Announcement

For over 21 years the inequity between crack and powder cocaine sentences has been the subject of great debate. Now the Senate will take a first step toward addressing this inequity. Three bills have been introduced in the Senate and will likely be the subject of debate at the hearing.

Join thousands of advocates across the country in calling on Congress to eliminate the federal crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity. FAMM will send an e-alert to its members on February 25 containing a link to talking points and contact information on their lawmakers.

In 1977, New York State decriminalized possession of personal use amounts of marijuana. Nonetheless, researchers report that New York City is now the national leader in detaining individuals for possession of personal use amounts of marijuana.

On January 29, the Berkeley City Council will be considering a very important resolution. Co-sponsored by Kriss Worthington and Darryl Moore, this item would: 1. declare Berkeley a "sanctuary city" for medical cannabis in the event that the DEA raids any of our dispensaries, 2. call on the Berkeley Police Department, the County District Attorney, the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, and the State Attorney General not to cooperate with the DEA in its efforts to undermine state and local medical cannabis laws, 3. urge Governor Schwarzenegger to publicly stand with the more than 200,000 medical cannabis patients in the state and to let Congress and the Bush Administration know that DEA interference is uncalled for and will be resisted by local and state government, and 4. encourage the City to plan for continued safe access in Berkeley in the event of a DEA raid on one or more of our dispensaries. See the draft text at: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/agenda-committee/agendaindex.htm. Click on the pdf for the 1/22 meeting, and look for Item 22. ASA and others have worked extensively with Councilmembers Moore and Worthington, and with many other supportive city staff, to craft this resolution, and we expect the full support of the Council, the City Manager and the City Attorney. Obviously this is a VERY important moment for medical cannabis patients, and I want to encourage you to attend tomorrow's City Council meeting if at all possible. We plan to have a rally at 6:45 p.m., before the Council meeting, on the steps of Old City Hall. Wear your ASA shirt, sport a medical marijuana pin, and let's fill the hall with supporters to celebrate the moment--and thank our Berkeley elected officials for taking this significant step to defend patients' rights! For more information, contact Becky DeKeuster at 510-540-6013 ext. 0.

You're invited to MPP's third annual party at the Playboy Mansion! Our 2007 party was a resounding success, and the 2008 party promises to be even more exciting! Last year's party was hosted by Joe Rogan and dj Pooh played music that kept the crowd dancing all night. Bill Maher accepted MPP's Public Face of Reform Award and Blues Traveler performed atop the famed grotto. Other celebrity guests in attendance included VH1's "My Fair Brady" stars Adrianne Curry and Christopher Knight; "Miami Ink" tattoo artist Kat Von D; musicians Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland from The Crystal Method; and "The Boondocks" creator Aaron McGruder.

Americans for Safe Access' new western NC chapter is having its first public meeting this Sunday in Asheville, NC. ASA, based in California, is a great patient advocacy organization: http://www.safeaccessnow.org.

DC Corrections Director Devon Brown and Representatives from Prisons Across America To Receive Donated Guitars for Inmates A press conference will be held to present new guitars to DC Corrections Director Devon Brown and other officials representing prisons from across America. The guitars are intended for use by prison inmates for therapeutic and rehabilitative purposes. They were donated by well-known English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg. In addition to Devon Brown, other officials who will attend the press conference to receive guitars include Jolene Constance, Assistant Warden of the C. Paul Phelps Correctional Center in Louisiana; Chaplain George Holley of the Craggy Correctional Center in North Carolina; Barbara Allen of the Maryland Correctional Training Center; officials from St. Elizabeth's hospital John Howard forensic unit, a 200-bed prison in Washington, DC; and a representative from the Handlon Correctional Facility in Michigan. On hand at the press conference to test and play the guitars before they are presented to the prison officials will be two former jailhouse guitarists, Ron Kemp and Dennis Sobin. Since their release from prison, Kemp and Sobin have had success with music, both having recorded CDs and having appeared at the Kennedy Center. Sobin also serves as director of the Prisons Foundation, which is sponsoring this program. The guitar giveway initiative began this past summer when Joe Shade, along with the Prisons Foundation, organized a concert to raise money for guitars for a local prison drawing inspiration from Billy Bragg's Jail Guitar Doors program in Great Britain. After hearing of the success of his program stateside, Billy Bragg raised money during his recent US tour specifically for the US based Jail Guitar Doors instrument donation program. "We are a musical country and we know that the demand is huge for musical instruments in prisons in America," Shade says. "We are pleased that Billy Bragg has helped us get this project going." The guitars being donated were provided at cost by Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center. Shade and Sobin hope that the press conference will encourage musical instrument donations from others. All donations of instruments are tax deductible since the Prisons Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. For further information, please call 202-393-1511.

Drug Policy Public Health or Criminal Justice Issue? This is part a free series being held over three Wednesdays, February 13, 20, and 27. Facilitator: Stephen Owen, UBC Vice President, External, Legal and Community Relations

This one day training will provide an overview of the impact of HIV/AIDS on women in the United States and globally, with a special emphasis on the disproportionate impact on women of color. The facilitators will engage participants in an interactive format that will include a review of the epidemic, treatment issues and prevention strategies, including social and economic barriers to both, and gaps in the research and services. At the conclusion of the training, participants will be able to apply what they learned in their own work settings.

Heroin (and other opioid) overdoses are a common cause of death among users, yet these deaths are often preventable through education, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and when possible, through the administration of naloxone (Narcan). In this workshop, participants will start by learning the essentials of preventing opioid overdose deaths including prevention, recognition, and action. Participants will receive certification as Trained Overdose Responders and become qualified to train heroin or opioid users and colleagues at their own facilities how to prevent an overdose. Please note that this training is geared towards individuals who will be participating in or setting up their own Opiate Overdose Prevention training progam in their agencies. Participants will learn about how to implement a NYSDOH-approved program with support from the Harm Reduction Coalition.