MPP Party at the Playboy Mansion
The Marijuana Policy Project, the nationâs largest marijuana policy reform organization, presents an unforgettable evening at the world-renowned Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles on June 4, 2009.
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In The Trenches
Job Opportunity: Communications Assistant, Marijuana Policy Project, Washington, DC
[Courtesy of MPP]
The Communications Assistant works in MPPâs Communications Department, which is responsible for effectively communicating MPPâs message to the media and the public through written materials and media relations. The Communications Assistant reports to the Assistant Director of Communications, who in turn reports to the Director of Communications.
Applicants should have excellent oral communications skills and strong writing and should be meticulous, organized, and detail-oriented.
The Communications Assistant is not a spokesperson position; rather, he or she is responsible for maintaining MPPâs media database, including making corrections or additions to existing press lists and developing new lists as needed; monitoring all marijuana-related news and research, disseminating such information to relevant MPP staffers, and posting key news stories to MPPâs Web site; tracking MPP's news coverage, including locating and/or ordering certain print articles, radio interviews, and TV interviews; contacting media outlets to confirm contact information; locating and obtaining copies of reports or studies that are of interest; preparing press kits; tackling small research projects aimed at identifying potential media opportunities or obtaining useful data; organizing and filing press clips and other documents; and accomplishing other tasks as assigned. Proofreading ability would be a plus, but is not required.
The salary for the position is $30,000, plus full health insurance and a retirement plan.
To apply, please see MPP's application guidelines at http://www.mpp.org/jobs/process.html and follow the instructions there. Interviews are being conducted on a rolling basis, so interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
ABOUT MPP
With 40 employees, 26,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, MPP is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP works to minimize the harm associated with marijuana - both the consumption of marijuana and the laws that are intended to prohibit its use - and believes that the greatest harm associated with marijuana is imprisonment.
In The Trenches
Drug Truth 12/04/08
The Unvarnished Truth About the Drug War From the Drug Truth Network:
(To downlad these 29:00 files, click on links below. To simply listen, go to www.drugtruth.net and select the arrow below the shows description.)
Cultural Baggage for 12/03/08 Law Enforcement Against Prohibition press conference at the National Press Club in Wash DC, call for the end of drug prohibition, with Neal Peirce of Wash Post, Terry Nelson & Richard Van Wickler of LEAP & Eric Sterling of Criminal Justice Policy Foundation + Poppygate Report with Glenn Greenway
MP3 LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=audio/download/2159/FDBCB_120308.mp3
TRANSCRIPT: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/2159#comments
Century of Lies for 12/02/08 Kevin Zeese, president of Common Sense for Drug Policy regarding the financial impact of the drug war and the US financial fiasco + Terry Nelson reports for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition + "commercial" for the Uri-Liminator! MP3 LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=audio/download/2158/COL_120208.mp3
TRANSCRIPT: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/2158#comments
PLEASE NOTE: We now have transcripts, potcasts, searchability, CMS, XML, sorts by guest name and by organization.
Next - Century of Lies on Tues, Cutural Baggage on Wed, listen online at www.kpft.org:
- Cultural Baggage 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: Martin Lee, author Acid Dreams
- Century of Lies 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: Col Jim Ketchem re CIA acid tests
Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.org
We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates in the US, Canada and Now Australia!!!
Programs produced at Pacifica Radio Station KPFT in Houston. www.kpft.org
Check out our latest videos via www.youtube.com/fdbecker: More than 55 Drug Policy Videos online)
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
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Medical Marijuana Debate: MPP vs. ONDCP
This evening, Georgetown Law Schoolâs chapter of SSDP hosted a debate on medical marijuana between MPPâs Assistant Communications Director Dan Bernath and ONDCPâs Chief Counsel Ed Jurith. Since the drug czarâs minions seldom subject themselves to public scrutiny, and only do so in D.C., it was my duty to document the dialogue.  Â
Bernath began with a reference to the recent discovery of a 2,700-year-old marijuana stash in the tomb of a Chinese shaman, establishing the extensive history of the medical use of marijuana. He described the dimensions of the current medical marijuana debate, including the support of the medical community, the benefits for a growing population of users, and the evolution of public opinion in support of protecting patients through ballot initiatives and state legislatures.
Jurith framed his argument from a legal perspective, providing a chronology of caselaw upholding federal authority to enforce marijuana and other drug laws. He emphasized the FDA approval process, insisting that reformers seek to bypass the traditional pathways through which medicines are deemed safe and effective. He focused heavily on dismissing the notion of a "fundamental right" to use medical marijuana, although Bernath hadnât presented his position in those terms.
As the discussion proceeded, I was struck by Jurithâs continued preference for defending the legality rather than the efficacy of the federal war on marijuana. He just wouldnât go there. In Q&A, I pointed out that the Raich ruling certainly doesnât mandate a campaign against medical marijuana providers and that DEA demonstrates their discretion every day by declining to prosecute the majority of dispensary operators. Will he defend the raids in a practical sense? What determines who gets raided and who doesnât? He responded with the notorious Scott Imler quote about medical marijuana profiteers, but never really answered the question.
So basically, the head lawyer at the drug czarâs office came forward to assure us that what theyâre doing is technically legal, while failing in large part to actually help us understand why they do it. In turn, Bernath easily and convincingly depicted how ONDCPâs role in the medical marijuana debate consists entirely of opposing/interfering with state level reforms and blocking the exact research they claim is necessary.
Iâd like to think that Jurithâs one dimensional presentation is indicative of the shrinking box from which his office draws its talking points on medical marijuana. Is the growing body of medical research and the solidification of popular support beginning to suck wind from the pipeholes of the proud protagonists in the war on pot? Jurith never compared marijuana to hard drugs, never employed the formerly obligatory "Trojan-horse-to-legalization" line, and generally declined to completely lie his face off when cornered. Maybe heâs just nicer than, say, this guy. But itâs also true that ONDCP as we know it is about to be dismantled and it may be that nobody over there currently gives a crap if the mild-mannered Ed Jurith is kind enough to put himself on the spot for the educational benefit of some law students.
Either way, by ONDCP standards, this was a fairly defanged defense of the war on medical marijuana. Jurith is absolutely correct that the federal government maintains considerable authority over the enforcement of our drug laws and it will be fascinating to see what happens when that power changes hands.
Bernath began with a reference to the recent discovery of a 2,700-year-old marijuana stash in the tomb of a Chinese shaman, establishing the extensive history of the medical use of marijuana. He described the dimensions of the current medical marijuana debate, including the support of the medical community, the benefits for a growing population of users, and the evolution of public opinion in support of protecting patients through ballot initiatives and state legislatures.
Jurith framed his argument from a legal perspective, providing a chronology of caselaw upholding federal authority to enforce marijuana and other drug laws. He emphasized the FDA approval process, insisting that reformers seek to bypass the traditional pathways through which medicines are deemed safe and effective. He focused heavily on dismissing the notion of a "fundamental right" to use medical marijuana, although Bernath hadnât presented his position in those terms.
As the discussion proceeded, I was struck by Jurithâs continued preference for defending the legality rather than the efficacy of the federal war on marijuana. He just wouldnât go there. In Q&A, I pointed out that the Raich ruling certainly doesnât mandate a campaign against medical marijuana providers and that DEA demonstrates their discretion every day by declining to prosecute the majority of dispensary operators. Will he defend the raids in a practical sense? What determines who gets raided and who doesnât? He responded with the notorious Scott Imler quote about medical marijuana profiteers, but never really answered the question.
So basically, the head lawyer at the drug czarâs office came forward to assure us that what theyâre doing is technically legal, while failing in large part to actually help us understand why they do it. In turn, Bernath easily and convincingly depicted how ONDCPâs role in the medical marijuana debate consists entirely of opposing/interfering with state level reforms and blocking the exact research they claim is necessary.
Iâd like to think that Jurithâs one dimensional presentation is indicative of the shrinking box from which his office draws its talking points on medical marijuana. Is the growing body of medical research and the solidification of popular support beginning to suck wind from the pipeholes of the proud protagonists in the war on pot? Jurith never compared marijuana to hard drugs, never employed the formerly obligatory "Trojan-horse-to-legalization" line, and generally declined to completely lie his face off when cornered. Maybe heâs just nicer than, say, this guy. But itâs also true that ONDCP as we know it is about to be dismantled and it may be that nobody over there currently gives a crap if the mild-mannered Ed Jurith is kind enough to put himself on the spot for the educational benefit of some law students.
Either way, by ONDCP standards, this was a fairly defanged defense of the war on medical marijuana. Jurith is absolutely correct that the federal government maintains considerable authority over the enforcement of our drug laws and it will be fascinating to see what happens when that power changes hands.
Event
MPP and ONDCP Debate Medical Marijuana
The Georgetown chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy is hosting a debate between MPP assistant director of communications Dan Bernath and White House Office of National Drug Control Policy chie
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LEAP Celebrates the Repeal of Alcohol Prohibition
Our friends at Law Enforcement Against Prohibition have launched a campaign commemorating the 75th anniversary of the repeal of alcohol prohibition:
Please click here to share LEAPâs message with your representatives. The effort has already generated terrific coverage from Reuters and LEAPâs press conference even made the local news on FOX. Very Cool.
December, 2008 marks the 75th anniversary of the end of alcohol prohibition. You can help teach a lesson from history by asking your representatives to repeal todayâs failed prohibition of drugs.
When Americaâs leaders repealed alcohol prohibition, it wasn't because they suddenly decided that liquor was safe and that everyone should drink. Rather, it was because they were tired of gangsters raking in rich illegal profits and terrorizing neighborhoods. And we simply could not afford to keep enforcing the failed prohibition during the Great Depression, our nation's worst economic crisis.
Today, America is in the grip of a new economic crisis, but we keep paying for an even more devastating prohibition, the "war on drugs."
Please click here to share LEAPâs message with your representatives. The effort has already generated terrific coverage from Reuters and LEAPâs press conference even made the local news on FOX. Very Cool.
In The Trenches
LEAP: We Can Do It Again!
Dear LEAP Supporter:
On Tuesday, December 2, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition kicked off the âWe Can Do It Againâ project, marking the 75th anniversary of alcohol prohibitionâs repeal (December 5) by calling for an end to drug prohibition. At a press conference in Washington, DC, LEAP released a new report explaining how ending the war on drugs will put dangerous traffickers out of business and will help our economy by billions of dollars.
As the new Congress addresses the current economic crisis, we don't want them to believe that we support the status quo. We want Congress to know the war on drugs is a failure. We want them to change drug laws and stop arresting people for nonviolent drug-related crimes. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition is making it easy for our supporters to tell Congress and state law makers what we think.
For the next two weeks, you can send a letter to your members of Congress and state law makers at www.WeCanDoItAgain.com . Please act now. Visit www.WeCanDoItAgain.com, and please post or forward this message to as many people as you can!
As always, thank you for your support of LEAP.
In The Trenches
European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies: December Newsletter
FRESH AIR IN MOVEMENT
Something is going on. A refreshing breeze is cleansing the dusty atmosphere of the debate on drugs. They say that periods of crisis stimulate the earth to elaborate new forms of social organisation... or to refresh the organisation of forms that were invisible during centuries. Are we passing from protest to proposal? Definitively yes.
From 21 to 23 November the workshop on "Drugs and Diplomacy" took place in MurguÃa, Basque Country, on the subject of the participation of organisations of drug users in the debate on drug policies. This workshop, under the leadership of Xabier Arana of Ekimen, an association of prestigious researchers from the Basque Country, forms part of a study on this issue that ENCOD is carrying out with the support of the Drugs Policy Department of the Basque Country. 24 representatives of 17 different organisations and networks such as GANJAZZ, LA REGADERA, AI LAKET, PANNANGH, COMISIÃN CIUDADANA ANTISIDA DE ÃLAVA, GANJAZZ ART CLUB, PAOTXA, INPUD, LCA, PIC, MDHG, AKZEPT, FAC, FAUDAS, FEDERACIÃN ENLACE and ENERGY CONTROL, met together in an idyllic place to analyse the weaknesses and strengths of user organisations to intervene in the design and application of drug policies, as well as the threats and opportunities that we can be confronted with when doing this. The report, with the conclusions of the research, as well as a videoreport will be presented in the coming months.
Apart from analysing in a very transparent way the situation of the movements for drug policy reform and the strategies to improve our effectiveness, we elaborated in MurguÃa concrete recommendations for the coming drugs plan of the Basque government and an alternative drugs action plan for the European Union that should replace the current draft elaborated by the European Commission. The recommendations of the Basque Government will be presented in a report at a meeting that will be organised for this purpose, and the alternative action plan will be presented during the coming Civil Society Forum on Drug Policies in the EU.
The workshop in MurguÃa represents a qualitative improvement in the movement for drug policy reform. On one hand, it is a historic moment for the social movements, especially for those that are formed by people at the grass roots level: we are passing from protest to proposal, and not a theoretical one, but a proposal that has materialised through a process of profound common reflection. On the other hand, the fact that we enjoyed such amenities as simultaneous translation, a comfortable room for the meeting etc., has facilitated the work in large degree.
We are also starting to see that the global objective is transcending local problems (egos, protagonisms, internal struggles, etc.) and global problems as well (sacred and stigmatised substances, urgency versus importance etc.). We are seeing the emergence of a commonly agreed project that becomes more and more clear and necessary.
Although this objective has always been present in the outlook of ENCOD, a coalition that has grown from 20 organisations in 1994 to 150 in 26 different countries today, in MurguÃa we have been able to conclude that we are all ENCOD, that we all have something to contribute to ENCOD, that there is a true feeling of belonging to the network and collaborating with each other. Something that is obvious but important to remember once in a while.
All this would not have been possible without the concrete help of two persons: Iker Val (of Ganjazz Art Club) and Iker Giraldo Cuadrado (La Regadera), who assumed the idea that was launched in the assembly and have proved able to convert this idea in reality in just 4 months.
The synergies are also coming together in the world of the Cannabis Social Clubs. during the past months the Federation of Cannabis Associations in Spain is working on a consensus document with recommendations on how to create a cannabis consumers club that would dispose of the most fundamental norms (statutes, rules for registering an association, etc.) as well as broader issues such as legal resolutions that are currently in place. This was the first step towards the elaboration of a second document that will be directed at the Spanish government with recommendations on how to regulate the clubs. The third step will be the internal reglementation for the functioning of the clubs, which will facilitate common standards of operation for all associated clubs.
This is not an isolated process, it takes place at a moment when from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean lines are thrown to us in order to maintain the link to the other extreme end of a chain that is more and more diffuse (consumers become growers and in producing countries, growers have been consuming traditionally since remote times). ENCOD is on the brink of signing an agreement with coca grower organisations in Bolivia which will promote initiatives of coca grower communities to obtain economic self-sufficiency in a framework of integrated and sustainable development, legal commercialisation channels for the traditional derivates of the coca leaf will be explored and acts of citizensâ diplomacy will be organised to propose the international depenalization of the coca leaf for international organizations.
For these projects, in early March we will organise a conference in the European Parliament, in collaboration with MEPs, on the issue of the revalorisation of the coca leaf through the legal commercialisation of its derivates in Europe.
We hope to count on the presence of representatives of coca grower organisations in order to present publicly the agreement, which we hope will be signed before that date.
Just as the twinkling of the wings of a butterfly can produce a hurricane, we hope that this fresh air in movement will cross the physical and ideological frontiers and obtain the necessary force [that might] break the wall of prohibition.
By: Virginia Montañés Sánchez (with the help of Peter Webster)
Thanks to José Afuera Gómez, of FAC, for the information on cannabis social clubs in Spain.
P.S.
ENCOD NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT:
Account: 001- 3470861-83 Att. ENCOD vzw - Belgium
Bank: FORTIS, Warandeberg 3, 1000 Brussels
IBAN: BE 14 0013 4708 6183
SWIFT: GEBABEBB
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