State
Action:
Connecticut,
Maryland,
New
Jersey,
South
Carolina,
Virginia
2/11/00
CONNECTICUT: On February 23, the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union, in conjunction with Western Connecticut State University NORML and the Yale ACLU, will present, "Seized!?! A Debate on Civil Asset Forfeiture." The debate will be moderated by the Hon. Mike Lawlor, Co-Chair of the Judiciary Committee of the CT General Assembly. Presenting the case for reform will be former New Haven Police Chief and Criminal Justice Policy Foundation senior fellow Nicholas Pastore; Roger Pilon, Vice-President of Legal Affairs for the CATO Institute and an expert in Connecticut State Law; and Graham Boyd, director of the ACLU's drug policy litigation project. Arguing against reform will be retired Guilford police officer Anthony Dirienzo III; David X. Sullivan, State's Attorney, Forfeiture Division; and Mark H. Kaczynski, Resident Agent in charge of DEA operations in Hartford. "Seized!?!" takes place Wednesday, February 23, at 7:30pm at Yale University, Linsley-Chittenden Hall (LC), Room 102. Refreshments will follow. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dave Bonan at (860) 247-9823 (days) or (203) 791-0284 (eves). MARYLAND: Del. Don Murphy (R-Catonsville) has introduced HB 308, a bill to protect patients who use marijuana medically and their doctors who recommend it. DRCNet is collaborating with the Marijuana Policy Project on a web site to demonstrate public support for the bill. If you are from Maryland, please visit http://www.mpp.org/Maryland/ and send a free e-mail or fax to your state Senator and your Delegates. NEW JERSEY: Former New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne issued a forceful call for decriminalization and shifting of resources in the drug war, interviewed on the New Jersey Network program "Due Process" last Wednesday. Please visit http://www.drcnet.org/states/newjersey/ for further information and to send an e-mail or fax to your state legislators and for letter-to-the-editor information. SOUTH CAROLINA: An effort to inject discussion of drug policy into the South Carolina primaries is underway. If you live in or can travel to SC for such an effort, please e-mail Dave Guard at [email protected]. VIRGINIA: Activists have scored a victory in getting HB 1400, a bill to increase marijuana penalties, stalled and held up until the session next year. Many other drug bills are still being fought in the Virginia legislature, though, whose whirlwind session will probably be over by the end of the month. If you are from Virginia, please visit our collaborative web site with the group Virginians Against Drug Violence, at http://www.drcnet.org/states/virginia/, to send a free e-mail or fax to your state Senator and Delegate and to find our more information about Operation SABRE and how to get involved. MORE STATES COMING SOON!
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