• Focus Alerts

    #300 Supreme Court Gives Drug Dogs Free Rein

    Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2005
    Subject: #300 Supreme Court Gives Drug Dogs Free Rein

    SUPREME COURT GIVES DRUG DOGS FREE REIN

    *********************PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE*************************

    DrugSense FOCUS Alert #300 – Tuesday, 1 Feb 2005

    Last week, the Supreme Court of the United States issued their ruling
    in Illinois v Caballes. Roy Caballes was arrested on charges of
    marijuana possession after a search of his vehicle which was initiated
    by the ‘positive’ alert of a drug dog who had circled his car and
    sniffed for illegal drugs. As Caballes was at the time involved in a
    routine traffic stop, he contended that the use of the dog was an
    unreasonable search of his person and vehicle. In 2003, the Illinois
    Supreme Court agreed with him and ruled the search
    unconstitutional.

    However, on Jan 24 this year, the SCOTUS overruled with a 6-2 vote.
    Their ruling means that in making a routine traffic stop, the police
    can permit a trained dog to sniff the car for drugs without the need
    for any particular reason to suspect the driver of a narcotics violation.

    This has produced two responses in the newspaper coverage of the past
    week. The first is a host of editorial boards criticizing and
    denouncing the reasoning applied by the majority judges. The second
    is a number of police agencies making public comments in support of
    the ruling.

    Please consider writing a Letter to the Editor to the newspapers
    listed below. Consider expressing your agreement with those
    newspapers who have spoken out against the rationale for the ruling.
    Also consider expressing your disagreement with those police agencies
    and other law enforcement officials who applaud the ruling.

    Nothing in the past 35 years has eroded more basic personal privacy
    and civil liberties than drug-war induced court rulings like this one.
    Adding our voices to the already published opinions and commentary
    help deliver a message that an increasing number of Americans are fed
    up with the damage drug-prohibition policies are doing to our freedom
    and to our communities.

    Thanks for your effort and support.

    It’s not what others do it’s what YOU do

    **********************************************************************

    The ruling by the SCOTUS can be seen here: The 27 page decision is on
    line here http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/04pdf/03-923.pdf
    (PDF Reader required)

    An initial news report of the SCOTUS ruling ran in the NY Times on Jan
    25. http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n140/a08.html

    EDITORIALS commenting on the ruling include

    Tribune Review, Pittsburgh PA http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n160/a07.html

    Burlington Times-News (NC) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n187/a03.html

    The Payson Roundup (AZ) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n160/a06.html

    Kansas City Star (MO) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n150/a11.html

    Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (WI) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n150/a08.html

    NEWS ARTICLES reporting police applause for the ruling
    include

    Macon Telegraph (GA) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n148/a10.html

    Arizona Republic (AZ) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n162/a01.html

    Marion Daily Republican (IL) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n177/a08.html

    Peoria Journal-Star (IL) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n174/a05.html

    Please Check This Link for Additional News Clipping Targets for Your
    Letters http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Caballes

    **********************************************************************

    Did you know that MAP offers free online and personal training on how
    to write Letters to the Editor that get printed?

    Please visit http://www.mapinc.org/resource/maf.htm and contact Steve
    Heath, our Media Activism Facilitator.

    Additional suggestions for writing letters to the editor can be seen
    at the same link by clicking LTE Writers’ Resources.

    **********************************************************************

    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: Stephen Heath, MAP Media Activism Facilitator
    [email protected]

  • Focus Alerts

    #299 Supreme Court Rules On Sentencing Guidelines

    Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2005
    Subject: #299 Supreme Court Rules On Sentencing Guidelines

    SUPREME COURT RULES ON SENTENCING GUIDELINES

    *********************PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE*************************

    DrugSense FOCUS Alert #299 – Mon, 17 Jan 2005

    Last week’s pair of decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court on federal
    sentencing brought a welcome ruling and also create concerns that
    Congress will rewrite the sentencing guidelines in an even more harsh
    manner.

    The first decision ruled appropriately that federal sentencing
    guidelines violate the right to a jury trial. Prosecutors routinely
    raised various peripheral issues – not heard by the jury – that unduly
    increased the length of a sentence.

    The second decision changed the way federal judges determine
    sentences, ruling they no longer are required to follow sentencing
    guidelines – in fact mandatory rules written by a sentencing
    commission – that have been in place for two decades. The court found
    the sentencing guidelines unconstitutional because judges factored
    them into the calculation after conviction – a violation of the Sixth
    Amendment.

    Prior to the ruling, 97% of federal defendants pled guilty – as a
    result of a plea bargain – to reduced charges in order to avoid a jury
    trial which could result in a much longer sentence. Thus federal
    prosecutors made the decisions that led to the length of sentence –
    which the judge followed using the so-called guidelines, as required.

    We doubt that there are many United States daily newspapers that have
    not provided news coverage of the decision. Many have, or will, carry
    editorial page content on the decision. Thus letters to the editor of
    your local papers, as well as those shown as having clippings in the
    MAP archive, are appropriate.

    Either the links http://www.mapinc.org/topics/federal+sentencing or
    http://www.mapinc.org/topics/sentencing+guidelines will bring up a
    list of potential targets for your letters. Because editorial page
    content makes superb targets for your letters, we have created a list
    linking to much of that content to date, below.

    A blog written by Nora Callahan, executive director of the November
    Coalition has ideas for your letter writing efforts. Start at
    http://november.org/blog/index.php/20050113 and move forward thru the
    blog using the calendar on the upper right of the page.

    The Drug Policy Alliance wrote “The Court’s decision now opens the
    door for Congress to address the issue of harsh federal sentences. But
    there’s no telling what Congress might do with this opportunity. In
    fact, we already know that some in Congress will take the Supreme
    Court decision as an opportunity to increase prison sentences for
    nonviolent drug offenders.” Please visit this page for more
    information – and actions you may take: http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/011205sentencing.cfm

    Thanks for your effort and support.

    It’s not what others do it’s what YOU do

    **********************************************************************

    Links to Editorial Page Clippings

    Published Thursday, January 13th

    US IL: Editorial: High Court Tweaks Rules in the Interest of Fairness

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n085/a06.html

    US NM: OPED: A Just Plea

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n076/a02.html

    Published Friday, January 14th

    US DC: Editorial: The Court on Sentencing

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n075/a11.html

    US NY: Editorial: Letting Judges Pass Judgment

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n091/a05.html

    US MA: Editorial: Judicious Leeway

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n075/a10.html

    US NY: Editorial: High Court’s Gift to Judges

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n075/a05.html

    US MD: Editorial: Sentencing Sanity

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n085/a05.html

    US NY: Editorial: Justice Pendulum Swings

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n092/a04.html

    US TX: Editorial: Supreme Court’s Sensible Changes to Sentencing

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n092/a03.html

    US ME: Editorial: Supreme Court Ruling Better for Justice

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05.n085.a02.html

    US OR: Editorial: A Better Way to Set Prison Time

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n083/a10.html

    US MO: Editorial: Court’s Decisions Tilt Toward Justice

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n082/a01.html

    US CO: Editorial: Elbow Room for U.S. Sentencing

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n075/a07.html

    US MN: Column: Court Deepens Sentencing Doubts

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n092/a02.html

    Published Saturday, January 15th

    US VT: Editorial: Sensible Sentencing

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n083/a12.html

    US PA: Editorial: Federal Sentencing Guidelines Give High Court’s Ruling a
    Chance

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n084/a03.html

    US MI: Editorial: Let Judges Be Judges

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n085/a07.html

    US IA: Editorial: Allow Federal Judges Discretion in Sentencing

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n082/a04.html

    US KY: Editorial: Rethinking Sentences

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n082/a03.html

    US FL: Editorial: More Discretion for Judges

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n083/a11.html

    Published Sunday, January 16th

    US IL: Editorial: A Verdict on Sentencing

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n093/a04.html

    US WI: Editorial: Remedying an Injustice

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n093/a03.html

    US PA: Editorial: Sentencing Guidelines: Restoring the 6th

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n085/a04.html

    US GA: Editorial: Mandatory Sentencing Rejection a Wise Ruling

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n093/a07.html

    US CA: Column: When Congress Plays Judge

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05.n089.a10.html

    Published Monday, January 17th

    US UT: Editorial: Checks and Balances

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05.n094.a14.html

    US WA: Editorial: Judicial Discretion

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05.n094.a01.html

    US RI: Editorial: Judges and Juries

    URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05.n094.a13.html

    *********************************************************************

    Additional suggestions for writing letters to the editor are
    at:

    Writer’s Resources http://www.mapinc.org/resource/

    **********************************************************************

    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: Stephen Heath, MAP’s Media Activism Facilitator

    = Please help us help reform. Send drug-related news to
    [email protected]

  • Focus Alerts

    #298 White House Illegal Propaganda About Drugs

    Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005
    Subject: #298 White House Illegal Propaganda About Drugs

    WHITE HOUSE ILLEGAL PROPAGANDA ABOUT DRUGS

    *********************PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE*************************

    DrugSense FOCUS Alert #298 – Monday, 10 Jan 2005

    This past Thursday, the Government Accountability Office cited the
    White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Bush
    administration for distributing phony prepackaged news reports that
    constituted illegal “covert propaganda.”

    This is the second finding by the GAO against the White House in the
    past eight months. In May, the GAO concluded that the Department of
    Health and Human Services violated two federal laws with similar fake
    news reports touting the administration’s new Medicare drug benefit.

    The U.S. federal government spends over $20 billion dollars a year on
    the War on Drugs. With that much of an investment, our federal leaders
    owe us honest and accurate information about drugs, drug use patterns
    and the best public responses to both. That can be accomplished
    without the ONDCP having to prepackage their own in-house faux news
    stories and persuading television news organizations to present them
    as news, without indicating the source.

    Please consider writing a short, succinct Letter to the Editor to the
    newspapers listed below.

    Additional articles or opinion items on this issue may show up at this
    link in over the next few days http://www.mapinc.org/topics/propaganda

    Thanks for your effort and support.

    It’s not what others do it’s what YOU do

    **********************************************************************

    Please click the following links for the articles and editorials we
    are aware of at the time this alert is being written:

    Articles:

    Washington Post, Friday, 7 Jan

    http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n029/a02.html

    New York Times, Friday, 7 Jan

    http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n030/a02.html

    Boston Globe, Friday, 7 Jan

    http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05.n044.a08.html

    Editorials:

    Courier-Journal (KY), Saturday, 8 Jan

    http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05.n049.a01.html

    Asheville Citizen-Times (NC), Saturday, 8 Jan

    http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05.n039.a02.html

    **********************************************************************

    Additional suggestions for writing letters to the editor are
    at:

    Writer’s Resources http://www.mapinc.org/resource/

    **********************************************************************

    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: Stephen Heath, MAP’s Media Activism Facilitator

    = Please help us help reform. Send drug-related news to
    [email protected]

  • Focus Alerts

    #297 Raich – A LTE Writing Opportunity

    Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2004
    Subject: #297 Raich – A LTE Writing Opportunity

    RAICH – A LTE WRITING OPPORTUNITY

    *********************PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE*************************

    DrugSense FOCUS Alert #297 Thursday, 2 Dec 2004

    Seldom have we seen as much press as the coverage of the Supreme Court
    hearing on Raich v. Ashcroft last Monday. We suspect that it is a rare
    newspaper that has not printed something.

    Thus you have an opportunity to write letters on the subject not only
    to newspapers for which MAP has archived clippings, but also to your
    local newspapers.

    We will not suggest what you should write because we know so many of
    you are skilled letter writers. However, you may wish to include one
    of these points.

    (1) Many news clippings indicated that the court decision could strike
    down the current medical cannabis laws at the state and local level.
    This is simply not true. An example of a good already published letter
    on this is at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1715/a05.html

    (2) A few clippings on the Raich case indicate that more than one
    judge appears to think going to the DEA or FDA to reschedule cannabis
    is the proper approach. This process is ongoing, has passed through
    the DEA to HHS and is presently under review. But the media seems to
    not be aware of the rescheduling effort. See http://www.drugscience.org/

    The majority of the MAP archived news clippings that could be targets
    for letters may be found at http://www.mapinc.org/people/Angel+Raich –
    and a few that link may miss are at http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm

    You may wish to check the above links frequently as new news and
    opinion clippings continue to be added to the MAP archives.

    Thanks for your effort and support.

    It’s not what others do it’s what YOU do

    **********************************************************************

    Additional suggestions for writing letters to the editor are
    at:

    Writer’s Resources http://www.mapinc.org/resource/

    **********************************************************************

    PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER OR TELL US WHAT YOU DID (Letter,
    email messages, etc.)

    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 and be motivated to follow suit.

    This is _Very_ Important as it is one very effective way of gauging
    our impact and effectiveness.

    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
    and/or http://www.mapinc.org/lists/index.htm#form

    **********************************************************************

    Prepared by: Richard Lake, MAP’s Senior Editor

    = Please help us help reform. Send drug-related news to
    [email protected]

  • Focus Alerts

    #296 D.E.A. Dictates Doctor Confusion

    Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004
    Subject: #296 D.E.A. Dictates Doctor Confusion

    D.E.A. DICTATES DOCTOR CONFUSION

    *********************PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE*************************

    DrugSense FOCUS Alert #296 Monday, 25 Oct 2004

    This past week, the Drug Enforcement Administration removed from its
    website a document titled ‘PRESCRIPTION PAIN MEDICATIONS: Frequently
    Asked Questions and Answers for Health Care Professionals and Law
    Enforcement Personnel.’ saying it contained misstatements. See
    http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/faq/pain_meds_faqs.htm

    While most websites have removed the document, a web search today
    still finds copies, like the one at http://headaches.about.com/library/meds/pain_meds_faqs.pdf

    Pain control advocates blasted the move, saying the document was
    needed guidance for physicians who feared prosecution in prescribing
    the powerful drugs.

    The dispute is the latest chapter in a long running battle between
    groups that promote appropriate use of pain medication and the DEA.

    Effective medical pain treatment SHOULD be a human right. In fact,
    allowing people to suffer pain untreated is equal in many ways to
    physical torture. Under treatment of pain is a fact and the DEA owns
    much of the responsibility for it.

    Decisions on proper levels of pain medications should be a private
    matter between patients and their physicians. Leaving the DEA as
    final arbiter of the line where responsible use ends and illegal
    diversion begins is a bad idea. Even when such guidelines exist — as
    they did for a few days until the DEA removed them from their website
    — the idea that law enforcement should be making medical decisions is
    ludicrous.

    Please consider writing a letter to the editor of the Washington Post,
    and to your local newspapers. The problems caused by the DEA and law
    enforcement for pain specialists and their patients has had much press
    over the past months. Thus a letter about the short lived DEA
    guidelines may be well received by any newspaper. You may find letter
    to the editor contacts for your local newspapers at:
    http://www.mapinc.org/media.htm

    Many chronic pain related news clippings may be found at this link
    http://www.mapinc.org/find?232

    If you support a defined set of guidelines, express your demand that
    the DEA produce such a list immediately so as to reduce doctor
    confusion and to lower the chances that either a patient or doctor
    will be unduly charged as drug criminals. If you believe the DEA
    should not have such overall power to intrude on doctor/patient
    relationships using pre-set guidelines, express your demand that the
    DEA desist from charging either doctors or patients as drug criminals
    without first having direct evidence of illegal diversion by one or
    both parties.

    Thanks for your effort and support.

    It’s not what others do it’s what YOU do

    **********************************************************************

    The Washington Post article:

    Pubdate: Thu, 21 Oct 2004
    Source: Washington Post (DC)
    Copyright: 2004 The Washington Post Company
    Contact: [email protected]
    Author: Marc Kaufman

    DEA WITHDRAWS ITS SUPPORT OF GUIDELINES ON PAINKILLERS

    The Drug Enforcement Administration has reversed its support for a set
    of negotiated guidelines designed to end a controversy over the
    arrests of hundreds of pain specialists who prescribed powerful
    narcotics for their patients. The agency took the document off its
    Web site earlier this month, less than two months after announcing it
    with great fanfare.

    In rescinding its endorsement, the DEA wrote on its Web site that the
    31-page document “contained misstatements” and “was not approved as an
    official statement of the agency.” The agency declined to give any
    more specifics, saying that it hoped to issue a statement “in one or
    two weeks.”

    Worried doctors who had worked on crafting the “consensus” document —
    written over the past year by DEA officials and prominent pain
    management specialists — criticized the agency’s unannounced decision
    to disavow it. They said they were given no explanation or told
    whether the agency had changed its position on the contentious
    question of when and how doctors can prescribe the popular painkillers
    without risking prosecution.

    Advocates for aggressive pain management said the DEA’s decision
    appears to have been triggered when defense lawyers tried to introduce
    the guidelines in the upcoming drug-trafficking trial of William
    Hurwitz, a McLean physician.

    In late September, Hurwitz’s defense team sought to introduce them as
    evidence. Several weeks later, the DEA took the document off its Web
    site and said it was not official policy.

    Twelve days after that, U.S. Attorney Paul J. McNulty, who is
    prosecuting Hurwitz, filed a motion in the case asking that the
    guidelines be excluded as evidence, again saying that they do “not
    have the force and effect of law.”

    “It seems pretty clear that they felt they had to try to get rid of
    the guidelines because they supported so many parts of our case,” said
    Hurwitz’s defense attorney, Patrick Hallinan. “If the Justice
    Department followed the guidelines, there would be no reason to arrest
    and charge Dr. Hurwitz.” The case is scheduled for trial Nov. 3.

    DEA spokesman Ed Childress said the agency intends to rework the
    guidelines and publish them again. He said he could not comment on
    whether the decision to remove them had anything to do with any legal
    case.

    The guidelines, which were published in August in the form of a
    “Frequently Asked Questions” feature prominently displayed on the DEA
    Web site, were described at the time as an effort to codify the
    “balance” that both the DEA and the pain management community have
    long said they are seeking.

    The DEA has complained in the past that irresponsible, and possibly
    criminal, doctors prescribed narcotic painkillers too frequently and
    without enough care — letting the valuable drugs get into the hands
    of people who sell them, abuse them and sometimes are harmed by them.

    But many pain specialists have watched with dismay as scores of
    colleagues were arrested on criminal charges based on what many
    believe was at worst negligent or sloppy prescribing practices. Many
    of the cases triggered mandatory sentencing guidelines that can send
    convicted drug dealers to prison for decades.

    The introduction of long-lasting prescription opioids such as
    OxyContin revolutionized the treatment of pain, which doctors say is
    greatly under-treated in the United States.

    Researchers say a small percentage of patients become addicted, but
    most people in pain do not. However, OxyContin and other powerful
    drugs became popular with drug abusers in the late 1990s, especially
    in rural and southern areas, and it has been linked to numerous
    hospitalizations and some deaths.

    The consensus document was the product of more than a year of work by
    Russell K. Portenoy, a leading pain expert with New York’s Beth
    Israel Medical Center, University of Wisconsin pain specialist David
    E. Joranson, professionals involved in the care of dying patients,
    and two top officials of the DEA.

    When the guidelines were made public, DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy
    embraced them and said in a statement: “The medical and law
    enforcement communities continue to work together to carefully balance
    the needs of legitimate patients for pain medications against the
    equally compelling need to protect the public from the risk of
    addiction and even possible death from these medications. . . .
    The DEA is committed to assisting the overwhelming majority of health
    care providers who successfully strike that balance every day, as well
    as the law enforcement officers investigating diversion and abuse of
    pain medications.”

    Portenoy said the group worked closely with the DEA, responding to
    many of its concerns and revising drafts many times to accommodate the
    agency. Portenoy said agency officials were active in the entire
    process, and he said he strongly believed that there had been
    “complete buy-in from the upper echelon” of the DEA regarding the guidelines.

    Since word went out the guidelines had been withdrawn, he has received
    many calls and e-mails from worried and upset doctors, Portenoy said.

    “There was a real feeling that we had made significant progress, but
    now we have to wonder whether that progress is all gone,” Portenoy
    said. “If they don’t fix whatever problems they might have and put
    the document back up, that would speak very clearly that the goal of
    the DEA is not to collaborate with the medical community or to
    reassure doctors about the proper role and use of prescription opioids
    in pain management.”

    The guidelines were also on many Web sites for pain clinics and
    programs. The DEA called at least one of them, the Pain & Policy
    Studies Group of the University of Wisconsin, and asked it to remove
    the document.

    **********************************************************************

    SAMPLE LETTER

    Note: This is a sample only. Please write your own letter! Newspaper
    editors are well aware attempts to have many people send them form letters
    for publication, and reject those attempts. See, for example, this article
    on letter writing published yesterday:
    http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1098533049109381.xml

    ——

    The Drug Enforcement Administration continues to delay the release of
    guidelines for use by medical doctors who prescribe pain medications.
    Every day that passes without those guidelines being well-defined and
    available to all MDs is another day that doctors are put at risk of
    being arrested by DEA agents and charged with one or more drug crimes.
    Without well defined rules for prescribing opiates, such arrests can
    occur even though the doctor is following established medical
    procedures and has no intent to either over-prescribe pain medicine or
    to see them be illegally diverted to unqualified users.

    Considering the harsh and punitive legal sanctions that can be levied
    against any American convicted of a federal drug crime, not having an
    accepted set of federal guidelines from the DEA also puts patients’
    legitimate medical needs at risk. Doctors confused by constantly
    changing and/or non-existent federal rules will likely lean to
    minimizing dosage levels in order to protect their own liberty even
    when they might know the patient could benefit from a different level
    of care.

    It’s time for the DEA to settle the confusion for all concerned. If
    they continue to delay, the health of patients and the liberty of both
    patients and doctors are both at undue risk.

    **********************************************************************

    ADDITIONAL INFO to help you in your letter writing efforts, Please See:

    Writer’s Resources http://www.mapinc.org/resource/

    **********************************************************************

    PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER OR TELL US WHAT YOU DID (Letter,
    email messages, etc.)

    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 and be motivated to follow suit.

    This is _Very_ Important as it is one very effective way of gauging
    our impact and effectiveness.

    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
    and/or http://www.mapinc.org/lists/index.htm#form do

    **********************************************************************

    Prepared by: Stephen Heath, MAP Media Activism Facilitator

    = Please help us help reform. Send drug-related news to
    [email protected]

  • Focus Alerts

    #295 Please Support Oregon’s Measure 33

    Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2004
    Subject: #295 Please Support Oregon’s Measure 33

    PLEASE SUPPORT OREGON’S MEASURE 33

    **********************************************************************

    DrugSense FOCUS Alert #295 Saturday, 16 Oct 2004

    Dear Reformers:

    Maybe you already know this – Oregon has Measure 33 on the ballot and
    it is going to be a tight contest. Polls are close, TV ads just
    starting, and every household has received a copy of the state’s
    Voter’s Pamphlet.

    To see Voter’s Pamphlet arguments go to:

    http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/nov22004/guide/meas/m33.html

    Supporters of Yes on 33 are asking Letter to the Editor writers to
    please send letters to Oregon newspapers from everywhere in support of
    the measure. Time is short. Letters need to be sent within the next
    few days. The more letters sent, printed or not, the more likely
    Oregon newspapers are to focus on the issue.

    Since the ballot measures in Oregon are a hot topic for every
    newspaper it is not necessary that your letters be tied to any
    specific item in a newspaper.

    But, please, focus on the advantages of the measure. Now is not the
    time to get into other reform issues – please, please wait until after
    the election if you wish to focus on other reform issues.

    Facts for your letters are found at: http://www.yeson33.org/

    Marijuana is safe medicine and patients need safe access.

    Measure 33 strengthens the current program.

    THANKS for your effort and support.

    It’s not what others do it’s what YOU do

    **********************************************************************

    SELECTING TARGET NEWSPAPERS

    You may obtain a list of Oregon newspapers, complete with letter email
    contacts or newspaper feedback webforms by going to this link and
    selecting Oregon in the Location dropdown and All Fields. You may even
    email yourself a copy for easy use:

    http://www.mapinc.org/resource/email.htm

    While letters need not be in response to anything a newspaper has
    printed, the latest news articles and opinion items from Oregon
    newspapers are at this link:

    http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Measure+33

    **********************************************************************

    SAMPLE LETTER

    We are not including a sample letter in this Alert because we have
    confidence that most activists understand what needs to be said
    regarding Measure 33. However, we do suggest that if you are sending
    out a number of letters to multiple newspapers that you modify the
    wording with each letter. Rival newspaper editors do not like seeing
    the same exact letter print in different newspapers. Make each letter
    unique and in your own words for best overall results.

    Please send each letter one at a time directly to the newspaper.
    Please do not include other email address in what you send as this
    will cause the receiving newspaper to believe you are promoting a
    group effort, which will result in their discounting your letter.

    ALWAYS include your full name, address and a telephone contact so that
    the editors can verify your authorship. Most newspapers will not
    print a letter without this information.

    FINALLY, we suggest keeping your Word Count per letter to 200 or less
    – 150 words or less is even better for most papers. All newspaper
    editors appreciate brevity. Some newspapers have Word Count
    guidelines, so watch for that if you can read the actual paper or view
    its website.

    **********************************************************************

    ADDITIONAL INFO to help you in your letter writing efforts, Please See:

    Writer’s Resources http://www.mapinc.org/resource/

    **********************************************************************

    PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER OR TELL US WHAT YOU DID (Letter,
    email messages, etc.)

    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 and be motivated to follow suit.

    This is _Very_ Important as it is one very effective way of gauging
    our impact and effectiveness.

    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
    and/or http://www.mapinc.org/lists/index.htm#form

    **********************************************************************

    Prepared by: Stephen Heath, Media Activism Facilitator

    = Please help us help reform. Send drug-related news to
    [email protected]

  • Focus Alerts

    #294 Time To Decriminalize Marijuana In Chicago?

    Date: Fri, 08 Oct 2004
    Subject: #294 Time To Decriminalize Marijuana In Chicago?

    TIME TO DECRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA IN CHICAGO?

    *********************PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE*************************

    DrugSense FOCUS Alert #294 Friday, 08 Oct 2004

    LATE LAST MONTH, the residents of Chicago were likely surprised to
    read the thoughts of Sergeant Tom Donegan, a veteran of the streets
    and someone who has intimate knowledge of how marijuana laws impact
    the community in the Windy City, America’s 3rd largest metropolitan
    center.

    In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Donegan announced his
    interest in a plan for eliminating criminal court cases against adults
    found in possession of small amounts of marijuana. Startling
    statistics about how such cases are routinely handled in Cook County
    Criminal Court are now public knowledge.

    Over 7000 people are arrested each year by authorities and charged
    with possession of marijuana, yet only one percent ever see an actual
    criminal proceeding. This means that the thousands of man hours used
    by various police agencies in the Chicagoland area are in fact wasted
    since not only are the cases not prosecuted, but the enormous cost to
    taxpayers is likewise cast away with no return benefit to the community.

    Donegan suggests changing the law so that adults with small amounts of
    marijuana are issued a municipal citation and have a stiff fine levied
    against them. The result would be an unclogging of the criminal court
    docket which must process the voluminous paperwork related to a
    marijuana criminal arrest regardless of whether a case is actually
    heard.

    But the best outcome of such a plan would be the literal millions of
    dollars in fines generated. When this fresh revenue is combined with
    the massive savings that will come from no longer having police having
    to appear in thousands of court hearings on overtime pay rates, the
    city stands to benefit in a tremendous way financially with no
    associated increase in risk to overall public safety.

    The most astonishing aspect of the story was still to come. Unlike
    the common response given by political leaders to such suggestions
    from police – which by the way have been increasing steadily over the
    past decade as cops recognize the failed policies of a criminal
    Prohibition against casual adult marijuana use – Chicago Mayor Richard
    Daley has embraced the idea and is encouraging city legislators to
    consider making such a change as quickly as possible.

    THIS GROUND BREAKING STORY was picked up on the AP wire and has been
    printed in newspapers across the United States and Canada in the past
    two weeks. Please consider writing a letter to as many of these
    newspapers as possible with your comments of support for the proposed
    change in Chicago. When such a major city moves away from criminal
    prohibition and more towards a system of decriminalization, more
    cities and states are likely to soon follow.

    To find more recent news items about this story, please click this
    link:

    http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Chicago

    Finally, this story is significant enough so that a short letter to
    the editor of your local newspapers telling what Chicago is doing and
    recommending the same for your city or state, if appropriate, could
    possibly be published – without any tie to a specific news item in a
    targeted newspaper.

    By using the Area dropdown at this link you may find the contact
    information for many of your state newspapers:

    http://www.mapinc.org/media.htm

    Thanks for your effort and support.

    It’s not what others do it’s what YOU do

    **********************************************************************

    PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER OR TELL US WHAT YOU DID (Letter,
    email messages, etc.)

    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 and be motivated to follow suit.

    This is _Very_ Important as it is one very effective way of gauging
    our impact and effectiveness.

    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
    and/or http://www.mapinc.org/lists/index.htm#form

    **********************************************************************

    Here is the version of the story which ran in the Chicago Sun-Times:

    Newshawk: http://www.illinoisnorml.org
    Pubdate: Sat, 25 Sep 2004
    Source: Chicago Sun-Times (IL)
    Copyright: 2004 The Sun-Times Co.
    Contact: [email protected]
    Website: http://www.suntimes.com/
    Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/81
    Author: Frank Main, Crime Reporter
    Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Chicago
    Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
    Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

    OFFICIALS TO WEIGH MERITS OF POT FINES

    On the heels of Mayor Daley’s endorsement of a plan to fine people
    caught with small amounts of marijuana, representatives of the Cook
    County state’s attorney’s office and the Chicago Police Department
    will meet next week about it.

    Police Sgt. Tom Donegan came up with the proposal out of frustration
    at seeing his misdemeanor marijuana cases get dismissed over and over.
    He gave the seven-page proposal to his bosses about two weeks ago.

    Mayor Daley embraced the idea Tuesday, saying “it’s decriminalized
    now” because most misdemeanor pot cases get tossed out. Donegan
    estimated fines could raise millions of dollars for city coffers.

    Of the 7,430 cases prosecuted in city branch courts in 2003 involving
    less than 2.5 grams of pot, 94 percent were dismissed, Donegan wrote,
    citing court records. He estimated the department spends $400 on
    officers’ salaries to process one pot arrest.

    And that does not take into account the costs of the clerk’s office to
    process the paperwork, the sheriff’s office to provide security in
    court, the state’s attorney’s costs for the prosecutor and the salary
    of the judge, Donegan said.

    “We plan to meet with the Chicago Police next week to discuss the pot
    issue. We are looking into the legality and constitutionality of
    this,” said John Gorman, spokesman for the state’s attorney’s office.

    Police spokesman Robert Cargie said “something is wrong” if officers
    spend two to four hours to process such pot cases and they are
    regularly tossed out.

    “Certainly the issue of successful prosecutions will be examined,”
    Cargie said. “There are some obvious problems that need some sort of
    solution.”

    **********************************************************************

    SAMPLE LETTER

    PLEASE NOTE: This is a sample letter only. Your own letter should be
    substantially different so that it will be considered adding to the
    discussion and not viewed as a SPAM letter writing campaign. Please
    limit your Word Count to 200 or less for best chance of being published.

    TO the editors of the (Newspaper Name):

    The news that Chicago Mayor Richard Daley is endorsing a proposal to
    end criminal charges against adults found in possession of small
    amounts of marijuana is ground breaking. Nationwide, police arrest
    more Americans for simple pot possession than for all violent crimes
    combined. The resulting pressure on criminal court dockets is enormous.

    Decriminalizing pot possession would save hundreds of thousands of
    otherwise law-abiding Americans from being given a lifetime criminal
    record. It would also save hundreds of thousands of police man-hours
    which could be more productively used investigating drunk driving,
    domestic violence, sexual crimes and corporate fraud to name a few
    other crimes which cause far more damage to our society than does the
    responsible use of marijuana by American adults.

    It would behoove the city of (community where this paper is printed)
    to give similar consideration to what is a more common sense and
    practical approach to dealing with the tens of millions of Americans
    who enjoy using marijuana responsibly and do not wish to be labeled as
    criminal threats to the community.

    Sincerely,

    Your name and contact info

    NOTE: You must include your address and phone number so the editors
    can verify you are the author of your letter.

    **********************************************************************

    ADDITIONAL INFO to help you in your letter writing efforts, Please See:

    Writer’s Resources http://www.mapinc.org/resource/

    **********************************************************************
    TO SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS:

    Please utilize the following URLs

    http://www.drugsense.org/hurry.htm

    http://www.drugsense.org/unsub.htm

    We wish to thank all our contributors, editors, Newshawks and letter
    writing activists.

    NOTICE:

    In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is
    distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior
    interest in receiving the included information for research and
    educational purposes.

    REMINDER:

    Please help MAP find published news items. Details at
    http://www.mapinc.org/hawk.htm

    = Prepared by: Stephen Heath – MAP Media Activism Facilitator

    = Please help us help reform. Send drug-related news to
    [email protected]

  • Focus Alerts

    #293 TIME Scare Story On B.C. Bud Ignores Facts

    Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2004
    Subject: #293 TIME Scare Story On B.C. Bud Ignores Facts

    TIME MAGAZINE SCARE STORY ON B.C. BUD IGNORES REAL FACTS

    *********************PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE*************************

    DrugSense FOCUS Alert #293 Tue, Aug. 17 2004

    The U.S. press continues to publish stories about marijuana based on
    two easily disprovable myths. The first myth is about super potent
    marijuana, and how it’s totally different from the lightweight stuff
    smoked by those hippies back in the sixties. The second myth involves
    allegedly lax Canadian laws, particularly in British Columbia, and how
    they are allowing the helpless U.S. to be flooded by superweed (or
    “the crack of marijuana,” as drug czar John Walters likes to call it).

    This week, Time Magazine picks up on both of the myths in one
    blatantly biased article. The article subtly acknowledges facts that
    undermine its own main premise. The author tells us that only 5
    percent of marijuana in the U.S. comes from Canada, yet “experts”
    repeatedly suggest that the U.S. is being overwhelmed with B.C. Bud.
    The author discusses variations between batches of marijuana, but
    implies that Canadian pot is somehow different and more scary than the
    domestic crop.

    The truth is that the U.S. is furious over Canada’s halting attempts
    at drug policy reform, including a bill to decriminalize marijuana.
    Even though the bill isn’t that great, the U.S. still can’t accept any
    moves away from zero tolerance. They don’t know how to respond other
    than by hyping discredited propaganda.

    Please write a letter to Time asking why the magazine reported a
    non-story with little basis in fact, and offer a few facts of your
    own.

    For more information on the myths, see:

    Drug War Facts on marijuana potency – http://www.drugwardistortions.org/distortion11.htm
    Dan Forbes on marijuana potency claims – http://slate.msn.com/?id74151
    Richard Cowan on BC Bud Myth – http://www.marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=732

    **********************************************************************

    PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER OR TELL US WHAT YOU DID (Letter,
    email messages, etc.)

    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 and be motivated to follow suit.

    This is _Very_ Important as it is one very effective way of gauging
    our impact and effectiveness.

    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
    and/or http://www.mapinc.org/lists/index.htm#form

    **********************************************************************

    Source: Time Magazine
    Contact: [email protected]

    PLEASE NOTE: Time Magazine only prints very short letters, usually
    less than 100 words. Try to be as concise as possible.

    **********************************************************************

    Pubdate: Mon, 23 Aug 2004
    Source: Time Magazine (US)
    Copyright: 2004 Time Inc
    Contact: [email protected]
    Website: http://www.time.com/time/
    Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/451
    Author: Anita Hamilton
    Note: Reported by Ben Bergman/Blaine, Laura Blue/New York, Chris
    Daniels/Toronto.
    Photo: (from the magazine by the Barrie Police Service) CASH CROP: Inside a
    former brewery in Ontario, police found this pot
    farm http://www.mapinc.org/images/bcbud420.jpg
    Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis – Canada)
    Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/BC+Bud
    Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?420 (Cannabis – Popular)
    Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/walters.htm (Walters, John)

    THIS BUD’S FOR THE U.S.

    Canada’s Relaxed Drug Laws May Be Fueling A Boom In Marijuana Exports To
    America.

    It was the bus driver who noticed something suspicious. According to
    school officials, a driver for Blaine High School in northwestern
    Washington State thought something was strange about students’
    carrying unusually full bags to school and then never taking them back
    home. He alerted U.S. authorities, who boarded the bus on the morning
    of Feb. 20 and allegedly found 8 lbs. of marijuana, valued at $25,000,
    hidden inside a teenage girl’s backpack. Prosecutors allege that the
    minor, 16, was getting paid $300 a trip to work as a drug mule for
    smugglers moving marijuana into the U.S. from Canada. The teen’s home,
    in Point Roberts, Wash., borders British Columbia in an area with
    relatively light border patrol, which would have made it easy for her
    to get the drugs from Canada before getting on the bus.

    Expelled from school and charged with possessing marijuana with intent
    to deliver, the girl has a hearing scheduled for Aug. 23 in
    Bellingham, Wash. Deputy prosecutor Thomas Verge has said he will
    probably ask for an exceptionally long sentence that would put the
    teen behind bars until her 21st birthday.

    The controversy has upset the community. “She was a wonderful young
    girl,” says her principal, Dan Newell. “I wouldn’t have ever thought
    that if anyone was going to haul marijuana across the border, it would
    be this lady.”

    Nor would anyone have thought that the cross-border traffic of illegal
    drugs would become one of the knottiest areas of disagreement between
    the U.S. and its northern neighbor.

    An estimated 880 to 2,200 tons of marijuana are grown in Canada,
    according to a new report from Canadian police.

    About 90% of the commercial crop winds up in the U.S., where its
    street value ranges from $5 billion to $25 billion.

    Although only 5% of pot in the U.S. comes from Canada, the trade is
    flourishing because of high demand in the U.S. and the comparatively
    mild punishments in Canada for growers and traffickers.

    The U.S. seized more than 48,000 lbs. of marijuana along the Canadian
    border last year, nearly double the 26,000 lbs. it retrieved in 2002,
    according to a U.S. State Department report.

    There have been seizures all along the border, in Montana, North
    Dakota, Michigan, Ohio and other states.

    Canadian pot has cachet in the U.S. because of its reputation for
    being especially potent. The featured brand is BC Bud – which is grown
    in British Columbia and has become synonymous with the high-grade
    marijuana grown throughout Canada. Once in the U.S., the pot is
    exchanged for cash, and sometimes cocaine or guns, which are then
    smuggled back to Canada.

    Although the actual potency of BC Bud varies from batch to batch,
    depending on how it’s grown, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
    says that as much as 25% of BC Bud is made of the psychoactive drug
    tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). In contrast, the pot that the hippie
    generation smoked in the 1970s had only 2% THC content, and most pot
    consumed in the U.S. today averages about 7% THC.

    White House drug czar John Walters blames BC Bud in part for the
    increased number of pot-related emergency room incidents, which have
    more than doubled, from 54,000 in 1996 to 119,000 in 2002. Those
    incidents range from accidents and injuries to unexpected reactions to
    the drug. “Canada is exporting to us the crack of marijuana,” Walters
    told reporters in April. Others dispute Walters’ claims. “Domestic
    American marijuana is probably a little bit better,” says Richard
    Stratton, editor in chief of High Times, a magazine that covers
    marijuana issues.

    But the BC Bud name is so well regarded that some dealers pass off
    other varieties as Canadian to fetch the $3,000-to-$10,000-per-lb.
    price.

    And BC Bud seems to be everywhere. “It’s hella easy to get,” says
    “Angelo,” 22, a Seattle resident who asked to be identified by a
    pseudonym. “You can usually go to [a convenience store] between 1:30
    a.m. and 3:30 a.m. and ask people who you think smoke bud,” he says.

    On the Canadian side, the drug is even more ubiquitous. At the popular
    New Amsterdam Cafe in downtown Vancouver, customers openly smoke
    marijuana. “People come with pot. We are a business, though, so we
    have a $2 minimum cafe charge [for snacks and drinks],” says cafe
    manager Scott Heardy. Inspector David Nelmes, who is in charge of
    drugs for the Vancouver police department, tells TIME, “I can’t
    remember the last time a member of the Vancouver police department
    arrested someone for smoking a joint. Frankly, who’s got time?” If
    passed within the year, as seems likely, new Canadian legislation
    would decriminalize possession of less than 15 grams of marijuana,
    meaning that offenders would be slapped with only the equivalent of a
    traffic ticket.

    That approach is a far cry from the one that is taken in U.S. states
    like Oklahoma, where a person caught smoking dope could get up to a
    year in prison, although probation is more common.

    Canada’s attitude toward small-scale toking up has led some U.S.
    officials to blame the northerners for the influx of BC Bud in
    America. “If the perception is that it will be easier to get marijuana
    in Canada … then it creates problems at the border,” Paul Cellucci,
    U.S. ambassador to Canada, said at a Toronto Board of Trade dinner in
    February. Indeed, the trade has led to an increase in drive-by
    shootings in Canada by rival dealers, and to “grow-rips,” in which
    competing clans break into growers’ houses to steal their crops,
    according to Canadian police.

    The body of the suspected ringleader of a trafficking group was found
    stabbed in the neck in a ditch in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in November
    2002. “It’s still a dangerous drug,” says James Capra, the DEA’s chief
    of domestic operations. “People are killing each other over it.”

    Currently, a grower in Canada who has been convicted can expect less
    than two years of house arrest and a trafficker anywhere from three
    months to five years, served either at home or in prison, compared
    with the minimum punishment of five to 10 years that most convicted
    traffickers and growers receive in U.S. federal court.

    But as the violence has increased and cultivation of the crop has
    moved into residential areas, Canada has begun cracking down on its
    estimated 50,000 commercial pot growers.

    Over the past four years, police in Vancouver have seized $288 million
    worth of marijuana and $8.7 million worth of growing equipment.

    In Barrie, Ont., in January, police confiscated 30,000 marijuana
    plants, worth $23 million, inside a former Molson brewery.

    One hot, muggy morning in July, a TIME reporter accompanied the
    Vancouver police as an officer thumped on the door of a two-story
    brick-and-panel house on a leafy street of manicured lawns.

    Inside, officers discovered a basement filled wall to wall with more
    than 300 glossy female cannabis bushes. That bust is pretty routine,
    but the BC Bud keeps flowing.

    In the past four years, Vancouver police have made more than 1,500
    others, or about one a day.

    **********************************************************************

    ADDITIONAL INFO to help you in your letter writing efforts, Please See:

    Writer’s Resources http://www.mapinc.org/resource/

    **********************************************************************

    TO SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS:

    Please utilize the following URLs

    http://www.drugsense.org/hurry.htm

    http://www.drugsense.org/unsub.htm

    We wish to thank all our contributors, editors, Newshawks and letter
    writing activists.

    **********************************************************************

    Prepared by: Stephen Young, Focus Alert Specialist

  • Focus Alerts

    #292 Tell Congress To Protect Medical Marijuana Patients!

    Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004
    Subject: #292 Tell Congress To Protect Medical Marijuana Patients!

    TELL CONGRESS TO PROTECT MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS!

    *********************PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE*************************

    DrugSense FOCUS Alert #292 Thursday, 1 July 2004

    Next week, possibly as early as July 6th, there will be a historic
    vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. Below are the action alerts
    of leading organizations. Please act!

    **********************************************************************

    URGENT: Protect Medical Marijuana Patients

    The Ashcroft Justice Department continues to spend millions of dollars
    arresting cancer, AIDS, and MS patients who use medical marijuana –
    even in states where it is legal. Next week, Congress will vote on an
    amendment that would stop Ashcroft’s war on medical marijuana
    patients. We need you to fax your U.S. Representative today and urge
    them to support the amendment.

    ACTIONS TO TAKE

    1) Fax your Representative:

    http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=19658&ms=hincheygeneral

    2) Forward this alert to your friends and family.

    MORE INFO

    Responding to growing conflict between the states and the federal
    government over the issue of medical marijuana, Rep. Hinchey (D-NY)
    and Rep. Rohrabacher (R-CA) will again offer an amendment to the
    Commerce-Jusitce-State spending bill that would prevent the U.S.
    Justice Department from undermining state efforts to provide
    terminally ill and chronic pain patients access to doctor-recommended
    medical marijuana. The amendment would prohibit the Justice Department
    from spending any money on arresting or prosecuting medical marijuana
    patients in states where medical marijuana is legal. 152 members of
    Congress voted for a similar amendment last year.

    Since 1996, 11 states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii,
    Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington) have adopted
    medical marijuana laws. The U.S. Justice Department, however,
    continues to spend millions of dollars arresting medical marijuana
    patients and their caregivers – even in states where medical marijuana
    is legal. At a time when violent drug cartels remain at large and
    threats of terrorism continue to emerge, it is irresponsible for the
    Justice Department to jeopardize public safety by wasting scarce law
    enforcement resources conducting raids on hospice centers and medical
    marijuana patients.

    The Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment would not prevent
    the Justice Department from arresting people using, growing, or
    selling marijuana for recreational use. Nor would it prevent the
    Justice Department from arresting medical marijuana patients in the
    states that have not approved the drug for this use. It simply
    prevents the federal government from arresting cancer, AIDS and MS
    patients that use marijuana for medical reasons in states that have
    adopted medical marijuana laws.

    Substantial majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents
    support medical marijuana. A 2001 Pew Research Center poll found that
    73% of Americans support medical marijuana. A 2002 Time/CNN poll found
    that 80% of Americans support it. The Institute of Medicine has
    determined that nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety “all can be
    mitigated by marijuana.” Allowing cancer, AIDS, and MS patients legal
    access to medical marijuana is supported by the American Nurses
    Association, American Public Health Association, American Bar
    Association, the Whitman-Walker Clinic, and Kaiser Permanente, among
    other groups.

    **********************************************************************

    Tell Congress to Protect Medical Marijuana Patients!

    The time to contact your US Representative is now!
    Visit

    http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?list=type&type=69

    to send a letter telling Congress to Vote Yes to Protect Medical
    Marijuana Patients.

    Next week the U.S. House of Representatives will again consider the
    Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment, which would stop the federal
    prosecution of medical marijuana patients in states that have passed
    laws protecting them. Even if you have already contacted your member
    regarding this vote, please do so one more time.

    Last year the amendment got 152 votes of support. By contacting your
    representative today to ask for their support, you may help get the
    remaining votes this important bill needs.

    Congress knows this is important. The debate last year was emotional
    and personal. And with Vermont just passing a medical marijuana law
    and several other states considering it, the stakes for Congress are
    getting higher.

    Take a minute to send a letter. We have a pre-written letter you can
    send, or you can revise it as you wish. Your representative is in
    Congress to serve you, and your vote matters to them.

    Hilary McQuie Campaign Director Americans for Safe
    Access

    **********************************************************************

    Protect Medical Marijuana Patients

    The Ashcroft Justice Department continues to spend millions of dollars
    arresting cancer, AIDS, and MS patients who use medical marijuana –
    even in states where it is legal. Next week, Congress will vote on an
    amendment that would stop Ashcroft’s war on medical marijuana
    patients. We need you to fax your U.S. Representative today and urge
    them to support the amendment.

    ACTIONS TO TAKE

    1) E-mail your Representative:

    http://capwiz.com/norml2/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=5962431

    2) Forward this alert to your friends and family.

    **********************************************************************

    End the Federal Government’s Attacks on Medical Marijuana Patients and
    Providers

    Dear Friends:

    Significant progress has been made in protecting medical marijuana
    patients from arrest since Suzanne Pfeil, a paraplegic, was handcuffed
    to her bed by DEA agents who raided the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical
    Marijuana (WAMM) cooperative in Santa Cruz, California in 2002.
    Support in Congress for medical marijuana has been growing, and the
    federal courts have demonstrated a willingness to undermine and even
    nullify harsh federal laws.

    Unfortunately, the DEA continues to raid patients with serious
    illnesses, including AIDS, cancer, and multiple sclerosis … despite
    strong public support for medical marijuana, as evidenced by
    voter-passed initiatives in eight states and the District of Columbia,
    as well as national polls showing that 70-80 percent of Americans
    support medical marijuana access.

    It is time to end the federal interference in state medical marijuana
    laws once and for all. Last July, 152 members of the U.S. House of
    Representatives voted for the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment*, which
    would deny the U.S. Department of Justice funds to raid, arrest,
    prosecute, and imprison medical marijuana patients and providers. (See
    how your representative voted. http://www.mpp.org/house2003/ ) MPP is
    currently building grassroots support for the amendment so that a
    majority of U.S. representatives will vote for it this year.

    Your help is needed. Another vote will be taken this summer in the
    House, and your representative needs to hear from you now.

    Taking action is easy. Simply visit our take action page. By entering
    your name and address, the system will automatically prompt you to
    send an e-mail to your representative, tailored to how he or she voted
    last year.

    http://www.mpp.org/DD/action.html

    We appreciate your assistance and look forward to continuing to fight
    for you and with you in the future.

    Sincerely,

    Gary Reams
    National Outreach Coordinator
    Marijuana Policy Project

    * Language of the amendment (as proposed in July 2003): “None of the
    funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be
    used to prevent the States of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado,
    Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, or Washington from
    implementing State laws authorizing the use of medical marijuana in
    those States.”

    **********************************************************************

    Friends,

    There are groups of drug war cheerleaders who are actively seeking
    support of congress in opposition. For example, the Community
    Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) – a private organization which
    receives considerable funding from the Office of National Drug Control
    Policy (ONDCP) and other government agencies – sent out the following
    to various supporters.

    They believe that the arrest and jailing of patients who use cannabis
    as medicine with the advice of their doctor is a good health outcome.

    Your tax dollars at work – against you. We know that you have the
    answers to counter the lies and spin in their statement:

    Oppose Amendment to Prohibit Enforcement of Federal Law Regarding
    Marijuana

    Background

    The House is scheduled to consider amendments and vote on its version
    of the Commerce, Justice, State, Judiciary and Related Agencies FY
    2005 Appropriations bill next Wednesday, July 7, 2004. Congressman
    Maurice Hinchey (D-22nd/NY) will again this year offer an amendment to
    prohibit the enforcement of Federal law pertaining to marijuana in
    States that have decriminalized the use of marijuana for so-called
    “medicinal” use.

    Last year the amendment was defeated 273 (against) – 152 (in favor),
    however if we are to be successful in defeating this amendment again,
    your Representative must hear from you that you do not support this
    amendment. To see a record of how your Representative voted last year,
    please go to http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll420.xml.

    It is imperative that your Representative hear from you about the
    importance of defeating this amendment in the FY 2005 Commerce,
    Justice, State, Judiciary and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

    What you need to know [YES, CADCA really believes all of this
    stuff]

    Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in America—of the
    approximately 20 million current illicit drug users, 14.6 million (about
    75%) are using marijuana

    Of the 7.1 million Americans suffering from illegal drug dependence or
    abuse, 60% abuse or are dependent on marijuana

    More young people are now in treatment for marijuana dependency than
    for alcohol or for all other illegal drugs combined

    The FDA has not approved nor has it found any medicinal value in botanical
    marijuana, which is why it remains a Schedule I controlled substance.

    In a policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics stating
    their opposition to the legalization of marijuana, they state that
    “Any change in the legal status of marijuana, even if limited to
    adults, could effect the prevalence of use among adolescents.”

    **********************************************************************

    The above should be enough to encourage you to act. No need for the
    usual other actions we normally feature in our alerts, as we know you
    will do what you can in other action areas.

    ********************* Just DO It!! **********************************

    Prepared by: Richard Lake, Focus Alert Specialist