The South Carolina Supreme Court Monday threw out the homicide by child abuse conviction of Regina McKnight, the first woman in South Carolina to be convicted on that charge for suffering an uninte

[Courtesy of National Advocates for Pregnant Woman & Drug Policy Alliance]

For Immediate Release: May 12, 2008
For More Info: Lynn Paltrow 917-921-7421 or Tony Newman 646-335-5384

South Carolina Supreme Court Reverses 20-Year Homicide Conviction of Regina McKnight

Decision Recognizes Research Linking Cocaine to Stillbirths Based on "Outdated" and Inaccurate Medical Information

COLUMBIA, SC – Today, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that Regina McKnight did not have a fair trial when she was convicted in 2001, becoming the first woman in South Carolina to be convicted of homicide by child abuse as a result of suffering an unintentional stillbirth.

McKnight was arrested in 1999, several months after she experienced a stillbirth at Conway Hospital. McKnight’s conviction was based on the jury’s acceptance of the scientifically unsupported claim that her cocaine use caused the stillbirth. McKnight had no prior arrest history and even prosecutors agreed that she had no intention of harming the fetus or losing the pregnancy. Nevertheless, upon conviction she was given a twenty-year sentence, suspended to twelve years in prison with no chance for parole. She was projected to be released in 2010.

The medical community has strongly opposed McKnight’s prosecution and conviction. From the beginning, leading South Carolina and national medical, public health, and child welfare organizations and experts have opposed the prosecution and conviction. These organizations—represented by National Advocates for Pregnant Women and the Drug Policy Alliance, with South Carolina counsel Susan Dunn included the South Carolina Medical Association, the South Carolina Nurses Association, the South Carolina Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, and the South Carolina Coalition for Healthy Families—argued in an amicus (friend of the court) brief that women do not lose their rights to a fair trial upon becoming pregnant and challenged the state’s evidence that cocaine use or anything else that McKnight did or did not do caused the stillbirth.

In 2002 counsel for Ms. McKnight challenged the constitutionality of using homicide statutes to prosecute women who experience stillbirths. On appeal, a bare majority of the State Supreme Court upheld the conviction and the new interpretation of the state's homicide law. The Court held that a pregnant woman who unintentionally heightens the risk of a stillbirth could be found guilty of “extreme indifference to human life” homicide. Under this decision a conviction for homicide is permitted on any evidence that a pregnant woman engaged in activity “public[ly] know[n]” to be “potentially fatal” to a fetus. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to review the decision.

Today’s ruling focused on the question of whether Ms. McKnight received a fair trial and concluded that Ms. McKnight's counsel was "ineffective in her preparation of McKnight's defense through expert testimony and cross-examination." The decision also indicated that the medical and scientific basis for her prosecution and that of other women in the state is based on outdated and inaccurate medical information.

“Significantly, the opinion acknowledges that current research simply does not support the assumption that prenatal exposure to cocaine results in harm to the fetus, and the opinion makes clear that it is certainly 'no more harmful to a fetus than nicotine use, poor nutrition, lack of prenatal care, or other conditions commonly associated with the urban poor.'” said Susan K. Dunn, counsel for amicus. “This decision puts prosecutors across the state on notice that they must actually prove that an illegal drug has risked or caused harm—not simply rely on prejudice and medical misinformation.”

This ruling addressed a petition filed on behalf of McKnight seeking a judicial review to determine whether the person is imprisoned lawfully or should be released from custody. The petition must show that the court ordered the imprisonment based on a legal or factual error. In McKnight, the factual error was accepting a causal link between McKnight’s cocaine use and her stillbirth. The legal errors were not calling medical expert as witnesses who could refute that link, failing to investigate the medical evidence the state's witnesses relied on and that was based on outdated scientific studies, and failing to challenge the court's confusing and contradictory explanations to the jury of what "intent" Ms. McKnight had to have.

“Ms. McKnight is one of more than 500 women in South Carolina who experience stillbirths each year, and in many of those cases, medicine just can’t determine the cause,” said Brandi Parrish, coordinator of the South Carolina Coalition for Healthy Families. “It is a tragedy that Ms. McKnight has been in prison for nearly eight years for a crime she did not commit. Families in South Carolina are not helped by treating stillbirths as crimes and wasting hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to imprison innocent mothers.”

The medical and public health groups also raised concerns about the consequences of South Carolina’s policy of arresting pregnant women who experience drug problems. In their brief, they cited the fact that threatening pregnant women with jail time deters them from seeking prenatal care and other vital services, as has been the case in South Carolina since the Whitner ruling in 1997 that originally permitted prosecution of pregnant women under state child endangerment charges.

Ms. McKnight is represented on the petition by C. Rauch Wise of the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina Foundation, Inc., and Matthew Hersh and Julie Carpenter of the law firm Jenner & Block for the DKT Liberty Project.

America's drug laws do not reference race, but the way they are enforced has a gravely disproportionate impact on African Americans, according to two reports released this week.

Efforts in state legislatures to ban or otherwise restrict the sale and possession of salvia divinorum, a fast-acting, short-lived psychedelic member of the mint family, continue apace.

A state-sanctioned needle exchange program envisioned for Bexar County (greater San Antonio) under legislation passed last year will not happen -- at least not this year.

 [Courtesy of NH Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
MAY 1, 2008

Senate Stops Effort to Reduce Marijuana PenaltiesReformers Concede Battle, Celebrate Progress

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

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE — After being rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee in a 4-0 vote last Thursday, HB 1623 was defeated this afternoon in a voice vote by the full Senate. The bill, which would have reduced the penalty for possessing less than a quarter ounce of marijuana, had been marked for death since it received a rare veto threat from Governor Lynch following passage by the House.

    Matt Simon, executive director of the NH Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy, was not discouraged by the result. "A strong majority of voters now understand that our marijuana laws were written for the 1970's, and that they need to be updated for the 21st Century," he explained.  "Through this process, I think we have demonstrated that a reform of this nature is both wise and inevitable."

    Simon cited the 193-141 House vote as a turning point for marijuana reform in New Hampshire. "It's tough to raise this kind of issue in an election year," he said, "but given the results from our recent poll, we're confident that decision-makers will catch up with public opinion when the next opportunity arises."

    The poll of 625 registered voters conducted by telephone April 7 to 8 by Mason-Dixon Research for the Marijuana Policy Project and NH Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy found that New Hampshire voters support an even more ambitious penalty reduction by a 53 to 34 percent margin. A breakdown on the poll, which asked voters if they supported reducing the penalty for possessing up to a full ounce of marijuana to a violation punished by a $100 fine, is available at http://nhcommonsense.org/poll.

###

[Courtesy of Marijuana Policy Project] 

Dear friends:

Some members of Minnesota's law enforcement community are lying in order to kill MPP’s medical marijuana bill in the state — in other words, in order to keep patients in pain. This small but vocal contingent is claiming that marijuana has no medical value, that “every prosecutor in every medical marijuana state” opposes its use, that you can “overdose” on marijuana, and more than a dozen other outrageous lies.

We’re fighting back. Yesterday, MPP held a news conference at the Minnesota statehouse to refute the outright false testimony that law enforcement officials have been providing the legislature and the news media. And we distributed to reporters and legislators an 18-page booklet cataloguing the opposition’s litany of mistruths — along with facts and proof to the contrary — and we’re releasing to the public, legislators, and media one video clip each day showing law enforcement's lies about medical marijuana.

But we're relying on the generosity of supporters to ensure we have the resources to combat our opposition. Would you please give whatever you can today so we can fight back?

MPP's bill, which passed out of the Senate last year, is currently awaiting an historic vote on the House floor. The vote could happen any day now, so it is urgent that supporters like you donate what you can today.

Our campaign has generated an enormous amount of media coverage in Minnesota, which you can read here. And the two largest papers in the state — the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press — have editorialized in favor of the bill, which also has the support of the Minnesota Nurses Association, the Minnesota Public Health Association, the Minnesota AIDS Project, the Minnesota Senior Federation, and 2-to-1 support among Minnesota voters.

Also yesterday, MPP debuted the second in a series of hard-hitting TV ads featuring seriously ill Minnesotans who are pleading with Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) not to veto MPP’s medical marijuana bill. The new TV ad features Ely resident K.K. Forss, who suffers from excruciating, debilitating pain after a disc in his neck exploded, causing extensive nerve damage. "This doesn't have anything to do with culture wars," Forss says in the ad, noting that he is a registered Republican and a born-again Christian. "We have people suffering in horrible pain, and we talk politics — it doesn't have to be that way."

If you agree that K.K. and others like him shouldn't face the threat of arrest and jail for trying to alleviate their pain, would you please consider donating $10 or more today so that we can keep these ads on the air at this critical moment?

Thank you,

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 $3.0 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2008. This means that your donation today will be doubled.

[Courtesy of Drug Policy Alliance]

Dear Friends:

Back in February, I wrote you about our efforts to create a new paradigm in New York, an approach to drug policy that is centered in public health, not prison politics. Many of us have worked together in this effort. We agreed that getting rid of the failed Rockefeller Drug Laws is not enough—New York needs a coordinated drug policy guided by public health principles that will save taxpayer dollars while enhancing safety in our communities.

I write you now to let you know about an important development in this effort: The New York State Assembly has taken the first step towards heeding our call.

On Monday, the Assembly announced an unprecedented joint hearing on Rockefeller Drug Laws and the future of drug policy in New York. The joint hearing is being convened by six Assembly Committees: Codes, Corrections, Judiciary, Health, Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, and Social Services. We know of no other time that this has ever happened in New York, making this an unprecedented opportunity for us to advance our cause. The hearing announcement is enclosed.

There are two hearings: the first on May 8th – the 35th anniversary of the Rockefeller Drug Laws – in New York City, and a second one on May 15th in Rochester. This is a remarkable opportunity to let the Assembly know that we want not only reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, but to shift the discussion of drug use and abuse from a criminal justice framework to one of public health.

The Assembly hearing announcement states that “Drug addiction is a treatable disease, so among issues raised is whether a system that focuses on preventing and treating drug addiction rather than simply incarcerating individuals will result in a reduction in the use and sale of drugs – something mandatory imprisonment laws have failed to accomplish.”

There are four things you can do now to get involved:

1. Sign up to testify at the hearings in New York City or Rochester. Can you testify at one of the hearings in New York or in Rochester? If you would like to testify at the hearing, please contact us and we will help you apply to testify and make your voice heard. Not everyone will be able to testify, which is why we are going to hold a rally outside the hearings on May 8 in NYC (see below).

2. If you are in NYC on May 8, join us at a rally for Public Health, not Prison Politics. Please join us and hundreds of other New Yorkers on May 8th for a rally outside 250 Broadway, the location of the hearing in New York City. We will call on the Assembly to go beyond Rockefeller and treat drug use and abuse in New York State as a public health issue. Details to follow next week.

3. Send this message to three other people. Let your friends, family, and co-workers know about the hearings.

4. Join our Legislator Education Teams: Drug Policy Alliance is spearheading a project to meet with every New York State Legislator from the New York City area. Want to talk with your elected representatives about the Rockefeller Drug Laws? Come join us on May 5, 2008, from 6 – 7:30 for the training to learn how to be part of the Education Teams. The training is free and there will be food. After the training, you can join one of our education teams in New York City. For more info, please email Jill Battagline at jbattagline@drugpolicy.org, or call 212-613-8053.

That’s it. If you have any questions, please email me directly. Thanks for all you do.

Onward,

Gabriel

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Gabriel Sayegh
Director, State Organizing and Policy Project
Drug Policy Alliance
70 West 36th Street, 16th Fl.
New York, NY 10018
(212) 613-8048 ph.
(212) 613-8021 fax
www.drugpolicy.org

Police in New York City arrested more than 39,700 people on marijuana charges last year, and that is no fluke.

Susan LeFevre was a Michigan teenager when she was arrested in 1974 for selling relatively small amounts of heroin to an undercover officer.

Two of my colleagues, Deborah Small and Prof. Harry Levine, have analyzed New York City's marijuana policy in a major report released Wednesday the New York Civil Liberties Union. The chart appearing above pretty makes the central point, but check out Jacob Sullum's piece in Reason for a good general discussion of the report's findings and implications.

Also, Scott wrote here last night about an important side angle, why it's a bad idea to take out your marijuana to give it to police.

Yesterday's is a must-read too.

The report itself, and the authors' summary, are online here

[Courtesy of Illinois Compassion Access Network] 

MEDIA ADVISORY: APRIL 30, 2008

Medical Marijuana Bill Lead Sponsor Announces Law Enforcement Requested Changes to Bill

CONTACT: John Walker, Illinois Compassion Access Network, (847) 769-1772

SPRINGFIELD, IL. – In a press conference today, Sen. John Cullerton (D-Chicago), lead sponsor of a bill to protect from arrest seriously ill Illinoisans who use medical marijuana with a doctor's recommendation, announced significant changes to the legislation based on input from law enforcement.

    Although members of the law enforcement community have been among the most vocal opponents of the bill, Cullerton said the recent amendments reflected specific objections law enforcement officers raised in good faith in a meeting with bill proponents last month.

    "I'm grateful to the members of the law enforcement community who sat down with us to help us craft this improved medical marijuana bill," he said. "Thanks to their help, I'm confident we have legislation here that protects our most suffering patients while ensuring law officers are able to do their jobs and keep our streets safe."

    A comprehensive list of the amendments made at the request of law enforcement representatives can be viewed online here: http://www.mpp.org/states/illinois/ChangesToSB2865.html

    Also at the press conference, medical marijuana activist and Chicago multiple sclerosis patient Julie Falco announced a new campaign to reach out to representatives by sending personal video appeals by seriously ill patients asking for support on the medical marijuana bill.

    Many of the videos are available online here: www.illinoiscan.com/videos.html

    "I think it's important for people like me – who are counting on compassion to prevail – to let legislators know who we are and why we need this law, especially those whose conditions prevent them from appearing in person," Falco said. "It's very easy for hysteria and fear to take over the debate, but this medical cannabis bill is about only one thing: easing the suffering of seriously ill people with a medicine that is proven safe and effective."

    Despite opposition from some elements of the law enforcement community, medical marijuana enjoys great support among the medical community and among Illinois voters. In February, the American College of Physicians – the second largest physician organization in the country with 124,000 members – became the latest major medical association to endorse laws protecting patients and doctors from arrest for using medical marijuana.

    Also in February, a Mason-Dixon telephone poll of 625 randomly selected Illinois voters – commissioned by the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. – found that 68 percent of respondents agreed that "seriously and terminally ill patients should be allowed to use and grow medical marijuana for personal use if their doctors recommended it." Full poll results are available here: http://www.mpp.org/states/illinois/2008poll

    SB 2865 – the medical marijuana bill – is expected to reach the Senate floor within weeks.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
APRIL 29, 2008

Law Enforcement Objections to Medical Marijuana Bill at Odds With Reality, Advocates Say Bill Supporters Refute Demonstrably False Statements, Unveil New Ad 

CONTACT: Neal Levine, MPP director of state campaigns, (612) 424-7001

    MINNEAPOLIS — In a press conference held today at the statehouse, advocates offered a point-by-point refutation of misleading-to-outright false statements made by some law enforcement officials during testimony before the legislature and in the media regarding the medical marijuana bill pending on the House floor.

    Proponents of S.F. 345, the bill to protect from arrest seriously ill Minnesotans who use medical marijuana with a doctor's recommendation, said certain aspects of the law enforcement community were relying on misstatements and untruths to derail the bill.

    "Some legislators, as well as the governor, have indicated they may not be willing to support this sensible and compassionate legislation, based on the words of certain aspects of the law enforcement community," said Neal Levine, director of state campaigns for the Marijuana Policy Project. "Therefore, we feel it’s important to look at those words."

    For example, Dakota County Attorney James C. Backstrom stated in legislative testimony that "there is no proven medicinal value in using marijuana to treat illnesses or disease.” In fact, the 124,000-member American College of Physicians has noted "marijuana's proven efficacy at treating certain symptoms and its relatively low toxicity."

    For a detailed list of false and misleading statements made by Minnesota law enforcement officials, along with sourced refutations of each one, visit: http://www.minnesotacares.org/media/law_enforcement.pdf.

    Also during the press conference, Levine announced the latest in a series of TV ads airing statewide, featuring Minnesota medical marijuana patients urging Gov. Tim Pawlenty not to veto the medical marijuana bill as he has threatened to do if the House passes it.

    The new ad features K.K. Forss of Ely, who suffers constant debilitating pain caused by a ruptured disk in his neck and nerve damage from subsequent surgeries. The ad is available online here: http://minnesotacares.org/Ads_video.html.

    "This doesn't have anything to do with culture wars," Forss says in the ad, noting that he is a registered Republican and a born-again Christian. "We have people suffering in horrible pain, and we talk politics – it doesn't have to be that way."

    With more than 23,000 members and 180,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.

####

[Courtesy of Illinois Compassion Access Network] 

MEDIA ADVISORY   
APRIL 29, 2008

Law Enforcement Input Means Significant Changes to Medical Marijuana Bill, Advocates to Announce Press Conference Scheduled to Explain Bill Amendments

CONTACT: John Walker, Illinois Compassion Access Network, (847) 769-1772

SPRINGFIELD, IL. – After a meeting with law enforcement officials to address their specific objections to Illinois' medical marijuana bill, advocates will announce significant changes to the legislation in a Wednesday press conference at the statehouse.

    The amendments, adopted earlier this month, reflect what bill proponents said they hope is a shared goal: to allow safe, legal access to medical marijuana for suffering Illinoisans who have a doctor's recommendation while ensuring police and prosecutors aren't hindered in enforcing laws involving illicit marijuana use.

    At the press conference, patients will also unveil their latest effort to convince legislators to support the medical marijuana bill under consideration in both chambers of the General Assembly: personal online video testimonies. For the past month, seriously ill Illinoisans – many of whom cannot travel to Springfield – have been sending the videos to their elected representatives so that they can explain the urgency of passing a sensible medical marijuana law in their own words.

    Examples of these videos – which average about 2 minutes each – are available online here: www.illinoiscan.com/videos.html

                    -    WHAT: Press conference explaining changes to the medical marijuana bill requested by law enforcement officials

                    -    WHO: The following people are scheduled to appear at the press conference:
                                o    Zale Glauberman, veteran Springfield lobbyist
                                o    Julie Falco of Chicago, a multiple sclerosis patient who uses medical marijuana with a doctor's recommendation

                    -    WHEN: Wednesday, April 30 at 9:15 a.m.

                    -    WHERE: State Capitol Press Blue Room

    The Senate medical marijuana bill is expected to reach the Senate floor within weeks.

    Copies of some of the patient video testimonies will be available on CD for members of the press.

    ###

MEDIA ADVISORY
APRIL 28, 2008

UPDATE: TIME CHANGE FOR PRESS CONFERENCE
Medical Marijuana Advocates Offer Point-by-Point Refutations of Law Enforcement
Press Conference at 1 p.m. Tues. Will Also Feature Latest TV Ad Urging Governor to Allow Passage of the Medical Marijuana Bill 

CONTACT: Neal Levine, MPP director of state campaigns, (612) 424-7001

MINNEAPOLIS -- A press conference Tuesday will highlight false and misleading statements made by certain aspects of the law enforcement community during testimony before the legislature, as well as to the press, in an attempt to derail a bill that would protect seriously ill Minnesotans from arrest who use medical marijuana with a doctor's recommendation.

    Advocates will also unveil their latest TV ad urging the governor not to veto the bill as he has threatened to if it passes in the House.

    WHAT: Press conference refuting misleading-to-outright false statements made by certain aspects of the law enforcement community who oppose Minnesota's medical marijuana bill.

    WHO: Scheduled press conference participants include:

        * Neal Levine, Marijuana Policy Project director of state campaigns

        * KK Forss, an Ely photographer who suffers constant debilitating pain caused by a ruptured disk in his neck and nerve damage from subsequent surgeries and who is featured in the TV ad.

    WHEN: Tuesday, April 29, 1 p.m. Note: This is a change from the prior advisory.

    WHERE: State Office Building, Room 181

    With more than 23,000 members and 180,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.

####

The Florida Senate Wednesday passed a bill, SB 340, criminalizing salvia div

[Courtesy of Denver 420 Coalition]

[Denver] -- Congratulations to the Denver Police Department and the Mayor's Office for accomplishing a "low priority" event at the 4/20 Rally in Civic Center Park this year.

4/20 is International Cannabis Day, celebrated by millions of people throughout the world. Every year on 4/20 at 4:20 pm, citizens worldwide gather together to celebrate their favorite plant.

The Denver 4/20 Rally was the first 4/20 Rally to be held since the passage of a "lowest priority" law in 2007 that makes cannabis possession the "lowest priority" for law enforcement in the city of Denver. Denver citizens have been outspoken in favor of legalization of cannabis for adults. In addition to the lowest priority vote last year, they voted in 2005 to make small amounts of cannabis legal for adults and voted in 2006 to pass the same measure statewide. Despite these 3 votes, cannabis arrests have continued to rise.

Participants of the 420 Rally in Civic Center Park were happy to see that the Denver Police were present, but not actively enforcing state laws against marijuana possession as they had in the past. The numbers are not yet finalized, but estimates are that only a handful of people experienced any interaction with law enforcement at all. Last year, there were over 100 police that made over 60 arrests. Perhaps this signals a change in policy for the Denver Police and arrests will continue to drop overall.

Since opponents of cannabis relegalization are likely to be vocal in their opposition to the police standing by while thousands of people smoked cannabis openly, we are encouraging supporters of cannabis to contact the Denver Police, Mayor's Office and City Council and to say THANK YOU for making marijuana law enforcement a low priority on 4/20/08 in Civic Center Park.

Also tell them that they hope they maintain the same non-confrontational tactics when thousands of protesters converge on Denver for the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 25-28, 2008.

Denver Police Department
Internal Affairs Division (handles compliments and complaints) 720-913-6019 Click below to fill out an online ommendation form: ttp://www.denvergov.org/OIM/ComplaintCommendationForm/OnlineComplaintCommendationForm/tabid/425496/Default.aspx

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper
Phone: 720-865-9000 (Denver 311)
Ask for the Mayor's Office
E-mail: MileHighMayor@ci.denver.co.us
Website: www.denvergov.org/mayor

Denver City Council
Phone: 720-865-9534
Email: dencc@ci.denver.co.us
Website: www.denvergov.org/CityCouncil
***************************************************************************
Presented as a Public Service by the:
Denver 420 Coalition
Promoting Cannabis-related Tourism in Denver and Colorado http://www.denver420.com/
***************************************************************************

VIDEOS
Vflog video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6XqSzjL7_E

CapnCannabis Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3X1Mavc63s

[Courtesy of NH Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy]

MEDIA ADVISORY: APRIL 21, 2008

NH Senate Judiciary Committee to Consider Marijuana Penalty Reforms Tuesday
Bill Would Reduce Penalties for Possession of Small Quantities of Marijuana for Personal Use
CONTACT: Matt Simon, NH Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy, (603) 391-7450

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE — The New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday to consider a bill – already passed by the House – to reduce penalties for smalltime marijuana violations.

HB 1623 would eliminate the possibility of jail time for possessing less than one-quarter of an ounce of marijuana, reducing the penalty to a maximum fine of $200. Current penalties for such a violation in New Hampshire include up to one year in jail and a maximum $2,000 fine, in addition to carrying a conviction that can bar people from opportunities including student financial aid, employment and housing assistance. The proposed change would reduce the conduct from a serious misdemeanor to a violation, which carries few collateral sanctions.

- WHAT: Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on HB 1623

- WHO: House bill sponsor Rep. Andrew Edwards (D-Nashua), NH Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy's Matt Simon, and Cheshire County Dept. of Corrections Superintendent Richard Van Wickler are scheduled to testify.

- WHEN: Tuesday, April 22, 3 p.m.

- WHERE: Legislative Office Building, Concord

The legislation received a boost recently with the release of a Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc., telephone survey of 625 registered New Hampshire voters showing that 53 percent of Granite Staters favor similar reform. In fact, the poll asked voters to consider an even higher threshold amount of one ounce of marijuana and a lower fine of $100. Only 34 percent of those polled opposed such reforms. The poll was conducted April 7 to 8 and commissioned by the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C., and the New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.

####

[Courtesy of The Sentencing Project]

Dear Friends,

Less than one year after a national report found Iowa prisons and jails maintain the highest rate of racial disparity in the nation, Governor Chet Culver yesterday signed legislation requiring examination of the racial and ethnic impact of all new sentencing laws prior to passage.

"Iowa's aggressive attempt to address racial and ethnic disparity can jumpstart a movement for fairness around the nation," said Marc Mauer, Executive Director of The Sentencing Project and co-author of the report that helped instigate the legislative response.

Passage of the Minority Impact Statement Bill provides a means for legislators to anticipate any unwarranted disparities and enables them to consider alternative policies to accomplish the goals of legislation without causing undue negative effects on public safety. High rates of incarceration among people of color signal a failure to address social and economic problems within communities and can indicate bias within the justice system. The consequences for communities are disproportionate rates of voter disenfranchisement, unemployment, and disassociation among its citizens.

Representative Wayne Ford (D- Des Moines) authored the legislation, House File 2393, which garnered broad bipartisan support when passed by Iowa's House and Senate. In a statement he said, "I believe that we need to be tough on crime, but we must also make sure that our laws are fair and equitable."

In July, The Sentencing Project released its report, Uneven Justice: State Rates of Incarceration by Race and Ethnicity, which found that Iowa incarcerates blacks at a rate 13 times that of whites, more than double the national average. Iowa is the first state to pass legislation examining the racial and ethnic impact of new criminal justice policies. Bills to enact minority impact statements are also pending in Connecticut and Illinois. Last year, Oregon was the first state to introduce similar legislation. For more information, visit the Governor's Web site.

Aroused by videos of young people using salvia divinorum on YouTube and spurred on by law enforcement eager not to miss an opportunity, legislators across the country have this year been raising th