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Announcement

Victory in the Struggle for Telephone Justice

[Courtesy of our friends at the New York Campaign for Telephone Justice] Thank you for all your support and participation in the campaign thus far. We made significant headway in 2006, and today we had a big victory – Governor Spitzer Ended the Backdoor Tax on NY State’s Prison Phone Contract, effective April 1, 2007. This victory is the result of your dedication and participation in this campaign. Please see below for details about Governor Spitzer’s actions and upcoming meetings on how you can help us move forward to permanently stop the contract. We will keep you up-to-date on the developments from today’s events, and please contact Lauren Melodia at [email protected] or 212.614.6481 if you have questions and to stay involved at this critical moment.

The Drug War's "Unacceptable Losses"

[This post comes courtesy of Ken Wolski, RN, MPA. He is the executive director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana -- New Jersey, www.cmmnj.org, [email protected]] "Unacceptable Losses" opened Friday, 1/12/07, at the Woodrow Wilson School's Bernstein Gallery on the Princeton University Campus. This photo-documentary by photgrapher and med student Arthur Robinson Williams examines U.S. drug policy and victims of it. At the exhibit, there are large color and black and white prints that accompany text of interviews that Mr. Williams conducted. The photos Mr. Williams took seemed designed to capture the essential humanity of the subject. (Some of this photographic detail is missing in the web site.) The web site is divided into sections on Treatment on Demand, Sentencing Reform, Syringe Access, Harm Reduction and Medical Marijuana. The stories are very compelling. Though the web site is still a work-in-progess, I highly recommend a look. I was reminded of CMM-NJ member Roberta M., when I read the story of the man with RSD whose pain was so severe he contemplated suicide until he tried marijuana.

Partners sought for Prison Art Galleries in cities and towns across America

[Courtesy of our friends at Prison Art Gallery] Establish a Prison Art Gallery in your city or town by selecting a portion of our huge collection for display and sale there. As you may know from visiting our Prison Art Gallery in Washington, DC, we have a popular establishment with a huge inventory of Prison Art from across America. Not only do we get buyers from among locals and visitors to Washington (who often become regular donors and supporters of our nonprofit organization), but we get grants from art and social justice agencies. The favorable media attention we have received form newspapers, magazines, radio and TV has been extensive. All this can now be yours if you choose to partner with us to establish a Prison Art Gallery in your town or city. We have the prison art and expertise you need to get started, and the cost to do so is surprisingly low. Use your existing wall space or acqure new space.

Radio Event: Drug War and Homicides -- Friday Night 1/5/07 10:00pm

On Friday, January 5 at 10:00 pm (Eastern) Rob Ryan, Bill Gallagher and Peter Christ will be on The Scott Sloan Show on Cincinnati's WLW 700 AM. We will be discussing the War on Drugs impact in Cincinnati and beyond, especially focusing on the record number of homicides last year and the role of the the new marijuana ordinance that made marijuana possession an arrestable offense in Cincinnati. Note under Ohio state law the same amounts are a minor misdemeanor ticket.

CCR Announcement: Five Key Amicus Briefs Filed in Prison Telephone Appeal

[An announcement from the Center for Constitutional Rights] Dear friends, We are happy to report that the Court of Appeals has accepted all the “friend of the court” briefs filed last week in support of our case. Thanks so much to all of you who signed on in support of this important fight. The briefs are all available at out website, at http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/legal/justice/justiceArticle.asp?ObjID=pJCQ7otMZ0&Content=360 . We encourage you to read them and share them with others, as they present compelling evidence and argument against the State’s discriminatory and un-just actions.

Update: The Second Chance Act Status (S.1934)

[From our friends at Open Society Institute/Open Society Policy Center] The Second Chance Act Status (S.1934) December 5, 2006 This afternoon the Senate sponsors of the Second Chance Act tried to move the bill through the Senate by unanimous consent. In recent days there has been an enormous outreach to Senator Coburn from Okalahomans ranging from state and local government officials, to law enforcement leaders, to service providers, to ordinary citizens. The hope was that all of that and some great press coverage had persuaded Senator Coburn to let the bill pass. However he placed a hold on the bill just a little while ago.

It's Just a Plant - New Edition on Sale

An e-mail we received from the author of the controversial book "It's Just A Plant." Hello Gentle Reader, "It's Just a Plant," the children's book about marijuana that has been called "a glimpse of what enlightened drug education could be" (Dr. Andrew Weil) is on sale now for the winter holiday.
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