TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. DRCNET INTERVIEW: ARTIST, ACTIVIST, FORMER ROCKEFELLER DRUG LAW PRISONER ANTHONY PAPA
   Anthony Papa was just another clueless young man, raising a family and scrabbling to make ends meet when an offer of quick cash ended up landing him in Sing Sing prison doing a 15-to-life sentence for carrying a package of dope into Westchester County. In prison he found art, and art won him his freedom. Now he is a prominent activist in the campaign to repeal the Rockefeller drug laws and related efforts.
2. HEMP FOR VICTORY? NO, VICTORY FOR HEMP: DEA GIVES UP ON HEMP FOOD BAN
   After three years of legal defeats, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has quietly given up its effort to ban the sale and consumption of hemp food products in the US.
3. ALASKA MARIJUANA REGULATION INITIATIVE IS ON
   Alaska is already in the vanguard of marijuana law reform, and a marijuana initiative on the November ballot could see the state pushing the envelope even further.
4. ON CAPITOL HILL, PAIN TREATMENT ADVOCATES CALL ON CONGRESS TO HELP PATIENTS, RESTRAIN DEA
   The fledgling effort to get Congress to do something about the creeping crisis in pain management in the United States took another small step forward September 17, when the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons and more than 60 endorsing groups brought a briefing on pain issues to Capitol Hill.
5. NEWSBRIEF: THIS WEEK'S CORRUPT COPS STORY
   Is it a full moon or what? Drug-related law enforcement corruption cases were reported at epidemic levels this week, with offenses ranging from the trivial to the murderous.
6. NEWSBRIEF: MONTANA MEDICAL MARIJUANA INITIATIVE WINNING TWO-TO-ONE IN POLL
   A poll conducted by the Missoulian newspaper found an initiative sponsored by the Medical Marijuana Policy Project of Montana in good shape.
7. NEWSBRIEF: NO NEVADA MARIJUANA INITIATIVE THIS YEAR -- BACKERS BEGIN 2006 EFFORT
   The 2004 Nevada initiative to "regulate and control" marijuana is off the ballot after a failed court challenge. Organizers have already begun petitioning for 2006.
8. NEWSBRIEF: SUPPORT FOR MARIJUANA TICKETING SCHEME BLOWS THROUGH WINDY CITY
   Less than two weeks ago, the Chicago Sun-Times first reported on a Chicago police officer's proposal to stop arresting people for small-time marijuana possession and instead issue them tickets. Within days, the mayor had endorsed the notion, and with talks between prosecutors and police set for this week, support for the idea has been nearly unanimous.
9. NEWSBRIEF: PROTESTORS MARCH IN MONTGOMERY TO SUPPORT NONVIOLENT PRISONERS
   With more than 26,000 prisoners, including more than 4,000 doing time for drug crimes, Alabama's prisons are overstuffed budget-busters. Saturday, dozens of people marched on the state capitol in Montgomery to "Shine the Spotlight of Shame on Alabama."
10. NEWSBRIEF: NEW INDICTMENTS IN DALLAS SHEETROCK SCANDAL
    Three Texas police officers were re-indicted Tuesday in the Dallas sheetrock scandal, where Dallas police arrested, prosecutors convicted, and judges sentenced dozens of people, mostly immigrants, to prison on drug charges when the alleged drugs turned out to be nothing more than ground up sheetrock.
11. NEWSBRIEF: NEW ZEALAND GREENS CALL FOR UNIFORM DRUG POLICY
    The New Zealand Green Party Thursday launched a comprehensive proposal for a new drug policy emphasizing prevention, education, harm reduction, and the scientific evaluation of the relative risks and dangers of various substances. It also calls for the legalization of marijuana possession for people over 18.
12. THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
    Ronald Reagan, Donald Scott, Janis Joplin, Bill Clinton, George Shultz.
13. THE REFORMER'S CALENDAR
    Showing up at an event can be the best way to get involved! Check out this week's calendar for events from today through next year, across the US and around the world!

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