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[Courtesy of Marijuana Policy Project]

Dear friends:

Have you ever wanted to get a closer look at how MPP operates?

Want to see some of what we have accomplished over the years and see exactly where your donations go?

Please click on the image below to watch our new five-minute video ...

If you haven't yet donated to MPP, I hope this video will inspire you to become a dues-paying member. If you're already a member, I hope this video makes you feel good about how we use your generous funding.

Sincerely,

Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $3.0 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2008. This means that your donation today will be doubled.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Tuesday May 27, 2008 Contact: Tony Newman, t: 646-335-5384 or Roseanne Scotti, t: 609-610-8243 Groundbreaking Report “Wasting Money, Wasting Lives: Calculating the Hidden Costs of Incarceration in New Jersey” to be Released Report Finds Incarceration Costs Far Exceed Previous Estimates, Increase State Budget Deficit and Waste Taxpayer Money Press Conference Scheduled at Statehouse on Wednesday, May 28, 11:30 AM with Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Assemblyman Joseph Cryan Trenton- A groundbreaking report, “Wasting Money, Wasting Lives: Calculating the Hidden Costs of Incarceration in New Jersey” will be released today at a statehouse press conference featuring legislators, community members and advocates. The report was commissioned by the Drug Policy Alliance and authored by Meredith Kleykamp, Jake Rosenfeld and Roseanne Scotti. What: A press conference to release a report on the hidden costs of incarceration in New Jersey Who: Newark Mayor Cory Booker Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D, Union) Roseanne Scotti, Esq., Director, Drug Policy Alliance New Jersey David Kerr, President, Integrity House of Newark (additional speakers to be announced) When: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 11:30 A.M. Where: New Jersey State House, Room 209 The economic cost of New Jersey’s explosive prison growth has been astronomical. Twenty years ago, the New Jersey corrections budget was $289 million. Today the budget is $1.33 billion. Corrections budget growth has outstripped all other parts of the state’s budget. From 1979 until 2006, the corrections budget grew by a factor of 13 while the overall state budget grew only by a factor of 6. New Jersey spends more than $46,000 annually to incarcerate each prisoner, and about $331 million dollars a year just on incarcerating all nonviolent drug law violators—more than what is spent by 16 other states for their entire corrections budgets. During the 1980s and 1990s, corrections spending in New Jersey rose at three times the rate of spending on higher education. But looking at the direct costs of incarceration tells only part of the story of the economic burden placed on New Jersey by the current system. In addition to the direct costs of prisons, New Jersey also incurs substantial indirect and hidden costs by incarcerating large numbers of nonviolent drug offenders. To get a complete understanding of the costs of incarceration for New Jersey, costs such as lost wages while incarcerated, lost lifetime wages after release from prison due to reduced employability, and lost taxable income must be calculated. This groundbreaking report analyzes the comprehensive and hidden costs of New Jersey’s overuse of incarceration and offers suggestions for saving taxpayers’ money and reinvesting savings into families and communities. # # #

[Courtesy of Prison Art Gallery] Sun Trust bank will give its money (not yours) to your favorite nonprofit organization, whether the Prisons Foundation or any other 501(c)(3) for the asking. We recently received a donation from one of our long-time supporters, Bryan Jay Parker, Chairman of International Healthcare Access Group in Washington, DC. Though the contribution was Bryan's doing, it didn't come from him directly but rather from Sun Trust. It's part of Sun Trust's "My Cause" promotion, and it's worth checking out for ours or any other nonprofit. Here are the details. The My Cause promotion gives individuals a unique opportunity to reinvest in their nonprofits of choice. If you haven't had a chance to take advantage of the My Cause program, you have time. Now through June 30, 2008, you can choose to have SunTrust give $100 to the nonprofit organization of your choice, or receive a $50 gift card when you open a new SunTrust Personal or Business Checking account during the promotion period, accept a new SunTrust Visa® Check Card, make any purchase with the new card, and submit a completed online redemption form by August 15, 2008. If you currently bank with SunTrust and have a SunTrust Visa Signature® or SunTrust Platinum Visa with SunTrust Rewards Credit Card, or SunTrust Visa Check Card enrolled in the SunTrust Rewards program, you can donate your SunPoints (SunTrust's reward points system) to your nonprofit of choice! Donations can be made in $25, $50, or $100 denominations. The best part of this element is SunTrust has decided to make SunPoints for Charity a permanent component of its SunTrust Rewards program - so you can continue to donate your SunPoints even after the My Cause promotion has ended. If you plan to participate in the My Cause promotion and open a new checking account by June 30, we encourage you to donate your $100 to the Prisons Foundation. And once you receive your applicable card, or if you already have one, turn your SunTrust Rewards into donations as well. We hope that you will spread the word about the My Cause promotion and the SunPoints for Charity program to your friends, family, and personal and business contacts. The more awareness we can generate among our supporters, the greater the opportunity for us to increase our fundraising easily and effortlessly. For more information about My Cause and how to get involved, please visit www.suntrust.com/mycause. Or you can contact our own supporter who took advantage of this program, Bryan Jay Parker, Chairman, International Healthcare Access Group, LLC, 601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20004 202-434-8900.

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 05/26/08 to 06/01/08 now online (3:00 ea:) Select online at www.drugtruth.net Sun - CNBC reports on medical dispensary business in California + clip from Walk Hard Sat - Neal Peirce, Washington Post writer 3 Fri - Neal Peirce, Washington Post writer 2 Thu - Neal Peirce, Washington Post writer discusses the failure of thee drug war 1 Wed - Bruce Mirken of Marijuana Policy Project discusses medical marijuana legislation Tue - Paul Armentano of NORML discusses medical properties of cannabis Mon - Atlanta drug cop gets 4 1/2 Yrs for death of 92 year old woman 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: Terry Nelson of LEAP - Century of Lies 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: Neal Peirce of Washington Post 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

Routine: Meeting an aide who was also the Legislative Director of the office this week, I asked if he knew of LEAP. “Sure.” He replied. The next 10 minutes I did little in the way of educating. The aide knew all the basic facts, the basic dynamics of the policy and its unintended consequences. At the end he remarked how this issue was not coming up any time soon. “I know.” I replied. ‘When it does come up, LEAP and I will be here.’ I walked away feeling satisfied that he already knew of LEAP. I was left wondering what year the change will begin in earnest. Discouraging Moment: I attended a hearing of the full House Judiciary Committee on whether to approve an ‘emergency’ 400 million dollar aide package to local police to arrest drug dealers. I listened as 6 of my colleagues in law enforcement testified that the sky would fall in as their areas would arrest far fewer drug dealers, if they did not receive the money. A staffer of every member of the Judiciary has received a LEAP presentation, which among other items, emphasizes the futility of arresting drug dealers large and small. Each has received a copy of the DEA pamphlet which states that: “Drugs are readily available to America’s youth…” Not one of the 40 odd members of the committee asked the most important question (IMO): ‘Is it not true that all drug dealers arrested are quickly replaced? If that is so, what is the point in giving you more money to arrest more?’ The questions & comments from the Congressmen reminded me of a love fest, not a serious discussion of the issue. Heavy sigh….back to work on Tuesday. PS. Several of you wrote a few weeks back that I sounded discouraged and urged me to continue. Of course I am discouraged from time to time. Failure, however, is not an option. I will work on this bastard of a policy until it is in the history books or I draw my last breath. Not to worry.

Anti-prohibitionism or drug legalization defense?

[Courtesy of Just Say Know] 

Once again another life has been needlessly sacrificed in the name of our heinous drug laws. Rachel Hoffman would still be with us today except for the way we choose to deal with drug use and addiction. To Ms. Hoffman’s family and friends, please accept our deepest condolences and heartfelt regret for your loss. The pain and suffering Ms. Hoffman and you have been forced into by those sworn to protect us is inexcusable. This absolutely unnecessary tragedy will not be forgotten. There is no excuse for this. The shameful unfounded defense offered by the authorities attempting to shift responsibility for the tragedy of their own incompetent actions to the victim is nothing short of reprehensible. This story should outrage all of Florida, all the USA and all the world. Florida has some of the toughest drug laws in the country and they have not accomplished any positive results, only harms. The harms of our drug policy are vividly reflected in Ms. Hoffman’s case. By all accounts in the news stories about her, Ms. Hoffman was a vibrant, well educated, well adjusted young woman with a bright future. She was loved by her family, a college graduate, well liked by her peers… in short the reflection of the vast majority of casual drug users. We also learned Ms. Hoffman supported at least two of the drug policy reform organizations we work with. Most people who use drugs are not addicts or criminals by any stretch of the imagination, except that we have allowed their right to ingest certain substances to be criminalized. The results of prohibition are well documented. Any time you prohibit anything you instantly create a black market commerce for that item and the results are always the same… criminals take over the business and violence and death follow. We’ve seen our ridiculous drug policy cause tragedy, corruption, waste of resources, harm to citizens and society beyond imagination and once again needless death. There’s a growing movement to change this but we must all take action or tragedy will continue. Visit our site and take civic actions that will make a difference. Sending an email or making a phone call to your elected representatives can do more good than you might think. If not now, when? If not you, who? Enough is enough! Just shaking your head and saying “that’s a shame” will not stop this. We posted another “Law Enforcement Against Prohibition” video on our home page. Take a few minutes and watch it and then be sure to contact your elected representatives and tell them to end the drug war now! There are much better ways to deal with drug use and addiction without the death, disease, violence, corruption, arrest of 1.9 million non-violent Americans each year and countless other harms directly caused by drug prohibition. Tobacco is the only success story in dealing with drug use. Almost half of all tobacco users have stopped and no one was arrested or killed. These amazing results came about through honest education and regulation not a war on tobacco users. PROHIBITION DOES NOT WORK, NEVER HAS AND NEVER WILL!

If you’re using internet explorer web browser use this link: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/home

If you’re using any other web browser use this link: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/index.html

Use this link to locate and contact your congressional representatives. Tell them you are in favor of HR 5842 (medical marijuana patient protection act) and HR 5843: (act to remove federal penalties for the personal use of marijuana by responsible adults). These two important legislative measures will greatly improve the lives of all Americans. HR 5842 Will provide for the medical use of marijuana in accordance with the laws of the various states and HR 5843 will remove federal penalties for the personal use of marijuana by responsible adults.

If clicking the text above doesn’t take you to the web page, copy and paste this into your web browser:

http://capwiz.com/norml2/home/

You can also contact your representatives by calling this number: 202-224-3121.

This is critical! Take action now, don’t wait. Ask all your associates to take action too!

CLICK HERE AND ENTER THE SEARCH WORDS BELOW TO READ THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION THAT NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT:

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/c110query.html

TO READ H.R.5842, SEARCH USING THESE WORDS:

Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act

TO READ H.R.5843, SEARCH USING THESE WORDS:

Act to Remove Federal Penalties for the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults

JUST SAY KNOW IS HAVING A MEMBERSHIP DRIVE TO HELP PREPARE FOR WHAT’S SHAPING UP TO BE A VERY ACTIVE SUMMER IN THE DRUG POLICY REFORM MOVEMENT. MEMBERSHIP IS ONLY $25 PER YEAR (LESS THAN 7 CENTS A DAY) AND DURING THIS MEMBERSHIP DRIVE THAT’S THE FAMILY PLAN, SO EVERY VOTER LIVING UNDER THE SAME ROOF THAT WANTS TO BE A MEMBER IS INCLUDED. JUST REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE WITH “DONATION” IN THE SUBJECT LINE AND WE’LL CONTACT YOU BY EMAIL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION!