Dear reformer,

The clock is ticking on the first stage of the crucial new campaign on international drug policy I've written about the last two weeks. We have received generous donations from many members -- thank you if you are one of them. But they're not yet enough to let us to act on the first key budget item, which is help with getting the word out to media. If you haven't donated yet, would you be willing to make a donation now to help us take at least this first step?

Time is of the essence. As I wrote late last month, on May 7 the United Nations in New York will hold a special "Thematic Debate," pressed for by governments that want a venue for open discussion on the changes that need to be made to drug policy. Our coalition, which includes some leading national and global organizations, has an important message that needs to be heard there, and heard loudly. Because this event is just a few weeks away, we need to move now to make the arrangements for the help we need to do that effectively, and that requires at least a few thousand more dollars of funding. Will you step up today to enable us to make these important plans?

There is much more work beyond May 7 that is part of this. You can read about some of it in the last two emails I sent, copies of which are online here and here.

Donations to our tax-deductible nonprofit, DRCNet Foundation, and our non-deductible lobbying nonprofit, Drug Reform Coordination Network, both can be put toward this project and support the needs of this campaign. Visit http://stopthedrugwar.org/donate to donate by credit card or PayPal, or send your check or money order (made out to one of the two names listed above) to P.O. 9853, Washington, DC 20016.

We can also accept donations of stock; the information to give your brokerage is Ameritrade, (800) 669-3900), DTC #0188, and account number 781926492 for tax-deductible gifts to DRCNet Foundation or 864663500 for non-deductible gifts to Drug Reform Coordination Network -- please contact us if you are donating this way.

We'd also like to hear from organizations that might like to endorse our sign-on statement or get involved in the campaign in other ways. If that might be you, please replying to this email or write to [email protected]. I would be happy to speak with potential endorsers or coalition supporters by phone as well.

Thank you for your support and for taking the time to read this message. With your help, we will change things for the better -- time, and the truth, are on our side!

Sincerely,

David Borden, Executive Director
StoptheDrugWar.org
P.O. Box 9853
Washington, DC 20016
http://stopthedrugwar.org

Dear reformer:

We have launched an important and unique new campaign, and I am writing to ask your help -- financial with a donation, activist through the involvement of your own organization, or both.

The campaign is a US-based coalition taking on international drug policy in the US and at the UN. It is the first coalition of its type in drug policy reform. We released our first statement -- a broad and groundbreaking one -- at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs Meeting in Vienna last week. The statement was distributed to the 200 national delegations and agencies in attendance. Over 50 organizations have endorsed the statement so far, some of them major.

This project is important for a number of reasons:

• Marijuana legalization challenges a provision of the UN drug treaties that calls for drugs to be criminalized.
• The treaties potentially threaten US legalization -- when the states of Oklahoma and Nebraska challenged Colorado's law in court, treaty obligations was one of the points they made. I don't believe that US courts will overturn state legalization or that they'll do so because of the treaties, but we can't be sure.
• The treaties deter many other countries that might be interested in trying out legalization from doing so. Having fewer countries to point to as examples in turn makes it a longer road for us here.
• Many other issues are affected by international drug policy as well -- human rights issues, public health issues, economic development, human security, access to medicine.

The reason I'm writing now is that circumstances have lined up to give hope that we can get something done. But those circumstances have also created a need to move further and faster than we can do with our current resources:

• The State Department has called for countries to have the flexibility to experiment with legalization, of marijuana or other drugs -- a 180 degree reversal from the US's longtime global drug warrior stance. But they have also opposed amending the treaties to match the stance.
• Last week the first country, Jamaica, announced it will work for reform of the drug treaties, a game-changer if they can get support from other countries. There needs to be a strong voice from the US supporting them.
• In May the UN in New York will hold a "Thematic Session," on drug policy, pushed for by the government of Mexico against tough resistance, their goal being an "open discussion." Congress is likely to take up its foreign affairs appropriations legislation in June, with hearings before then.
• In late June the UN will hold its annual "International Day Against Drug Abuse," and release its annual World Drug Report, an important moment in the debate on global drug policy. We need to be prepared to make our case in the media and to take part in global demonstrations being organized by reformers.
• All of these events lead up to the April 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS), the biggest major opportunity to engage drug policy at the UN since 1998. The UNGASS was originally to be held in 2019, but was moved up at the request of Latin American governments who stated they want to see change in drug policy.
• Last but not least, one of the most egregious human rights violations in the drug war, the death penalty for nonviolent drug offenses, has provoked outrage in several countries whose citizens face execution in Indonesia and has captured the attention of the media. There was passionate discussion of this in Vienna, and it's going to continue in New York. We need to press the UN and the US government to stop using our taxpayer dollars to fund work in these countries that can lead to executions.

For our coalition to take a forceful stand:

• We need to hire staff for it;
• We need to increase the amount of time that current staff can spend on it; and
• We need to contract for media relations help.

Donations to our tax-deductible nonprofit, DRCNet Foundation, and our non-deductible lobbying nonprofit, Drug Reform Coordination Network, both can be put toward this project and support those needs. Please visit http://stopthedrugwar.org/donate to donate by credit card or PayPal, or send your check or money order (made out to one of the two names listed above) to P.O. 9853, Washington, DC 20016. We also accept donations by stock -- the information to give your brokerage is Ameritrade, (800) 669-3900), DTC #0188, and account number 781926492 for tax-deductible gifts to DRCNet Foundation or 864663500 for non-deductible gifts to Drug Reform Coordination Network -- please contact us if you are donating in this way.

If your organization can endorse our statement (linked above), or you would like to consider it but need more information, please let us know by replying to this email or writing to [email protected]. I would also be happy to speak with potential endorsers or coalition supporters by phone as well.

Thank you for being a part of drug policy reform and for your support of our work. With your help we will succeed -- time, and the truth, are on our side!

Sincerely,

David Borden, Executive Director
StoptheDrugWar.org
P.O. Box 9853
Washington, DC 20016
http://stopthedrugwar.org

Dear friend,

The DC campaign to legalize marijuana in the District of Columbia needs donations this week, for a voter registration drive that needs to go full speed from now until the early October mail-in deadline. Please visit our web site at http://stopthedrugwar.org/donate and make the most generous donation you can -- please put a note in the comment box saying that it is for the "DC Cannabis Campaign." We will donate 100% of it to the campaign.

(You can also make the donation straight to the campaign if you prefer -- and I hope you'll sign up for their email list. But donating to us for the campaign will help us meet our pledge of raising at least $5,000. If you donate straight to the campaign instead, I hope you'll also send us a note to let us know you did and how much.)

Initiative 71 will legalize possession and home growing of marijuana in DC. (It leaves regulated legalization of sales to the council because that can't be done through an initiative under DC law.) A victory will add to the momentum of battles now underway in Oregon and Alaska, and from legalized marijuana systems being implemented right now in Colorado and Washington. It will advance the credibility of the anti-prohibitionists who want to set our country free and make this a national issue that no one can ignore any longer.

TO DONATE: Visit our donation page to make a generous donation supporting the DC Cannabis Campaign. Please select the option to make a non-deductible donation supporting our lobbying work, and indicate in the notes field that it is for the DC campaign, Initiative 71. If you can afford it, please return to the donation page to make a second gift (tax-deductible or non-deductible) supporting our ongoing work that makes this outreach possible, or indicate in the notes field how much of your gift is meant for the campaign vs. our organization.

IF YOU LIVE HERE YOU CAN VOLUNTEER TOO: If you live in the DC-area, please contact StoptheDrugWar.org and become part of the campaign's volunteer force. Please include "DCMJ volunteer" in the subject line. Campaign organizers will be in touch soon thereafter.

This is an exciting time. We're not a voice in the wilderness anymore. Unprecedented gains are within our reach — even in the nation's capital.

Will you join us?

Sincerely,

David Borden, Executive Director
StoptheDrugWar.org
Washington, DC
http://stopthedrugwar.org

Drug War Chronicle needs your support to continue to our work of informing and empowering the drug policy reform and legalization movements. Please make the most generous donation you can to ensure the Chronicle can continue!

We continue to offer the following items (as well continue other items through our donation form's drop-down menu):

E-Book: "After Legalization: Understanding the Future of Marijuana Policy," by John Walker of Firedoglake. Read our review of the book, by Drug War Chronicle editor Phil Smith, here. Donate $12 or more to StoptheDrugWar.org, and we will email you a code and instructions for downloading After Legalization (epub or mobi format).

Author-Signed: Dr. Carl Hart's "High Price: A Neuroscientist's Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society" -- now for a reduced minimum donation amount of $35. (Author-signed copies will be sent for as long as current stocks last. After they run out, we reserve the right to send unsigned copies if necessary.)

For a minimum donation of $40, you can request both High Price and After Legalization. For any premium order, make sure to specify your request using our donation form's drop-down menu, or use the comment box for any special instructions.

Although we've asked for the above-listed minimum donation amounts to qualify for these gifts with your membership, I also hope you'll donate more if you can afford to. Things have changed in the drug reform funding scene, making our organization more dependent on membership to continue our programs.

Also note that donations to StoptheDrugWar.org can be tax-deductible, supporting our educational work, or non-deductible, supporting our lobbying work. (Note that selecting any gift items reduces the amount of your donation that is deductible -- which with a smaller gift amount can be most of it.) Donations can be made by credit card or PayPal at http://stopthedrugwar.org/donate, or sent by mail to P.O. Box 9853, Washington, DC 20016. If you are donating by check, please make it payable to DRCNet Foundation (if tax-deductible) or Drug Reform Coordination Network (if not deductible). If you wish to donate stock, the information to give your brokerage is Ameritrade, (800) 669-3900), DTC#0188, and account number 781926492 for tax-deductible gifts or 864663500 for non-deductible gifts -- please make sure to contact us if donating in this way.

Thank you for supporting drug policy reform at this time of amazing opportunity but continuing challenges. Working together we can and will change things for the better -- in fact we already are.

Sincerely,

David Borden, Executive Director
StoptheDrugWar.org
Washington, DC
http://stopthedrugwar.org