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Drug Sense FOCUS ALERT: #396 Obama's Take on the Drug War

DrugSense FOCUS Alert #396 - Sunday, 22 February 2009 Today the Denver Post printed the column below Hopefully the syndicated column will be printed in many more newspapers. Please contact your local newspapers to request that they print the column. Newspaper editors should know how to obtain columns from the Washington Post Writers Group. Among the important issues addressed in the column is United Nations drug policy summit in Vienna next month. We also reflected our concern in this FOCUS Alert http://www.mapinc.org/alert/0392.html News clippings which mention our President may be found here http://www.mapinc.org/people/Obama Please let the Obama administration know your views. You may send a short message to the White House by using the webform on this page http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/. You may call the White House about the issue at 202-456-1111 or send a fax to 202-456-2461. Reports indicate that it may be necessary to call repeatedly to reach the phone number, but that your efforts are carefully noted when you do reach the number. ********************************************************************** Pubdate: Sun, 22 Feb 2009 Source: Denver Post (CO) Copyright: 2009 The Washington Post Writers Group Contact: [email protected] Author: Neal Peirce OBAMA'S TAKE ON THE DRUG WAR Fissures are suddenly forming along the edges of the giant iceberg of America's multibillion-dollar "war" on drug use, first formally proclaimed by President Richard Nixon in 1971. But so much depends on what President Barack Obama decides to do with the issue. This month a Latin American commission headed by former Presidents Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil, Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico and Cesar Gaviria of Colombia condemned harsh U.S. drug prohibition policies that are based, in Gaviria's words, "on prejudices and fears and not on results." Fueled by Americans' drug appetite and dollars, drug-gang violence is engulfing Mexico, threatening the very stability of the state with massive corruption and close to 6,000 killings last year. Brazil is afflicted with daily gun battles between police and gangs in urban slums. And despite years of intensive U.S.-backed efforts to eradicate Colombia's cocaine exports, official reports show they've risen 15 percent in this decade. A high proportion are smuggled into the U.S. The drug war, the former presidents charge, is imperiling Latin America's democratic institutions and corrupting "judicial systems, governments, the political system and especially the police forces." As both the world's largest drug consumer market and the lead voice in setting global drug policy, the United States, the Latin leaders argue, has huge responsibility now to "break the taboo" that's suffocated open debate about the wisdom of a clearly failed 38-year "war." The leaders are placing hopes in Obama, who as a candidate said the "war on drugs is an utter failure" and talked favorably about more public health-based approaches. Given that history, and given this president's openness to hearing diverse points of view, it's hard to believe he'll maintain the stony wall of indifference to drug policy reform that all his predecessors since Nixon have maintained. Still, there are crucial issues of politics and timing. One can just imagine White House advisers telling Obama to steer clear of the drug issue, that it could be as perilous and distracting as gays in the military were for President Bill Clinton in his first year in office. Against that background, the Latin leaders' statement itself may help move the compass. Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, calls their manifesto (www.drugsanddemocracy.org) "a major leap forward in the global drug policy debate." One reason: these are conservative, highly respected leaders. Gaviria, as president of Colombia in the early '90s, for example, worked with U.S. anti-narcotics agents to hunt down and kill Pablo Escobar, the cocaine kingpin. But Gaviria and his fellow former presidents, along with Latin mayors, writers and other respected leaders joining in their declaration, say it's time to recognize that force and prohibition have failed to stop dangerous narco-trafficking. It's high time, they propose, to focus on harm reduction and prevention efforts -- following European models to change the status of addicts from drug buyers in an illegal system to that of patients cared for in a public health system. They also suggest considering decriminalizing possession of marijuana for personal use -- a step Obama recently indicated he's not ready to take. And they say they'll be watching how the U.S. handles the meeting of a key United Nations-sponsored Commission on Narcotic Drugs which convenes in Vienna next month. The commission is to review the prevailing, harsh, U.S.-molded drug policies the U.N. General Assembly set in 1998. But there's the question: Will Obama (and Hillary Clinton's State Department) send reformers, or just bureaucrats who've soldiered in our blind-alley war on drugs? Drug reformers were disappointed when Obama recently passed over public health advocates to appoint a police chief -- Gil Kerlikowske of Seattle -- as the country's new drug czar (director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy). But Kerlikowske does appear to have worked harmoniously with Seattle's cutting edge of drug reforms -- well-established needle exchange programs, marijuana arrests declared the lowest law enforcement priority through public initiative, and a local bar association that's a national model in finding alternatives to drug prohibition laws. So there are gleams of hope at the end of a long tunnel. And what better time than this wrenching recession to shift law enforcement to legitimately serious crimes, starting to discharge the hundreds of nonviolent drug offenders held in our bulging, cost-heavy jails and prisons? Predictably, any shift will be tough. Many law enforcement agencies count on the jobs -- and seizures of cash -- that the drug "war" delivers. Our "prison-industrial complex," guard unions included, remains potent. And federal law actually prohibits the drug czar from recommending legalization of any proscribed drug, no matter what his personal judgment may be. We have dug ourselves a deep hole. Only forthright and courageous leadership is likely to start us on a saner path. Can this be "the time?" Please, Mr. President.

Medical Marijuana Week Sat/Sun: Read the Paper, and Respond!

Read the Paper, and Respond!
Medical Marijuana Week - Saturday/Sunday February 21-22

Dear ASA Supporter,

This weekend when you’re reading the Sunday paper, flip to the Letters to the Editor section and skim the opinions of some readers. The Letters to the Editor (LTE’s) section is one of the most widely read, and its how others learn about what issues are important in their area. As someone who cares about medical cannabis, it’s up to you to write one in support! Take some time on Sunday to write and submit a brief LTE to your local paper!

Letters to the Editor are usually short, only a few sentences or a couple paragraphs that stress an issue in a succinct way. Just a couple of talking points is all you need – and opportunities to write a good LTE are all around!

LTE’s that are most likely to get published are ones that “piggyback” off of current events already in the news. For instance, President Obama issued a White House statement earlier this month that was covered by numerous papers across the country. Now is a good time to send an LTE praising President Obama for his statement and connecting it to needed action by the community. Get talking points here!

Also, President Obama continues to appoint officials who will influence medical cannabis policy. Obama’s choice for Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Gil Kerlikowske was the former Seattle Police Chief who worked under and in compliance with the medical cannabis laws of Washington State. It’s a great opportunity to get talking points and write an LTE!

ASA provides an excellen t tool to find contact information for papers in your area. All you have to do is put in your zip code! And also check out ASA’s site for tips on writing LTE’s and keeping them short, succinct, and to the point.

Keep an eye open for other opportunities to write a medical cannabis LTE. State laws, publicized arrests or raids of medical cannabis patients, caregivers, or collectives, public events or hearings related to the issue, and events hosted by the local ASA chapter – all are great subjects for LTE’s!

As a medical cannabis supporter, if you don’t raise your voice on this issue, no one else will. It’s up to you to bring medical cannabis to the attention of your community through local media! Good luck and get writing!

Sincerely,


George Pappas
Field Coordinator
Americans for Safe Access

Medical Marijuana Week, Friday: Connect with a Prisoner of Bush’s Other War

Connect with a Prisoner of Bush’s Other War
Medical Marijuana Week - Friday, February 20th

Dear ASA Supporter,

On February 5th, the White House issued a statement of President Obama’s position on ending federal interference in state medical cannabis laws. But this still leaves innocent people in prison who would have been protected by their state laws, if they had not been raided by the policies of George W. Bush. They’re still in prison, and they need to know we’re behind them. Today, write a short note to let them know they are not alone.

There are many people currently serving time in federal prison for crimes that would have been protected by the medical cannabis laws in their states. Check ASA’s website for a list of individuals currently serving time. You’ll be able to read their stories and write to an individual whose situation really catches your attention.

Find the mailing addresses for these medical cannabis caregiver prisoners here, along with some helpful tips for writing to inmates in federal prison.

When writing to inmates, there are a couple of things to keep in mind:

1.    Don’t write about anything illegal or incriminating in the letters

2.    Be yourself, focus on giving them sympathy and emotional support, and try to be understanding about what they may be going through.

3.    Use common sense and be forward and clear with your intentions

It is not only those who are currently serving time that need our support, but also those who have yet to be sentenced or who are currently awaiting trial. If, as Obama says, the federal government stops undermining state medical cannabis laws – then what does that mean for those “in limbo;” those who have already fallen victim to George W. Bush’s war on innocent Americans? Get a list of upcoming court cases here – where you’ll also find additional details and information on individual cases.

In addition, call President Obama to tell him about the status of these cases and ask him to grant pardons or clemency to these individuals. Call 202-456-1111 and use this sample script:

Hi, my name is _____________ and I live in __________. I would like to thank President Obama for agreeing to end federal interference in states with medical cannabis laws. It is a much needed step forward and will help alleviate the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Americans. However, there are still many individuals currently serving time in federal prisons or awaiting sentences from federal prosecutions for crimes that would have been protected by the laws in their own states. I ask that the President consider the fate of these people, and whether or not federal prison terms for these individuals is consistent with the White House position on federal interference and the values of the American justice system. Thank you.

Don’t forget that these people need our help. They are political prisoners, and casualties of Bush’s War on Patients. Communicating with one who’s been unjustly imprisoned can be a profound experience.

Sincerely,


Josie Weisbrich
Legal Coordinator
Americans for Safe Access

Action Alert: Protest Rule Changes for Medical Cannabis Caregivers

Action Alert: Protest Board of Health Proposed Rules Changes for Medicinal Cannabis Caregivers Compiled by: Colorado Citizens for Compassionate Cannabis March 2: Written Comments Deadline Feb 20: Pre-Public Hearing "Conference" and Silent Protest March 18: Public Hearing The Colorado Board of Health is proposing sweeping new rules to regulate medical cannabis that contradict the intent of Article 18, Section 14 of the Colorado Constitution, Colorado's medical cannabis law that was approved by voters in 2000. These proposed rules only serve to make it more difficult for patients to get their medicine by forcing them back into the black market. The Board of Health should be compassionate and helpful towards these sick and dying people and not put more obstacles in their way. Currently, patients with a debilitating medical condition and approval of their physician may legally possess up to two ounces of cannabis and grow up to six plants. If they are unable to grow the medicine themselves, the Constitution allows them to appoint a primary caregiver to provide the medicine for them. The Constitution does not set limits on how many patients for whom a person can be the caregiver, nor does it set limits on the type of person that can be considered the patient's caregiver. The Board of Health's proposed new rules set limits on caregivers that are clearly unconstitutional. 1) The Board of Health wants to require caregivers to provide other services to the patient besides cannabis-related ones. The other services required would amount to those of a full-time nursing assistant and would have to include transportation, housekeeping, meal preparation, shopping and making medical care arrangements for the patient. Currently, a person can be a medicinal cannabis caregiver without providing other services. The Constitution only states that the caregiver must have "significant responsibility for managing the well-being of a patient", which would include providing them with medicine. It does not impose any other requirements on caregivers 2) The Health Department is proposing a 5-patient-per-caregiver limit on the number of patients for whom a caregiver could provide. Currently, a caregiver can provide for many patients. Most patients do not have the knowledge or are too sick to grow their own cannabis. It takes years of practice to learn how to grow an adequate supply of cannabis for one patient with only the 6 plants allowed by the Constitution. Cannabis cultivation experts have been enlisted to serve as caregivers and have not been limited on how many patients they are able to serve. As reported in Westword, therapeutic cannabis dispensaries have formed all over Colorado to provide for multiple patients. The dispensaries are able to produce medicines in quantities large enough to keep the cost to the patient at a minimum and to create edible forms of cannabis, such as cookies, brownies and other foods. Cooking with cannabis requires a much larger amount of the raw substance than smoking cannabis does. However, eating medicinal cannabis food is a far healthier way to ingest the medicine than inhaling its smoke is, especially for those with chronic conditions. In fact, having caregivers provide for multiple patients has been the only way that poorly-written Article 18, Section 14 of the Colorado Constitution has worked at all. At the time, the out-of-state authors of Colorado's Medicinal Cannabis Law were widely criticized for not addressing the issue of cannabis dispensaries clearly enough and for not providing any legal way for patients to obtain medicinal cannabis outside of the black market. This left a gray area in the law that the Health Department has since tried to exploit in order to deny patients their Consitutionally-protected medicine. In the nine years since the law was approved by voters, the state of Colorado has been more concerned with putting roadblocks in the way of patients instead of trying to help implement the law. The possible upcoming change in federal policy concerning medicinal cannabis makes it the perfect time for Colorado to develop a plan to provide safe access to cannabis for patients. President Obama has made repeated campaign promises that he would stop the federal prosecution of cannabis patients and create a "green economy." . Recently, the White House reiterated their intention to change federal policy to allow states to regulate cannabis without federal intervention. In light of this new federal policy, it is time for Colorado to regulate medicinal cannabis statewide in a way that provides safe and inexpensive access to cannabis. The Colorado Board of Health should be issuing rules that encourage and regulate cannabis dispensaries, just like any other pharmaceutical manufacturer. Or alternatively, they could enlist the aid of the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Ag School at CSU to create a regulated state-run cannabis dispensary program. We are urging Colorado Governor Bill Ritter to form the Colorado Therapeutic Cannabis Commission, as described in the Compassionate Therapeutic Cannabis Act, an initiatve that was proposed as an alternative to the flawed Article 18, Section 14 of the Colorado Constitution. The Colorado Therapeutic Cannabis Commission would be a statewide panel of experts charged with the duty of ensuring patients can obtain an affordable and adequate supply of therapeutic cannabis. The key to successful implementation of Article 18, Section 14 of the Colorado Constitution is to put the patient first and find a way to provide them with medicine in a safe and cost-effective manner without endangering them by forcing them to deal with the black market.

MMJ Week, Tuesday: Do Your Homework – Know the Issues

Do Your Homework – Know the Issues
Medical Marijuana Week - Tuesday, February 17th

Dear ASA Supporter,

There is a lot of important information out there about cannabis as medicine. Did you know there are over 17,000 published scientific articles on cannabis and “cannabinoids” since 1996? Did you know that DEA Judges have now twice ruled in favor of medical cannabis, and DEA Administrators have twice ignored the rulings? Can you recite ASA’s Federal Policy Recommendations? Spend a day reading and learning about why this issue is so profound.

According to the widely respected magazine, The Economist, “If cannabis were unknown, and bioprospectors were suddenly to find it in some remote mountain crevice, its discovery would no doubt be hailed as a medical breakthrough.” (Economist, May 5, 2006).

There’s a reason for all this excitement. Cannabis may soon be considered one of the defining medical discoveries of our generation. For 40 years, efforts to recognize the plant's medical properties have been denied, ignored, and suppressed - all because of a negative stigma. To fully understand this issue, you should know the science, the law, and the politics.

Learn about the science. Read about Dr. Mechoulam’s discovery of the human endocannabinoid system in the 1990’s and why major pharmaceutical companies are developing their own “cannabinoid” research departments. Read about some of the most important studies of today which show promise in the use of cannabis to treat an extraordinarily wide array of conditions.

www.safeaccessnow.org/researchdatabase
www.medicalcannabis.com/reference.htm
www.safeaccessnow.org/additionalresources

Learn about the law. Understand what court cases over the years have ruled for or against medical cannabis. Know why states have the right to enact medical cananbis laws, but the federal government also has the right to interfere with them. Read about the DEA’s own Administrative Law Judge Francis Young, who ruled, “It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance in light of the evidence in this record.” And read about the most recent DEA ruling, released by another DEA Judge in 2007, which demanded that DEA lift barriers to cannabis research. Understand how DEA Administrators ignored the rulings and acted directly contrary, putting cannabis research back over 20 years.

DEA Judge Francis Young Ruling
DEA Judge Bittner Ruling
Landmark Decisions in Medical Cannabis Law

Learn about the politics. Did you know that even before 1996, 35 states had some form of medical cannabis law on the books, but that they were all unworkable due to legal loopholes? Learn the "in’s and out’s" of medical cannabis laws in 13 states – and which ones are tentatively considered “the 14th and 15th medical cannabis states”. Learn all this and more here:

Medical Cannabis Laws in 14 States
ASA’s Federal Policy Recommendations

And when you're done, you'll be even better prepared to become an ASA Ambassador!

Sincerely,


George Pappas
Field Coordinator
Americans for Safe Access


Americans for Safe Access is the nation's largest organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research.

Brief the Chief!

Dear friends,

President Obama has finally selected a Drug Czar, and thanks to your advocacy, he may be the most reasonable person to ever fill that post. This is his story in a nutshell:

During a summer day in Seattle eight years ago, a feeling of uncertainty hung in the air over Myrtle Edwards Park. So did a lot of marijuana smoke.

More than 100,000 people had gathered for the city's 10th annual Hempfest. There was a new police chief in town, and nobody was sure what to expect. Nonetheless, the clock hit 4:20pm and the park filled with a haze.

How many marijuana arrests were made at Hempfest that year? Only one.

Thus began Gil Kerlikowske's career as Seattle's police chief. Under his watch, the city embraced more sensible drug policies: establishing needle exchange programs, openly discussing alternatives to prohibition, protecting the rights of medical marijuana patients, and making marijuana possession the lowest priority for law enforcement. While the chief didn't create these forward-thinking policies, he stood by them.

And now, if he is confirmed by the Senate, he'll be standing by President Obama.

While we would have preferred a public health specialist to someone in law enforcement, this new "Drug Czar" could very well pave the way to more sensible and humane drug policies. But to ensure that he does, we must "brief the chief"! http://www.ssdp.org/briefthechief

After signing the petition, you'll be directed to a page where you can purchase him a welcome gift from a wide selection of books and DVDs that question the wisdom of the Drug War.

Could this be the first Drug Czar to have a copy of How to Legalize Drugs on his book shelf? It may be a long shot, but as Louis Brandeis once said: "Most of the things worth doing... had been declared impossible before they were done."

http://www.ssdp.org/briefthechief

Cautiously optimistic,

Micah Daigle, Associate Director
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
http://www.SchoolsNotPrisons.com

P.S. Fun Fact: The police chief of Seattle who preceded Kerlikowske became an outspoken member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Maybe there's just something sensible in that Pacific Northwestern air...

Urge Obama to commute like Lincoln!

Families Against Mandatory Minimums logo

 

Friends --

Today we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth.  While most people know that Lincoln freed the slaves and saved the Union, many don’t know that he was also one of the most generous presidents when it came to granting pardons and commutations.

In one term, Lincoln granted almost 400 commutations and pardons.  Lincoln gave clemency to everyday offenders, Southern sympathizers, draft dodgers, and wrongfully-charged Indians.  He had a weakness for weeping mothers who, in those days, could walk right into the White House and beg for mercy for their sons at the president’s knee.  As many of you know from personal experience, it’s not so easy to get a clemency request into the White House today, and it is much harder to get one granted. 

Lincoln also used clemency strategically, to inspire Congress to act.  At the end of the war, he pardoned ex-Confederates as a way of telling Congress to put differences aside and start rebuilding the country. 

Join us today in asking President Obama to do as Lincoln did:  to grant clemency generously and strategically.  By doing so, he will send a strong message to Congress that mandatory minimum sentencing laws are undermining American principles of justice and must be changed.  President Obama needs to know how much normal, everyday offenders and their families are counting on clemency, so help FAMM by writing to him now!   Click here to send a letter or email to President Obama.

My best,

Julie

Julie Stewart
President
Families Against Mandatory Minimums

ALERT: #395 Three B.C. Newspapers Call for the Legalization of Drugs

DrugSense FOCUS Alert #395 - Tuesday, 10 February 2009 Three major British Colombia newspapers have called for Canada to at least consider legalizing drugs. The violence associated with the drug trade has escalated to the point where the newspapers are calling for new directions to be considered. The Province published an editorial Sunday "Legalization Needs Study". The editorial starts by plainly stating "This newspaper has traditionally opposed the legalization of drugs." While the editorial doesn't jump headfirst into support for legalization, it does acknowledge that now is time to debate the issue. Read the editorial at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n146/a01.html Then Monday the Victoria Times-Colonist published an editorial "Gun Epidemic Prescriptions" which ends stating: "And it is time to recognize that gangs and guns are linked inextricably to the huge profits in the drug trade. Those profits are possible because of a failed, prohibition-based drug strategy. It's time to begin legalizing and controlling distribution as part of an entirely new approach to reducing the damage done by guns." See http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09.n155.a02.html Ian Mulgrew, Vancouver Sun columnist, addressed the same topic Monday with this column: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09.n155.a03.html With the facts on our side, we may influence the debate. Please read the editorials and column at the above links where you will also find contact information for sending letters to the editor.

Dump Kellogg's like it dumped Michael Phelps

Dear friends:

As you probably know, cereal giant Kellogg's has announced that it won't renew Olympic swim champion Michael Phelps' endorsement contract because he was photographed smoking marijuana.

If Phelps had been photographed hoisting a Budweiser, no one would have said a word. In fact, Phelps was arrested for drunk driving in 2004 — which could have resulted in someone being hurt or killed — and Kellogg's never took issue with that. Alcohol is far more toxic and addictive than marijuana and tends to make users reckless, aggressive, and violent.

Would you take a minute to speak out against this hypocrisy, by adding your voice to the hundreds of thousands of people who are pledging to boycott Kellogg's products until the company changes its decision? Just visit MPP's action center here and fill out the easy online form.

Meanwhile, MPP has been all over the news to point out the hypocrisy of the situation.
For instance, check out this video of MPP's Bruce Mirken discussing the issue on CNN last week.

Please join me in rejecting the farce of the condemnation of marijuana users — one that has already long been abandoned by the general public.

Sincerely,
Kampia signature (e-mail sized)

Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $2.35 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2009. This means that your donation today will be doubled.

ALERT: #394 Kellogg's Gets Stupid Over A Bong

DrugSense FOCUS Alert #394 - Monday, 9 February 2009 By now just about everybody who may read this Alert is aware of the photo of Michael Phelps inhaling from a bong which was printed on Sunday, February 1 by the British tabloid newspaper News of the World. A high resolution .jpg copy of the photo, which you may download - and perhaps print out for your own use, like pasting on a Kellogg's cereal box - is here http://www.mapinc.org/images/phelps.jpg The News of the World article is here: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n140/a11.html The result has been a firestorm of articles and opinions printed in newspapers as you may read at this link: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Michael+Phelps Please target the newspapers with your letters to the editor. Other suggested actions you may wish to take: Please take time today to contact the Kellogg Corporation. Tell them that you oppose their decision to drop Michael Phelps and that, as a result of their actions, you will not be purchasing any Kellogg's related products for the next three months (or until the company decides to reinstate the Phelps as their spokesperson). There are several ways you may make your opinion known to the company. You can call Kellogg's main telephone number during east coast business hours, Monday through Friday, at: (269) 961-2000 or toll free at: 1 (800) 962-1413. You may email Kellogg's consumer services department by visiting: http://www2.kelloggs.com/ContactUs.aspx You may contact Kellogg's media relation department at: 269-961-3799 or via e-mail at [email protected] You may email Kellogg's corporate responsibility department at: [email protected]. You may email Kellogg's investor relations department at: [email protected]. Or you may write the Kellogg Company a letter at: One Kellogg Square P.O. Box 3599 Battle Creek, MI 49016-3599. Join the Students for Sensible Drug Policy's petition campaign. Phelps still faces a potential four-year suspension from the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency. If you have a Facebook account, please join thousands of others in signing a petition demanding that the IOC and WADA not suspend Phelps from international competition. http://apps.facebook.com/causes/petitions/62.
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