Date: Fri, 13 Sep 2002
Subject: #249 Support Nevada Police Who Endorse Initiative
Support Nevada Police Who Endorse Initiative
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PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE
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DrugSense FOCUS Alert # 249 August 13, 2002
Last week the largest police association in the state of Nevada,
NCOPS, issued a press release in which they endorsed the upcoming
Nevada marijuana initiative with a vote of 9-0. Following three days
of outcry from surprised opponents of the proposed measure, including
a number of high ranking police officials, the association’s president
Andy Anderson resigned and the group reversed their public stance.
Five of the other eight officers who supported the endorsement then
backpedaled, claiming they had been confused when Anderson polled them
via telephone and thought he was referring to a ‘medical marijuana
question’, etc.
For these officers, who have been on the job prior to Nevada’s passage
of a medical marijuana initiative in 1998/2000, to issue such a limp
retraction displays not only questionable integrity, but also an
embarrassing indictment of how much the War on Marijuana has provoked
officers nationwide to compromise their common sense and actual street
experience; all in the name of supporting the Blue Line.
Please write a letter to the various Nevada newspapers listed below
and let them know how you feel about the NCOPS original endorsement
and also their subsequent reversal. In addition, please consider an
extra letter to your local newspaper(s) either thanking them for their
coverage of the Nevada marijuana initiative, or asking them why they
have not had any coverage for this potentially ground breaking initiative.
Thanks for your effort and support.
WRITE A LETTER TODAY
It’s not what others do it’s what YOU do
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PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER OR TELL US WHAT YOU DID
( Letter, Phone, fax etc.)
Please post a copy your letter or report your action to the sent
letter list (sentlte@mapinc.org) if you are subscribed, or by
E-mailing a copy directly to MGreer@mapinc.org if you are not
subscribed. Your letter will then be forwarded to the list with so
others can learn from your efforts and be motivated to follow suit.
Subscribing to the Sent LTE list (sentlte@mapinc.org) 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
and/or http://www.mapinc.org/lists/index.htm#form
This is VERY IMPORTANT as it is one very effective way of gauging our
impact and effectiveness.
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CONTACT INFO
Go here for the most up to date links on archived news and opinion
items for the Nevada marijuana initiative. All articles will provide
an E-mail address for easy transmittal of your LTE.
http://www.mapinc.org/find?162
Note that a number of the articles are from newspapers outside Nevada.
These papers really need to hear from you as well as the Nevada wraps.
the MAP contract database provided this list of email addresses for
Nevada newspapers
(NOTE:We are currently updating and fine tuning the MAP contact
database so some of these addresses could be out of date)
Nevada Newspapers:
rex@edfp.com, homenewsnv@aol.com, obrien@lvpress.com, letters@lvrj.com,
letters@lasvegassun.com, lasvegas@lasvegasweekly.com, mvn@tele-net.net,
appeal@tahoe.com, webguy@newsreview.com, pvtimeswebinfo@aol.com,
theyell@hotmail.com, rc@tahoe.com, rgjmail@nevadanet.com,
For current newspaper Email contact info for any other newspaper see:
http://www.mapinc.org/resource/email.htm
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Here are the two key articles which create the framework for this discussion.
US NV: Marijuana Ballot Issue – Police Back Legalization URL:
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1463/a09.html
AND: (thanks to our friends at cannabisnews.com for this complete
version)
US NV: Police Group Retracts Support Of Marijuana http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread13704.shtml
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SAMPLE LETTER
To the Editor:
The dual news stories last week of the Nevada Conference of Police and
Sheriffs first endorsing the proposed Nevada ballot initiative to
amend current marijuana laws and then reversing their stance following
NCOPS President Andy Anderson’s resignation made for a sad commentary.
In the past 30 years, stringent and harsh criminal sanctions against
responsible adult marijuana use have done nothing to reduce use.
Rather they have helped create the largest criminal black market in
the nation outside of arms and weapons. This criminal market helps
fund more dangerous and violent activities which endanger not only
police, but the public they serve.
Smart, street-wise police know full well the drag that enforcing
marijuana prohibition laws have on their primary mission of protecting
and serving the public. As the departing Anderson stated in his
original endorsement of the initiative, “….a single (marijuana)
arrest would take anywhere from a couple of hours to about half my
shift….time that could have been better spent on the streets
addressing violent crime.”
More questions need to be asked of the eight NCOPS board members who
backpedaled Friday, claiming ‘confusion’ as to what Anderson was
asking them during his telephone survey earlier in the week. Further,
close scrutiny should be used against any and all law officers who
campaign against the initiative on taxpayer time. Police should be
using their job hours to enforce the law, not lobby for or against
proposed changes.
Respectfully submitted,
Stephen Heath (contact info)
IMPORTANT: Always include your address and telephone
number
Please note: If you choose to use this letter as a model please modify it
at least somewhat so that the paper does not receive numerous copies of the
same letter and so that the original author receives credit for his/her work.
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TO SUBSCRIBE, DONATE, VOLUNTEER TO HELP, OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL SEE
http://www.drugsense.org/hurry.htm
TO UNSUBSCRIBE SEE http://www.drugsense.org/unsub.htm
ADDITIONAL INFO to help you in your letter writing
efforts
3 Tips for Letter Writers http://www.mapinc.org/3tips.htm
Letter Writers Style Guide http://www.mapinc.org/style.htm
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Prepared by Stephen Heath http://www.flcan.org Focus Alert Specialist