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[Courtesy of DrugSense] FOCUS Alert #368 - Tuesday, 24 Jun 2008 Orange County is considered to be among the most conservative in California. The Orange County Register is the county's major newspaper. Over the years the newspaper has supported in editorials and columns California's Proposition 215. Last Saturday the newspaper printed the article below. In addition to the article, the newspaper's website is currently conducting an opinion poll titled "Should marijuana be legal?" and providing a discussion forum about the article. If you wish to vote in the poll and/or place a comment in the forum please go to: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/monson-says-marijuana-2072170-police-adams Please also consider sending a Letter to the Editor to The Orange County Register expressing your reaction to the article. Thanks for your effort and support. It's not what others do it's what YOU do. ********************************************************************* Pubdate: Sat, 21 Jun 2008 Source: Orange County Register, The (CA) Copyright: 2008 The Orange County Register Contact: [email protected] Author: Eugene W. Fields, The Orange County Register DISABLED MAN FIGHTS FOR HIS MARIJUANA Charles Monson, a Quadriplegic, Had His Home Raided and His Medicinal Marijuana Seized at Gunpoint. A swimming accident three decades ago at Newport Beach left Charles Monson paralyzed. A drug raid at his home about a year ago left Monson without the marijuana he says he needs. The raid has left him depending on a medical marijuana dispensary in Orange that was also raided. Fighting to stay in business, the small store-front dispensary has helped Monson deal with his pain. Monson, 45, was paralyzed in 1979 when he and a friend decided to go for a swim. "I dove under a wave, hit a shallow spot and broke my neck," Monson recalls. "I was paralyzed instantly and was floating face-down." Monson, who is confined to a wheelchair and has lost most of the use of his hands, tried to remain active. He's an avid skydiver, despite breaking his legs twice Nevertheless, he says he lives in constant pain and discomfort. "My brain isn't able to constantly able to monitor the muscles in my legs," he says. "Any little stimulus like being touched or moving my wheelchair or sitting still for a while and then moving will trigger a muscle spasm, big ones, that will yank my body to the side." As a result, Monson was chronically sleep-deprived to the point of falling asleep behind the wheel of his specially equipped van. Doctors prescribed muscle relaxants and various other seizure medications, but Monson says he didn't like the side effects. Finds Relief "I had tried Valium, Baclofen, Gabapentin. That gave me a sense of not being sharp in my mind and just feeling kind of woozy," Monson says. "I tried Marinol, which is synthetic marijuana. It's very hard to dose. It's either not very effective, or when it gets to the point of being effective, you're loopy." Monson says a friend recommended marijuana in the 1980s and after trying it, he said he found relief: "I smoked it in bed and I slept better than I ever had. The other thing that makes cannabis so much more effective than any other of the spasticity drugs is that it allows me rather than just treating my spasticity to manage it." When California voters passed Proposition 215 in 1996, which allowed marijuana usage for medicinal purposes, Monson says he started to grow marijuana. Monson says his life changed dramatically on the morning of October 30, 2007. "I wake up to a horrendously loud pounding on the front door at 7 a.m. in the morning," Monson says. "My friend said it was the police and I told him to let them in." Monson says a dozen Orange police officers armed with assault rifles and bullet-proof vests swarmed into his modest home and handcuffed both his house guest and care provider before coming into Monson's bedroom, demanding he get out of bed. "I told them I couldn't so they uncuffed my care provider," Monson says. "He got me dressed and into the chair and then they (police) went about ransacking my house." Monson says he used a spare bedroom to cultivate his marijuana plants, where a sign posted on the door read that the plants were for medicinal purposes. The police entered the room and, according to Monson, confiscated 16 plants and roughly 2-1/2 ounces of marijuana. "I told them I was growing it legally and they said it's against federal law," Monson says. "They came down on me like I was some drug kingpin." Sgt. Dan Adams of the Orange Police Department says 19 plants were seized and Monson was arrested for felony cultivation of marijuana, theft of utilities, sales of marijuana and conspiracy. "When you get 19 plants and you get a full-blown irrigation system and a light system, it was obviously a substantial operation he had running there," Adams said. "It's a good amount, but anything is a good amount because it's illegal as far as law enforcement is concerned." The District Attorney's office declined to prosecute the case. "The first month after the raid, I couldn't sleep well," Monson said. "Finally, it occurred to me that I was having a post-traumatic effect because I didn't know when they were going to bang down my door again." Searching for Marijuana Fearful of growing marijuana, Monson turned to other sources. "I had to go to people a buy it. None of them have ever been touched by the police," he says. "I don't know why they came after me. Somebody thought I was a king-pin." In December, Monson hired an attorney and decided to file a civil suit against the city. Four months later he read about Nature's Wellness, a dispensary on Lincoln Avenue in Orange that had been raided. Monson said he visited with Bob Adams, the dispensary owner, to share information about his case. Monson said he worked out a deal to receive half of the two ounces of marijuana he needs a month to manage his condition. Adams, who was detained by the Drug Enforcement Agency after his shop was raided in March, says he was just providing a service to another patient with a doctor's recommendation. "This man needs medicine and I've got it," Adams says. "That's what I'm here for." Adams says hearing about Monson's arrest upset him. "We've got a quadriplegic here. It's amazing that he wakes up every morning," Adams says. "Don't we have better things to do as far as our local authorities are concerned than chase around a quadriplegic that's in pain?" Monson says he was grateful for the aid from the dispensary and is waiting for his court case to move ahead. "I probably won't (grow) until that whole thing is settled with the police," he says. "I don't want a decent garden going again, just to have it taken away." ********************************************************************* Additional suggestions for writing LTEs are at our Media Activism Center: http://www.mapinc.org/resource/#guides, or contact MAP's Media Activism Facilitator for tips on how to write LTEs that are printed at [email protected]. ********************************************************************* PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER Please post a copy of your letter or report your action to the sent letter list ([email protected]) if you are subscribed, or by E-mailing a copy directly to [email protected] if you are not subscribed. Your letter will then be forwarded to the list so others can learn from your efforts. Subscribing to the Sent LTE list ([email protected]) will help you to review other sent LTEs and perhaps come up with new ideas or approaches as well as keeping others aware of your important writing efforts.

[Courtesy of Drug Policy Alliance] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 24, 2008 Contact: Tony Newman at 646-335-5384 or Roseanne Scotti at 609-610-8243 Drug-Free Zone Reform Legislation Passed by New Jersey Assembly Advocates Applaud Reform Effort and Say New Bill Will Reduce Racial Disparities and Save Taxpayers Money Trenton, NJ—Yesterday, the New Jersey Assembly passed compromise legislation to reform the state’s unfair and ineffective drug-free zone law. The bill, A2762, sponsored by Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer) and Assemblyman Gordon M. Johnson (D-Bergen) would give judges the discretion not to impose a mandatory minimum sentence under certain circumstances for drug-free zone offenses. The legislation is a compromise introduced to replace an earlier bill that would have reduced the size of the zones to 200 feet. Roseanne Scotti, director of Drug Policy Alliance New Jersey, called the bill a sensible compromise that would allow for individualized sentences and save taxpayers money. “Basically the current law calls for two different penalties for the same crime with the severity of the penalty based on geography and ultimately on race,” said Scotti. “The zones blanket our urban areas and as a result, 96 percent of those getting this additional mandatory minimum sentence are African American or Latino.” In 2002, the New Jersey Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing issued a groundbreaking report on New Jersey’s “drug-free zone” law. The law basically mandates a three-year mandatory minimum sentence in addition to the penalty for the underlying offense when the drug offense occurs in the zones. The commission found that the zones were completely ineffective in reducing drug offences within the designated areas. In addition the commission found that the law had a severe “urban effect” that disproportionately affected minority communities. Because there were so many schools and other public buildings covered by the law in densely populated urban areas, and because the zones overlap one another, most of the area of any densely populated city became one large drug-free zone. Therefore, almost any drug offense in such a city would get the additional mandatory term. Drug Policy Alliance New Jersey recently released a report, “Wasting Money, Wasting Lives: Calculating the Hidden Costs of Incarceration in New Jersey.” The report found that in addition to the approximately $331 million that New Jersey spends each year to incarcerate nonviolent drug offenders, the state loses millions more in taxable income from the lost wages of those incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses. The loss of taxable income to the state continues even after release because formerly incarcerated individuals earn about 30-40 percent less than those who have never been incarcerated. “Judges should have the discretion to craft fair and effective sentences and not waste taxpayer money,” said Scotti. “It costs more than $46,000 a year to incarcerate someone in New Jersey. If someone doesn’t deserve the additional penalty and if the additional penalty does nothing to improve public safety, mandating an additional penalty is just throwing taxpayer money down the drain. It damages the individual’s ability to earn a living and become a productive member of society and it shrinks New Jersey’s tax base. The bottom line is that New Jersey can’t afford ineffective mandatory minimum sentences.” # # #

For Immediate Release: June 23, 2008 NGO Delegate Organizations head to landmark UN Meeting on Narcotic Drugs Who: Drug policy reform organizations from across USA Contact: Michael Krawitz at 540-365-2141 or [email protected], or Lennice Werth at 434-645-8816 or [email protected] What: "Beyond 2008" International United Nations NGO Forum, Vienna When: July 6-9th 2008 Where: Vienna International Center, offices of United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Prevention [UNODC], secretariat of International Narcotics Control Board [INCB] Crewe, Virginia, 23 June 2008 - Virginians Against Drug Violence [VADV] leaders Lennice Werth and Michael Krawitz are heading to Vienna for what is likely to be a historic event, a first ever roundtable of 300 Non Governmental Organizations [NGO’s] with an expertise in drug use, policy and the international drug control treaties [international law] from all walks of life and representing all ideologies. VADV is one of three organizations that has taken a leadership role in enabling 7 of the 26 North American NGO’s participate in the meeting with help in the form of a grant from the Open Society Institute [OSI] to facilitate the NGO leaders travel and accommodations to access the meeting in Vienna, Austria. The 7 NGO’s from USA that will be participating in no small part thanks to OSI are: -- Professor Rodney Skager Representing Safety First, http://www.safety1st.org -- Sanho Tree, Spokesperson - Institute For Policy Studies, http://www.ips-dc.org -- Graham Boyd, Spokesperson - American Civil Liberties Association National Drug Policy Litigation Project, http://www.aclu.org/drugpolicy/index.html -- Deborah Small, Director - Break the Chains, http://www.breakchains.org -- Jack Cole, Director – Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, http://www.leap.cc/ -- Allan Clear Executive Director, Harm Reduction Coalition, http://www.harmreduction.org -- Kris Krane, Executive Director -- Students for Sensible Drug Policy, http://www.schoolsnotprisons.com/ Feel free to use contact info above to arrange an interview with any of these NGO leaders. VADV UNGASS PRESS RELEASE PAGE 2 This meeting is part of a once a decade event as the international Single Convention Treaty on Narcotic Drugs is revisited, amended and reauthorized by signatory nations. As a signatory to this treaty, the United States constitution declares the treaty to be our supreme national law on drugs. As the 26 June - International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking approaches we feel this press release is very timely. The NGO forum that took place on 13 March 2007 during the 50th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs [CND] marked the start of this project undertaken by the Vienna NGO Committee in partnership with UNODC. The project aims at providing a voice to the NGO community in reflecting on its own achievements at the ten-year review of the UN General Assembly Special Session on Illicit Drugs (UNGASS). Eighteen lead NGOs representing six regions--North Africa and the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean--presented their work on drugs in their respective region. "Civil Society does not speak with one voice but it certainly constitutes one of the most integral partners in improving the health and the well-being of individuals across the globe. There are many points of consensus among us and it is our intention to mine those for the benefit of all," said Michel Perron, Chief Executive of the Canadian Center on Substance Abuse, who is leading this initiative on behalf of the Vienna NGO Committee. The Executive Director of UNODC, Antonio Maria Costa, opened the forum. In his closing remarks to CND delegates, he said: "I was particularly impressed by this year's NGO forum. There was lively debate, in a balanced way that enabled all viewpoints to be expressed. Representations from all five continents made it a truly global event ... We should increase interaction between governmental and non-governmental bodies so that your policies can be implemented on the ground with greater impact.” We would also like to bring to your attention to the following new harm reduction report from the UNODC: "Reducing the adverse health and social consequences of drug abuse: A comprehensive approach" According to Dr. Costa it is “inspired by the international drug control treaties and supported by a growing body of scientific and medical evidence. Moreover, it was prepared in close consultation with the International Narcotics Control Board.” ###

Drug Truth Network Update: 4:20 Drug War NEWS from 90.1 FM in Houston and dozens of radio affiliates in the US and Canada & on the web at www.kpft.org. We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates in the US and Canada. 4:20 Drug War NEWS 06/23/08 to 06/29/08 now online (3:00 ea:) Select online at www.drugtruth.net Sun - Bruce Mirken of Marijuana Policy Project regarding Hinchey-Rohrbacher bill in US Congress Sat - Bill Piper of the Drug Policy Alliance & Doug McVay with Drug War Facts Fri - "The Real News" reports on Afghanistan's opium war Thu - Paul Armentano of NORML reports on "potent" pot Wed - Glenn Greenways' Poppygate Report & 2 "PSA's" Tue - Terry Nelson Reports for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Mon - Bruce Mirken of Marijuana Policy Project discusses "potent" pot Next - Century of Lies on Tues, Cutural Baggage on Wed (Now With Transcripts): PLEASE, Check Out the Transcript with Dr. Donald Tasking of National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/1842#comments - Cultural Baggage 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: Nurse Mary Lynn Mathre - Century of Lies 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: Former Texas Warden Richard Watkins Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.org and at www.radio4all.net. 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