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Conference: Drug War Damage 101

Conference to explore: * Consequences of Criminalization of Drug Use * Increasing Healthcare Response to Drug Addiction * Medicinal Marijuana & Prosecution of Patients
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In The Trenches

Electrifying

Reform Conference 2009

 

Dear friends,

Hear what DPA Executive Director Ethan Nadelmann had to say about the Reform Conference.

Ethan 2009 Conference Video

Watch the video

Electrifying.

That’s how it felt last week in Albuquerque to gather with more than 1,000 activists working for drug policy reform.

Even if you couldn’t make it to the Reform Conference yourself, you can check out the major plenary speeches, candlelight vigil, and our Twitter feed – you can start by hearing how energized I was on the last day of the conference.

You won’t believe how fired up former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson was at the closing plenary.  You’ll be moved by the speakers at our candlelight vigil in honor of drug war victims.  And you can get a sense of what it was like to be there on the ground from the loyal reformers who Tweeted from the conference.

Last week in Albuquerque I saw a movement inspired, reenergized, and eager to meet the challenges and successes of the road ahead.

I hope you will keep this feeling with you in the months to come, and mark your calendars for the next Reform Conference – November 2-5, 2011 at the Westin Bonaventure hotel in Los Angeles, California.

Thank you, now and in the future, for all that you do.

Sincerely,

 

 

Ethan Nadelmann
Executive Director
Drug Policy Alliance

P.S. Don’t forget to check out the videos from this year’s conference!

      and

     Reform Conference Co-Hosts
Reform Conference 2009 Email Stationery Footer

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Blog

Tommy Chong's Prosecutor Says He Should Have Gotten More Jail Time

Mary Beth Buchanan, easily the nastiest federal prosecutor in the nation, has finally resigned her post. Yet, even as lovers of justice across the country celebrate her long-overdue departure (and pray she won't run for elected office), Buchanan has managed to turn our stomachs for what will hopefully be the last time:

On her last day in office, Buchanan says her only regret during her tenure was accepting a plea from Tommy Chong. [KDKA.com]

Such pure arrogance is really something to behold. Every legal textbook in the country should display her picture beside the term "malicious prosecution," as the railroading of Tommy Chong is a mere footnote within a career defined by gratuitous excesses.

Of course, Tommy was amused to hear that Buchanan still holds a grudge against him. The feeling is mutual:

"I'm honored to be Mary Beth's only regret. Now does she regret going after me? Or does she regret that I never got enough time? I tend to think she wishes she'd never heard my name. I have become her legacy. Mary Beth Loose Cannon is now looking for a job. She blew her last job busting me. Karma is so sweet! She's looking for a work while Cheech and I start our second multi-million dollar tour thanks to the publicity she created for us! Thank you Mary Beth - may you find peace and happiness in your search for your soul." [CelebStoner] 

I dunno, Tommy. You might wanna keep the floodlights on at night, just in case. If we know one thing about Mary Beth Buchanan, it’s that she never ever stops. She could be lurking in your bushes at this very moment, drunk with fury and looking to finish what she started.
Blog

Cheech and Chong vs. Bill O'Reilly: Worst Interview Ever


Boy, O'Reilly really knows how to suck the humor out of a room:



This should never have been allowed to take place. Bill O'Reilly shouldn't be allowed anywhere these guys, or anyone else who's ever been remotely funny at any point in modern history.

And if anyone can think of a legal way to make O'Reilly stop saying things like this, please share:
O'REILLY: We found out that in San Francisco, which leads the league in marijuana clinics, medical marijuana clinics, a lot of hard-core drug addicts go in there, buy the pot and sell it to kids so they can buy their heroin and meth and everything else.

CHONG: Sell it to kids?

O'REILLY: Yes.

CHONG: Where did you get that information?

O'REILLY: We got it from our undercover people.
Yeah, right. This is one of those social problems that you'll only hear about on the O'Reilly Factor because it only exists in the twisted mind of Bill O'Reilly.

Chronicle
Chronicle

Budget Crunch: Tennessee Could Free 4,000 Prisoners in Bid to Cut Costs

Like other states, Tennessee is feeling the effects of the bad economy, and so is the state's budget. Now, the governor is seeking a 9% across-the-board budget cut, and that could mean -- God forbid! -- that the state might have to let some nonviolent prisoners get out a few months early.
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Chronicle

Feature: Medical Marijuana in State Legislatures -- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Getting medical marijuana bills passed in state legislatures is a long, hard slog. So far this year, only one bill has passed into law, the Rhode Island dispensary bill, which builds on an existing medical marijuana law. Two states' legislatures, Minnesota and New Hampshire, passed bills, only to have them vetoed. But there's still hope in a few places. Here's a rundown of medical marijuana at the statehouse this year.
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Chronicle
Chronicle

Weekly: Blogging @ the Speakeasy

"Tommy Chong's Prosecutor Says He Should Have Gotten More Jail Time," "Cheech and Chong vs. Bill O'Reilly: Worst Interview Ever," "'Buy American Pot!' Says American Marijuana Growers Association," "Drug Czar's Website Still Wrong About AMA's Medical Marijuana Stance," "DEA Website STILL Wrong About AMA's Medical Marijuana Stance," "Colorado Announces Plan to Tax Medical Marijuana," "As Long as the Drug War Continues, So Will the Corruption," "Marijuana is Practically Legal (But Only for Aging White People Who Live in the Suburbs)," "If You Care About Ending the Drug War, Watch This," "Will Foster is Almost Free. You Can Help Open That Prison Door By Acting Now," "Nice People Take Drugs."