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John Stossel Debates Drug Laws with Sean Hannity

If you haven't seen John Stossel's awesome drug war episode yet, here's Part 1, in which Stossel takes on Sean Hannity:


My favorite part is when Hannity says, "It’s a 100 percent certainty. Crack addicts will kill to get more crack." That's weird, because I see crack users asking for money on the streets of D.C. all the time, and they've never even attempted to kill me. Am I doing something wrong?
In The Trenches

We Are the Drug Policy Alliance

 

 

 

We Are the Drug Policy Alliance.

 

We need your support to keep fighting for better drug policies.  Help us reach our goal of $10,000 by June 30th.

Donate 

Make a Contribution

Dear friends,

We’re nearly halfway through what is shaping up to be the most exciting year I’ve seen in all my years fighting for drug policy reform.  We’ve had some major breakthroughs in Congress and in state legislatures throughout the country, but our toughest battles are still on the horizon.  We can’t lose momentum now.

Will you make a donation and help us raise $10,000 by June 30th?  We need to be relentless in our fight to dismantle the war on drugs, and your support is essential as we face new challenges in the months ahead.

The White House has abandoned some of the old drug war rhetoric, but the decision to nominate Michele Leonhart to head the DEA raises serious questions about the administration’s commitment to reform.  Leonhart is responsible for obstructing scientific research and overseeing raids on medical marijuana patients and caregivers.  She’s the worst imaginable choice, and we need to show our political leaders that we won’t tolerate her backwards ideas.

It’s clear that despite the many gains we’ve made this year, we still have far to go.  It’s more important than ever that we keep our focus because in the coming months we’ll have the opportunity to turn the drug war on its head.   With your support, we can win our biggest victories to date.

California could become the first state to end marijuana prohibition, and DPA is right there on the front lines.  We’re working with legislators in New Jersey, Maine and Washington, DC as they implement new medical marijuana legislation. And we’re closer than ever to reforming the draconian and racially biased sentencing laws enacted during the drug war hysteria of the 1980s.

The momentum is on our side.  This year DPA has been winning more unprecedented reforms than ever.  The Senate voted unanimously to reform unjust federal sentencing laws that disproportionately impact communities of color. Meanwhile, New Jersey became the fourteenth state to legalize medical marijuana, and the first state to reform its harsh and ineffective “drug free zone” laws.

We’ve had great success, but in so many ways our work has just begun.  That’s why I hope I can depend on you to contribute and help us raise $10,000 by the end of June.

It’s your support that makes our work possible.  Together, we are the Drug Policy Alliance.

Sincerely,

Ethan Nadelmann signature text-free

Ethan Nadelmann
Executive Director
Drug Policy Alliance

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In The Trenches

Dr. Frank in Michigan June 24,25,28; seminars for patients, physicians in Oakland, California new location TBA

Dr. Frank Lucido | Family and General Practice since 1979 • Safe and Appropriate Recommendations since 1996 | www.DrFrankLucido.com

Dr. Frank in Michigan June 24,25,28; seminars for patients, physicians  in Oakland, California new location TBA!
http://drfranklucido.blogspot.com/2010/06/dr-frank-michigan-june-242528-seminars.html

 

Dr. Frank will be in Michigan June 24-June 28, and available to see patients in Ann Arbor, Lansing area

To schedule:
email [email protected] or call office 510-848-0958 during office hours 9-noon, 1:30-4pm Pacific Time

Also in this blog:
Report on Frank's last trip to Michigan, and Dr. Frank's AIMLegal Physician Seminar in Detroit May 8

Coming up in Next Blog:
New venue for Dr. Frank's seminars for patients, physicians in Oakland To Be Announced soon!
Report on High Times 1st ever Medical Cannabis Cup in San Francisco this past weekend June 19, 20, 2010
Report on Maine Medical Cannabis Conference Saturday, University of Southern Maine, June 5, 2010
   Keynote speaker was Montel Williams
http://www.mainemedicalcannabisconference.com/index.html
http://www.mainemedicalcannabisconference.com/conferencespeakers.html
Also: My Montel Williams and Angel Raich story from Drug Policy Alliance Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico last November, 2009

Report on Frank's trip to Michigan: Michigan AIMLegal Michigan Pioneers of Medical Cannabis:

Report on Michigan trip
I was in Michigan April 30-May 10 to:
1. spend some good time with mom and family and friends
2. connect with the Michigan medical cannabis community
3. hold a seminar for medical cannabis physicians and
4. perform medical cannabis evaluations

I feel good about all 4, and had a great time for the 10 days I was in Michigan
1. Good family time staying at my Mom's for 10 days, in East Lansing area (Hi Mom, Dad, brother Mark!!)
2. connect with the Michigan medical cannabis community:
Saturday, May 1:
I had my brother Mark reserve a picnic area in Lake Lansing Park, and I sent out a last minute email invite to my Michigan contacts just before I left California, so I had no idea if ANYONE was going to show up.

I billed it as:
Dr. Frank Lucido's Seminar for Patients, Caregivers, and Patients Advocates: Everybody's Entitled to My Opinion, or 14 years experience with medical cannabis consulting. There will be ample time for Q & A.
My soundbite for Michigan:
I'VE SEEN THE FUTURE: IT'S NOT ALL PRETTY, BUT SOME OF IT IS BEAUTIFUL

I'm glad my brother Mark, and friend Derek came, because for the first hour it was just the 3 of us playing Frisbee. (still lots of fun!)
Then my only other guest showed up.
One person.
But it was the perfect person for me to meet:
Robin Schneider, president of the Capital City Compassion Club.
We spoke for the next hour. I got to talk about my 14 years experience, and got to hear what's been going in Lansing area medical cannabis issues.
I really like the idea of Compassion Clubs, especially to the extent that their intention is not commercial, but informational and networking.
That week, I got to see Robin's name in the Lansing State Journal, about her testimony to the Lansing City Council, about a proposed ordinance that "would require a permit for commercial establishments" growing, storing or dispensing of medical marijuana, including for home delivery."
according to the May 5 article. See:
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2010305040026

Also on May 2, I was in Ann Arbor at a benefit for SSDP (Students for a Sensible Drug Policy), held at the Michigan Union, at my alma mater, University of Michigan.
Chris Chiles, the outgoing president of Ann Arbor SSDP used the occasion of his graduation to hold a benefit for National SSDP(Students for a Sensible Drug Policy)

I was honored to be asked to speak, and was happy to donate to this great organization.

http://ssdp.org/about/
Mission Statement

Students for Sensible Drug Policy is an international grassroots network of students who are concerned about the impact drug abuse has on our communities, but who also know that the War on Drugs is failing our generation and our society.

SSDP mobilizes and empowers young people to participate in the political process, pushing for sensible policies to achieve a safer and more just future, while fighting back against counterproductive Drug War policies, particularly those that directly harm students and youth.

Good going Chris!

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Sarah Palin and the Marijuana Legalization Debate

These comments from Sarah Palin last week are continuing to generate discussion:


"If we're talking about pot, I'm not for the legalization of pot, because I think that would just encourage our young people to think that it was OK to go ahead and use it and I'm not an advocate for that.

However, I think we need to prioritize our law enforcement efforts. And if somebody is going to smoke a joint in their house and not do anybody else any harm, then perhaps there are other things our cops should be looking at to engage in and clean up some of the other problems we have in society that are appropriate for law enforcement to do and not concentrate on such a, relatively speaking, minimal problem that we have in the country."

Mike Huckabee responded with a bizarre joke about Palin doing cocaine on TV, and Ryan McNeely has a good piece addressing the absurdity of defending marijuana laws while simultaneously asking that they not be enforced. Unfortunately, The Economist departed from its typically superb drug policy coverage with a strange defense of Palin's remarks:

Basically, while Sarah Palin's position on this issue, as on many others, is semi-deliberately incoherent, it is in this case a semi-deliberate incoherence that has proven to be effective policy in many countries, and I'm not even sure it's the wrong stance on the issue.

The full argument is too rambling to quote (see for yourself), but the author's point is that marijuana isn't really even legal in the Netherlands, so maybe there's no need to legalize here either. It might make sense if we didn't have a massive blood-thirsty drug war army literally occupying our cities. Prohibition is a for-profit industry in America. It sustains itself through a vast campaign of propaganda and intimidation, and I doubt the solution is as simple as asking these guys to please calm down.

The warriors who invade private homes in bulletproof bodysuits and murder small dogs for having the audacity to bark at them are not responsive to pleas for a more measured enforcement model. That the law authorizes their actions is the go-to excuse when their machine guns go off prematurely, and until that changes, neither will anything else.
 
Nevertheless, the fact that Palin was able to create such a flurry of dialogue with a few casual comments is testament to her potency as an advocate for whatever half-measures she's willing to stand for. And the fact that FOX News is now employing people who will keep posing these questions to prominent political figures is pretty cool, too.
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Supporting Harsh Drug Laws is Political Suicide in NY

Now that New York's famous Rockefeller drug laws have been scaled back, the issue is being used as a political weapon against those who failed to support reform:

For many Democrats in Albany, it was a landmark achievement: the long-sought overhaul of New York’s strict Rockefeller-era drug laws, repealing mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenders that critics said disproportionately and unfairly fell on blacks and Latinos.

But that legislative victory last year has emerged as a litmus test in the increasingly bitter five-way Democratic primary battle for attorney general.
…
"The reforms resonate powerfully in the African-American community," said David S. Birdsell, dean of the School of Public Affairs at Baruch College. "It is also a signature piece of progressive legislation for an increasingly large part of the Democratic primary base. It's a litmus test for progressive voters and an appeal to a group that was disproportionately harmed by the old laws." [NYT]

You couldn’t ask for a better example of how quickly drug war politics are evolving. For decades, our political culture has clung to the conventional wisdom that endorsing drug law reform was instant career suicide. Now we're beginning to see candidates getting burned for failing to endorse reform.

That doesn't mean you can now get elected president on a meth legalization platform, but it should come as a harsh warning to any elected official who thinks they can still sell voters on stupid anti-drug stereotypes from the Reagan years. Certain reform issues now enjoy majority public support and others are surging in that direction.

If you're not ready to embrace and champion reform, that's one thing, but it should at least be clear that shrouding yourself proudly in the drug war battle-flag is no longer a smart campaign strategy.
Event

Bay Area Drug Policy Reform Mixer

It's summertime! Come mingle with your fellow drug policy reformers. We'll mainly be hanging out at the tables out front of Van Kleef's, but there's a whole bar inside too... YOUR HOSTS:
Event
In The Trenches

Awesome Police Dept. Teaches Citizens to Flex Their Rights

Dear friends,

You and I are well-trained to refuse certain police requests. But when I was approached by Columbia, MO Police Chief Ken Burton the other month, I was happy to consent.

The Chief called to ask my permission to use 10 Rules for Dealing with Police as part of a department-backed public education campaign to inform the public of their rights. Enthusiastically, I said yes.

Within weeks, a new report was released showing that in 2009 black motorists in Columbia were 127% more likely to be stopped than white motorists. At a public forum hosted by NAACP and other groups concerned about racial profiling, Chief Burton put 10 Rules to work.

The Columbia Daily Tribune editorialized in favor of the event, specifically citing 10 Rules.

State NAACP President Mary Ratliff called the video "a powerful teaching tool for both sides" and urged its wide distribution.

This is quite a coming-together. Ratliff has been critical of police in their confrontations with black people, and police have defended themselves in standoffs typically without a mutually agreeable resolution. The video gives both sides a way to communicate outside the context of a traumatic incident and might help subjects avoid trouble with the police.

The police department deserves credit for taking action to bridge the understanding gap, and Ratliff deserves similar credit for responding positively. This is a big deal, and I commend both parties.

Let’s follow Chief Burton and Mary Ratliff's lead! If you or someone you know has a friendly relationship with your local police chief, why not give them a 10 Rules DVD and a copy of the Daily Tribune editorial? (Enter coupon code "10RULES4COPS" to get $5.00 off your DVD order between now and July 7.)

Let’s create hundreds of police-led screenings across the country!

Sincerely,

Steve

 

 

P.S. If you support this public education work, please consider making a small or large tax-deductible donation online. You may also send a check donation (made out to Flex Your Rights) to P.O. Box 21497, Washington, DC 20009.

In The Trenches

Take Action Update: Your Calls Were Heard! Now Make One More

Announcement

Sentencing Project
 

Call-in Day Update

Thank you for joining today's National Call-in Day. Majority Leader Reid and Senator Durbin have heard you loud and clear. We received word that they got the message and know you support S. 714, the National Criminal Justice Commission Act.

If you have not yet called today, you can take Senators Durbin and Reid off your list and add Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), who is the Republican Whip.

REVISED TARGETS:

·         Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), (202) 224-4521

·         Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), (202) 224-3135
(If you already called Minority Leader McConnell, no need to call again.)

MESSAGE TO SENATORS:

Please support S. 714, the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, because:
•     Having a transparent and bipartisan Commission review and identify effective criminal justice policies would increase public safety.
•    The increase in incarceration over the past twenty years has stretched the system beyond its limits. The high cost to taxpayers is unsustainable, especially during these times of economic downturn.
•    The proposed commission would conduct a comprehensive national review and would issue recommendations for reform. 

 

The Sentencing Project is located at 1705 DeSales Street, NW 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20036.  Send an email to The Sentencing Project.

The Sentencing Project is a national, non-profit organization engaged in research and advocacy for criminal justice reform.

In The Trenches

Today is National Call-In Day: Support the Webb Criminal Justice Commission

Dear friends,

TODAY - Wednesday, June 23 - is National Call-In Day:  If you are concerned about America's incarceration problem, please take a few minutes to call key senators who are in a position to do something about it.  Tell Senate leadership to support the Webb Criminal Justice Commission! 

In 2009, Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) introduced the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, S. 714. To date, 39 senators have co-sponsored this legislation, which will create a bipartisan commission to complete a comprehensive review of the national criminal justice system, identify effective criminal justice policies and make recommendations for much-needed reform.  The Senate Judiciary Committee has reviewed and passed the bill and it is now awaiting passage through the United States Senate.  

LEAP believes this bill will help us acheive our goal of legalization and regulation, as Senator Webb has said that discussing the legalization of drugs should be on the table for the commission.  Drug prohibition directly impacts the problem of prison overcrowding by incarcerating nonviolent offenders, and America is the number one incarcerator in the world.  As a supporter of LEAP, please urge Senate leadership to pass this important legislation!

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Please call the following Senators TODAY, June 23, to ask them to prioritize and support Senate passage of the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, S. 714:

--Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), 202-224-3542

--Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), 202-224-3135

--Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL), 202-224-9447

TALKING POINTS:

"I am calling to ask Senator _________ to prioritize and support immediate Senate passage of S. 714, the National Criminal Justice Commission Act, because the proposed commission would conduct a comprehensive national review of the efficacy of criminal justice policies in the United States and offer recommendations for reform that would improve public safety, governement accountability, cost effectiveness, and overall fairness in the implementation of the criminal justice system."


Thank you for your support of this important effort!



Your donation puts LEAP speakers in front of audiences. To support LEAP's work by making a contribution, please click here.





           

121 Mystic Ave. Suites 8&9
Medford, MA 01255
(781) 393-6985 [email protected]


We need help growing our all-encompassing movement of citizens who want to end the failed "war on drugs," so please invite your family and friends to learn about LEAP.

 

In The Trenches

Drug Truth 06/23/10

Cultural Baggage * Century of Lies * 4:20 Drug War NEWS Cultural Baggage for 06/20/10 29:00 Otis McLay guest hosts, Eric Sterling president of Criminal Justice Policy Foundation is guest LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/2947 TRANSCRIPT: Wed Century of Lies for 06/20/10 29:00 Eric Sterling former counsel for US judiciary committee discusses mechanism of drug policy with guest host Otis McLay LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/2948 TRANSCRIPT: Thu 4:20 Drug War NEWS, 06/21 to 06/27/20 Link at www.drugtruth.net on the right margin - Sun - Host Otis McLay interview of Eric Sterling re progress in the hundred year war Sat - Eric Sterling of CJPF.org re US admin policy on drugs Fri - Eric Sterling re treatment system scams Thu - Eric Sterling of Criminal Justice Policy Foundation on implementation of mandatory minimums Wed - John Stossel goes to bat for drug reform on FOX Tue - Stephen Betzen of Texas Coalition for Compassionate Care re hoped for med marijuana bill Mon - Mary Jane Borden of Drug War Facts on marijuana use for MS & cancer Programs produced at Pacifica Radio Station KPFT in Houston, 90.1 FM. You can Listen Live Online at www.kpft.org - Cultural Baggage Sun, 7:30 PM ET, 6:30 PM CT, 5:30 PM MT, 4:30 PM PT - Century of Lies, SUN, 8 PM ET, 7 PM CT, 6 PM MT & 5 PM PT Who's Next?": TBD Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.org and now at James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. http://www.bakerinstitute.org We have potcasts, searchability, CMS, XML, sorts by guest name and by organization. We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates. You can tune into both our 1/2 hour programs, live, at 6:30 central time on Pacifica's KPFT at http://www.kpft.org and call in your questions and concerns toll free at 1-877-9-420 420. The two, 29:00 shows appear along with the seven, daily, 3:00 "4:20 Drug War NEWS" reports each Monday morning at http://www.drugtruth.net . We currently have 74 affiliated, yet independent broadcast stations. With a simple email request to [email protected] , your station can join the Drug Truth Network, free of charge. 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, DTN Producer, 713-462-7981, www.drugtruth.net