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In The Trenches

TV Ad Campaign Boosts Medical Marijuana Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
APRIL 21, 2009

TV Ad Campaign Boosts Medical Marijuana Bill
With Senate Vote Nearing, Spots With Real Patients to Air in Chicago, Peoria, and Decatur/Springfield/Champaign

CONTACT: Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communications ............... 415-585-6404 or 202-215-4205

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS -- With a Senate floor vote on medical marijuana legislation expected by the end of the month, supporters are taking to the airwaves with a pair of TV spots in which real Illinois medical marijuana patients tell their stories. The spots, introduced at a Statehouse press conference today, have begun airing in the Chicago, Peoria, and Decatur/Springfield/Champaign media markets.

     The ads, featuring Lucie Macfarlane of Joliet and Lisa Lange Van Camp of Lindenhurst, can be viewed at www.mpp.org/ads.

     "I used to be on so many narcotics that I had lost my desire to live," said Macfarlane, who suffers from neurofibromatosis, a painful disease that causes tumors to grow on nerve tissue. "Marijuana literally helped save my life by allowing me to cut back on the highly addictive painkillers that I had been prescribed for over a decade. I'm now totally off Oxycontin and am only taking Norco and marijuana for my pain. I'm grateful for the opportunity to share my story with other Illinoisans, some of whom may be in need of this law more than I am."

     "Nobody should ever have to live in fear of arrest for treating their illness," said Lisa Lange Van Camp, a Lindenhurst resident who lives with severe osteoarthritis, complicated by a rare condition, Dercum's disease. To date, Lisa has had both knees replaced, had one spinal fusion and currently needs five more spinal levels fused. "I should have the right to make my own treatment decisions regarding medical cannabis, based on my physician's recommendation, and to do so with dignity.  I hope our lawmakers hear this message loud and clear and pass the medical marijuana bill without delay."

     "Seriously ill patients like Lisa and Lucie should not have to fear being arrested for using a medicine that can, and has, helped them," said Sen. William Haine (D-Alton), a four-term former state's attorney and sponsor of the medical marijuana bill. "It is our hope that my colleagues in the Senate will recognize that there are many patients out there who could benefit from this legislation and pass this sensible, compassionate bill now. We have changed the bill significantly to meet the concerns of law enforcement. It's time for the state of Illinois to meet the concerns of her citizens who are suffering and might be helped by the restricted use of marijuana."

     Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), sponsor of the House version of the medical marijuana bill, said he hopes the new ads remind people how important the legislation is for real, suffering Illinois citizens.

     "These ads are a forceful reminder about what this bill is really about -- providing for the health and comfort of seriously ill patients who seek relief from a proven safe, effective treatment," Lang said.

     With more than 27,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.

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In The Trenches

Disenfranchisement News: Calif. Considers Banning More Voters

California: Court Justices Uphold Disenfranchisement, Senator Supports Banning More Voters The California Supreme Court let stand a ruling upholding California's absolute ban on voting by incarcerated persons and parolees, the Metropolitan News-Enterprise reported. The justices unanimously declined to review a ruling of the First District's Div. Two, where plaintiffs, representing people in prison and parolees, stated that the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution only permits disenfranchisement of persons convicted of common law felonies. California currently disenfranchises incarcerated individuals and parolees, but allows those on probation and formerly incarcerated to vote. An initiative was submitted last week, however, that would ban individuals from voting while on probation, the Sacramento Bee reported. Washington: A Long Time Coming The state Senate passed a bill that would automatically restore voting rights to individuals no longer "under the authority of the department of corrections." The bill, HB 1517, will become law once adopted by the House, which passed another version of the bill last month. Under the amendment, the right to vote is automatically restored, but may be revoked if an individual willfully fails to pay legal financial obligations three times within a 12-month period. Under current law, Washington residents with felony offenses are barred from voting until they have completed their sentence including parole or probation, and have paid all restitution and other court fees, the Associated Press reported in the Seattle Times. "We want to give men and women coming out of prisons a chance to go in a new direction," said Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, who sponsored the amendment and voted for the bill. International: Voting in Prison is a Civic Right Commenting on The Independent's recent editorial supporting voting in prison, a writer's letter to the editor stated that the English government should reconsider its stance on disenfranchisement following a recent European court ruling. "...[T]he Council of Europe advocates a general stance of normalisation - making the position of prisoners as close as possible to that of people in the community as is consistent with the blunt realities of incarceration. The message to prisoners should be that they have responsibilities as well as rights, and voting, both a civic right and a responsibility, should be made available to them and encouraged." - - - - - - 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
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The Mainstream Media Wishes You a Happy 4/20

NYT celebrates the annual marijuana holiday with a cheerful piece about how everyone loves marijuana and wants it to be legal. At least that's what I picked up from the article. No quote in there from Calvina Fay warning that the fun will soon be replaced by great misery.

Better yet, The Hill has a piece noting some support for legalization in Congress, namely from Reps. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), and Ron Paul (R-Texas). Well, that's a start I guess. When these courageous leaders are re-elected, perhaps others will finally get the message that working to fix bad drug laws is something a lot of people support. Here's an interesting quote:

"There are a lot of people who understand that [the current war on drugs has been a failure], but they are afraid to politically say so," Rohrabacher said. "If it was a vote – a blind vote where nobody knew who was voting – you would have overwhelming support for legalizing marijuana out there, but they will never vote for it because they are afraid of taking on a controversial issue."
After all the heat Obama has taken for opposing legalization, we're finally on pace to turn that logic on its head. Rohrabacher's theory underscores the important point that the challenge for us lies not so much in convincing politicians to change their minds about legalization, rather we must get them to act on what many of them already know in their hearts.

And best of all, our friends at NORML are launching a national TV ad campaign. It's about damn time.

Oh, and Steve Bloom has "The Real Story of 420" in case anyone's confused about that.

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Day 14

Day 14 of this very strange mission to conquer the japanese language.
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Baptist Pastor Assaulted After Refusing Police Search


Cross-posted from Flex Your Rights

This story has been circulating around the web and is generating some media attention as well:



Obviously, this is a deeply troubling example of a worst-case outcome for a citizen who asserted constitutional rights during a police encounter. Given that our mission is to help people understand and assert these rights, we regret that events like this happen as often as they do.

Fortunately, the internet itself has become a useful tool not only for educating the public about their rights, but also for exposing police who violate the constitutional rights of the people they're supposed to protect. Some might say Steven Anderson's experience is an example of how police just do whatever they want. Yet Steven Anderson is exactly the type of brave citizen whose decision to assert his rights could ultimately have a meaningful impact.

It is precisely because too many police officers continue to recklessly disregard the basic rights of innocent people that we must make sure all citizens have the tools to confidently assert their rights if and when they feel compelled to do so. This incident will likely culminate in a high-profile lawsuit that could change the way similar situations are handled in the future. If it weren't for Anderson's decision to flex his rights, there's no question that the officers he encountered would be out there right now abusing other people, instead of being investigated for civil rights violations.

Protecting Yourself at Police Checkpoints

Inside-the-border checkpoints like the one Anderson encountered are dubious in their legality and rely heavily on coercion. Although you are not technically obligated to answer any questions or agree to a search, officers will generally expect you to comply and will usually become aggressive if you don’t cooperate. If you choose to flex your rights in this situation, do so politely and don't be surprised if the situation escalates.

If officers ask to search your vehicle and you refuse, they can legally conduct a dog-sniff of the outside of your vehicle (provided that a dog is present at the scene). If the dog indicates that there is contraband in your vehicle, that creates probable cause for officers to conduct a search. Unfortunately, officers sometimes falsely claim that the dog has detected contraband so that they can perform a search legally. In this situation, state clearly that you don't agree to the search, but do not resist. You can challenge the search later.

If you feel that your rights were violated, don't say anything to the officers. Write everything down as soon as possible and contact an attorney. Click here for more on responding to police misconduct.

In The Trenches

Medical Marijuana Advocates to Announce TV Ad Campaign at Statehouse Press Conference Tuesday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
APRIL 20, 2009

Medical Marijuana Advocates to Announce TV Ad Campaign at Statehouse Press Conference Tuesday
Spots to Feature Patients Benefiting from Medical Marijuana

CONTACT: Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communications ............... 415-585-6404 or 202-215-4205

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS -- Supporters of the medical marijuana bill that will soon be voted on by the Illinois Senate will unveil a new TV ad campaign in support of the bill at a Statehouse press conference Tuesday. The new spots, featuring two patients who have benefited from medical marijuana, will be shown at the news conference, and DVD copies will be made available to the media.

     WHAT: Press conference to announce new TV ad campaign in support of medical marijuana legislation.

     WHO: Sen. William Haine (D-Alton), sponsor of the Senate medical marijuana bill; Lucie Mcfarlane, Joliet resident whose use of medical marijuana for the pain caused by neurofibromatosis has allowed her to greatly reduce her reliance on highly addictive narcotic painkillers; Lisa Lange Van Camp of Lindenhurst, who uses medical marijuana to treat severe osteoarthritis complicated by Dercum's disease.

     WHEN: Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 10:15 a.m.

     WHERE: Illinois State Capitol, Press Room, West Second Mezzanine, Springfield.

     With more than 27,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.

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Dennis Sobin Escapes from Jail!

[Courtesy of Prisons Foundation] Even as our director Dennis Sobin prepared to go to jail in October 2009 for violating a court order by attending a City Hall public hearing, he planned his escape. We were pleased to furnish him with the escape tools he needed. They consisted primarily of writing paper and music composition paper. Dennis explains: "That's all I needed to get out of prison. I used the writing paper to author books and articles, and the music paper to compose music. In this way my mind was able to escape from jail, even as my body stayed behind." On April 16, 2009, with his six-month sentence completed, Dennis's body was able to join his mind on the outside. Welcome home Dennis! Don't forget: When in Washington, DC, please visit the Prison Art Gallery, 1600 K St. NW, Suite 501, Washington, DC where you will find over 1000 works of art by imprisoned artists from across America.
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