Organizations

[Courtesy of MPP] The Communications Assistant works in MPP’s Communications Department, which is responsible for effectively communicating MPP’s message to the media and the public through written materials and media relations. The Communications Assistant reports to the Assistant Director of Communications, who in turn reports to the Director of Communications. Applicants should have excellent oral communications skills and strong writing and should be meticulous, organized, and detail-oriented. The Communications Assistant is not a spokesperson position; rather, he or she is responsible for maintaining MPP’s media database, including making corrections or additions to existing press lists and developing new lists as needed; monitoring all marijuana-related news and research, disseminating such information to relevant MPP staffers, and posting key news stories to MPP’s Web site; tracking MPP's news coverage, including locating and/or ordering certain print articles, radio interviews, and TV interviews; contacting media outlets to confirm contact information; locating and obtaining copies of reports or studies that are of interest; preparing press kits; tackling small research projects aimed at identifying potential media opportunities or obtaining useful data; organizing and filing press clips and other documents; and accomplishing other tasks as assigned. Proofreading ability would be a plus, but is not required. The salary for the position is $30,000, plus full health insurance and a retirement plan. To apply, please see MPP's application guidelines at http://www.mpp.org/jobs/process.html and follow the instructions there. Interviews are being conducted on a rolling basis, so interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. ABOUT MPP With 40 employees, 26,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, MPP is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP works to minimize the harm associated with marijuana - both the consumption of marijuana and the laws that are intended to prohibit its use - and believes that the greatest harm associated with marijuana is imprisonment.

FRESH AIR IN MOVEMENT Something is going on. A refreshing breeze is cleansing the dusty atmosphere of the debate on drugs. They say that periods of crisis stimulate the earth to elaborate new forms of social organisation... or to refresh the organisation of forms that were invisible during centuries. Are we passing from protest to proposal? Definitively yes. From 21 to 23 November the workshop on "Drugs and Diplomacy" took place in Murguía, Basque Country, on the subject of the participation of organisations of drug users in the debate on drug policies. This workshop, under the leadership of Xabier Arana of Ekimen, an association of prestigious researchers from the Basque Country, forms part of a study on this issue that ENCOD is carrying out with the support of the Drugs Policy Department of the Basque Country. 24 representatives of 17 different organisations and networks such as GANJAZZ, LA REGADERA, AI LAKET, PANNANGH, COMISIÓN CIUDADANA ANTISIDA DE ÁLAVA, GANJAZZ ART CLUB, PAOTXA, INPUD, LCA, PIC, MDHG, AKZEPT, FAC, FAUDAS, FEDERACIÓN ENLACE and ENERGY CONTROL, met together in an idyllic place to analyse the weaknesses and strengths of user organisations to intervene in the design and application of drug policies, as well as the threats and opportunities that we can be confronted with when doing this. The report, with the conclusions of the research, as well as a videoreport will be presented in the coming months. Apart from analysing in a very transparent way the situation of the movements for drug policy reform and the strategies to improve our effectiveness, we elaborated in Murguía concrete recommendations for the coming drugs plan of the Basque government and an alternative drugs action plan for the European Union that should replace the current draft elaborated by the European Commission. The recommendations of the Basque Government will be presented in a report at a meeting that will be organised for this purpose, and the alternative action plan will be presented during the coming Civil Society Forum on Drug Policies in the EU. The workshop in Murguía represents a qualitative improvement in the movement for drug policy reform. On one hand, it is a historic moment for the social movements, especially for those that are formed by people at the grass roots level: we are passing from protest to proposal, and not a theoretical one, but a proposal that has materialised through a process of profound common reflection. On the other hand, the fact that we enjoyed such amenities as simultaneous translation, a comfortable room for the meeting etc., has facilitated the work in large degree. We are also starting to see that the global objective is transcending local problems (egos, protagonisms, internal struggles, etc.) and global problems as well (sacred and stigmatised substances, urgency versus importance etc.). We are seeing the emergence of a commonly agreed project that becomes more and more clear and necessary. Although this objective has always been present in the outlook of ENCOD, a coalition that has grown from 20 organisations in 1994 to 150 in 26 different countries today, in Murguía we have been able to conclude that we are all ENCOD, that we all have something to contribute to ENCOD, that there is a true feeling of belonging to the network and collaborating with each other. Something that is obvious but important to remember once in a while. All this would not have been possible without the concrete help of two persons: Iker Val (of Ganjazz Art Club) and Iker Giraldo Cuadrado (La Regadera), who assumed the idea that was launched in the assembly and have proved able to convert this idea in reality in just 4 months. The synergies are also coming together in the world of the Cannabis Social Clubs. during the past months the Federation of Cannabis Associations in Spain is working on a consensus document with recommendations on how to create a cannabis consumers club that would dispose of the most fundamental norms (statutes, rules for registering an association, etc.) as well as broader issues such as legal resolutions that are currently in place. This was the first step towards the elaboration of a second document that will be directed at the Spanish government with recommendations on how to regulate the clubs. The third step will be the internal reglementation for the functioning of the clubs, which will facilitate common standards of operation for all associated clubs. This is not an isolated process, it takes place at a moment when from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean lines are thrown to us in order to maintain the link to the other extreme end of a chain that is more and more diffuse (consumers become growers and in producing countries, growers have been consuming traditionally since remote times). ENCOD is on the brink of signing an agreement with coca grower organisations in Bolivia which will promote initiatives of coca grower communities to obtain economic self-sufficiency in a framework of integrated and sustainable development, legal commercialisation channels for the traditional derivates of the coca leaf will be explored and acts of citizens’ diplomacy will be organised to propose the international depenalization of the coca leaf for international organizations. For these projects, in early March we will organise a conference in the European Parliament, in collaboration with MEPs, on the issue of the revalorisation of the coca leaf through the legal commercialisation of its derivates in Europe. We hope to count on the presence of representatives of coca grower organisations in order to present publicly the agreement, which we hope will be signed before that date. Just as the twinkling of the wings of a butterfly can produce a hurricane, we hope that this fresh air in movement will cross the physical and ideological frontiers and obtain the necessary force [that might] break the wall of prohibition. By: Virginia Montañés Sánchez (with the help of Peter Webster) Thanks to José Afuera Gómez, of FAC, for the information on cannabis social clubs in Spain. P.S. ENCOD NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT: Account: 001- 3470861-83 Att. ENCOD vzw - Belgium Bank: FORTIS, Warandeberg 3, 1000 Brussels IBAN: BE 14 0013 4708 6183 SWIFT: GEBABEBB

[Courtesy of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition] LEAP in Action November 2008 This issue… · From the Desk of the Executive Director · Did you Know? · State by State · Volunteer of the Month · Campus Communities · Make the LEAP From the Desk of the Executive Director Thank you to our members in Massachusetts and Michigan for their significant work in bringing about the decriminalization of marijuana and reducing some of the harms of this horrible war. Here in Massachusetts, we brought decriminalization in, with 65 percent of the vote in favor of Question 2. And we did it while doing what we do best: convincing people that we must create a system of legalized regulation for all drugs. Leading up to Election Day, I made this addition to my usual LEAP plea: “Legalized regulation must be conducted at a federal and international level, but there is something you can do right now, right here in Massachusetts to reduce some of the harms of the war on drugs: You can vote yes on Question 2, which will remove possession of an ounce or less of marijuana from any criminal sanction and make that possession punishable by a civil fine of $100.” In all the live presentations and all the radio talk shows I gave in Massachusetts during the last two months, there was not one person who publicly disagreed with voting yes on Question 2. LEAP can take a bit of the credit for Massachusetts’ decriminalization of marijuana, and being able to take that credit elevates LEAP even more in the minds of other drug, prison and harm reduction transformers. Again, thank you to all of our members for your continued support. -Jack A. Cole, Executive Director Did You Know? Whether you are talking about State initiatives, working on Capitol Hill, reaching out to opinion leaders in college, government and business or impacting the international community, LEAP was there leading the conversation. Speakers Eric Sterling and Norm Stamper spoke to the New Hampshire Association of Counties about the economics of prohibition, influencing decision makers in local government. Speaker Russ Jones and Dr. Sally Jones shared the stage at the 54th Annual Social Work Educators conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where they helped shape what the next generation of social workers will think about the current drug policy. State By State Here at LEAP we’re still celebrating the victories in Michigan and Massachusetts. Jack Cole, Norm Stamper, Rick Van Wickler and Greg Francisco hit the streets and airwaves to educate the public about the effects of those state ballot initiatives. It was all hands on decks as our media team, speakers bureau and volunteers worked together to give voters a clear picture of the impact of these initiatives on law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Volunteer of the Month This month we’d like to spotlight Whitney Garlinghouse. Whitney could be doing a lot of things with his time, but after careful consideration he decided LEAP was the place to invest. Whitney joined the media team with an eye on radio. Whitney has been beating the digital highway reaching out to radio programs that previously featured LEAP speakers. Radio is a great way to get our message out to a wide audience. Much of our media this month was radio. Whitney placed Earl Barnett on the air in Baltimore, Maryland and David Doddridge on the air in Slidell, Louisiana in addition to the outstanding efforts he made in Michigan and Massachusetts. Campus Communities Our Campus Communities outreach is affecting classrooms, students and educators alike. In Illinois, James Gierach spoke to criminal justice students at Blackburn College, while to the east Rick Van Wickler spoke to Keene College in New Hampshire and Manchester College in Connecticut, and to the north, Alison Myrden appeared at the University of Guelph in Ontario. International Overtures The newest documentary featuring LEAP, “THE UNION: THE BUSINESS BEHIND GETTING HIGH” is now available online. This documentary on the "B.C. Bud" industry features interviews with Jack Cole, Larry Campbell and Norm Stamper of LEAP. BC's illegal marijuana trade industry has evolved into a business giant, dubbed by some involved as 'The Union', commanding upwards of $7 billion Canadian annually. You can view the documentary at http://blip.tv/file/1356143/. Make the LEAP Around the world, organizations are struggling with how to make an impact on the 44th President and the 111th Congress, but opportunity and preparation have already made the way for LEAP. A struggling economy, deficit state budgets and a booming unregulated drug market give our speakers the perfect backdrop to talk about repeating repeal. The 75th anniversary of the repeal of alcohol prohibition is December 5, 2008. Around the country, our speakers are submitting letters to the editor, scheduling radio interviews and brushing up on the comparison between that prohibition and this one. In Washington, DC our team is preparing to storm the newly elected leaders with the mantra “We can do it again”. LEAP membership is an important aspect of the Repeat Repeal project. Take a minute to invite your family and friends to add their voices to ours by joining LEAP today. Your donation takes us one step closer to making history with the 111th Congress. We need YOUR help to continue doing all that we do. If you aren’t already, please consider volunteering your time or donating to LEAP. Together we can End Prohibition Now!

Alabama: Voting for the First Time in Almost 40 Years Alabama resident Ussery Knight cast his vote for the first time since 1970, according to a blog posted on The Ordinary People's Society Web site. "The last time Knight, 62, had the right to vote, gas was 36 cents per gallon, the Dow sat at 839, 'Patton' was the big movie at the box office and 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' was beginning a seven-year run on television," the article stated. Knight, who served probation for a felony offense, recently registered to vote after learning about the state's felony voting rights laws with help from TOPS. Florida: Editorial Supports Democracy for All A Miami Herald editorial focused on the significance of the election for those elected into office, and those who cast votes. Many Florida citizens with felony offense records were able to vote for the first time as a result of Gov. Charles Crist's efforts to restore voting rights and speed up the application process for that population. "Democracy is strengthened by encouraging every eligible American to vote," the editorial stated. "This is how America stays strong and free." Pennsylvania: Is Disenfranchising Voters Really the "Right Thing to Do?" A letter to the editor was featured in The Mercury questioning the rationale for disenfranchisement laws. "I suggest that the people of the United States take a good long look at the true scales of justice in our nation," the author stated. "Look closely at where taking away a convicted felon's right to vote falls in being the right thing to do when measured against the actions of so many other perpetrators of hate, brutality, unethical behaviors, and the destruction of innocence. I believe the scales would tip greatly in favor of the felon's right to vote when pit against so many other weightier issues of our country." - - - - - - 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

For Immediate Release: November 19, 2008 Medical marijuana lawsuit filed against Department of Motor Vehicles Americans for Safe Access fights baseless revocation of patient's driver's license Merced, CA -- A lawsuit was filed today by medical marijuana advocacy organization Americans for Safe Access (ASA) against the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) on behalf of Rose Johnson, a 53-year-old patient from Atwater. Despite Ms. Johnson's clean driving record, not having caused an accident in 37 years of driving, the DMV revoked her license on July 26, 2008 because of her status as a medical marijuana patient. The DMV refused to renew Ms. Johnson's license only after obtaining her medical records and finding out that she was a qualified medical marijuana patient. According to the DMV, Ms. Johnson's license was revoked "because of...[an] addiction to, or habitual use of, [a] drug," thereby rendering her unable to safely operate a motor vehicle, even though no evidence existed to substantiate this claim. "The DMV cannot simply disregard California's medical marijuana law," said ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford, who is representing Ms. Johnson in her claim against the DMV. "When the voters of California enacted the Compassionate Use Act, they never intended to authorize the DMV to strip medical marijuana patients of their drivers' licenses," continued Elford. "The DMV should not be in the business of revoking the licenses of drivers like Ms. Johnson simply because she is a medical marijuana patient." Advocates assert that the DMV policy of suspending and revoking the licenses of medical marijuana patients is widespread, occurring in at at least 8 California counties, including Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Glenn, Merced, Placer, Sacramento, and Sonoma. License revocations by the DMV, which have been based on a person's status as a medical marijuana patient, are often rationalized by calling the drivers "drug abusers" despite no evidence of the claim. In 2007, Merced -- the county in which Ms. Johnson lives -- implemented a police policy that instructed its Sheriff deputies to respect state law and not to cite medical marijuana patients or seize their medicine. "The DMV is not under a different set of requirements than local police in California," said Elford. "The failure to uphold California's medical marijuana law is entirely inappropriate for any local or state agency." The lawsuit filed today by ASA is expected to be heard in Merced Superior Court in the next few months. The lawsuit against the DMV is part of a campaign by ASA to fully implement California's medical marijuana laws. Further information: ASA's lawsuit against the DMV: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/DMV_Writ.pdf # # #