Press Release

Dear ASA Supporters, The press release below refers to a cable network program that is the result of ASA working with Retirement Living TV over the past six months and is a part of ASA’s campaign to focus on Senior outreach, including ASA’s Seniors Union (http://www.safeaccessnow.org/modinput4.php?modin=59). It is some of the best coverage on this issue I have seen. You can see a 5 minute teaser on RLTV's website (http://rl.tv/OurShows/Viewpoint/tabid/598/Default.aspx). The Seniors Union works with ASA to distribute important research information to medical professionals, work with other senior organizations to support patients' right to cannabis in lieu of failed alternatives, and advocate for safe and legal access to cannabis for all seniors who need it. The Seniors Union is open to seniors who use medical cannabis, caregivers, family members, researchers, physicians, and other health providers who support the use of medical cannabis. The primary objective of this project is to renew relationships with key condition-based organizations like AARP and other senior communities that have traditionally kept an arms length from this issue. Specifically, we would like senior organizations to endorse our organizational goals, and engage with ASA to lobby Congress and administrative agencies to end federal raids, expand therapeutic research, and create access programs for patients across the United States. The fact that ASA shares intersecting patient populations with a variety of condition-based organizations provides us with unique opportunities for collaboration. The strategy of the Medical Cannabis Seniors Union project is to underscore the needs of medical cannabis patients: elimination of federal raids and prosecutions, expansion of therapeutic research opportunities, and immediate access to a safe and legal supply of cannabis. Creating new alliances with other senior organizations will provide a broader base of support for our goals. To get involved in this project, please follow this link: www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/RLN Sincerely, Steph Sherer Executive Director Americans for Safe Access Join us today… www.AmericansforSafeAccess.org/Donate ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Media Release Americans for Safe Access For Immediate Release: August 1, 2007 Seniors Take On Medical Marijuana Retirement Living Television segment airs today in millions of homes; Poll shows 82% support Washington, D.C. -- A Florida medical marijuana patient, Irv Rosenfeld, who receives his medicine from the federal government, was interviewed by the country’s largest television network devoted to retirement programming for a news magazine segment that aired today in millions of homes across the country. The program Viewpoint, produced by Retirement Living Television (RLTV), which boasts 29 million viewers, also interviewed Dr. Bertha Madras, the Deputy Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. And, an RLTV promotional program, Daily Café, which aired yesterday, included an interview with Caren Woodson, the Director of Government Affairs for Americans for Safe Access, a medical marijuana advocacy organization. According to RLTV, its program Viewpoint sought to investigate “the relationship between seniors living with chronic pain and their choice to use medical marijuana to alleviate their constant discomfort.” In addition to providing important and relevant information on medical marijuana to seniors by way of its television program, RLTV also offers additional information on-line at www.rl.tv. According to its website, RLTV considers itself “the new voice of a generation under-served by the media industry,” and “the foremost experts on aging and seniors.” RLTV is currently polling its viewers on the issue, and so far claims that 82% support medical marijuana with a physician’s recommendation. Today’s RLTV Viewpoint segment is especially timely in its focus on a Los Angeles dispensary, California Patients Group (CPG), which served more than a thousand patients over the age of fifty. After the RLTV interview was conducted, CPG was raided by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), had its assets seized, and was forced to close. “This action against CPG and other facilities in the Los Angeles area shows the extent to which the federal government will go to undermine California’s medical marijuana law and patients’ right to chose their medicine,” said CPG operator Don Duncan. Dr. John Benson, one of the co-investigators at the National Academy of Sciences, who issued the 1999 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on medical marijuana, was also interviewed for the Viewpoint program. Dr. Benson and others concluded in the IOM report, a million-dollar investigative report commissioned by the Clinton Administration that, “Scientific data indicate the potential therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs [medical marijuana] for pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation.” The IOM report also urged further research, a recommendation that has been ignored by the federal government. This is not the first time a major retirement-focused organization has taken on the issue of medical marijuana. In December 2004, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) released a report, which found that 72% of people surveyed who were 45-years and older “agree that adults should be allowed to legally use marijuana for medical purposes if a physician recommends it.” Nearly one-third of those surveyed admitted that they smoked marijuana. In order to educate both seniors, and the physicians caring for them, Americans for Safe Access (ASA) has developed a booklet on “medical marijuana and aging” that is disseminated to literally thousands of people nationwide. This education is necessary due in part to the federal government position that “marijuana has no accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.” Advocates are hopeful that with the efforts of RLTV, ASA, and others, medical marijuana can be effectively used by our country’s aging population and by all who might benefit from its therapeutic properties. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RLTV Viewpoint promotional segment (full program available tomorrow):www.rl.tv/OurShows/Viewpoint/ tabid/598/Default.aspx AARP 2004 Report: www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/AARP Institute of Medicine 1999 Report: www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/marimed / ASA booklet on Aging and Medical Marijuana: www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/aging_ booklet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 26, 2007 CONTACT: Bill Piper at (202) 669-6430 or Tony Newman at (646) 335-5384 On Day That Feds Raid and Shut down Ten Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in California, Congress Rejects Proposal to Protect Seriously Ill Patients and Their Caregivers from Federal Arrest House Rejects Amendment to Cut Off Funding to the Raids, 262 to 165 Majority of Democrats Vote for States’ Rights and Compassion, While Republicans Betray Both Their Principles and Their Grassroots Base As the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration raided and shut down ten medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives considered and rejected an amendment that would have prohibited federal law enforcement agencies from arresting and prosecuting terminally ill patients and their caregivers in states that have legalized marijuana for medical use. The amendment was voted down, 262-165. Offered by Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA), and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), the amendment received 150 votes from Democrats and 15 votes from Republicans. “It is outrageous that members of Congress rejected a sensible amendment to protect sick people and their families ," said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. "We will make sure that voters in their districts know that they voted to send cancer and AIDS patients to federal prison for following their doctor’s recommendation." "With soldiers dying in Iraq, new terrorism threats emerging, and the federal defecit so large, both Congress and the Bush Administration need to get their priorities straight," Piper continued. "America can not afford these raids on medical marijuana patients and their caregivers, not on fiscal terms, not on law enforcement and national security terms, and not on human terms. This ongoing assault on the will of California voters is an utter waste of federal resources, and it's causing great suffering to sick people and their families. If we don't stop this federal interference now, the feds could start interfering with the laws of Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island and other medical marijuana states." Background and Key Facts: Twelve states passed laws allowing terminally ill patients to use marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation (Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington). More than 70 percent of voters support the right of patients to use marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation – including substantial majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents (Gallup, Time/CNN, Pew Research Center, other polls). In 1997, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) commissioned the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to assess marijuana’s medical value. After two years of reviewing the scientific data available “the study team found substantial consensus among experts in the relevant disciplines on the scientific evidence about potential medical uses of marijuana.” The study team concluded, “nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety…all can be mitigated by marijuana.” The esteemed medical journal, The Lancet Neurology, reported that marijuana’s active components “inhibit pain in virtually every experimental pain paradigm.” Health organizations supporting legal access to medical marijuana include: American Academy of HIV Medicine, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Nurses Association, American Preventive Medical Association, American Public Health Association, California Academy of Family Physicians, California Medical Association, Florida Medical Association, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Lymphoma Foundation of America, New England Journal of Medicine, New York State Association of County Health Officials, New York State Hospice and Palliative Care Association, New York State Medical Society, and the Whitman-Walker Clinic. Faith-based organizations supporting legal access to medical marijuana or state discretion on the issue include: Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, National Council of Churches, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Presbyterian Church (USA), Religious Society of Friends (Philadelphia Yearly Meeting), Union for Reform Judaism, United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalist Association, and the United Methodist Church. No religious denomination opposes medical marijuana.

For Immediate Release: July 24, 2007 Contact: Tony Newman at (646) 335-5384 NY Poised to Become First State to Require Addiction Treatment Programs to be Smoke-free, Aimed at Helping Clients Quit Smoking Treatment Advocates See New Rule as a Mixed Bag: Applaud Effort to Help Smokers Quit; Warn of Possible New Barriers to Treatment Created by Smoke-free Centers New York Alcohol and Substance Abuse Service officials announced today a new rule that will require treatment centers to help their patients to quit smoking. The plan, which is slated to take effect next year, will require treatment centers to help patients quit smoking by offering nicotine replacement therapy, including nicotine gum and patches, to all smokers. For those lacking health insurance, the nicotine replacement therapy will be free of charge. The treatment centers also will be required to be smoke-free. Smokers will be prohibited from smoking at the centers. Officials estimate the new law will impact 110,000 patients on any given day. Approximately 92 percent of those in alcohol and other drug treatment programs are cigarette smokers, according to official estimates. Treatment advocates have mixed feelings about the new rule. They are applauding the effort to help people quit smoking, but warn that the smoking ban may deter some smokers who are hoping to quit other addictions. “Smoking leads to more premature deaths than all illicit drugs combined and it is a positive development to offer nicotine replacement therapy to all who want it,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. “But prohibiting smoking at the treatment centers may discourage people who want and need treatment to other drugs, but are not willing or able to stop smoking.” Many people struggling with addiction may have problems with multiple drugs, both legal and illegal. Advocates caution against barriers that will discourage people from seeking out help. “Not everyone can or wants to abstain from all drugs all at once,” said Tony Newman, media director at the Drug Policy Alliance. “Do we really want to set up barriers for someone who wants to quit heroin, but may not be ready to quit cigarettes? We need open doors that encourage people to get help for their problems, whether it be for illegal or legal drugs, and not rules that drive people away from life-saving programs.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, July 24, 2007 CONTACT: Adam Eidinger at 202-744-2671, [email protected] or Tom Murphy at 207-542-4998, [email protected] Television Coverage of Industrial Hemp Confused by Puns and Drug References “You Can’t Get High Talking About Hemp” WASHINGTON, DC – Vote Hemp, the nation’s leading industrial hemp advocacy organization, recognizes that the American news media strives to provide accurate information to their readers and viewers. In recent years there have been an increasing number of news reports about hemp farming legislation and the activities of industrial hemp advocates at the local and federal level. On average, the facts presented on industrial hemp are accurate; however, silly pot humor still manages to creep into some of the coverage. Confusion between non-drug, industrial hemp varieties and psychoactive, drug varieties of Cannabis is fueled by these easy pot shots, ultimately aiding the myth that hemp and marijuana are the same. The DEA’s justification for threatening prosecution against anyone who grows the non-drug industrial hemp is that there is no distinction under federal law. Just saying that hemp is not marijuana is not enough to save a story. The media should take extra effort to provide straight, fact-based news coverage of industrial hemp legislation, lawsuits and grassroots campaigns that seek to bring the U.S. in line with the rest of the industrialized world that already grows hemp. “We at Vote Hemp are tired of seeing TV news personalities giggle and act stoned when talking about industrial hemp,” says Eric Steenstra, co-founder of VoteHemp.com. “You can’t get high eating or talking about hemp, so don’t act stoned,” he adds in reference to giggling by hosts on NBC’s TODAY Show earlier this year. “It’s time to get past the giggle-factor. Legitimate news organizations have an obligation to treat industrial hemp as the serious issue it is and to not confuse it with drugs.” “We constantly have to correct misstatements about the relationship between industrial hemp and marijuana,” says Alexis Baden-Mayer, director of Government Affairs for Vote Hemp. “The most recent offence was in Mike Luery's July 11 report on San Francisco’s NBC Channel 11 which was laced with bad puns tainting any hope of serious coverage.” Luery begins by saying that Cannabis can be used by farmers to make not only industrial hemp, but also marijuana. This is the equivalent of saying, “Canis lupus can be used by breeders to create not only chihuahuas, but also wolves." Luery just isn't making sense. Industrial hemp and marijuana are genetically distinct varieties, or sub-species, of the genus Cannabis. They each have been bred over thousands of years for very different characteristics. Like dogs and wolves, two kinds of Canis lupus, different sub-species of Cannabis can interbreed, but you would not mistake one for the other. More information is available online at: http://www.votehemp.com/media. Chemically and genetically, marijuana and industrial hemp are opposites: marijuana has a lot of THC and very little CBD, both cannabinoids, while industrial hemp has a lot of CBD and almost no THC. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the psychoactive component that gives marijuana users a high, while CBD (cannabidiol) effectively blocks THC's psychoactive punch. This means that if you try smoking industrial hemp, all you'll get is a bad headache. Luery relishes using his favorite puns from the marijuana joke book to color the debate. For example, opponents’ arguments "went up in smoke," and Chuck DeVore is the bill's "self-proclaimed joint author." The amazing thing is that — despite this kind of reporting — most California voters are aware of the truth about industrial hemp and don’t buy into the drug storyline. In fact, Vote Hemp's recent Zogby poll showed that 71% of Californians support changing state law to allow hemp farming. See the news clip at: http://video.nbc11.com/player/?id=127962. “The story that should be told is that in the past six months new hemp products like Hemp Milk have been a huge success,” says Steenstra. “California companies lead the nation in manufacturing hemp products such as soap and snack bars. Meanwhile, legislation in the California legislature to allow industrial hemp farming is likely to succeed, and North Dakota farmers with state-issued hemp farming licenses have recently filed a landmark lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).” In June, two North Dakota farmers filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota in an effort to end the DEA’s obstruction of commercial hemp farming in the United States. If successful, the legal action would result in licensed hemp farmers receiving assurances that no federal agency could hold them criminally liable under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Vote Hemp’s grassroots supporters are funding the legal action. A copy of the complaint is available online at: http://www.votehemp.com/legal. Last year, just over 48,000 acres of hemp were grown in Canada, primarily in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, provinces that border North Dakota. Hemp farmers in Canada averaged $250 CDN per acre in profit in 2006, according to the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance (CHTA), an association of businesses, farmers and researchers. Hemp currently has a better profit outlook than any other crop in Canada. Hemp is a good rotational crop, with the ability to reduce weeds in future cereal crops. Very few chemicals, if any, are required to grow the crop which is considered a good alternative to those with harmful environmental impacts such as cotton, tobacco and soy. In the largest hemp-producing country, China, which grows 2 million acres annually, hemp hurds are processed into lightweight boards, and hemp fibers, already used in the paper and automotive industries, are finding new uses as reinforcement in plastics for products such as window frames and floor coverings. (In fact, some of these innovative products will be used on a large scale at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, according to news reports.) In Sweden, companies including IKEA, Volvo and Saab have shown interest in hemp fibers and hurds for use in vehicle interiors and furniture. In the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, considerable investments are being made by governments and private businesses to utilize hemp fiber in composites that are used to manufacture auto parts for BMW, Chrysler, Ford and Mercedes. In Canada, Germany and Japan, businesses are investigating reinforcing Polylactide (PLA) plastic with hemp fibers in order to widen the technology’s field of applications. # # # Vote Hemp is a national, single-issue, non-profit organization dedicated to the acceptance of and a free market for low-THC industrial hemp and to changes in current law to allow U.S. farmers to once again grow the crop. More information about hemp legislation and the crop's many uses may be found at www.VoteHemp.com or www.HempIndustries.org. BETA SP or DVD Video News Releases featuring footage of hemp farming in other countries are available upon request by contacting Adam Eidinger at 202-744-2671.

For Immediate Release: July 23, 2007 Contact: Margaret Dooley at (213) 291-4190 or Dave Fratello at (310) 394-2952 Al Gore III Faces Up to Three Years in Prison for Drug Possession; Californians Favor Alternatives to Incarceration CA Law Offers Treatment to 36,000 Nonviolent, Low-level Drug Offenders—Famous and Not—Every Year Gore Heads to Court as CA Senate Debates Budget Cuts to Prop. 36 LOS ANGELES, July 23 – Al Gore III, the 24-year-old son of the former vice president, is facing more than three years in prison for simple drug possession following an arrest in Southern California earlier this month. Advocates call for Gore to receive what most nonviolent, low-level drug offenders in California do—community-based treatment instead of incarceration under Prop. 36, passed by 61% of voters in 2000. The DA of Orange County will determine Gore’s eligibility for the program in the next couple of weeks. Margaret Dooley, Prop. 36 Coordinator for the Drug Policy Alliance, said, “It is a tragedy when anyone enters the criminal justice system—rather than the healthcare system—because of drug use. Thanks to Prop. 36, people in California can address those problems, without adding the trauma and stigma of incarceration. We hope the court will find that Gore is one of the tens of thousands who could benefit from Prop. 36 this year.” Over 36,000 people—famous and not—benefit from Prop. 36 each year. Daniel Baldwin, brother of Alec Baldwin, last week told Larry King that Prop. 36 intervened in his long-term cocaine addiction and allowed him to access the treatment he needed. His story is similar to that of Rudy Mendez, a not-so-famous resident of San Diego, who entered Prop. 36 to treat his long-term addiction to heroin, and has been sober for five years. Both men are now spokesmen for recovery and work with others to spread the news that “Recovery Happens!” and that one way to get there is Prop. 36. Gore’s arrest and Baldwin’s interview come just as the California Senate considers cutting funding to Prop. 36, in exchange for hefty tax breaks for large corporations. Advocates say the plan to cut funding to the life-saving and cost-effective program is a slap in the face of California voters. In 2000, 61 % of California voters approved Prop. 36, permanently changing state law so that all eligible nonviolent drug possession offenders must be given the option of state-licensed treatment. In just six years, over 70,000 Californians have graduated Prop. 36 and taxpayers have saved $1.8 billion. For more information, visit www.Prop36.org. To see Larry King interview Daniel Baldwin about his addiction and Prop. 36, visit http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2007/07/19/lkl.daily.daniel.baldwin.cnn # # #

For Immediate Release: July 19, 2007 Contact: Bill Piper at (202) 669-6430 or Tony Newman at (646) 335-5384 Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton Vows to End Federal Raids on Medical Marijuana Patients Remarks Come on Eve of Vote in House of Representatives to Stop Bush Administration’s Heartless Raids During a presidential campaign stop in New Hampshire last Friday, Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton pledged to end federal raids on medical marijuana patients. The pledge came in response to a question posed by Len Epstein, a volunteer for Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana (GSMM). After telling Clinton, "Twelve states allow medical marijuana, but the Bush administration continues to raid patients," she responded, "Yes, I know. It's terrible." Epstein then asked, "Would you stop the federal raids?" Clinton responded, "Yes, I will." Her remarks echo remarks she made in May in which she suggested the federal government was being “excessive” in its dealing with medical marijuana patients. Twelve states, (Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington) have adopted effective medical marijuana laws since 1996 - most of them by a vote of the people. Dozens of other states have adopted largely symbolic medical marijuana laws. The Drug Enforcement Administration, however, continues to arrest medical marijuana patients and their caregivers in those states. “Sen. Clinton has shown real leadership by pledging to stop federal medical marijuana raids,” said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. “I hope her colleagues in the House follow her lead and vote to prohibit the Justice Department from arresting medical marijuana patients and their caregivers in those states where marijuana is legal for medical use.” Next week, the House of Representatives will vote on an amendment that would prohibit the Justice Department from undermining state medical marijuana laws. Last year, 163 representatives (75 percent of Democrats; 18 percent of Republicans) voted for a similar amendment. In addition to Clinton's remarks, every other Democratic presidential candidate has vowed to end federal medical marijuana raids - except for Sen. Barak Obama who indicated in June that the raids shouldn't be a priority for the Justice Department, but stopped short of pledging to end the raids completely if elected president. Earlier this year Gov. Bill Richardson became the first U.S. presidential candidate in history to sign legislation legalizing marijuana for medical use. On the Republican side, only Rep. Ron Paul, Rep. Tom Tancredo, and former Gov. Tommy Thompson have indicated they would end the federal medical marijuana raids.

Contacts: Skeet Freelove, Ruth’s Hemp Foods, Inc., [email protected], (877) 359-4508, ext. 5 or Adam Eidinger, Vote Hemp, [email protected], (202) 744-2671 Uncle Sam Says, "I Want You to Vote Hemp!" Ruth's Hemp Foods Enlists Uncle Sam to Launch Special Edition Hemp Bar in Support of Vote Hemp's Efforts on Behalf of U.S. Farmers. Toronto, Ontario (July 4, 2007) – Ruth’s Hemp Foods is proud to introduce a special edition hemp snack bar to promote support of Vote Hemp. Vote Hemp, a Washington, DC-based industrial hemp advocacy group, is funding the legal costs of two North Dakota farmers, Dave Monson and Wayne Hauge, in the farmers’ lawsuit against the US Drug Enforcement Agency. 100 percent of all profits from the first three months’ sale of the Vote Hemp Bar will go directly to Vote Hemp. Thereafter, 20 percent of the bar’s profits will be donated to Vote Hemp for the entire life of the bar. Ruth Shamai, president of Ruth's Hemp Foods and a supporter of Vote Hemp's tireless work in the US, was a key activist in the cadre composed of leading environmentalists, agriculture experts and entrepreneurs that lobbied successfully for the legalization of industrial hemp production in Canada in 1998. "The United States government should get past all the drug association rhetoric and take a clear-eyed look at low-THC industrial hemp for its many valuable assets, including it being a healthy, nutrient-dense food,” says Ruth. “And, as a bonus, it is a very low-impact, environmentally-friendly crop.” “I know firsthand what Vote Hemp is trying to accomplish," adds Ruth. "This is how we, as a company, can do something to show our support for Vote Hemp and, by extension, for all the farmers in the US who simply want to be able to lawfully grow low-THC industrial hemp; a crop dating back to 8000 BC that has been of significant importance to many nations, including the United States. It’s true, colonial America had mandatory hemp farming; US Presidents Washington and Jefferson both grew hemp; the first US flag was sewn from hemp canvas; and, the first two drafts of the US Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper. I think the launch of our Vote Hemp Bar coincides nicely with the United States’ Independence Day. It's time to give the US farmer freedom to choose a crop that, in Canada and elsewhere, has proven to be an economically viable crop.” "When Ruth said that she wanted to make a Vote Hemp Bar we were ecstatic," says Eric Steenstra, President of Vote Hemp. "I was even more blown away when I tasted its delicious Red, White and Blueberry flavor. We want to thank Ruth for having the vision to support US farmers' right to grow hemp. On behalf of our thousands of supporters we encourage leading natural foods stores to carry the Vote Hemp Bar," adds Steenstra, who co-founded Vote Hemp in 2000. "This is an easy thing retailers can do to help resume US hemp farming and their customers will love it, too.” About Ruth’s Hemp Foods, Inc. Ruth's Hemp Foods, based in Toronto, Ontario, pioneered the use of hemp in food in North America, making Hemp Bars, Hemp Protein Powders, Omega Burgers™ (hemp-based vegetarian burger patties), Hemp Tortilla Chips, Hemp Salsa, Hemp Oil Salad Dressings, Certified Organic Hemp Oil, Certified Organic SoftHemp™ (shelled hempseed) in addition to other hemp food items. Ruth's Hemp Foods manufacturers the most extensive line of hemp foods available—distributed throughout the US and Canada—making tasty, nutritious products that are packed with essential fatty acids and protein, and are always free of GMOs, refined sugars, hydrogenated oils, trans fats, artificial preservatives, fillers and colors. For additional information, please visit: www.ruthshempfoods.com About Vote Hemp Vote Hemp is a national, nonprofit advocacy group dedicated to a free US market for low-THC industrial hemp and to changes in current federal and state laws to allow US farmers to once again grow this important agricultural crop. Vote Hemp is working to end the federal prohibition on industrial hemp farming. Vote Hemp also works to defend against any new laws, regulations or policies that would prohibit or restrict hemp commerce or imports. For additional information, please visit: www.votehemp.com # # # *NOTE TO EDITORS AND REPORTERS: Digital high-resolution images available at: www.ruthshempfoods.com/votehemp/media The June 18, 2007 federal lawsuit filed against the DEA by North Dakota farmers David Monson and Wayne Hauge is available at: http://www.votehemp.com/PR/06-18-07_north_dakota_farmers.html

For Immediate Release: June 27, 2007 For More Info: Tony Newman, T: (646)335-5384 The United States Conference of Mayors Passes Resolution Calling for a “New Bottom Line” in U.S. Drug Policy Urging Radical Policy Changes, the Nation’s Mayors Seek to Reduce the Harms of Both Drug Misuse and the Failed War on Drugs Mayors Resolve that the U.S. Must Focus on Reducing the Incarceration of Nonviolent Drug Law Violators, Preventing Overdose Fatalities, and Eliminating Racial Disparities Created or Exacerbated by the Drug War The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) made history last weekend by passing a resolution calling for a public health approach to the problems of substance use and abuse. “The mayors are clearly signaling the serious need for drug policy reform, an issue that ranks in importance among the most serious issues of the day,” said Daniel Abrahamson, director of legal affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. The resolution, sponsored by Mayor Rocky Anderson of Salt Lake City, Utah, was considered at the USCM 75th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, California. Adopted resolutions become the official policy of the USCM, which speaks as one voice to promote best practices and the most pressing priorities of our nation’s cities. In adopting this resolution, the mayors have declared that addiction is a chronic, treatable medical disorder and a broad public health concern, and outlined specific policy measures that they endorse. These include a clear imperative to: -Provide greater access to drug abuse treatment on demand, such as methadone and other maintenance therapies; -Eliminate the federal ban on funding sterile syringe access programs; -Establish local overdose prevention policies; and -Direct a greater percentage of drug-war funding toward evaluating the efficacy and accountability of current programs. The resolution further recognizes that U.S. policy should not be measured as it currently is simply by examining drug use levels or number of people imprisoned, but rather by a “New Bottom Line” based on how much drug-related harm is reduced. National drug policy should focus on reducing social problems like drug addiction, overdose deaths, the spread of HIV/AIDS from injection drug use, racial disparities in the criminal justice system, and the enormous number of nonviolent offenders behind bars. Federal drug agencies should be judged—and funded—according to their ability to meet these goals. Moreover, since the impact of drug policies is most acutely felt in local communities, evaluation and decision-making must occur at the local level—and federal funding should go toward enabling communities to pursue those policies that best meet the unique challenges of substance abuse.

For Immediate Release: June 28, 2007 For More Information: Naomi Long, T: (202) 669-6071, or Grant Smith, T: (202) 669-6573 Congress Votes to Lift Washington, DC Syringe Funding Ban Change Will Save Thousands of Lives Today the U.S. House of Representatives rejected an amendment that would have restored a ban that prohibits the nation’s capital from spending its own (non-federal) money on syringe exchange programs. The ban was eliminated weeks ago in committee. Congressman Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) tried to reinstitute a modified ban on the floor that would have had a chilling effect on the existing needle exchange program in D.C. (which currently operates entirely on private funds), but the House rejected it 216 Nays to 208 Yeas. In 1998, the Republican-led Congress barred the District Government from spending its own local funds on syringe exchange programs. The ban has been reauthorized in the appropriations bill every year since. But with Democrats now in power, the push to lift the ban gained traction. The Drug Policy Alliance applauds Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY), who chairs the Financial Services Subcommittee, for spearheading the effort to lift the ban, and recognizes the tireless efforts of D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton. “This is a huge step in helping to reduce HIV and AIDS in Washington, DC,” said Naomi Long, director of the Washington Metro office for the Drug Policy Alliance. “We are pleased that Congress decided to stop playing politics with the lives of intravenous drug users in D.C. at a time when the District is suffering from a HIV/AIDS crisis.” It has been long established by the scientific community that needle exchange programs reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS amongst people who inject drugs without increasing drug use. In Washington, DC, injecting drugs is the second-most common means of contracting HIV among men – and the most common form among women. Approximately one-third of new AIDS cases annually are the result of intravenous drug use. Supporters of needle exchange include the American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, Centers for Disease Control and three former U.S. Surgeons General. A number of faith communities officially support needle exchange including The Presbyterian Church (USA), Episcopal Church and the United Church of Christ.

For Immediate Release: June 27, 2007 – 12:00 EST Contact: Laura Jones, Phone: 202-558-7974, ext. 307 or Cell: 202-425-4659 or Jason Ziedenberg, Cell: 510-332-6503 New numbers show “alarming growth” in incarceration; Justice Department survey shows biggest increase since 2000 California responsible 1 out of 5 new people in prison last year WASHINGTON – After six years of slowing growth prison and jail populations, new statistics due out Wednesday from the Justice Department show an alarming increase in incarceration across the U.S. According to Prisoners and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2006, a new survey from the Bureau of Justice Statistics embargoed for release noon Wednesday, June 27 the midyear accounting for prison and jail growth found that “in both absolute numbers and percent change, the increase was the largest since midyear 2000.” The new survey showed that about 6 out of 10 people in prison and jail were African American or Latino, and that nearly 5 percent of African American men were in prison or jail. The new survey showed that one out of every five new people added to prison in the United States were in California. “Once again, communities of color are paying for our troubled criminal justice policies,” said Jason Ziedenberg, Executive Director of the Justice Policy Institute. “The population increase in the already overburdened prison system indicates an alarming growth that should not go unchecked. Billions of public safety dollars are absorbed by prison expansion and limits the nation’s ability to focus on more effective strategies to promote public safety.” When considering the growth, JPI points out that: There is little relationship between prison growth and change in violent crime: Coming just weeks after the Justice Department released its preliminary crime statistics for 2006, regional imbalance in the growth of prison underscore how little relationship there is between crime and the use of incarceration. The two regions that experienced the least change in prison populations (the Northeast, +1.7 percent increase, and the South, +1.2 percent) either experienced a decline in violent crime, or marginal change in violent crime.[1] By contrast, the West saw the biggest increase in violent crime of any region (+2.8 percent), and the biggest increase in the use of incarceration (5.2 percent). The Midwestern region also saw an increase in violent crime (+2.1), and prison growth (+3.0 percent). Some states have reduced prison populations and closed prisons, and others have enacted billion dollar expansion plans. Some states and jurisdictions (8 out of 51) saw no growth, or declining prison populations. Maryland, where prison populations have been falling for the last 4 years, recently closed a prison, potentially saving the state tens of millions of dollars. By contrast, 20 percent of new prisoners added last year were in California, where numerous proposals to reduce prison sentences, reform parole, and provide more resources to drug-involved people in the criminal justice system failed to be enacted. California legislations recently voted for multi-billion dollar prison expansion plan. ### The Justice Policy Institute is a Washington, D.C.-based think tank dedicated to ending society’s reliance on incarceration and promoting effective and just solutions to social problems. See www.justicepolicy.org.