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EMBARRASSMENT FOR UNITED NATIONS DRUG-CZAR COSTA Amsterdam – Antonio Maria Costa, the Italian Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, is seriously embarrassed because of a solo-action by Amsterdam psychiatrist Fredrick Polak. In an open letter published today, Polak demands an answer to a simple question. Despite earlier promises the global drug czar has been dodging the question for exactly one year. “How do you explain the low level of cannabis use in the Netherlands compared to surrounding countries, despite its free availability in coffeeshops?” On the internet two YouTube-videos show Costa avoiding the question time after time. To Polak the issue is of crucial importance as if falsifies the basic assumptions underlying drug prohibition. Therefore he continues to harass Costa with it. Polak, board-member of ENCOD (European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies): “The primary objective of drug prohibition is reduction of consumption and addiction. However, the Dutch experience with coffeeshops of over thirty years has proved convincingly that without enforcement of this prohibition levels of use won’t skyrocket – which is what the drug warriors want us to believe. No wonder Costa is at a loss how to respond to the question.” Reprimand One year ago Polak first posed the question on a drug policy conference in New Orleans. Costa ignored it, but used the occasion to scold the Dutch government for “poisoning Europe” with amphetamines. That remark got Costa a reprimand from the Dutch government, at which he had to bite the dust and offer a letter of apology. Nonetheless, at a second occasion in March 2008 in Vienna, Costa again avoided the question. This time he claimed that more than 2000 coffeeshops had already been closed, and that the city of Amsterdam had decided to move all coffeeshops “from the red light district to the borders with France, Belgium and Germany”. Polak: “Apparently Mr. Costa thought Holland (or Amsterdam) borders on France. And that figure was totally unfounded.” Waste Shortly thereafter, Costa checked in with the authorities in Amsterdam and The Hague for a “study mission” including a visit to coffeeshop De Dampkring (The Atmosphere). At the next conference in Barcelona Polak asked him about his findings. Polak: “This time Costa really went too far, claiming that Amsterdam has three times more cannabis addicts than anywhere else in Europe.” Costa promised a discussion paper with the scientific basis for this claim, to be published on his website “very soon”. Until today Costa hasn’t lived up to this promise nor has he answered Polak’s initial question. Reason for Polak to draw media attention to the affair. Holland consistently scores low to average in Europe in drug consumption surveys. To Polak this justifies a call for the abolition of drug prohibition: “That will save us a lot of misery, and a huge waste of taxpayers’ money. What is the use of all the effort to enforce prohibition, when clearly it doesn’t diminish consumption?” Polak concludes his open letter on a positive note, suggesting Costa (67) not to wait until after his retirement to acknowledge the failure of drug prohibition. “Doing so now would earn him eternal fame.” + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + NOTICE to the EDITORS Enclosed is the Open Letter of 8 December 2008 to Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna For more information you may contact the undersigned. The previous history to this open letter is shown in two short videos on the internet. Silenced NGO Partner: http:nl.youtube.comwatch?v=GjgzgRvHHwI Polaks’ Question Round 3 (with comments by dr. Alex Wodak, Sydney, Australia): http:nl.youtube.comwatch?v=xdOzi2ou2ZY Reactions from other NGOs: http:nl.youtube.comwatch?v=UaO7IvlUhro Yours sincerely, Fredrick Polak Stichting Drugsbeleid Netherlands Drug Policy Foundation /member of the board/ ENCOD (European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies) /member of steering committee/ Vossiusstraat 31 1071 AG Amsterdam The Netherlands T +31 (0)20 6624 024 M +31 (0)6 3018 2408 E [email protected] __ Joep Oomen EUROPEAN COALITION FOR JUST AND EFFECTIVE DRUG POLICIES Lange Lozanastraat 14 – 2018 Antwerpen - Belgium Tel. + 32 (0)3 293 0886 – Mob. + 32 (0)495 122644 [email protected] www.encod.org EUROPEAN COALITION FOR JUST AND EFFECTIVE DRUG POLICIES Lange Lozanastraat 14 – 2018 Antwerpen - Belgium Tel. + 32 (0)3 293 0886 / Mob. + 32 (0)495 122644 / +31 (0)6 30210357 E-mail: [email protected] / www.encod.org

Drug Truth Network Update: 4:20 Drug War NEWS from 90.1 FM in Houston and dozens of radio affiliates in the US, Canada and Australis & on the web at www.kpft.org. We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates in the US, Canada and Australia. 4:20 Drug War NEWS 12/08/08 to 12/14/08 now online (3:00 ea:) Select online at www.drugtruth.net Sun - NPR looks at Mexican drug war Sat - LEAP conf with Neal Franklin & Richard Van Wickler Fri - LEAP press conf in DC w/ Neal Peirce of Wash Post, Neal Franklin, Howard Wooldridge & Terry Nelson Thu - Harvard Prof Jerremy Miron discusses cost of drug war at National Press Club in Wash DC Wed - NPR regarding drug war in Mexico Tue - Do they celebrate Valentines day in Mexico the way they do in Chicago? - LEAP Report with Terry Nelson Mon - Barry Cooper and KopBusters, busted in Odessa for growing Xmas trees & Plant Police PSA Next - Century of Lies on Tues, Cutural Baggage on Wed (Now With Transcripts): - Cultural Baggage 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: Ethan Nadelmann, dir of Drug Policy Alliance & Martin Lee, author of Acid Dreams - Century of Lies 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT, 9:30 AM PT: Barry Cooper, producer of KopBusters & Col. Jim Ketchum Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, and www.audioport.org Check out our latest videos via www.youtube.com/fdbecker: Please become part of the solution, visit our website: www.endprohibition.org for links to the best of reform. "Prohibition is evil." - Reverend Dean Becker, Drug Truth Network Producer Dean Becker 713-849-6869 www.drugtruth.net

DrugSense FOCUS Alert #388 - Sunday, 7 December 2008 Syndicated columnist Froma Harrop wrote the column, below, which ties the ended Prohibition 75 years ago this past week to the modern version - the war on drugs. The column is worthy of your letters to the editor. Newspapers that have printed the column are shown as December 2008 news clippings at: http://www.mapinc.org/author/Froma+Harrop Please also contact your local newspapers and ask them to publish the column. Just tell the newspapers that the column is by Froma Harrop and is available from Creators Syndicate. The newspapers will know how to obtain the column for publication. The reason for the column and the quotes from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition http://www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com/ and Criminal Justice Policy Foundation http://www.cjpf.org/ is because of their new joint effort "We Can Do It Again: Repealing Today's Failed Prohibition." Please go to the website to help with this effort http://www.WeCanDoItAgain.com/ ********************************************************************** Froma Harrop's syndicated column is copyrighted by Creators Syndicate. The text of the column is as follows. America ended Prohibition 75 years ago this past week. The ban on the sale of alcohol unleashed a crime wave, as gangsters fought over the illicit booze trade. It sure didn't stop drinking. People turned to speakeasies and bathtub gin for their daily cocktail. Prohibition -- and the violence, corruption and health hazards that followed -- lives on in its modern version, the so-called War on Drugs. Former law-enforcement officers gathered in Washington to draw the parallels. Their group, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition ( LEAP ), has called for nothing less than the legalization of drugs. And before you say, "We can't do that," hear the officers out. They have an answer for every objection. Doesn't the War on Drugs take narcotics off the street, raising their price beyond most Americans' means? Obviously not. The retail price of cocaine is now about half what it was in 1990. When the value of something goes up, more people go into the business. In some Dallas junior high schools, kids can buy two hits of "cheese" -- a mix of Tylenol PM and heroin -- for $5, Terry Nelson, a former U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officer, told me. Lunch costs more. Wouldn't legalizing drugs create new users? Not necessarily. LEAP wants drugs to be regulated like alcohol and cigarettes. Regulations are why it's harder to buy alcohol or cigarettes in many schoolyards than drugs. By regulating the purity and strength of drugs, they become less deadly. Isn't drug addiction a scourge that tears families apart? Yes, it is, and so are arrests and incarceration and criminal records for kids caught smoking pot behind the bleachers. There are 2.1 million people in federal, state and local prisons, 1.7 million of them for non-violent drug offenses. Removing the stigma of drug use lets addicts come out into the open for treatment. We have treatments for alcoholism, but we don't ban alcohol. LEAP's members want to legalize drugs because they're tired of being shot at in a war they can't win. They're tired of making new business for dealers every time they arrest a competitor. They're are tired of busting people in the streets of America's cities over an ounce of cocaine, while the Andean region produces over 1,000 tons of it a year. They're tired of enriching terrorists. "In 2009, the violence of al-Qaida will be financed by drug profits," said Eric Sterling, head of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation, which joined the call for legalization. As counsel to the House Judiciary Committee in the 1980s, Sterling helped write the anti-drug laws he now opposes. Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron estimates that legalizing drugs would save federal, state and local governments $44 billion in enforcement costs. Governments could collect another $33 billion in revenues were they to tax drugs as heavily as alcohol and tobacco. No one here likes drugs or advocates putting heroin on store shelves alongside ibuprofen and dental floss. Each state or county could set its own rules on who could buy which drugs and where and taxes levied -- as they now do with alcohol. What about taking gradual steps -- say, starting with marijuana. And couldn't we first try decriminalization -- leaving users alone but still arresting dealers? Those were my questions. The LEAP people want the laws gone, period. "We're whole hog on it," Nelson said. Keeping the sale of drugs illegal, he said, "doesn't take the cartels out of it." Ending this "war" won't be easy. Too many police, drug agents, bureaucrats, lawyers, judges, prison guards and sprayers of poppyfields have a stake in it. But Prohibition was repealed once. Perhaps it can happen again. **********************************************************************

The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) is a global network of NGOs and professional networks that specialise in issues related to illegal drug production and use. The Consortium aims to promote objective and open debate on the effectiveness, direction and content of drug policies at national and international level, and supports evidence-based policies that are effective in reducing drug-related harm. It disseminates the reports of its member organisations about particular drug-related matters, and offers expert consultancy services to policymakers and officials around the world. 1. New IDPC Coordinator Initiates Governance Review Ann Fordham has now joined the IDPC as full-time Coordinator. Her initial priority will be to review the Consortium’s governance structure and membership criteria in consultation with members. Attached is a consultation paper which includes two proposals. The first proposal is a revised membership structure with new criteria for the Consortium. The second proposal covers the setting up of a steering group for the Consortium. Please send all comments on the paper to Ann ( [email protected] ) by no later than Monday 15th December 2008. http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_GovConPaper_Nov08_EN.pdf PUBLICATIONS 2. UNGASS News Version 5 The second negotiating meeting to debate the political declaration to be presented at the High Level Meeting (scheduled for March 2009) took place last week (24/25/26 November). The fifth of the IDPC’s regular "UNGASS News" updates, keeping the network up to speed with developments in the UN drug policy review process is now available, and includes a report of this meeting. http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/IDPC_UNGASSNEWS5_Nov08_EN.pdf http://www.ungassondrugs.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=223&Itemid=82 3. Druglink International Drugscope has now produced the second pilot issue of Druglink International and all IDPC member organisations have been sent 10 copies. There are more copies available, but postage may have to be charged. Alternatively Drugscope can send a pdf of the issue which you can distribute to your contacts. For more information please email [email protected] 4. Book of Legal Authorities for UNGASS Many of the debates in Vienna revolve around the consistency of CND policies and decisions with existing UN conventions, declarations and mandates. This resource book gives easy access to the relevant texts, and explains how they can be used to improve the outcome of the review. This resource will serve as useful background material for those involved in the Vienna negotiations, but can also be used by NGOs and governments as general reference material. This version will be updated in the coming weeks, so if you have any suggested additions, please pass them to Rebecca Schleifer – [email protected] http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/HRW_Authorities_Oct08_EN.pdf 5. Report of the Expert Meeting on Drug Policy at the European Parliament On 16th October 2008 Members of the European Parliament and national Parliamentarians met through an initiative of the Transnational Institute and the Andreas Papandreou Foundation at the European Parliament in Brussels to discuss the ongoing review of the goals and targets adopted at the United Nations General Assembly’s Special Session on Drugs in 1998. The meeting aimed to increase the involvement of Parliamentarians in the decision making process occurring in advance of the 52nd Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in March 2009. For the full report of this meeting and further details please see the attached documents Letter: http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/APFTNI_OpenLettertoEU_Oct08_EN.pdf Report: http://www.idpc.info/php-bin/documents/APFTNI_Report_Oct08_EN.pdf

1) Ohio Medical Marijuana Hearing 2) Annual Meeting & Board Election 3) Write a letter to your State Representative Supporting Medical Marijuana 4) Ohio Medical Compassion Act Summary 5) Ohio Medical Marijuana Posters & Road Signs 6) Support Ohio Medical Marijuana Patients 7) Letter to the editor from OPN/OPAN President 8) Help Wanted Webmaster =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 1) Ohio Medical Marijuana Hearing Report - November 19, 2008 On 11/19/08 the Ohio Medical Compassion Act SB343 was heard in the Ohio State Senate Judicary Committee. Ohio Patient's arranged for Doctor Richard Wyderski MD (Dayton,Ohio) and Mary Lynn Mathre RN from the Patients out of time to provide expert testimony in support of SB 343. The reaction of the panel was encouraging, very encouraging. Doctor Wyderski gave surprisingly good testimony and was able to connect with the panel. Mary Lynn Mathre answered some very interesting questions from the panel about the Federal Government supplying marijuana and even an unrelated hemp question which chairman Grendell weighed in on with his own knowledge of hemp from his days in the Navy. Please see the TV news story on the following link with Senator Tom Roberts and Tonya Davis. Davis was a key person in getting State Senator Tom Roberts to introduce SB343.. http://www.nbc4i.com/midwest/cmh/news.apx.-content-articles-CMH-2008-11-19-0019.html On the radio dial Ohio's WCRN 90.3FM, Columbus's NPR affiliate, Bill Cohen reported with a surprising clip of Law and Order Republican Senator Seitz supporting the bill. http://www.wcpn.org/index.php/WCPN/news/15365/ Also the Legislative Gongwer Report November 19, 2008 on the Medical Marijuana Hearing had the following report. === Sen. Roberts said in sponsor testimony the "Ohio Medical Compassion Act" would allow for the medicinal use of cannabis by qualified patients through a regulated system. He said research has discovered beneficial uses for marijuana in treating pain, nausea, and other symptoms associated with a variety of debilitating conditions. The bill provides for issuing registry identification cards to qualified patients. Those with cards would not be subject to arrest or prosecution in any manner for medical use of marijuana. "Law enforcement will be required to verify whether a person is a registered patient before any arrest, raid or other action is initiated," he said. Sen. Roberts said the legislation is critical because of a lack of alternatives that are available to patients. "They should not be forced to choose between living a normal life and living in pain," he said. Sen. Seitz said he was concerned that Ohio patients still could be prosecuted under federal marijuana laws. Sen. Roberts said federal intervention over medical marijuana has occurred only in California, and that was because the state law allowed storefront purchases. Richard Wyderski, MD, said marijuana has been used for centuries as a medicinal plant. "For decades the medicinal use of marijuana has been politically demonized as a substance without benefit that confers significant harm despite a growing body of scientific evidence to the contrary," he said. Dr. Wyderski said the bill would allow patients to grow their own plants, preventing them from buying marijuana that may contain dangerous addictive substances. "(The) scientific evidence is strongly in favor of the medicinal use of marijuana and such use has been endorsed by a number of professional medical organizations," he said. Mary Lynn Mathre, a registered nurse who co-founded a non-profit that supports use of medical marijuana, said 14 states already have such laws. The latest was enacted in the Nov. 4 election with 63% approval of an initiative in Michigan. Ms. Mathre said that while cannabis is not a cure all, there is no doubt about its efficacy as medicine. "The Ohio Medical Compassion Act will be a first step in helping patients gain much needed relief from suffering by allowing them legal access to a remarkably safe medicine and opening up the dialogue and ongoing medical evaluation with their primary care provider," she said. The news stories above are all very encouraging, now we need you to follow up and contact your state representative and let them know to support medical marijuana here in Ohio. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 2) Annual Meeting & Board Election Every year the Ohio Patient Network organizations, OPN & OPAN holds their annual meeting in the fall. This years meeting was held on Saturday, November 15th 2008 in Columbus. At the Annual Meeting the Senate judicial hearing was discussed,plans for more public support and the election of officers for 2008-2009. Please see the article for more information on the hearing and the above article on posters and signs that you can download and make your area more aware of medical marijuana here in Ohio. The newly elected board members for OPN, the 501-C3 arm of Ohio Patients, are John Precup (Vice President), James Cowen (Treasurer), and Dawn Dunlap (Secretary). The newly elected board members for OPAN, the 501-C4 arm of Ohio Patients are Jayson Jones (Vice President), Eleanor Ahrens (Treasurer), Cher Neufer (Secretary), and Dennis Day (Legal Advisor). Robert Ryan was elected to President of both organizations. Please support OPN and these volunteers in making medical marijuana a reality here in Ohio. Contact us via 888-647-2843 or [email protected] if you want to get involved.