Skip to main content

Press Release

Press Release: Hundreds Rally at Governor's NYC Office, Demand End of Rockefeller Drug Laws

CONTACT:

Drop the Rock, Caitlin Dunklee: 646.269.7344

New York Civil Liberties Union: Jennifer Carnig, 212.607.3363

Drug Policy Alliance: Tony Newman, 646.335.5384

Hundreds Rally at Governor’s NYC Office, Demand End of Rockefeller Drug Laws

March 25, 2009 – Hundreds of New Yorkers rallied today in front of Gov. David Paterson’s Manhattan office, urging the governor and legislative leaders to enact a sweeping overhaul of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, the state’s infamous mandatory-minimum drug sentencing scheme.

Speakers – including hip hop mogul and reform advocate Russell Simmons and the Rev. Calvin Butts of Abyssinian Baptist Church – called on lawmakers to seize this historic opportunity to end the unjust and ineffective laws.

“New York’s drug sentencing laws are the Jim Crow Laws of the 21st Century,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “The Rockefeller Drug Laws have failed by every measure. They tear apart families, waste tax dollars and create shocking racial disparities. Governor Paterson and our legislative leaders must finally put an end to this endless cycle of failure and injustice.”

Enacted in 1973, the Rockefeller laws mandate extremely harsh prison terms for the possession or sale of relatively small amounts of drugs. Though intended to target drug kingpins, most of the people incarcerated are convicted of low-level offenses. Many of the thousands of New Yorkers in prison under the Rockefeller laws suffer from substance abuse problems; many others struggle with issues related to homelessness, mental illness or unemployment. About 90 percent are black or Latino even though most people who use and sell drugs are white.

“Today we stand at the doorstep of change, and we call on the governor, the state assembly leader and the senate majority leader to fulfill their promise to make that change to end the Rockefeller Drug Laws once and for all,” Simmons said. “We have all been working hard for too many years to not restore full judicial discretion and give judges the option to send people with addictions to treatment rather than prison. The hip-hop community will continue to seek the change that we all know is right.”

Despite modest reforms in 2004 and 2005, the state’s drug sentencing scheme remains intact. These laws deny judges the authority to place people suffering from addiction, mental health issues and homelessness into treatment programs.

“For 36 years, New York State has wasted billions of taxpayer dollars by allowing the racist Rockefeller Drug Laws to serve as a stimulus package for rural upstate prison communities,” said Glenn Martin, vice president of The Fortune Society. “No longer can we continue to lock up drug addicted people from poor urban communities, simply because policy makers lack a vision for upstate economic development.”

In 2002, Paterson, then a state senator, was arrested in an act of civil disobedience promoting the sweeping overhaul of the Rockefeller Drug Laws outside of the New York City offices of then-Governor George Pataki.

“Seven years ago, David Paterson, then a State Senator from Harlem, was handcuffed in an act of civil disobedience aimed at pressing Governor Pataki to end the Rockefeller Drug Laws.  Five years ago, as Senate Minority Leader, he proposed sweeping changes to the harsh statutes” says Caitlin Dunklee, coordinator of the Drop the Rock Campaign. “Now, as Governor, his constituents are rallying to urge him to exercise the leadership he was once known for.”

“We are here to remind Governor Paterson of his past promises and to urge him to return to his better political self,” state Robert Gangi, executive director of the Correctional Association.  “His record tells us that he’s fully aware of these laws’ harsh effects, that they are wasteful, ineffective, and marked by a stark racial bias.  It is time for him as governor to exercise leadership in removing the stain of these notorious statutes from New York’s penal code.”

“In 2002, Gov. Paterson stood by my side as a senator from Harlem New York and spoke bravely about changing the laws that heavily affected his constituency,” said Anthony Papa of the Drug Policy Alliance and former prisoner under the Rockefeller Drug Laws. “Now as governor he has the power to transform those words into action that will finally achieve meaningful reform.”

“For 36 years, the Rockefeller Drug Laws have filled our prisons, emptied the taxpayer’s pockets and have had no effect whatsoever on New York State’s drug use, especially in communities of color, except to turn young people into recidivist felons,” said George Bethos, leader of NYC AIDS Housing Network & Voices Of Community Advocates And Leaders (VOCAL). “Repeal these laws immediately or have society continue to pay the price.”

“We want to see the hundreds of millions of dollars wasted each year on criminalizing chemical dependency in poor urban areas reinvested in those very same communities targeted by these laws,” said Kym Clark, director of FREE! Families Rally for Emancipation and Empowerment. “We need livable wage jobs, educational resources, and access to health care, for starters.”

xxx

Press Release: Medical Marijuana Passes House Public Safety Policy & Oversight Committee, 9-6

Minnesota Cares logo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
MARCH 24, 2009

Medical Marijuana Passes House Public Safety Policy & Oversight Committee, 9-6

CONTACT: Former Rep. Chris DeLaForest (R-Andover)........................................................(763) 439-1178

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA -- The House Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee passed the House version of Minnesota's medical marijuana bill, H.F. 292, today by a vote of  9 to 6. The vote is the latest in a string of solid committee wins for the House and Senate versions of the popular measure.

     Norm Stamper, former chief of police for the city Seattle, testified in favor of the bill. "As Seattle's police chief, I had real-world experience dealing with Washington's medical marijuana law, and can say from first-hand knowledge that medical marijuana is not a problem for law enforcement," Stamper said. "The Minnesota bill has solid safeguards built into it, and the problems being speculated about by some opponents simply do not reflect reality."

     Laws protecting patients from arrest and jail for using medical marijuana with their doctor's recommendation are in effect in Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Michigan's is the most recently enacted, passing with a record-setting 63 percent "yes" vote last November.

     Organizations that have recognized marijuana's medical uses include the American College of Physicians, American Nurses Association, American Public Health Association, American Academy of HIV Medicine and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, among others.
   

####

Press Advisory: Medical Marijuana Hearing Tuesday in House Public Safety Policy & Oversight Committee

Minnesota Cares logo

MEDIA ADVISORY   
MARCH 22, 2009

Medical Marijuana Hearing Tuesday in House Public Safety Policy & Oversight Committee
Former Seattle Police Chief Expected to Dispel Myths About Medical Marijuana Laws


CONTACT: Former Rep. Chris DeLaForest (R-Andover)........................................................(763) 439-1178

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA -- The House Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee will hold a hearing on the House version of Minnesota's medical marijuana bill, H.F. 292, at 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24. Among the scheduled witnesses is Norm Stamper, former chief of police for Seattle, whose testimony is expected to dispel many common myths about medical marijuana laws.

    WHAT: House Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee hearing on the medical marijuana bill,     H.F. 292.

    WHO: Scheduled witnesses include:
      -- Norm Stamper, former chief of police, Seattle
      -- Robert Youcha of St. Francis, a paramedic who suffered spinal injuries in a 1998 ambulance accident, leaving him in constant pain

     WHERE: Rm. 10, State Office Building, St. Paul.

     WHEN: Tuesday, March 23, 12:45 p.m.
   

####

Press Release: Hundreds to Rally Wednesday at Paterson's NYC Office to End Rockefeller Drug Laws

For Immediate Release: March 23, 2009 Contact: Jennifer Carnig at 212.607.3363 or [email protected], Correctional Association Contacts: Caitlin Dunklee at 646-269-7344, Bob Gangi at 917-327-7648 Wednesday: Hundreds to Rally at Paterson’s NYC Office to End Rockefeller Drug Laws March 23, 2009 – On Wednesday, hundreds of people, including the families of those in prison for drug offenses, people who were formerly incarcerated, doctors, lawyers and advocates, will rally at Governor Paterson’s Manhattan office to urge him and legislative leaders to end the Rockefeller Drug Laws. The Rockefeller Drug Laws mandate extremely harsh sentences for sale or possession of small amounts of drugs. Most of the thousands of people incarcerated under Rockefeller are low-level drug offenders, and most come from just a handful of low-income New York City neighborhoods. Ninety percent are black or Latino even though most people who use and sell drugs are white. In 2002, Paterson, then a state senator, was arrested in an act of civil disobedience promoting a proposed overhaul of the Rockefeller Drug Laws outside of the New York City offices of then-Governor George Pataki. Now hundreds of people will gather outside his office to demand an end to the outdated, discriminatory laws. What: Rally to end New York’s Rockefeller Drug Laws When: Wednesday, March 25, 1 p.m. Where: Governor Paterson’s office, 633 3rd Ave., between 40th and 41st Who: The Rev. Calvin Butts, Abyssinian Baptist Church Drop the Rock New York Civil Liberties Union Correctional Association of New York Drug Policy Alliance The Fortune Society Exponents Mothers of the Disappeared Center for Community Alternatives Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers (ASAP) The Bronx Defenders Women’s Prison Association Families Rally for Emancipation and Empowerment (FREE) JusticeWorks Community - xxx -

Press Release: NH House Committee Passes Medical Marijuana Bill 13-7

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
MARCH 18, 2009

NH House Committee Passes Medical Marijuana Bill 13-7

Bill Would Make New Hampshire 14th State to Protect Seriously Ill Medical Marijuana Patients from Arrest

CONTACT: Matt Simon, NH Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy, (603) 391-7450

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE — The New Hampshire House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee voted 13-7 to recommend passage of a bill today that would allow seriously ill patients to use medical marijuana if their doctor recommends it. The vote by the full committee came after a three-member subcommittee voted 2-1 in favor of the bill.

    Today's vote means the bill, HB 648, will now go to the House floor for a full vote by the chamber with the committee's "ought to pass" recommendation. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Evalyn Merrick (D-Lancaster).

    The committee's strong statement of support provided medical marijuana patients with a boost of confidence. Clayton Holton, a muscular dystrophy patient from Somersworth, said the vote made him feel hopeful that he'd be able to live the rest of his life in New Hampshire. "I'm happy that my family may not have to move to a state that allows medical marijuana," he said.

    Thirteen states already have medical marijuana laws which effectively protect qualifying patients from arrest and help them safely access marijuana. Michigan became the most recent last year when 63 percent of voters passed its medical marijuana law by ballot initiative. Of the 11 states that have collected such data, not one has seen youth marijuana use rates increase after establishing a medical marijuana law. In fact, each of those states, including California, has actually seen youth marijuana rates decline, in some cases dramatically.

    In 2007, a bill similar to the one currently under consideration was defeated by only nine votes – an incredibly slim margin considering it had been negatively recommended by the committee that today voted to approve HB 648. However, a 2008 Mason-Dixon poll showed that 71 percent of New Hampshire voters support such a law, and medical marijuana advocates say legislators have learned a lot in two years about both medical marijuana and medical marijuana policy.

    "The committee studied the bill very diligently, and now it has placed its stamp of approval on a well-written, responsible bill," said Matt Simon, executive director of NH Common Sense Marijuana Policy, which supports the bill. "It was a good day for democracy." 

###

Press Release: Obama Names Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske As New 'Drug Czar'

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 11, 2009 CONTACT: Tom Angell at 202-557-4979 or [email protected] Obama Names Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske As New 'Drug Czar' Statement From Drug-Legalizing Retired Seattle Chief Norm Stamper WASHINGTON, March 11 -- Vice President Joe Biden announced the Obama administration's nomination of Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske today as the nation's next "drug czar," formally known as director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Kerlikowske's immediate predecessor as Seattle's top cop, Norm Stamper, who is a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), a large and growing group of cops, judges and prosecutors who want to legalize all drugs, released the following statement: "There's hope. Gil Kerlikowske is a professional cop. While he didn't favor certain drug policy reforms as Seattle's police chief (marijuana as lowest enforcement priority, for example), he didn't fight them. I know some law enforcement officials who've thumbed their noses at similar voter initiatives. Gil's a strong supporter of drug treatment." "These are promising signs." "Also worth noting are the personal struggles Kerlikowske has undergone with substance abuse in his own family. Hopefully his stepson's drug arrests have helped him to realize that making drugs illegal does nothing to solve substance abuse problems, and usually only makes them worse." "The open question is whether he'll entertain fundamental reform. It starts at the top. If the president and vice president signal a commitment to science, and to an honest conversation about the prohibition/drug war model, I think Gil will step up and lead the effort. Right now, that's a big if." Stamper recently posted commentary on the Kerlikowske nomination on the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/norm-stamper/obamas-new-drug-czar-coul_b_166202.html Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) is a 10,000-member organization representing police, prosecutors, judges, FBI/DEA agents and others from around the world who fought on the front lines of the "war on drugs" and who learned firsthand that making drugs illegal only serves to make drug addiction and drug market violence problems worse. LEAP's website is at http://www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com NOTE TO EDITORS: Norm Stamper is available for interviews. Please contact Tom Angell at [email protected] or 202-557-4979 for more information. # # #

Press Release: Medical Marijuana Passes House Civil Justice Committee Without Dissent

Minnesota Cares logo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
MARCH 11, 2009

Medical Marijuana Passes House Civil Justice Committee Without Dissent


CONTACT: Former Rep. Chris DeLaForest (R-Andover)......................................................(763) 439-1178

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA -- The House version of Minnesota's medical marijuana bill passed the House Civil Justice Committee this morning in a voice vote with no dissenting votes. The vote came after powerful testimony from Joni Whiting, whose adult daughter's suffering was relieved by medical marijuana while she was undergoing treatment for the melanoma that eventually took her life.

    "It really feels like the momentum is building and this is the year we're going to get this done," said Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing), sponsor of the Senate version of the bill. "One-quarter of the country now protects medical marijuana patients from arrest, and there is simply no reason to use Minnesota's police resources to arrest the sick for trying to relieve their suffering."

    A previous version of the bill passed the Senate and every House committee in the 2007-2008 session, but was never brought up for a vote on the House floor.

    Thirteen states, comprising approximately one-quarter of the U.S. population, now permit medical use of marijuana under state law if a physician has recommended it. The newest such law was enacted by Michigan voters last November, passing with a record-setting 63 percent "yes" vote. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder reaffirmed on Feb. 25 that the Obama administration intends to pursue a policy of non-interference with these state laws. A number of other states are considering medical marijuana legislation this year, including New Jersey, Illinois, Iowa and New Hampshire.

####

Press Release: NYCLU Announces Findings about Statewide Impact of Rockefeller Drug Laws

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 11, 2009 CONTACT: Jennifer Carnig at 212.607.3363 or [email protected] NYCLU Announces Findings about Statewide Impact of Rockefeller Drug Laws March 11, 2009 – The New York Civil Liberties today released a detailed report illustrating the disastrous effects the Rockefeller Drug Laws have inflicted on New York State. The report analyzes the drug laws’ economic and social impact on the entire state, and its largest cities: Albany, Buffalo, New York City, Rochester and Syracuse. The report – The Rockefeller Drug Laws: Unjust, Irrational, Ineffective – presents overwhelming evidence that New York’s mandatory minimum drug-sentencing scheme has failed to improve public safety or deter drug use. It documents the grave harm the drug laws cause to low-income communities of color, and it calls on lawmakers to adopt a public health approach to addressing substance abuse. “The Rockefeller Drug Laws have failed by every measure. They tear apart families, waste tax dollars and create shocking racial disparities,” said Donna Lieberman, NYCLU executive director. “Yet, after 36 years of failure, our state continues locking up the wrong people for the wrong reasons. Justice and common sense require comprehensive reform.” Enacted in 1973, the Rockefeller Drug Laws mandate extremely harsh prison terms for the possession or sale of relatively small amounts of drugs. Though intended to target drug kingpins, most of the people incarcerated are convicted of low-level, nonviolent offenses. Many of the thousands of New Yorkers in prison under these laws suffer from substance abuse problems; many others struggle with issues related to homelessness, mental illness or unemployment. The mass incarceration of drug offenders rips parents away from children. As of 2002, an estimated 11,000 people incarcerated for drug offenses, including 1,000 women, were parents of young children. Close to 25,000 children in New York State had parents in prison convicted of nonviolent drug charges. Some 50 percent of mothers and fathers in prison for drug convictions did not receive visits from their children. Despite modest reforms in 2004 and 2005, the state’s drug sentencing scheme remains intact. These laws deny judges the authority to place people suffering from addiction, mental health issues and homelessness into treatment programs. For decades, the NYCLU, criminal justice advocates and medical experts have fought to untie the hands of judges and allow addiction to be treated as a public health matter. As noted in the New York State Sentencing Commission’s recent report, sentencing non-violent drug offenders to prison is ineffective and counterproductive, and has resulted in unconscionable racial disparities: Blacks and Latinos comprise more than 90 percent of those currently incarcerated for drug felonies, though government research shows that most people using illegal drugs are white. “New York’s drug sentencing laws are the Jim Crow laws of the 21st Century,” said Robert Perry, NYCLU legislative director and the report’s lead author. “Prosecution of drug offenses has sent hundreds of thousands to prison, most of whom were charged with low-level, non-violent offenses. The Rockefeller Drug Laws have been a driving force in incarcerating a prison population that is almost exclusively black and brown.” The report features demographic maps created by the Justice Mapping Center that analyze who is sent to prison for drug offenses from the state’s five largest cities: Albany, Buffalo, New York City, Rochester and Syracuse. The maps depict the racial and ethnic bias inherent in the state’s drug policy and illustrate the exorbitant cost of locking up drug offenders. For example, 25 percent of adults in New York City sent to prison in 2006 came from neighborhoods with just 4 percent of the city’s adult population. More than half were admitted for drug offenses, and 97 percent were black or Latino. In Buffalo, 25 percent of adults sent to prison come from areas with just 6 percent of the city’s adult population. One in four is admitted for drug offenses and 91 percent are black or Latino. The maps also show the enormous cost of combating drug-related crime through massive incarceration. For example, taxpayers spent more than $27.5 million to imprison Rochester residents convicted of drug offenses in 2006, and another $21 million to imprison Albany residents convicted of drug offenses that year. More than $440 million was spent to incarcerate New York City residents sent to prison in 2006 for drug offenses. Based on estimates calculated by the state Commission on Sentencing Reform, taxpayers will pay about $600 million to incarcerate drug offenders in 2009 alone. “Faced with a major recession and a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, New York cannot afford to waste hundreds of millions of dollars locking up nonviolent drug offenders,” Lieberman said. “Money saved through reforming the drug-sentencing laws could be spent helping struggling New Yorkers get back on their feet.” The report makes several recommendations for reform, including: • Reduce sentences for those convicted of drug-related crimes. • Restore judicial discretion and end mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses. • Develop and invest in a statewide alternative to incarceration model to provide supervised treatment, education and employment training for those who would be better served by diversion than by prison. • Provide retroactive sentencing relief for those already incarcerated under the Rockefeller Drug Laws. “Imprisonment for drug-related crimes should be the last resort, reserved for truly violent offenders,” Perry said. “Adopting a public health model to address the problems related to substance abuse will not only save taxpayers money, it will move the state toward a more fair and effective strategies for promoting justice and public safety.” To read or download a copy of the report – including the maps – visit www.nyclu.org/rockefeller-report. -xxx-

Press Release: Obama to Nominate Seattle Police Chief as Drug Czar

For Immediate Release: March 11, 2009 Contact: Tony Newman at (646) 335-5384 or Ethan Nadelmann at (646) 335-2240 Obama to Nominate Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske as Drug Czar Today Statement from Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance President Obama is set to nominate Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske as Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) today, according to the Washington Post. The director of ONDCP is more commonly referred to as Drug Czar. The Post is also reporting that the Obama administration will remove the position’s Cabinet-level status – overturning an elevation of the office under President George W. Bush. The Seattle Times, ABC News and other sources reported a month ago that President Obama was considering Kerlikowske for the post. The Washington Post reports that appointing him was delayed as information of drug arrests involving his stepson emerged. Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, a leading advocate of alternatives to the war on drugs, said: “While we’re disappointed that President Obama has nominated a police chief instead of a major public health advocate as drug czar, we’re cautiously optimistic that Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske will support Obama’s drug policy reform agenda. What gives us hope is the fact that Seattle has been at the cutting edge of harm reduction and other drug policy reform developments in the United States over the last decade. The city’s needle exchange programs are well established and harm reduction is well integrated in Seattle’s approach to local drug problems. Marijuana has been legal for medical purposes for a decade. In 2003, Seattle voters passed a ballot initiative making marijuana arrests the lowest law enforcement priority. And the King County Bar Association has demonstrated national leadership in exploring alternatives to current prohibitionist policies. While Gil Kerlikowske has not spoken out in favor of any of these reforms, he is clearly familiar with them and has not been a forceful opponent. Given the high regard in which he is held by other police chiefs around the country, Mr. Kerlikowske has the potential to provide much needed national leadership in implementing the commitments that Barack Obama made during the campaign. He also surely recognizes that substance abuse or run-ins with the law can touch anyone, including his own family. He will hopefully advocate for treatment instead of incarceration for nonviolent drug law offenders. Incarcerating someone because they have a drug problem is cruel and counterproductive, whether that person is a member of your own family or someone else. As a presidential candidate, Senator Obama said the ‘war on drugs is an utter failure’ and that he believes in ‘shifting the paradigm, shifting the model, so that we focus more on a public health approach.’ He also called for eliminating the crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity, repealing the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs to reduce HIV/AIDS, and stopping the U.S. Justice Department from undermining state medical marijuana laws. Within 24 hours of taking office, President Obama had the White House webpage changed to reflect his support for eliminating the crack/powder disparity and repealing the syringe ban. Attorney General Eric Holder said at a press conference on February 25th that Obama’s position on ending medical raids is “now American policy.” The Drug Policy Alliance will do everything in its power to ensure that the nominee for drug czar is thoroughly vetted at the confirmation hearings, and held accountable to the commitments and standards that President Obama has declared.”

Press Advisory: Medical Marijuana Bill Faces House Civil Justice Committee Hearing Wednesday

Minnesota Cares logo

MEDIA ADVISORY   
MARCH 10, 2009  

Medical Marijuana Bill Faces House Civil Justice Committee Hearing Wednesday

CONTACT: Former Rep. Chris DeLaForest (R-Andover)......................................................(763) 439-1178

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA -- Fresh off of a resounding 6-2 victory in the Senate Health and Human Services Budget Division, Minnesota's medical marijuana bill faces its next House committee test in the Civil Justice Committee this Wednesday. If passed, the measure would make Minnesota the 14th state to permit medical use of marijuana by seriously ill patients with a physician's recommendation. The newest such law, in Michigan, was passed by voters in November with a record-setting 63 percent "yes" vote.

    WHAT: House Civil Justice Committee hearing and vote on medical marijuana legislation.

    WHO: Expected witnesses include Joni Whiting, whose adult daughter benefited from medical marijuana during treatment for the melanoma that eventually took her life, and Robert Youcha of St. Francis, a paramedic who suffered spinal injuries in a 1998 ambulance accident, leaving him in constant pain.

    WHEN: Wednesday, March 11, 8:30 a.m.

    WHERE: Rm. 10, State Office Building, St. Paul.

####

Subscribe to Press Release