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We are pleased to announce that our director, Dennis Sobin, has been named to the Board of new National Museum of Crime and Punishment. Long in the planning, and generous in the funding, the new National Museum of Crime and Punishment opens in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2008, with our own director as one of its distinguished board members. To read the news release issued by the 22-million dollar museum about Dennis and the other board members, please visit http://crimemuseum.org/documents/BoardMembersRelease.pdf. Located on 7th Street NW (a half block from the popular Verizon Center and one block from the famous International Spy Museum), the innovative new museum is destined to become the "must" place to visit in the Nation's capital. We are proud that many of the most beautiful and unusual pieces of prison art from our Prison Art Gallery are featured at the museum. In addition, the museum's creative gift shop carries many of our prison art prints. You'll want to be among the first to visit this extraordinary museum. With exhibits such as a recreation of Al Capone's plush jail cell and John Dillinger's actual getaway car, and with equipment that will allow you to get your own authentic mug shots and test your skills at outsmarting a lie detector test, your visit will be both interesting and educational. For more information, please visit CrimeMuseum.org.

DrugSense FOCUS Alert #366 - Monday, 19 May 2008 Another civilian alleged to be guilty of nothing more than possession of ecstasy and 25 grams of marijuana has been killed while under the watch of narcotics officers. This time, the dead woman is Rachel Morningstar Hoffman, a resident of Clearwater FL and a 2007 graduate of Florida State University in Tallahassee. Hoffman, 23, was found dead in rural Taylor County early Friday after two men suspected in her kidnapping and robbery led investigators to her body. Murder charges are pending, according to the Tallahassee Police Department. Hoffman was last seen Wednesday night near Forestmeadows Park while attempting to assist TPD vice investigators by buying drugs and a gun from two men. Though not yet convicted on the charges of marijuana possession and possessing ecstasy with intent to sell, the Tallahassee drug cops intimidated her into doing what should instead be the most risky part of their job. Rather than expose themselves - while using their state police training and their resources of being heavily armed and protected - they sent in Hoffman unarmed to deal with drug and weapon suppliers. Neither Ms. Hoffman's attorney of record nor the states attorneys office was notified of her involvement in this dangerous, high risk undercover operation by Tallahassee Police. Further, Ms Hoffman's participation in a court-ordered drug-treatment program should have precluded her from buying drugs for police, legal and treatment professionals have stated. Our country supports drug treatment. People undergoing treatment are required to avoid all contacts with anybody who uses or sells illegal drugs. Thus we should demand that laws preclude the use of any person undergoing treatment as an informant. ONLY due to the insanity of drug Prohibition policies would such an operation take place within our communities putting civilians at risk of injury and death as they do jobs that should instead be done by real police. But unfortunately, drug Prohibition guarantees that all drug dealing will be covert - behind closed doors - carried out by mystery players and participants. This is in contrast to the sensible system in place for literally 99% of drugs - notably alcohol, tobacco and Rx pharmaceuticals - where all dealers are out in the open. Police and regulators can easily investigate the how, when, where and who of all drug dealing that is not forced on to the street by 21st century Prohibition. Florida police, elected officials and voters all need to carefully consider how much longer we will endorse such a policy that leaves 100% control of production and dealing for a short list of in-demand drugs to street dealers, gangs and international cartels. Despite the sad death of Rachel Hoffman ten days ago and despite any number of future deaths that will occur among police and civilians alike, the "War on Drugs" continues to be an abject failure for reducing either the use of illicit drugs or the aggressive, violent street sales of those same drugs. Everyone needs to ask, "How many more police and civilians need to die before we come to our senses and end drug Prohibition?" Please consider sending a Letter to the Editor directed to the Tallahassee Democrat, which is the location of this sad story, and also the newspaper read daily by Florida State legislators and Governor Charlie Christ. Please also consider sending letters to other Florida newspapers which have carried opinions about this murder. Newspapers expect that the letters they receive be unique so please insure that each letter you send is at least slightly different. Letters of 200 words or less have the best chance of being printed. Thanks for your effort and support. It's not what others do it's what YOU do. ********************************************************************** The first story from the May 10 Tallahassee Democrat may be read here: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n483/a06.html MAP has archived almost 30 news and opinion clippings related to Ms. Hoffman's murder. New clippings are added each day: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Rachel+Hoffman Some of the best items to respond to are the Editorial and Opinion clippings, with the most recent being: US FL: Editorial: Rachel Hoffman Case Demands Outside Review (Tallahassee Democrat) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n493/a06.html US FL: OPED: Innocence Lost on Both Sides of the Law (Tallahassee Democrat) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n495/a01.html US FL: Editorial: Why Was Informer Put At Risk? (St Petersburg Times) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n504/a12.html US FL: PUB LTE: Blame the War on Drugs (Tampa Tribune) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n506/a04.html ********************************************************************** 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. [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. To subscribe to the Sent LTE mailing list see http://www.mapinc.org/lists/index.htm#form ********************************************************************** Prepared by: The MAP Media Activism Team, www.mapinc.org/resource

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 05/14/08 Dean Becker of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition interviews Judge Pat Lycos, the Republican candidate for Distict Attorney in Houston, Harris County Texas MP3 LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=audio/download/1887/FDBCB_051408.mp3 TRANSCRIPT: (To be posted by Friday) Century of Lies for 05/13/08 Sanho Tree reports on situation in Colombia, Phil Smith reports on situation in Mexico + Drug War Facts with Doug McVay MP3 Link: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=audio/download/1886/COL_051308.mp3 TRANSCRIPT: (to be posted Thursday Nite) Chief Clarence Bradford: "We can't possibly hire enough officers to effectively deal with the drug problem in Houston, Harris County...". - Cultural Baggage 050708 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: Dr. Mitch Earleywine - Century of Lies 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: TBD Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.org and at www.radio4all.net. We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates in the US and Canada. 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

National: Association of Paroling Authorities International Supports Re-enfranchisement The Association of Paroling Authorities International recently voted to approve a resolution to restore voting rights to individuals after release from prison. The resolution states: "Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Association of Paroling Authorities International supports the restoration of voting rights for offenders reentering the community and encourages the participation of paroling authorities in the passage and implementation of laws that engage former offenders in the civic discourse." The APAI is an international membership organization composed of criminal justice professionals dedicated to maintaining responsible parole practices. - - - - - - Help The Sentencing Project continue to bring you news and updates on disenfranchisement! Make a contribution today. Contact Information -- e-mail: [email protected], web: http://www.sentencingproject.org

Today the Drug Truth Network announces another contest! Win $100 for the first LTE using a quote from the DTN transcripts. Win $300 for the individual or organization with the most LTE's referencing DTN transcripts on December 31, 2008. We may have 1/20 the coverage of Hannity or Limbaugh but our listeners are mighty! Here's a great example from Wednesdays Cultural Baggage program, from Judge Pat Lykos who is running for district attorney of the gulag city of Harris County, (Houston, Tx): "We need to go after those banks and other institutions that are laundering the money. The politicians who may aid and abet this evil trade. I see these, I see the dispensing of drugs in our minority community as sabotage and bigotry and they've destroyed neighborhoods." Here's one from Dr. Donald Tashkin, the esteemed NIDA scientist from the Cultural Baggage show of April 9, 2008: " there definitely are a number of studies that suggest an antitumoral effect of THC." There are now many dozens of our shows with transcripts available at www.drugtruth.net. I urge you to use them in you LTE's, Op-Eds and other correspondence and BONUS, make money for yourself and your organization. DTN interviews judges, congressmen, politicians of all stripes, scientists, doctors, patients, prisoners and providers. Working together, we can bring this drug war to a screeching halt. To enter the contest, simply send an email with a link to the newspaper story with the DTN quote to [email protected] Good luck! Dean Becker Producer - Drug Truth Network Member - Law Enforcement Against Prohibition 713-849-6869 www.drugtruth.net www.leap.cc

[Courtesy of DrugSense] Well if we didn't already know it was the month of May, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in Washington DC led by Drug Czar John Walters is doing their best to remind us - again. For the eighth year in a row under Walters' lead, the ONDCP has used the first half of May to release their annual "latest scary facts about marijuana" press release. Packaged and carefully crafted in the guise of a scientific study, the ONDCP has again done nothing more than take a few correlative facts about teenagers and marijuana use and then 'conclude' that the pot use creates causative and inescapable debilitating health effects for our youth. This year, it's "depression." Citing the results of a dubious survey from New Zealand wherein teenagers who acknowledged feeling depression also often cited use of marijuana, the ONDCP report concludes that teenagers who use cannabis face an increased likelihood of being depressed. Sadly, this is as scientifically causative as saying that many people who feel pain also use aspirin. And that therefore aspirin use causes pain. Even more grim is that such junk science press releases are used to add fuel to the fiery federal insistence that all marijuana use - even for adults, and even for appropriate medical use with a doctor's recommendation (currently legal in 12 U.S. states and Canada) - should remain a criminal offense - an offense worthy of arrest, prosecution, incarceration and a lifetime criminal record. Fortunately, based on our 11+ years of covering drug policy news at MAP, we've come to see that an increasing number of newspaper reporters and editors view information coming from the Drug Czar's office with a cocked eyebrow and/or even a smirking dismissal. That's in large part due to their receiving a steady diet of more honest and truthful information about marijuana - both it's negative effects and it's positive benefits. That flow of alternative personal and professional testimony comes from people like you - the users of MAP and the people most interested in a public drug policy that is founded on facts rather than emotionally driven misinformation. MAP has been archived news clippings that resulted from the ONDCP press release over this past weekend and will continue to add more as newshawks like you find more. All the clippings found so far start with a subject line of "US" and may be found here: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/depression Please consider writing and sending a Letter to the Editor to the listed newspapers of your choice and the newspapers people read where you live. If you write to more than one newspaper, we strongly suggest at least some modification of your message so that each newspaper receives a unique letter. Often the best targets for response are Opinion items (Editorials, OPEDs and other LTEs) which may be printed during the days ahead. Please recheck the link above during the week for additional targets for letters. Thanks for your effort and support. It's not what others do it's what YOU do. ********************************************************************** 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. [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. To subscribe to the Sent LTE mailing list see http://www.mapinc.org/lists/index.htm#form