy of law-enforcement as an essential component of our drug policy. I mean seriously, what on earth is he trying to say? Moreover, who are they to boast about our "highly free and mobile society" presiding as they do over our nation's largest campaign to reduce American freedom? There's no freedom or mobility for the 500,000 Americans they've banished behind bars for drug crimes. We wouldn't even have the "higher crime rate" he speaks of if we didn’t make crimes of things that shouldn’t be.

When I first learned of the new World Health Organization data showing that Americans use marijuana and cocaine at dramatically higher rates than the Netherlands, I asked myself how the Drug Czar's office could even begin to respond. It's a point they've been dodging for decades, thrust suddenly upon them in the form of a credible study that focuses directly upon that which they've sought so desperately to disregard. Nonetheless, I am honestly surprised that, in their infinite slipperiness, they couldn't come up with something better than this.
Blog

With the World's Highest Drug Use Rates, Our Fraudulent Drug Policy is Fully Exposed

What could more conclusively demonstrate the embarrassing failure of our drug war than this?

Despite tough anti-drug laws, a new survey shows the U.S. has the highest level of illegal drug use in the world.

The World Health Organization's survey of legal and illegal drug use in 17 countries, including the Netherlands and other countries with less stringent drug laws, shows Americans report the highest level of cocaine and marijuana use.

For example, Americans were four times more likely to report using cocaine in their lifetime than the next closest country, New Zealand (16% vs. 4%),

Marijuana use was more widely reported worldwide, and the U.S. also had the highest rate of use at 42.4% compared with 41.9% of New Zealanders.

In contrast, in the Netherlands, which has more liberal drug policies than the U.S., only 1.9% of people reported cocaine use and 19.8% reported marijuana use. [CBSNews]

As Jacob Sullum points out:

…it's striking that the lifetime marijuana use rate in the U.S. (42.4 percent) is more than twice as high as the rate in the Netherlands (19.8 percent), despite the latter country's famously (or notoriously, depending on your perspective) tolerant cannabis policies. The difference for lifetime cocaine use is even bigger: The U.S. rate (16.2 percent) is eight times the Dutch rate (1.9 percet).

The Drug Czar's kneejerk description of Dutch drug policy as a raging trainwreck is thoroughly annihilated for everyone to see, and there's really just nothing else to say about it. Other countries are achieving much more desirable outcomes without incurring the massive social and fiscal costs of our towering war on drugs. Admittedly, Americans may possess a unique predisposition to enjoy these substances, but that's exactly the point; the more drugs we use, the greater the consequences if our policy towards drug use utterly sucks.
Event
In The Trenches

Americans for Safe Access: July 2008 Activist Newsletter

Student Members of AMA Endorse Access to Medical Marijuana

Resolution Goes to Full American Medical Association for November Vote

The prestigious American Medical Association (AMA) will consider endorsing therapeutic use of cannabis at its next interim meeting in November.

In June, the Medical Student Section (MSS) of the AMA, led by an ASA medical advisor, approved a resolution urging the physicians group to support the reclassification of marijuana for medical use. The MSS will send the resolution to the AMA House of Delegates for a final vote in November.

"While it is an historic occasion for any section of the AMA to endorse medical marijuana, the MSS is merely affirming existing science and urging the adoption of a sensible medical marijuana policy," said AMA-MSS member Sunil Aggarwal, who serves on ASA's Medical and Scientific Advisory Board and is pushing the effort to gain AMA endorsement. "As a future medical doctor, I look forward to exploring and utilizing the many medical benefits of cannabinoid medicines in patient care."

With nearly 50,000 members, the MSS is the largest and most influential organization of medical students in the United States.

"This is a positive and necessary step in the right direction," said Dr. David Ostrow, a member of the AMA and Chair of ASA's Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. "We are hopeful that the full house of delegates will follow the example set by the American College of Physicians and place the needs and safety of our patients above politics."

In February, the American College of Physicians (ACP) adopted a resolution that called for rescheduling marijuana to make it available by prescription and expanding research into its medical efficacy. With 124,000 members, the ACP is the country's second largest physician group and the largest organization of doctors of internal medicine.

Since 1996, twelve U.S. states have adopted medical marijuana laws. Public opinion polls consistently show that as many as 4 out of 5 Americans support access to medical marijuana.

The AMA-MSS resolution is online here.

ASA Fights Counties' Challenge to Calif. Medical Cannabis Law

Joins ACLU and State AG in Arguing Appeal of ID Card Ruling

Two California counties faced off against ASA, the ACLU and the state attorney general in appeals court last month, arguing whether the state's medical cannabis law should be enforced. San Diego and San Bernardino counties do not want to implement California's patient ID program and are appealing a superior court ruling that said they must.

ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford

In an unusual move by the justices, an overflow room was set up with television coverage from the courtroom to accommodate the extraordinary turnout in court to hear oral arguments from ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford, Adam Wolfe of the American Civil Liberties Union and Deputy Attorney General Peter Krause.

The counties are contending that federal law preempts California's medical marijuana laws. San Bernardino also argues that when the legislature added the card program they unconstitutionally amend the 1996 initiative enacted by voters.

Attorneys for patients told the justices that they should affirm the lower court ruling that California's decision not to arrest or prosecute medical marijuana patients is valid, even if the federal government prohibits all marijuana use.

"States have traditionally been entrusted with caring for the health and welfare of their citizens," said ASA's Elford. "Proper implementation of California's medical marijuana laws benefits patients, law enforcement, and the entire state."

The case is the result of the November 2005 vote by San Diego County Board of Supervisors to challenge the legislature's patient ID card program, a move that was joined by two others, San Bernardino and Merced. Merced agreed to implement the program after it lost the case in November 2006.

"San Diego and San Bernardino Counties remain intent on defying the will of California's voters and the well-being of thousands of sick and dying patients at tremendous taxpayer expense," said Adam Wolf, the ACLU attorney. "The counties' legally dubious lawsuit is a slap in the face to medical marijuana patients and the voters of California."
A ruling in the case from the California 4th District Court of Appeal is expected later this summer.

Additional information on the case is available online here.

ASA Chapter Focus: Western North Carolina

Among the affiliates of Americans for Safe Access enjoying recent success in defending patient rights is the Western North Carolina chapter, ASAWNC. Chapter members testified last month before the state legislature in support of making medical use legal in North Carolina, and the director's caregiver prevailed in an important court case.

On June 25, ASAWNC members traveled across the state to the capitol in Raleigh for the North Carolina House Science & Technology committee hearing regarding NC H.R. 2405, which is a bill to study the public benefits of allowing medical marijuana in the state. Joining ASAWNC director Jean Marlowe in testifying before the committee in support of the bill was former Surgeon-General Dr. Jocelyn Elders, as well as Dr. Laura Hanson of Chapel Hill and patient Dixie Deerman, who is a Registered Nurse in Asheville.

That testimony came just two days after Steve Marlowe, Jean's caregiver, won an important ruling in state court, where he was facing state marijuana charges. The judge threw out all evidence obtained with the search warrant, ruling that the informant used by the Polk County Sheriff's Department was "not a credible witness" and that they had acted with "willful intent, or with reckless disregard for the law" in using this informant as a basis for their search warrant. As a result, all charges were dismissed later that day.

By the end of the week, the District Attorney had ordered the sheriff to return all property taken from the Marlowes, except for the marijuana. This was the third time law enforcement has been ordered to return equipment to the Marlowe home. ASAWNC made sure news media was on hand to cover the return of property.

For more about ASAWNC, see their videos on YouTube at
www.youtube.com/asawnc and www.youtube.com/marloweism.

RESEARCH UPDATES

Cannabinoids Fight Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Tumor Growth

Swedish researchers report success using the endocannabinoid system to fight non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The findings, published in the International Journal of Cancer, show that a cannabinoid agonist halts the spread and growth of cancerous tumors in animals with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Investigators report that mice treated with the cannabinoid agonist experienced a 40 percent reduction in tumor weight.

The researchers conclude that ability of cannabinoids to both restrict the proliferation of cancer cells and reprogram the cells to die off makes "the endocannabinoid system a potential new therapeutic target for individualized therapy in lymphomas."

These findings are consistent with earlier studies that have shown cannabinoids can halt the spread of many types of cancers, including brain, breast, lung, prostate and pancreatic cancers.

New Anti-inflammatory Compound Found in Cannabis

A new anti-inflammatory compound that is not psychoactive has been found in large concentrations in the cannabis plant. The compound, which can ease swelling, pain and inflammation, may lead to the development of new treatments for such diseases as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease.

The chemical, called beta-caryophyllene, helps combat inflammation without affecting the brain. Researchers demonstrated in an animal study that beta-caryophyllene attaches to CB-2 cannabinoid receptors, producing the anti-inflammatory effect, but not to the CB-1 receptors, which are associated with the psychoactive effects of THC and other cannabinoids.

Analysis of cannabis has found it to contain as much as 35% beta-caryophyllene. Other common plants that contain the oil include black pepper, oregano, basil, lime, cinnamon, carrots, and celery.

Clinical Neuropathy Trial Shows Cannabis Effective

Even low doses of smoked cannabis can be effective in managing hard-to-treat neuropathic pain, according to California researchers. Investigators found that low- and high-dose cannabis produced similar levels of pain relief, reducing both the intensity and unpleasantness of the often unbearable nerve pain.

The researchers note that cannabis not only fights pain itself but also interacts with opiod painkillers to increase their effectiveness, particularly in neuropathic pain. They also note that using isolated synthetic cannabinoids such as THC (dronabinol) does not provide the same degree of efficacy as a whole-plant preparation of cannabis.

In conclusion, investigators observe that "cannabis does not rely on a relaxing or tranquillizing effect but rather reduces both the core component of nociception [the nerve transmission of pain] and the emotional aspect of the pain experience to an equal degree."

Case Studies Show THC Can Relieve Depression

While many patients report cannabis use has a positive impact on mental health issues ranging from anxiety to depression, such use is controversial and rarely studied. A recent pair of case studies from Austria, published last month in the journal of the International Association for Cannabis as Medicine, describe oral administration of synthetic THC (dronabinol) helping two women with chronic depression. The author reports that 8 out of 10 depressive patients he has treated with synthetic THC exhibited "swift improvement." He concludes that clinical studies of the "effectiveness of cannabinoids for the treatment of depression … are desirable and promising."

NATIONAL ACTION ALERT
Defend Patients and Caregivers, Tell Congress to Stop Funding Medical Marijuana Raids Today!

It's time to stop wasting taxpayer dollars on raiding state-licensed patients and providers. Congress can do it. The Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment to the Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill instructs the Department of Justice to use its money wisely and specifically prohibits the Department from using appropriated funds to conduct raids or otherwise prevent the various states from implementing laws that authorize the therapeutic use of cannabis.

Tell your U.S. Representative that, if adopted, this amendment will do two things:

(1) Conserve taxpayers' money by eliminating funding for DEA raids aimed at state-certified medical cannabis patients and caregivers.

(2) Protect legal medical cannabis patients from having their homes and workspaces raided by the DEA.
For phone numbers of your representatives go to: www.house.gov or call the congressional switchboard at: (202) 224-3121.

Or contact George@AmericansforSafeAccess for additional info.

In The Trenches

Fresno Supervisors to Hold Hearing on Medical Marijuana ID Card Program July 8

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
JULY 3, 2008

Fresno Supervisors to Hold Hearing on Medical Marijuana ID Card Program July 8
Patients, Advocates to Highlight Program's Importance at July 7 Medical Marijuana Documentary Screening

CONTACT: Aaron Smith, MPP California organizer, 707-575-9870

FRESNO, Calif. — The Fresno County Board of Supervisors will conduct a public hearing on the local implementation of the statewide Medical Marijuana Identification Card Program, 9 a.m., July 8, in the County Board Chambers in the Hall of Records at 2281 Tulare St.

    Although 40 California counties have implemented the program – including Merced, Tulare, Inyo and San Benito as well as Los Angeles, Orange and Kern – Fresno has yet to act.

    Patients and advocates from across the county, including Diana Kirby, 66, will attend the hearing. Kirby uses physician-approved medical marijuana, under state law, to treat severe pain from an auto accident that resulted in having her leg amputated.

    "Patients like me shouldn't have to worry about being falsely arrested because our county isn't offering the ID cards," Kirby said. "Let's hope our elected officials do the right thing for patients and taxpayers by implementing this program."

    Aaron Smith, California organizer for the Marijuana Policy Project, noted that the program – mandated by a state law that went into effect in 2004 – benefits law enforcement by removing the burden of verifying patient documentation from officers on the street. The ID card provides a means for local peace officers to easily identify bona fide medical marijuana patients during enforcement stops.

    "We are merely calling on the Board of Supervisors to follow existing state law so that suffering patients like Diana do not have to live in fear of false arrest at the expense of local taxpayers," Smith said. "It is the duty of the county's leaders to protect their most vulnerable citizens and to make the jobs of local law enforcement easier by providing them with all the tools available. This program is a major step in the right direction."

    To help educate the community about this and other medical marijuana issues facing Fresno, MPP will host a free screening of the award-winning medical marijuana documentary "Waiting to Inhale," followed by a panel discussion, July 7, at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 2672 E. Alluvial Ave., in Clovis.

    With more than 25,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.

####
In The Trenches

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition: The LEAP Report July 2008

This issue… Make the LEAP Volunteer of the Month Did you Know? LEAP on Capitol Hill State by State Campus Communities/ What People are Saying About LEAP Making Media International Overtures Make the LEAP Following the announcement that Damage Done: The Drug War Odyssey had become available on DVD in the LEAP Store, many of our members rushed to order their copies. The DVDs are on their way… and a great, simple way to take action is to recommend the film to others. If you haven’t yet ordered a DVD and would like to, you can do so by visiting the LEAP Store. Volunteer of the Month Don’t Mess with Texas – Jim Kilpatrick has made a decision to bring change to his state. He began booking speaker Russ Jones around Austin, Texas and didn’t stop there. Jim managed to book gigs for Mike Gilbert and Dean Becker as well. This month he isn’t thinking only of Texas; he is also working to book Mike Gilbert in Alaska. Since coming on board as a LEAP volunteer, Jim has put speakers in front of an average of five audiences a month. Did you know? June 17, 2008 marked the 37th anniversary of the day former President Richard Nixon declared illegal drugs “public enemy number one” and announced his “War on Drugs”. Today, the War on Drugs metaphor continues to haunt us. As Laura Carlsen writes in her article “Militarizing Mexico: The New War on Drugs”, published July 12, 2007 in Foreign Policy in Focus, “with the metaphor of “war”, the president transferred responsibility from state and local governments, where the emphasis was on treatment of illegal drug use within the framework of a community or health problem, to federal coordination that addressed treatment but also established special enforcement agencies directly under the presidential mandate. The U.S. model not only served to bolster the presidency, it has also proven useful as a tool for geopolitical control abroad. By elevating drug trafficking to a matter of national security, the war on drugs model has led to U.S. intervention in the politics of both drug-producing and transit nations. It has been used to justify the militarization of whole regions of foreign nations (Colombia), invasions to oust inconvenient foreign leaders (Panama), and now the extension of the U.S. security agenda into a neighboring country (Mexico). LEAP on Capitol Hill Contributed by DC Education Specialist, Howard Wooldridge Washington, DC hosts many national and international conferences. Recently I attended three: GOAL (Gay Officers Action League), Break the Chains and the ACLU membership conference. Six years after LEAP’s foundation, I was gratified to see how many people already knew of our organization and its mission to end the Modern Prohibition. At the GOAL conference I was struck by the stories of gays who ‘came out’ and the similarities that LEAP members have ‘coming out’ against the War on Drugs. LEAP, of course, still allows for ‘stealth’ membership, since being openly against prohibition could hurt or perhaps even destroy a law enforcement career. As the French say, “Plus ca change, plus reste la même chose” (the more that changes, the more that stays the same). Perhaps a slight majority who heard my presentation agreed with the LEAP mission, many did not. Privacy issues are important to all adults, but many, too many, still cling to allowing the government to enter our homes and arrest us for putting something in our mouth the government does not approve of. Break the Chains conference featured two of our speakers, Matthew Fogg and Judge Billy Murphy. They spoke simply and forcefully for legalization. Few openly agreed with them, but all attendees agreed that the War on Drugs causes many problems. The pastor of a large Baltimore church and I had a long discussion. After 30 minutes of talking, he is not sure if he supports the War on Drugs anymore. One at a time. I proudly wore my LEAP t-shirt at the ACLU Conference which resulted in dozens of little chats of why and how to end modern prohibition. Naturally, the listeners agreed and enthusiastically supported the LEAP message. Wearing the shirt and cowboy hat helped me stick out like a sore thumb which meant the vast majority of the two thousand attendees at least read the message. Although our issue has not yet caught fire at the national level, we are all laying the foundation to turn it into a bonfire when it does. State by State When the director of the Hammer Museum, located in Los Angeles on the UCLA campus and founded by the famous Armand Hammer family, called to ask for speakers for a forum on the lost war on drugs, LEAP jumped at the chance to send two of its best, California Judge Jim Gray, author of “Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About It: A Judicial Indictment of the War on Drugs” and retired Seattle Chief of Police Norm Stamper, author of “Breaking Rank: A Top Cop’s Expose of the Dark Side of American Policing”. The addition of Marc Mauer of the “The Sentencing Project” morphed the forum into a discussion of America’s Prison State and its roots in Prohibition. While in California, Norm made a number of appearances including an interview with the Reason Foundation TV outlet. Even if the presidential candidates aren’t talking about the War on Drugs, the people who comprise political parties have made it a priority. Terry Nelson spoke to a partisan group in Ft Worth, Texas about the tactics we are using to end prohibition; while Jack Cole spoke to a partisan group in Boston, Massachusetts and Tony Ryan addressed a local club in Sioux Falls, North Dakota. LEAP staff member Barb Humphrey was honored as Party Member of the Year for her home community of Syracuse, New York; she used the opportunity to introduce influential community members to LEAP. Mike Gilbert is making the rounds in the San Antonio, Texas area as he prepares for his big trip to Alaska in July. The Alaskan Drug Policy Forum is hosting a two week tour of the state that will include time in Anchorage and Fairbanks. Watch the LEAP events page online for details on all the LEAP events.
In The Trenches

The Sentencing Project: Disenfranchisement News/Updates 7/03/08

Michigan: Officials' Misunderstanding Leads to Misinformed, Nonvoting Citizens' Formerly incarcerated citizens often return to their communities "with the intention of addressing a system that unjustly led to their incarceration," according to a Detroit advocacy group, Helping Our Prisoners Elevate (H.O.P.E.). "Most people that go to prison gain a greater awareness," H.O.P.E.'s Kwasi Akwamu was quoted as saying in a recent Michigan Citizen article. "We encourage ex-prisoners to vote - to become part of that process and change those harsh policies." Although individuals who have served prison time regain their rights upon release, many are unaware of reenfranchisement laws in Michigan, and nationwide. In the article, The Sentencing Project's Executive Director Marc Mauer cites a 10-state survey in which 31% of local election officials misunderstood voting laws, thus misinforming formerly incarcerated individuals. "It's the lack of information," stated Mauer. "There's no systematic means by which they are informed of their right to vote." Tennessee: Lawsuit Aims to Strike Down "Poll Tax," Restore Rights A lawsuit brought by the Atlanta-based ACLU Voting Rights Project challenges the constitutionality of the state's law, which does not automatically restore rights after individuals complete their sentence. Furthermore, citizens charged with felony offenses are banned from voting if they owe child support or court-ordered restitution. Preliminary motions will be heard in Nashville later this month. One of the 90,000 citizens barred from voting in Tennessee is 20-year-old Louis Horton, who received three months in prison and two years of probation for burglary. After serving his time, Horton attempted to have his rights restored, but was denied because he owed about $4,000 in court-ordered restitution. "I been saying every vote counts," said Horton. "Now, I don't know that I would vote for Obama strictly because he's a black man. I like what he has to say. The only thing I can say for sure is this is a year where it would be nice to stick my vote in there, too." According to the Tennessean, Horton, who is one of three men named in the suit, is one of thousands of African Americans who are disproportionately arrested, charged and convicted of crimes, which are pushing to regain the right to vote. Between January 1 and June 24 of this year, 469 former felons requested and received a restoration of their voting rights. Others affected by the law include Alex Friedmann, who wasn't immediately interested in his voting rights after completing his sentence, but believed his vote should be counted. "When you get out, your priorities are to find a place to live, earn an income, and if you are like most people, get your personal life in order ... repair relationships with your family," said Friedmann, who is associate editor of Prison Legal News. "Voting rights generally don't figure in until you have reached a certain point of stability." For more coverage, read a blog post from Knoxville's WBIR.com. National: "Illogical System" in Florida in Need of "Complete Overhaul" A New York Times editorial advocating for automatic restoration in Florida, states that "the United States is uniquely unforgiving" in its disenfranchisement laws. Despite the state's disenfranchisement reform last year, the New York Times argues that restoring rights only to citizens convicted of nonviolent offenses is "short of what's needed," and suggests a "complete overhaul of a wildly illogical system." It also states that the extensive background checks are unnecessary and time consuming for a short-staffed Parole Commission. The editorial further states: "Quite apart from the fact that it is undemocratic to bar people from the voting booth because they owe money, the system is transparently counterproductive since it prevents people from landing the jobs they will need to make restitution. Denying ex-offenders a chance to make an honest living is a sure way to drive them back to jail." - - - - - - 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
In The Trenches

Drug Truth 07/03/08 + John Stossel on Next COL

The Unvarnished Truth About the Drug War From the Drug Truth Network: ABC's John Stossel joins us on next weeks Century of Lies !!! (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 07/02/08 Professor Arnold Trebach, author of Fatal Distraction + LEAP report from Terry Nelson, Glenn Greenway with Poppygate report, OP-ED from Bruce Mirken of Marijuana Policy Project & Amsterdam prohibits tobacco not pot. MP3 LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=audio/download/1952/FDBCB_070208.mp3 TRANSCRIPT: (To be posted by Friday) Century of Lies for 07/01/08 Cliff Thornton of Efficacy discusses the political implications of the drug war + Russ Bellville of NORML's audio stash opinion piece & Loretta Nall discusses Alabama's justice system. MP3 Link: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=audio/download/1951/COL_070108.mp3 TRANSCRIPT: (Tramscript on Saturday) 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: Ryan King of Sentencing Project - Century of Lies 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: John Stossel of ABC 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, 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
In The Trenches

2008 NORML Conference Announced - Call for Speakers and Panel Suggestions

Hello all, First, please save the dates of October 17-19, 2008 and make plans to join us for NORML's 37th annual national conference in Berkeley, California. This year's theme is "It's Not Your Parents' Prohibition!" Below is the basic information to make your discounted room reservation. Second, please forward any speaker or panel topic suggestions for this year's conference to '[email protected]'. The NORML conference planning committee is seeking activists' and stakeholders' input on potential speakers and topics to help round out the current schedule. This year's conference program is shaping up similar to last year's format in Los Angeles: Ten or so plenary sessions, two or three featured speakers, three breakout sessions and an entire day focusing on medical marijuana and ever-evolving medical marijuana industry (Sunday, October 19). Please make your room reservations and travel arrangements ASAP to assure that you're in attendance at America's most popular pro-cannabis reform conference. Conference registration information and a listing of social events will be posted shortly. Thanks for your attention, help and support, -Allen St. Pierre Executive Director NORML/NORML Foundation Member, Board of Directors NORML/NORML Foundation 1600 K St., NW Suite 501 Washington, D.C. 20006 ***** Who: National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) What: NORML's 37th National Conference Conference Theme: "It's Not Your Parents' Prohibition!" When: October 17-19, 2008 Where: Doubletree Berkeley Marina, Berkeley, CA Discounted room rates available ($159/night), call now as NORML's rooms always sell out! How: Reservation Line is 510-548-7920, use the code 'NOR' for the discount. Reserve online at: http://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/groups/personalized/JBKCADT-NOR-20081010/index.jhtml (use the code 'NOR' for the discount)
In The Trenches

International Drug Policy Consortium Supplemental Alert - June 2008

[Courtesy of IDPC] The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) is a global network of NGOs and professional networks that specialise in issues related to illegal drug production and use. The Consortium aims to promote objective and open debate on the effectiveness, direction and content of drug policies at national and international level, and supports evidence-based policies that are effective in reducing drug-related harm. It disseminates the reports of its member organisations about particular drug-related matters, and offers expert consultancy services to policymakers and officials around the world. IDPC ADVOCACY NOTES ON THE UNGASS REVIEW As the process of reviewing the 10-year achievements of the global drug control system continues, the IDPC has been synthesising the wide range of publications and analysis from its members into brief advocacy notes that summarise our positions on the key issues in this review. Currently, four of these notes have been produced - three of them correspond directly to the work of three of the UNGASS Working Groups, and the fourth covers more general principles that are not the responsibility of any particular working group. SUPPLY REDUCTION WORKING GROUP ENGLISH http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_AdvocacyNote_SupplyReduc_EN.pdf SPANISH http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_AdvocacyNote_SupplyReduc_ES.pdf DEMAND REDUCTION WORKING GROUP ENGLISH http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_AdvocacyNote_DRWG_EN.pdf SPANISH http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_AdvocacyNote_DRWG_ES.pdf CROP ERADICATION AND ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT WORKING GROUP ENGLISH http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_Advo_CEADWG_June08_EN.pdf SPANISH http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_Advo_CEADWG_June08_ES.pdf ISSUES NOT SPECIFICALLY COVERED BY WORKING GROUPS ENGLISH http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_Advo_Other_Issues_June08_EN.pdf SPANISH http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_Advo_Other_Issues_June08_ES.pdf UNGASS NEWS’ FIRST EDITION To provide our network and partners with concise information on the background to the UNGASS 10-year review, the IDPC has produced an Advocacy Guide that explains the structures, processes and issues involved. This guide can be downloaded from the IDPC website http://www.idpc.info/ or http://www.es.idpc.info/. As the process accelerates, we are supplementing this guide with a monthly update on the latest news and debates relevant to the review. The first of these updates is now available on the IDPC website, and another one will be distributed at the end of July. http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_UngassNews_June08_EN.pdf IDPC BRIEFING MEETING AND RECEPTION - 7th JULY. The latest in this series of briefing meetings will be held in the margins of the "Beyond 2008" Global NGO Forum in Vienna. This meeting will update participants on the IDPC contribution to the UNGASS review process, and consider the next steps. Informal presentations will be followed by a drinks reception to allow the maximum opportunity for networking. The global forum runs from 7th to 9th July, and the IDPC briefing and reception will take place at 7.30pm on Monday 7th July at the NH Danube City Hotel, Wagramer Strasse 21, A-1220 Vienna. This hotel is located adjacent to the UN building in Vienna, so delegates to the forum can gain easy access to the IDPC event. If you are a delegate to the NGO Forum , and wish to attend the IDPC briefing, please contact Geni Horwood at [email protected]. GLOBAL SIGN-ON LETTER TO BAN KI MOON Following the call at the AIDS High Level Meeting in New York for more effective HIV prevention amongst injecting drug users, a group of NGOs initiated a sign on letter to senior UN officials pointing out the contradictions between the drive to tackle this problem, and the stigmatisation and marginalisation of drug users that is often part of UN-supported drug control activities. The letter, that is released to coincide with the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, calls for greater cohesion between these two areas of UN activity. http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/GlobalSignonLetterBanKiMoon_June08_EN.pdf WOLA TESTIMONY TO US CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE On June 19, 2008, WOLA Senior Associate John Walsh testified before Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress (chaired by Senator Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia) on U.S. drug policy. Walsh stated that decades of forced eradication of coca crops in Latin America has had little impact on cocaine production and trafficking, while leaving “a trail of social conflict, political unrest, violence and human rights violations across the region. In his prepared statement, Walsh said that U.S. drug policies should focus more on harm reduction, which refers not just to reducing the harm caused by drugs to users and their families and communities, but also reduction of the damage caused by misguided, counterproductive policies meant to control drug production and transit. The complete congressional testimony can be found at: http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/WOLA_JohnWalsh_TestimonyJEC_08_EN.pdf Please feel free to pass this alert on to any contacts who may be interested in drug policy issues. If you have received this alert in error, or do not wish to continue receiving our alerts, you can unsubscribe yourself by emailing to [email protected]
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