Adam
J
Smith
Says
So
Long
to
Week
Online
Readers
5/26/00
After 138 issues of The Week Online, and nearly four years as DRCNet's associate director, it is with some measure of sadness that I announce my departure from this very special place. This week marks the end of a long and personally rewarding chapter in my development as an activist and as a person. Karynn Fish, DRCNet's project director and my life-partner, will also be moving on from here. My association with DRCNet began in the early days of the organization, in 1994. Back then, I was in my second year of law school, and DRCNet was little more than an email discussion list. That list, founded by David Borden on a computer in his bedroom, filled a vacuum that had long existed by bringing together activists from around the country and even from around the world. In doing so, DRCTalk, the grandaddy of drug policy discussion forums, was instrumental in transforming drug policy reform from a loose collection of local efforts into a far more coordinated and integrated national movement. I joined DRCNet full-time in September of 1996. By that time, Dave's little email list had grown to include a burgeoning web presence and a national legislative alert system, the "Rapid Response Team." Dave had also found some financial support and a physical home in the offices of the Drug Policy Foundation, here in Washington, DC. As I said, my time at DRCNet has been a transforming experience. The people I have met, the courage I have witnessed and the progress that has been made within this little movement for freedom, justice and sanity have been awe inspiring. My most cherished memory, though, will be my work on The Week Online. Every week for nearly three years I have had the opportunity to inform a growing and diverse readership about the drug war, and about the amazing people and organizations that are every day making strides toward peace. The feedback that I've received, from literally thousands of you, has served as a constant source of inspiration. I would be less than honest if I did not admit that the most indulgent part of the process has been the opportunity to vent my spleen through my editorials. It would have been impossible, I fear, to have reported for so long on the insanity without also having regular access to my little soapbox. Thanks to everyone who wrote in response to one or another of these diatribes -- even if it was only to lodge a complaint or make a correction. I can honestly say that our readers are among the most sophisticated and knowledgeable observers of government policy in the nation. It has been a privilege to get to know so many of you. As for DRCNet, we leave the organization in David Borden's capable hands. The Week Online will continue on its regular schedule, and both Karynn and I have full confidence that DRCNet will continue to be one of the most important centers of information and activism in drug policy reform. (Of course, from this point forward Dave will expect us to be paying members.) Our departure, however, does not mean that we are leaving the issue. In fact, Karynn and I will be involved in so many different reform projects that we have decided to form our own consulting firm so we can write off our expenses. The firm, which will do business as "a.k.a" or "a.k.@" as it says on our logo, will enable us to work with some of the most interesting people and most exciting projects in drug policy reform. For those of you who would like to contact us, Karynn's new email address is [email protected] and mine is [email protected]. If you are interested in being kept up to date on my writing and editorials, just let me know. My heartfelt thanks go out to David Borden, for giving me this life-changing opportunity, for having the vision to achieve all that DRCNet has become, and for being my friend through thick and thin. To all of you, I say thanks as well. I look forward to working with you all in our ongoing efforts to end the madness of this war. - Adam
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