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[Courtesy of ACLU] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 18, 2009 CONTACT: Dan Berger at (831) 471-9000 x26 WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to hear an appeal brought by San Diego and San Bernardino counties challenging the validity of California's medical marijuana laws. The Court's order leaves intact the rulings of California's state courts, holding that state medical marijuana laws are entirely valid despite the federal prohibition on marijuana. The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented California medical marijuana patients in the proceedings, had urged the Court to decline the counties' challenge. The following may be attributed to Graham Boyd, Director of the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project: "The Supreme Court's order marks a significant victory for medical marijuana patients and advocates nationwide. This case struck at the core of the contentious intersection between state and federal medical marijuana policy, and, once again, it is clear that state medical marijuana laws are fully valid. Coupled with the Department of Justice's recent pronouncements that the agency will respect state medical marijuana laws, the Court's order leaves ample room for states to move forward with enacting and implementing independent medical marijuana policies." The ACLU's opposition brief to the Court can be found online at: http://www.aclu.org/drugpolicy/medmarijuana/39603lgl20090415.html ###

For Immediate Release: May 14, 2009 Contact: Tony Newman at (646) 335-5384 or Ethan Nadelmann at (646) 335-2240 Drug Czar Calls for End to 'War on Drugs' and Advocates Treatment over Incarceration Kerlikowske Reaffirms Administration Support for Clean Syringes to Reduce HIV, Halt to Raids on Marijuana Dispensaries and End the Crack and Powder Cocaine Disparity Advocates Cautiously Optimistic: Pledge to Pressure Administration to Match Actions to Rhetoric White House drug czar, Gill Kerlikowske called for an "end to the war on drugs" and said the drug problem in this country should be a public heath issue and not a criminal justice issue. His comments came during an interview with Gary Fields of the Wall Street Journal and appear in today's paper. "Regardless of how you try to explain to people it's a 'war on drugs' or a 'war on a product', people see a war as a war on them and we are not at war with people in this country," Kerlikowske told the Journal. He also told the Journal that the Obama Administration is likely to deal with drugs as a public health issue and would favor treatment over incarceration in trying to reduce illicit drug use. "We are cautiously optimistic" said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. "Kerlikowske appears to be in line with President Obama's call for a paradigm shift to public health and he along with the Justice Department support the range of drug policy reforms Obama pledged as a candidate." As a presidential candidate, then-Senator Obama said the 'war on drugs is an utter failure' and that he believes in 'shifting the paradigm, shifting the model, so that we focus more on a public health approach.' He also called for eliminating the crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity, repealing the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs to reduce HIV/AIDS, and stopping the U.S. Justice Department from undermining state medical marijuana laws. Kerlikowske confirmed he supports needle exchange programs as a "part of a complete public-health model for dealing with addiction" and that he plans to work with Congress and other agencies to alter current policies. Recently the Justice Department came out against the crack/ powder disparity and the attorney general said that the administration will no longer raid marijuana dispensaries that comply with state laws. Advocates pledge to hold Kerlikowske and the administration to their words and make sure their actions meet their rhetoric. "There were a couple of marijuana dispensaries raided since the Justice Department pledged to end the raids. The recent budget that was introduced still included a federal ban on funding clean syringes despite calling for an end to the ban" Nadelmann noted. "The proof will be in the pudding. We need to make sure the deeds match the words." ###

The Unvarnished Truth From the Drug Truth Network Cultural Baggage for 05/13/09, 29:00 Maia Szalavitz, author of "Help at Any Cost" + Terry Nelson of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition & Abolitionist Moment/DTN Editorial LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/2416 TRANSCRIPT: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/2416#comments Century of Lies for 05/10/09, 29:00 Eric Sterling, president of Criminal Justice Policy Foundation discusses mandatory minimums + Professor Jeffrey Miron & former drug czar John Walters on CNN + Abolitionists Moment LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/2408 TRANSCRIPT: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/2408#comments Programs produced at Pacifica Radio Station KPFT in Houston, 90.1 FM. You can Listen Live Online at www.kpft.org - Century of Lies, SUN, 8 PM ET, 7 PM CT, 6 PM MT & 5 PM PT: NEXT: TBD - Cultural Baggage WED, 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 CT, 10:30 MT & 9:30 AM PT: NEXT: Ethan Nadelmann, Drug Policy Alliance Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.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 in the US, Canada and Australia! We now feature TRANSCRIPTS of most of our programs again! 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, 713-849-6869, www.drugtruth.net