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We are pleased to let our readers know that DRCNet and our partners in the DRCNet-founded Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform (CHEAR) have had some great successes recently in our work with national media outlets. Also, we had an unexpected press hit in Latin America, resulting from an interview in our newsletter archives. Read on to hear all the good news. After the list of press hits, we follow with some recommended actions we hope you'll take to help the cause.

1. On March 13, the New York Times ran an article (front-page in at least one of their editions) on the drug provision of the Higher Education Act. Among the three students or would-be students featured in the article was Donald Miller. Donald is a recipient of a tuition scholarship from the John W. Perry Fund, our scholarship program for students losing financial aid because of drug convictions. A second interviewee, Marisa Garcia, is a long-time activist with Students for Sensible Drug Policy, whom we first met at the Los Angeles Shadow Convention in summer 2000. Visit http://www.raiseyourvoice.com/docs/media-nytimes-03-13-04.pdf to read the New York Times article.
2. On March 17, the Coalition received unexpected support from Joseph Califano, head of the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA). While DRCNet has sometimes been a critic of CASA's work, Califano's support nevertheless goes a long way. Califano intoned with a letter to the editor in the March 17 issue of the New York Times responding to the March 13 article, calling for repeal.
3. On March 22, on the Latin America front -- an interview conducted by Drug War Chronicle editor Phil Smith in 2001 was the focus on an article, complete with Phil's picture, in El Universo, one of Ecuador's major national newspapers. Phil had attended and reported on an anti-Plan Colombia conference in El Salvador, at which he interviewed Lucio Gutierrez, a former army colonel and prominent critic of Plan Colombia. Gutierrez is now Ecuador's president, but under US pressure has changed his position -- Gutierrez now claims to have always supported Plan Colombia, and has even denied attending that conference. The El Universo story excerpted significantly from the interview, and quoted Phil verifying that Gutierrez was indeed in attendance. Those of you who speak Spanish can read the article online here.
4. Back on the HEA front -- On Monday, March 29, the National Public Radio program All Things Considered ran a report on the HEA drug provision, featuring among others our own Scott Ehlers, who was also responsible for providing much of the information as well as referrals to other interviewees to the reporter. Visit http://www.npr.org/rundowns/rundown.php?prgDate=29-Mar-2004&prgId=2 and scroll down to "Change in Student-Aid Drug Law Urged" to listen to the story.
5. Last but not least, the March 30 New York Times featured an editorial, "Oiling the Revolving Door," which calls for full repeal of the HEA drug provision. NYT urges Congress not to "tinker" with the law but instead to get rid of it.
6. Visit http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/30/opinion/30TUE2.html (free registration required) to read the full text.

Please consider taking one or both of the following two steps to help the cause:

1) Send a letter to the New York Times supporting their full repeal stance. Your letter must be sent within the next week, should not exceed 150 words, should be submitted within a week of the editorial's publication date or Monday, April 5, and should not be submitted to other publications. You can send your e-mail to the Times by e-mail to [email protected], by fax to (212) 556-3622, or by mail to: Letters to the Editor, The New York Times, 229 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036. Please forward a copy to us at [email protected].

2) Visit http://www.raiseyourvoice.com to send a letter to Congress calling for full repeal of the HEA drug provision -- and to download an activist packet and get extensive information on the issue (which may be helpful for your letter to the editor) and on how to get involved in the campaign.

3) Please make a donation to support this work and ensure it continues uninterrupted. Visit https://stopthedrugwar.org/donate/ to contribute online, or send your check or money order to: DRCNet, P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036. Gifts of $35 or more are eligible for our latest book offer, "Life on the Outside: The Prison Odyssey of Elaine Bartlett," and many other premium offers (such as the video or DVD of "BUSTED: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters) are still available through the web site as well. (Note that donations to the Drug Reform Coordination Network are not tax-deductible. Tax-deductible gifts can be made to DRCNet Foundation, same address; selecting a premium will reduce the portion of your gift that you can deduct.)

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