The LEAP Report - June 2008

[Courtesy of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition] This issue… Make the LEAP LEAP on Capital Hill State by State International Overtures What People are saying about LEAP Make the LEAP Our staff knows that the reason volunteers aren’t paid is because their service is priceless. Volunteers want to know the value of their efforts, and it is easy to see the fruits of your labor when you give LEAP your time and talents. Already this year, 39 volunteers have worked with our modest staff to put speakers in front of over 400 audiences. In San Francisco, a LEAP member called the College of Marin, spoke to a pair of professors and convinced them that a LEAP speaker would be great for their classes. A presentation by James Anthony was so well received that the same professors called us back to set up a college-wide event for the fall. Now that’s activism! San Francisco is also the site of the July 4 Freedom Road 5K Race, a benefit for LEAP conceived and organized entirely by one of our volunteers, Bill Dake. In a perfect example of how valuable active volunteers can be, Bill’s race in Golden Gate Park last July 4 was so well-organized and well-attended that it brought in $940 for LEAP. In its second year, the race is sure to be even bigger and better! If you would like more information on participating in the race or pledging a donation, please email [email protected] Our speakers make up the bulk of our volunteer base, some giving hundreds of hours each year. These highly motivated volunteers give testimony before legislative bodies, meet with VIPs and express themselves in ink through our OpEd program and LEAP blog. Cost of a standard presentation: $100.00. Value of a quality speaker on a nationally syndicated radio show? Priceless. If you haven’t signed up for the LEAP volunteer list yet, we have lots of ways you can help. Send an e-mail to [email protected] and ask to be added to the list. Featured volunteer action: Contact your local, state and federal politicians via mail or email (letter via USPS is the gold standard). Better yet, call their offices and arrange a 15 minute meeting. At the federal level one can easily talk to an aide at the district office. Not sure what to say? Contact Howard J. Wooldridge at: [email protected] He is an experienced spokesman for reform and our Education Specialist in Washington, DC. LEAP on Capital Hill Co-founder Howard Wooldridge began our DC Education Campaign in 2006. Since then he’s visited every Congressional office, and attended numerous committee hearings and events in the area. Howard recently attended a fundraiser for a friendly organization. At the event, he spoke to a Senator and several members of Congress, giving them each the LEAP message. Cost of attending the event: $35.00 dollars. Value of face time with Congressmen and Senators? Priceless. LEAP State by State Texas volunteers have made the LEAP and are keeping our speakers busy. Russ Jones has been active across the center of the state. He’s reached out to a diverse cross-section of groups from the Travis Lions Club in Austin to the Brazos Family Medicine Residency Program. New York is on fire, as our speakers, citizen volunteers and staff joined reformers to take on the Rockefeller Drugs Laws. The Rockefeller Drug Laws passed in 1973, mandate harsh sentences for sales of relatively minor amounts of drugs. New York is also seeing co-founder Peter Christ back in action in his home state after completing a recent tour of Ohio. Jim Gierach made time to speak to another attentive audience in Ohio. Over 150 people were present at the Cincinnati Rotary Club meeting. Following his presentation in Cincinnati, Jim Gierach traveled to Waterloo, Iowa for several events and a number of VIP meetings. These one-on-one VIP meetings are playing an increasingly important role in our strategy for leaving behind the seeds of reform. The Baltimore Maryland Leadership Council hosted Executive Director Jack Cole for his third debate before their members. This influential group has previously pitted Jack against heavy weights like Thomas Carr, Director of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) in the Washington - Maryland area, and US Assistant Attorney Andrea Smith, Coordinator for the Narcotics Task Force in Maryland. This year, Jack again debated HIDTA Director Thomas Carr. Not surprisingly 15% of the audience when asked thought we should continue the War on Drugs-the moderator estimated that 70% of the attendees agreed we should end prohibition. Tony Ryan made the news as a speaker to the National Libertarian Party Presidential Convention in Denver, Colorado. He and fellow speaker Richard Mack gave several outstanding interviews. So far this year LEAP has worked in MA, MI, MD, CA, AZ, NM, UT, FL, NC, SC, VA, CT, NH, ME, SD and WA, just to name a few. Cost of a week long tour for a LEAP speaker: $1500- $3,000. Value of LEAP coming to a town near you? Priceless. International Overtures Did you catch Alison Myrden, of Ontario, Canada on MTV this month? She was interviewed by a number of news outlets including MTV as part of her participation in the May Marijuana Marches. Alison has been living with MS. As both a patient and a former corrections officer, she offers a compelling look at this war on people who use drugs for numerous reasons. Alberta, Canada welcomed Tony Smith for their provincial Harm Reduction Conference. Tony gave a plenary speech, as well as overseeing a workshop. The media picked up on the event, making it a very successful trip. John Tommasi made his first oversees trip for LEAP. He spoke at a Drug Policy Seminar in Budapest, Hungary on the subject of Law Enforcement and Harm Reduction. Our Executive Director, Jack Cole is preparing for the upcoming United Nations Conference on Drugs in Vienna, Austria. This year LEAP moved forward to obtain NGO Recognition (non-governmental organization), allowing us to submit testimony before the UN Committees. Our staff and volunteers have begun producing LEAP information in a variety of languages including German, Spanish, French, Russian and Hungarian. Japanese is coming soon… Not only are our speakers in demand worldwide, but law enforcement and criminal justice professionals around the globe are looking toward LEAP’s example and speaking out. The price of an international trip for a LEAP speaker: several thousand dollars. Value of turning the world opinion against US Prohibition? Priceless. What People are Saying about LEAP: From Texas, “Russ Jones was outstanding! His presentation was informative, professional and convincing. I have not been a supporter of legalizing drugs; however, Russ's program, followed by a question & answer period made one consider the "War on Drugs" from a whole new perspective. His power point presentation was easy to follow and contributed to the overall presentation. Russ is an impressive individual -- one you have to honor. I will be recommending Russ to other civic organizations for future speaking engagements” Regarding the presentation at the Miller Center of the University of Virginia, “I had heard Jerry Cameron last year and specifically asked for him to present the LEAP argument. He is a thorough professional in every respect and did a terrific job.” “Dave Doddridge is a great spokesperson for your organization” -The Heidi Harris Radio Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. “The event was great and I have nothing but high praises for Jay Fisher, he's a really awesome guy and quite intelligent. Great event!” -Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro. “Greg Francisco’s presentation was great and was well received. There were between 200-300 people who showed up for the panel presentation. A number of professors of Kalamazoo College and from nearby colleges and universities were in attendance, along with reporters, members of a nearby school board, the sheriff, the mayor, and other concerned community members. I thought his message was well articulated, and well directed for the audience.” -Kalamazoo College, Michigan “We were pleased to have Jim Gierach with us. He handled our more conservative crowd very well which helped him get his message across effectively.” -Executive Director of the Cincinnati Ohio Rotary In the end, what matters most is what YOU are saying about LEAP. Did you invite someone to join as a LEAP member this month? Did you volunteer service hours or write a check? We are dedicated to educating and empowering your community to end prohibition; the rest is up to you. We need YOUR help to continue doing all that we do. If you aren’t already, please consider volunteering your time or donating to LEAP. Together we can End Prohibition Now!