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Maryland: On the Right Path - Finally According to the Sentinel, a weekly Montgomery County-based newspaper, legislators like Del. Jolene Ivey hope that Maryland's new law lifting the voting ban for formerly incarcerated individuals may boost voter participation in the state. "It's so difficult to get people to vote," she said. "I don't think it's right to bar a few people from voting." On July 1 Maryland law restored the voting rights to 52,000 Maryland citizens with past felony convictions. It also allows them to vote once released from prison. Terry Lierman, chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party, said the bill dispels a history of racism and disenfranchisement. "I say it is time to lift that cloud and create some hope and reason to the process once again," he said. National: Uninformed, Eligible Voters Simply Can't Vote As a result of changing laws and misinformation provided - or not provided - by state officials, formerly incarcerated individuals eligible to vote aren't privy to the laws, according to OpEdNews.com. "In some cases, released ex-felons are not routinely informed regarding the steps necessary to regain their right to vote and often believe? incorrectly? that they can never vote again." The article also notes that financial barriers and a lack of political representation may keep individuals from the vote restoration process. - - - - - - Help The Sentencing Project continue to bring you news and updates on disenfranchisement! Make a contribution today. Contact Information: Email: [email protected], web: http://www.sentencingproject.org

For years President Bush has wasted taxpayer money on drug war programs that even his own analysts have concluded are ineffective. Now we know why. A recent Congressional investigation found that the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) used taxpayer money to boost support for Republican candidates in 2006. U.S. Drug Czar John Walters and his deputies traveled to almost 20 events with vulnerable Republican members of Congress in the months prior to the election. The taxpayer-financed trips were orchestrated by President Bush's political advisors and often combined with the announcement of federal grants or actions that made the Republican candidates look good in their districts. Karl Rove commended ONDCP officials for "going above and beyond the call of duty" in making "surrogate appearances" in "the god awful places we sent them." Those "god awful places" included cities like South Bend, Indiana, my hometown. At the same time Walters was spending taxpayer money campaigning on behalf of vulnerable Republicans, President Bush was increasing funding for Walters' favorite programs, the anti-marijuana ad campaign and the student drug testing program. This kind of I'll-scratch-your-back-if-you-scratch-mine arrangement is outrageous, even by Washington standards! Email Congress: http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=31997&MS=ONDCP-071807-aa And this corruption is just the tip of the iceberg. ONDCP has a long history of using taxpayer money to oppose drug policy reform. For instance, ONDCP bureaucrats traveled to New Mexico at least four times in 12 months -- at your expense -- to lobby state legislators to oppose the Drug Policy Alliance's medical marijuana legislation. Fortunately, the legislature passed our bill anyway and seriously ill people in New Mexico will finally have access to legal medical marijuana. We truly are in a David vs. Goliath fight here. ONDCP's annual budget is 67 times greater than ours; and while we rely upon the voluntary donations of supporters like you, the drug war extremists can dig into the taxpayers' purse any time they want. There are two things you can do to help level the playing field: 1) Email Congress (http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=31997&MS=ONDCP-071807-aa) and urge your representatives to pass legislation prohibiting ONDCP from using taxpayer money to lobby or influence elections. 2) Donate (https://secure3.ctsg.com/dpa/donation/index.asp?Item=8&MS=ONDCP-071807-aa) so we can rein in ONDCP and fight the politicians and special interests that benefit from the war on drugs. DPA has a strong track record on this issue. In 2003 we beat back an attempt in Congress by Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) to allow the White House to use taxpayer money to run attack ads against pro-drug policy reform candidates and ballot measures. Our campaign garnered national media attention and helped make Rep. Souder a laughingstock in Congress. Three years later we turned the tables on Souder and passed a provision prohibiting ONDCP from ever using the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to oppose pro-reform candidates or ballot measures. Now we have an opportunity to really go after the Drug Czar. With your support we can push for hearings on this latest drug war scandal, work to ensure that ONDCP staff are punished for any laws they broke, and close the campaign finance loophole that allows ONDCP to spend taxpayer money lobbying against drug policy reform. Please take a minute today to email Congress. And if you can, please donate to this important campaign. Thank you, Bill Piper Director of National Affairs Drug Policy Alliance

Drug Truth Network Update: Cultural Baggage + Century of Lies + 4:20 Drug War NEWS Half Hour Programs, Live Fridays... at 90.1 FM in Houston & on the web at www.kpft.org. Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.org and at www.radio4all.net. We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates in the US and Canada., Cultural Baggage for 07/13/07 Jay Fisher, asst Atty General in Georgia, a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition MP3 MP3 LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/007DTNaudio/FDBCB_071307.mp3 Century of Lies for 07/13/07 Medical Marijuana Special: Jeff Jones, Paul Armentano, Bruce Mirken & Canadian Radio extract MP3 MP3 Link: http://www.drugtruth.net/007DTNaudio/COL_071307.mp3 4:20 Drug War NEWS 07/16/07 to 07/22/07 now online (3:00 ea.): Monday 07/16/07 Pot Growers are Terrorists? Tuesday 07/17/07 Jeff Jones re Medical Marijuana for Americans for Safe Access I of II Wednesday 07/18/07 Jeff Jones II of II Thursday 07/19/07 Bruce Mirken of Marijuana Policy Project Friday 07/20/07 Jay Fisher of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Saturday 07/21/07 Jay Fisher II Sunday 07/22/07 Paul Armentano of National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws NEXT Friday: ) - Cultural Baggage 8 PM ET, 7 PM CT, 6 PM MT & 5 PM PT. Jack Cole, Director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition - Century of Lies 2 PM ET, 1 PM CT, Noon MT & 11 AM PT. TBD Check out our latest videos on YouTube from US Social Forum via www.drugtruth.net/dtnvideo.htm Please become part of the solution, visit our website: www.endprohibition.org for links to the best of reform. "Once we remove these charlatans from positions of power, other social changes will become much easier." - Reverend Dean Becker, Drug Truth Network Producer Dean Becker 713-849-6869 www.drugtruth.net

The Sentencing Project is pleased to announce the publication of a new report, Uneven Justice: State Rates of Incarceration By Race and Ethnicity. The report provides an overview of the use of incarceration in all 50 states, including both prison and jail populations. It can be viewed here: http://sentencingproject.org/Admin/Documents/publications/rd_stateratesofincbyraceandethnicity.pdf. Highlights of Uneven Justice include the following: - African Americans are incarcerated at nearly six (5.6) times the rate of whites and Latinos at nearly double (1.8) the rate of whites. - There is broad variation among the states in the ratio of black-to-white incarceration, ranging from a high of 13.6-to-1 in Iowa to a low of 1.9-to-1 in Hawaii. - States with the highest black-to-white ratio are disproportionately located in the Northeast and Midwest, including the leading states of Iowa, Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Wisconsin. The Sentencing Project recommends that policymakers and practitioners consider the findings of the report and develop means to reduce unwarranted disparities in the justice system. Recommendations include revisiting drug control policies, addressing overly restrictive mandatory sentencing laws, assessing the impact of "race neutral" policies, and shifting resource allocation to create a broader range of alternatives to incarceration.

Join Willie Nelson and the Marijuana Policy Project at a concert to raise money for marijuana policy reform! What: Austin Freedom Fest, featuring Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel Where: The Backyard in Austin, Texas When: August 10 You can buy regular tickets here (http://www.austinfreedomfest.com/) — but you might consider buying a VIP ticket. VIP tickets include dinner, open bar, seating in the exclusive tree deck, and the opportunity to network with special celebrity guests. But only 20 VIP tickets are available, so act fast if you want one. The concert will star legendary country singer Willie Nelson and the Grammy award-winning band Asleep at the Wheel — featuring MPP VIP advisory board member Ray Benson. Other special guests include Paula Nelson, Carolyn Wonderland, Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling, and Mark Stepnoski. Proceeds from the benefit will go to MPP, NORML, and WAMM. Earlier this week, the Austin-American Statesman reported that Nelson has cancelled many of his tour dates through August — except for MPP's and the annual Farm Aid concert. So if you want to see Willie Nelson in concert this summer, MPP’s event might be your only chance.