Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003
Subject: #265 Please Support Canadian Cannabis Law Reform With LTEs Now!

Please Support Canadian Cannabis Law Reform with LTEs
Now!

——-
PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE
——-

DrugSense FOCUS Alert # 265 April 19, 2003

Last Sunday, most the Sun newspapers ran an intensive article “O
Cannabis” on Canadian cannabis use and the failure of our current drug
policy:

Calgary Sun http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n597.a07.html Toronto
Sun http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n598.a07.html Edmonton Sun
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n598.a05.htm and the Ottawa Sun
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n601.a03.html.

And the London Free Press ran a short version under the title “High
Times” http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n598/a02.html

In the article, the author chose to quote many sources. Some, such as
the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, are highly reliable;
others such as Police Chief Julian Fantino and Dr. Raju Hajela, a past
president of the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine, are less so.
Dr. Hajela expresses misinformed concerns about the potential harms of
cannabis, including that it leads to schizophrenia. Chief Fantino
suggests that we need to maintain prohibition in order to control the
black market, completely ignoring that it is our cannabis laws that
cause the profitability black market in the first place.

If we are ever to have an enlightened discussion about drug policy in
Canada, the first thing that we need to do is correct this kind of
misinformation. I urge you to contact the Sun papers and correct
those who would ignore science and reason. Truth is on our side, now
let’s pass it on!

Thanks for your effort and support.

WRITE A LETTER TODAY

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,
Phone, fax etc.)

Please post a copy 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 with so
others can learn from your efforts and be motivated to follow suit.

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

This is VERY IMPORTANT as it is one very effective way of gauging our
impact and effectiveness.

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

To see the actual nearly identical, except for sidebars at the bottom,
“O Cannabis / High Times” articles please click the links above. The
Sun newspapers are running a whole series of cannabis related articles
this week, many of which are good targets for Letters to the Editor.
Here is a list of the Sun Newspapers (Sun Media Corporation, Canoe
Limited Partnership), their Letter to the Editor email address, and a
link which will bring up the recent drug policy related items printed
in each of the newspapers:

Calgary Sun [email protected] http://www.mapinc.org/source/Calgary+Sun

Toronto Sun [email protected] http://www.mapinc.org/source/Toronto+Sun

Edmonton Sun [email protected] http://www.mapinc.org/source/Edmonton+Sun

Ottawa Sun [email protected] http://www.mapinc.org/source/Ottawa+Sun

London Free Press [email protected] http://www.mapinc.org/source/London+Free+Press

Only the Winnipeg Sun appears not to have printed the “O Cannabis”
article but is printing others in the series: [email protected]
http://www.mapinc.org/source/Winnipeg+Sun

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

Now, and the weeks ahead, Letters to the Editor of Canadian newspapers
from both Canadians and cannabis activists around the world are most
important.

The Canadian Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a charter challenge
case involving three appellants that challenges the criminalization of
marijuana possession on May 6th.

The federal government is poised to take its swing with new
legislation expected in June which would decriminalize marijuana
possession. Early indications are that Justice Minister Martin Cauchon
would decriminalize the possession of 30 grams of cannabis, or less –
less than an ounce – making it subject to fines. Letter writers are
needed to tell the media that such a tiny step is not enough! Only a
legal, regulated market for adults, as recommended by the Senate
Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, is appropriate.

Please bookmark these links, which will bring up target news items –
both today and in the weeks ahead – and write as many letters as
possible. By your efforts we can influence the debate in Canada, and
perhaps the end result. But it will take an extra effort on the part
of all cannabis activists to make it happen.

Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis – Canada)

Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis – Medicinal – Canada)

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

SAMPLE LETTER

(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.)

This letter is in response to the “O Canada” article written by Jason
Botchford that appeared in Sunday’s Sun newspapers.

Dear Editor,

I congratulate you on such an in depth article about the failure of
Canada’s cannabis prohibition, although I take exception with Dr. Raju
Hajela’s alarmist and inaccurate comments regarding the recreational
use of cannabis.

He suggests that there can be “devastating consequences” to people
trying cannabis even once; he must mean the munchies, because unlike
alcohol, tobacco, or even aspirin there has never been a single death
attributed to the use of marijuana in over 3000 years of recorded use.

Furthermore, many recent studies suggest that cannabis may actually
possess anti-carcinogenic properties (P. Massi et al, 1998; Stig O. P.
Jacobsson et al, 2000; I. Galve-Roperh et al, 2001).

Finally, Dr. Hajela discounts himself completely by stating rather
cryptically that the wrong message about cannabis is getting out to
the public because “there are a lot of marijuana smokers amongst the
media”. Yikes! And they say that marijuana makes users paranoid!

This kind of alarmist misinformation would be laughable if it didn’t
lead to such expensive, corrupt, and ineffective policies. From the
1972 LeDain Commission on, every major public or private study that
has ever looked at our drug policy has recommended relaxing our
cannabis laws. It’s high time for a little bit of truth about
marijuana use!

Philippe Lucas
Victoria, BC, Canada

IMPORTANT: Always include your address and telephone number so that
the newspapers may verify that you actually wrote the letter.

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

ADDITIONAL INFO To Help You in Your Letter Writing Efforts, Please
See

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

References You May Find of Value:

The well documented cannabis related facts at http://www.drugwarfacts.org/
http://www.drugwardistortions.org/ and http://marijuanainfo.org/

While it is a huge report, using quotes from the Senate Special
Committee on Illegal Drugs report will have special value to
Canadians. To find material for quotes, use the links at
http://cannabislink.ca/gov/#SENATE

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

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

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

Prepared by Philippe Lucas [email protected] DrugSense Focus Alert
Specialist

Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2003
Subject: #264 The “Moral Costs” Of 2 Million Prisoners

The “Moral Costs” Of 2 Million Prisoners

——-
PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE
——-

DrugSense FOCUS Alert # 264 April 15, 2003

The U.S. prison population officially rose above 2 million recently,
and this has disturbed editorialists at the Washington Post – at least
a little bit.

“There is no magic ‘right’ number of people to have in prison; that
will properly vary with crime rates and popular attitudes toward
criminals,” the editorial proclaimed, “But there is something
breathtaking about the current figure.”

Later in the piece, writers acknowledge that drug prohibition has
played an important role in the growth of prison populations. The
editorial doesn’t call for ending the drug war, but it does lament the
financial costs of incarcerating so many drug criminals. It also
suggests there are moral costs, described as “hard to define but real
nonetheless.” Hard to define? How about the corruption and dishonesty
needed to maintain prohibition? How about the cruelty that takes
medicine from people in pain?

Please write a letter to the Washington Post congratulating the paper
on its minor moral awakening, but also to remind editors that if they
dare to look at the drug war picture unflinchingly and without
glossing over the realities, the moral costs are so clear they hurt.

Thanks for your effort and support.

WRITE A LETTER TODAY

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,
Phone, fax etc.)

Please post a copy 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 with so
others can learn from your efforts and be motivated to follow suit.

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

This is VERY IMPORTANT as it is one very effective way of gauging our
impact and effectiveness.

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

Source: Washington Post
Contact: [email protected]

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

Pubdate: 13 Apr 2003
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 2003 The Washington Post Company
Contact: [email protected]
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491

Editorial: A Nation Behind Bars

IMAGINE THAT the United States locked up the populations of Wyoming,
Vermont and North Dakota and then threw in the nation of Iceland for
good measure. The result would be an inmate population of
approximately the same size as the one currently behind bars in the
United States. Last year, for the first time in American history, the
states and the federal government — in jails and in prisons around
the country — had more than 2 million people behind bars, according
to Justice Department statistics. Those locked up included 1.3 percent
of all males in this country, 4.8 percent of all black males — and a
shocking 11.8 percent of black men between the ages of 20 and 34. The
dramatic rise in the prison population has created a nation of
prisoners within American society. While hidden from the view, and
even the consciousness, of most Americans, the existence of this
nation forces those on the outside to ask, in turn, what kind of
nation they want to live in.

There is no magic “right” number of people to have in prison; that
will properly vary with crime rates and popular attitudes toward
criminals. But there is something breathtaking about the current
figure. The U.S. rate of incarceration is the highest in the world;
according to data from the British Home Office, the only countries
with rates close to it are the Cayman Islands and Russia. It is nearly
seven times the rate in Canada and more than four time the rate in the
United Kingdom, which leads Europe. It also represents an enormous
rise by the standards of even recent American history. According to
criminologist Alfred Blumstein, the rate of imprisonment stayed stable
between the 1920s and the 1970s. Since the 1970s, however, it has
increased several times over.

The logic of tougher sentencing regimes and extended prison terms for
drug offenders has long since become circular. When crime persists in
the face of tougher sentences, many policymakers conclude that the
sentences need to be tougher still. The cycle has proven enormously
difficult to break, in large measure because popular sentiment makes
the tough-on-crime posture politically irresistible. But keeping an
ever-growing number of people locked up has huge costs: the financial
costs associated with maintaining a nation of inmates, the human costs
in the wrecked lives of those who could have been rehabilitated under
different policies, the costs to society when people are finally
released after years of prison socialization. There are also moral
costs — hard to define yet real nonetheless. For the incarceration
rate reflects on some level the rate at which a society gives up on
its members. And 2 million is a huge number to give up on.

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

SAMPLE LETTER

(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.)

To the Editors:

I read the editorial “A Nation Behind Bars” (April 13), about the 2
million people imprisoned in America, many for drug crimes. As I read,
I was surprised to see this line: “There are also moral costs — hard
to define yet real nonetheless.”

Hard to define? Separating parents from their children purely because
parents like intoxicants other than alcohol or tobacco is a moral
cost. Empowering violent drug gangs who torment neighborhoods and use
young people as cannon fodder for their enrichment is a moral cost.
And filling our expensive prison system with those who survive gang
warfare, thereby starting the whole cycle again, is a clear moral cost.

The moral costs of the drug war are very literally concrete for those
who have been swept into cells because of it.

Stephen Young

IMPORTANT: Always include your address and telephone
number

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

ADDITIONAL INFO to help you in your letter writing efforts, please
see:

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

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

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

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

Prepared by: Stephen Young – www.maximizingharm.com DrugSense Focus
Alert Specialist

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

Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003
Subject: #263 Ding Dong, The Bongs Are Gone?

DING DONG, THE BONGS ARE GONE?

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

DrugSense FOCUS Alert #263 Friday, 28 Feb 2003

Federal officials said Monday that they had shut down the biggest
paraphernalia suppliers in the United States in a series of nationwide
raids. In all, 55 people were charged with manufacture and/or
distribution of items alleged to be used for illegal purposes.
Additionally, a number of websites are being shut down by the Feds
without anyone yet being convicted of a crime in a court of law. The
DEA intends to redirect these websites to a government-sponsored site,
a chilling and Orwellian action if not challenged. What other websites
which the government views with disapproval will be next on the list?

The absurdity of using major tax dollars to fund a multi-agency effort
against these otherwise law-abiding and tax-paying businesses can
hardly be put into words. Each of us likely has our own way of
expressing the frustration felt when our federal officers carry out
such missions. This especially applies when one of the most obvious
illusions is the suggestion that these raids will make one iota of
difference on the number of illegal drugs that are regularly exchanged
and used in a country where tens of millions of people enjoy using
them.

Of course the paraphernalia industry will rebound, smaller perhaps,
smarter and more aware of the law. After all these devices have been
used to smoke tobacco and other legal herbs throughout history. Users
can turn to the internet to find instructions on how to make their
own. Unfortunately home made paraphernalia if made of the wrong
material can increase harm. And vaporizers – which have been shown to
reduce harm because the substances are not actually burned – will be
harder to obtain.

Attorney General John Ashcroft defends the action by reminding us
that, “It’s a federal law.” Curious bystanders watch with confusion.
Why does a particular federal law have the attention of the nation’s
most powerful law officer at a time when our nation is at an elevated
risk of a terror attack?

Please use the link below to pull up an easy to use list of stories
archived at MAP that cover this story.

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

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

CONTACT INFO

Clicking the following link will bring up a list of news articles.
Those listed at the top going on down the list to the ones dated 24
Feb 2003 are, with few exceptions, appropriate targets for your
letters to the editor. Just click on the link to bring the article up,
then on the contact line for the article, and write your letter, please.

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

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

SAMPLE LETTER

(Please note: If you choose to use this letter as a model please
modify it at least somewhat so that no newspaper receives numerous
copies of the same letter and so that the original author receives
credit for his/her work.)

Dear Editor:

While Homeland Security issues alerts varying from medium to high
danger, Attorney General John Ashcroft organizes a multi-agency effort
to crush the bong industry in America.

He suggests the paraphernalia business “has invaded the homes of
families across the country without their knowledge.” Gee, I guess
the millions of bongs and pipes just magically appeared without their
owners who made the voluntary purchase realizing what was up?

Ashcroft must be high himself if he actually believes he has reduced
the number of smoking implements in America. Does he not realize
smokers will simply turn to the millions of potters and glass-blowers
for their products, not to mention every hardware store in the country?

Much like his brethren at the NYPD, Ashcroft has learned arresting
anyone and anything related to marijuana makes for easy statistics
which help perpetuate funding for low-impact law enforcement careers
at all levels.

Respectfully submitted,

(SIGNATURE)

(Always include your address and phone number for newspaper
verification. Most papers will not print your letter otherwise.

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

ADDITIONAL INFO to help you in your letter writing efforts, please
see:

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

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

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

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

Prepared by: Stephen Heath, Drug Policy Forum of Florida
http://www.dpffl.org Focus Alert Specialist

Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003
Subject: # 262 Thank The Critics Of Rosenthal Verdict

THANK THE CRITICS OF ROSENTHAL VERDICT

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

DrugSense FOCUS Alert #262 Thur, 13 Feb 2003

It’s likely that anyone reading this Alert already knows the basics of
the Ed Rosenthal trial and verdict from January. If that’s not the
case, the syndicated column below from Chicago Tribune’s Clarence Page
nicely explains it along with a good summation of the current
relationship between the U.S. government and the State of California.

The column from Mr. Page was picked up in a number of other major
papers already and we’ve included those links below the reprinted
column. Please consider writing letters to one or more of these
papers and thank them for using the topic. Especially write to the
Chicago Tribune. Note also that an Extra Credit section directs you
to other Ed Rosenthal and California MMJ recent stories and opinion,
again from several major dailies.

Thanks for you helping us build on what to date is the best overall
national opinion commentary on medical marijuana that we’ve seen since
founding our website.

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

**********************************************************************
CONTACT INFO

Here is a list of newspapers which we know printed the column shown
below, publication dates, column titles that the newspapers used, and
the contact for sending your letters.

If you write more than one letter, please diversify your comments so
that each paper receives at least a somewhat unique message. We are
not seeking Copy/Paste spam messages, but rather very sincere
individual thank you notes.

Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Pubdate: Sun, 09 Feb 2003
Title: How the Feds Duped Jurors in Marijuana Trial
Contact: [email protected]

Source: Washington Times (DC)
Pubdate: Tue, 11 Feb 2003
Title: Marijuana Jury Hoodwinked
Contact: [email protected]

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)
Pubdate: Tue, 11 Feb 2003
Title: War on Illegal Drugs Can’t Be Won If We Fight With Politics Instead
of Reason
Contact: [email protected]

Source: Newsday (NY)
Pubdate: Tue, 11 Feb 2003
Title: Federal Courts Ignore Legitimate Uses of Pot
Contact: [email protected]

Source: Salt Lake Tribune (UT)
Pubdate: Wed, 12 Feb 2003
Title: Drug Warriors Trampling Rights of Medical Marijuana Proponents
Contact: [email protected]

Please send your letters one at a time to the above newspapers. If
newspapers believe you have sent your letter to other newspapers they
may reject it.

**********************************************************************
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n236/a11.html
Newshawk: DrugSense Weekly – www.drugsense.org/current.htm
Pubdate: Sun, 09 Feb 2003
Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Copyright: 2003 Chicago Tribune Company
Contact: [email protected]
Website: http://www.chicagotribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/82
Author: Clarence Page, http://www.mapinc.org/author/Clarence+Page
Bookmarks: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Ed+Rosenthal
http://www.mapinc.org/people/Bryan+Epis
http://www.mapinc.org/people/Jeff+Jones
HOW THE FEDS DUPED JURORS IN MARIJUANA TRIAL

WASHINGTON — It is not every day that a jury apologizes to a man it
has just convicted.

So Ed Rosenthal should feel honored that seven of the 12 jurors who
convicted him on three federal counts of marijuana cultivation and
conspiracy are now apologizing to him and calling for their own
verdict to be overturned on appeal. Five of them appeared and two
others had statements read at a news conference Tuesday outside a
courthouse in San Francisco.

They wanted to let the world know that they felt misled by the federal
judge and prosecutors who did not allow the defense to raise issues of
state and local medical marijuana laws in Rosenthal’s trial.

Rosenthal, 58, a well-known author, magazine advice columnist and
advocate for the medicinal use of marijuana, was growing the grass for
medicinal purposes. California is one of eight states ( Oregon, Maine,
Washington, Hawaii, Alaska, Nevada and Colorado are the others ) that
have passed laws to allow the sick and dying to smoke or grow
marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation.

Rosenthal was deputized by the city of Oakland to provide marijuana
for those whose doctors recommend it. Ironically, the program is
intended to help the ill and dying avoid the street dealers that the
federal drug czar’s current multimillion-dollar TV ad campaign ( Your
dollars at work, fellow taxpayers! ) is warning us against.

But none of that highly pertinent information about Rosenthal’s
methods or motives was allowed to reach the eyes or ears of his jury.
U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer barred Rosenthal’s defense from
mentioning the state law because Rosenthal was indicted under federal
law, which does not allow the growing of marijuana for any purpose.

As a result, Rosenthal was prosecuted like a member of the Soprano
crime family, convicted and faces a minimum of five years in prison
when he is sentenced in June.

“Last week, I did something so profoundly wrong that it will haunt me
for the rest of my life,” Marney Craig, a property manager who served
as a juror in the Rosenthal trial, wrote in a later San Jose
Mercury-News op-ed. “I helped send a man to prison who does not belong
there.”

It is no wonder that the jurors feel like, if I may coin an old
colloquialism, they got took. After all, they were.

And, of course, it is easy to see why prosecutors did not want
Rosenthal’s motives to be revealed. In California, which legalized
medicinal use of marijuana in 1996, it must be quite difficult to find
a jury of 12 people who would convict a man whose only criminal
offense was to provide the weed to the sick and the dying.

Californians are hardly alone in this nuanced view. Although fewer
than 40 percent of Americans would legalize marijuana for recreational
use, recent polls have found that about 80 percent support legalizing
it for medicinal use.

Even presidential candidate George W. Bush told reporters in October
1999 that on the medicinal marijuana question, “I believe each state
can [make] that decision as they so choose.”

Or, maybe not. President Bush’s administration is going after
California’s medicinal marijuana providers with a zeal that is
appropriate for the pursuit of Colombian drug cartels.

Despite California Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer’s pleas to former Drug
Enforcement Administration head Asa Hutchinson last year, the DEA has
stepped up raids on state-sanctioned cannabis growers and treatment
facilities.

In July, Bryan James Epis, 35, organizer of a cannabis buyers club in
Chico, was found guilty of charges similar to Rosenthal’s and
sentenced to 10 years. His conviction has been appealed.

And watch what you say, buddy, as well as how you say it. In December,
Jeff Jones, executive director of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers’
Cooperative, was found guilty of “an attempt to influence jurors,” in
the words of U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter A. Nowinski, simply for
passing out leaflets in support of Epis outside the courthouse.

Nowinski dismissed Jones’ free speech defense. After all, there’s a
war on drugs to be fought. Jones’ sentencing is scheduled for Feb.
27.

With antics like these, prosecutors might find it harder to get any
kind of a marijuana conviction out of a jury, whether it is
medicinally related or not.

Who, I wonder, will stop this madness?

For starters, Congress should move the country toward sanity by taking
the long overdue step of downgrading marijuana from Schedule I of the
Controlled Substances Act. It makes no sense for cannabis to be ranked
with heroin, LSD, morphine and other drugs in Schedule I.

Or does anyone really believe marijuana is more potent, dangerous and
devoid of redeeming medicinal value than cocaine, opium, codeine,
injectable methamphetamines and other Schedule II drugs?

Perhaps, after that step, we might be able to handle marijuana as a
properly controlled hazardous drug, instead of a political football.

**********************************************************************
EXTRA CREDIT (IF APPLICABLE)

Many other editorials, OPEDs, and articles have been printed about
this issue in the last week, all of which may be good targets for
Letters to the Editor. Please click this link, select your targets,
and write:

http://www.mapinc.org/people/Ed+Rosenthal

**********************************************************************
SAMPLE LETTER
(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.)

Dear Editor:

Columnist Clarence Page obviously recognizes kangaroo court justice
when it rears its ugly head. George W. Bush and his head stormtrooper
John Ashcroft have enlisted the DEA into waging a literal war against
the voters of California. The result is thousands of seriously ill
California residents who are denied safe access to their
doctor-approved medicine.

Additionally, the tag of ‘criminal dope dealing kingpin’ is applied
to those who work with California cities, police and governments to
ensure that the intent of Prop 215 is carried out in the safest, most
legally regulated manner possible.

Would Bush, Ashcroft and exiting DEA Director Asa Hutchinson put their
own family members in prison for 10 years to life if these same
family members elected to use marijuana with the advice of their physician?

The scary thing right now is that the answer – for Ashcroft and
Hutchinson at least – appears to be a resounding yes.

(152 words)

Stephen Heath
Clearwater FL

(TEXT)

(SIGNATURE)
(Always include your address and phone number for newspaper verification.
Most papers will not print your letter otherwise.
**********************************************************************

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

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

**********************************************************************
Prepared by:
Stephen Heath, Drug Policy Forum of Florida http://www.dpffl.org
Focus Alert Specialist

Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2003
Subject: Chicago Tribune Flip-Flops On DARE Criticism

Chicago Tribune Flip-Flops On DARE Criticism

——-
PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE
——-

DrugSense FOCUS Alert # 261 Feb. 4, 2002

Over three years ago, DARE critics were happy to discover at least one
major newspaper understood that DARE was a massive boondoggle. At the
time, the Chicago Tribune printed an editorial entitled “It’s time to
show DARE the door.” See http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99/n829/a03.html

The editorial stated, “What a waste! There’s got to be a better way to
educate young people about the hazards of substance abuse, but as long
as a high-profile pseudo-solution is available, there’s little
incentive to find out what might really work.”

Since that time, more studies have confirmed what Tribune editors
seemed to understand: DARE doesn’t deter drug use. Another recent
Tribune story about had an even harsher assessment from a police chief
who said, “I can’t tell you how many kids told me DARE introduced them
to drugs.” See see http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n130/a08.html

Strangely, as the evidence mounts, Tribune editorialists suddenly
suggest that DARE just needs to try harder. In an editorial published
last week (see below), the Tribune accepted the spin of a DARE
spokesman who said the mountain of studies condemning DARE may be
wrong. The editorial went on to say that some local DARE programs work
(though they didn’t mention any specifically) therefore national DARE
just needs to study those local programs. None of it makes sense based
on the Tribune’s own reporting. Please write a letter to the Tribune
to ask just where these “outstanding” local DARE programs exist, and
why the newspaper has flip-flopped on its previous sensible position.

Thanks for your effort and support.

WRITE A LETTER TODAY

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,
Phone, fax etc.)

Please post a copy 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 with so
others can learn from your efforts and be motivated to follow suit.

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

This is VERY IMPORTANT as it is one very effective way of gauging our
impact and effectiveness.

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

Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Contact: [email protected]

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

US IL: Editorial: DARE America At 20

Pubdate: Sat, 01 Feb 2003
Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Copyright: 2003 Chicago Tribune Company
Contact: [email protected]

DARE AMERICA AT 20

DARE America, the nation’s largest in-school drug awareness program,
celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with its image and
reputation in deep jeopardy.

Born out of a partnership between the Los Angeles Police Department
and the L.A. schools, Drug Abuse Resistance Education has suffered
tough times recently. State and local governments facing tight budgets
have cut DARE programs. Studies by the U.S. surgeon general, the
General Accounting Office and others have questioned DARE’s
effectiveness.

Illinois DARE officials predict that half of the state’s schools that
now offer the program will drop it by the end of this year. Skokie,
Chicago Ridge and Peoria police have dropped it and others are
considering similar moves. Chicago Ridge Police Chief Tim Balderman
told a Tribune reporter that, after 13 years of DARE, his department
actually saw an increase in drug arrests, “all DARE graduates.”

In DARE’s defense, national spokesman Ralph Lochridge responds that
the critical studies were either too limited or, in some cases, were
biased against DARE’s methods. The organization points to more
favorable assessments, such as a 2001 survey of Illinois DARE by an
Ohio State University professor. That study found that 86 percent of
school principals thought DARE made students less likely to abuse
alcohol and drugs.

A comprehensive University of Akron study is following more than
20,000 students in various cities for five years to compare students
who participate in DARE and those who don’t. Drawing on the first two
years of research, the study’s director, Dr. Zili Sloboda, observes
that students who have come through DARE are measurably better
informed that drugs are not nearly as popular or commonly used as
their non-DARE peers think they are.

It should surprise no one that the initial research also shows the
short-term benefits of teaching drug awareness and avoidance to
children in lower school grades is lost later if it is not reinforced
by effective follow-up programs. Particularly critical are the early
teen years. If parents and local school districts invest all of their
efforts in DARE’s program for 5th graders, then let the efforts lapse
by the time the youngsters get to high school, they should not be
surprised when the anti-drug message does not stick.

DARE survives largely because so many dedicated police officers and
others who work with students believe in it. Local autonomy is good
when it helps DARE to adjust to local circumstances. Unfortunately, an
organization as big and varied as DARE can find that its effectiveness
is burdened by inconsistent use of the program.

As DARE America enters its third decade, it faces the challenge of
taking what it has learned in its most outstanding local programs and
applying those lessons nationally. Then it can narrow the gap between
local chapters that appear to be producing results and those that are
not.

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

SAMPLE LETTER

(Please note: If you choose to use this letter as a model please
modify it 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.)

To the Editors:

I was baffled by the Tribune’s editorial about DARE (“DARE America at
20,” Feb. 1)

As the Tribune’s own reporting illustrates, DARE is nothing but a
massive failure. Merely three years ago, the The Tribune editorial
board had the good sense to call for the end of DARE (“It’s time to
show DARE the door,” Aug. 11, 1999).

Since 1999, a number of major studies have diminished DARE’s already
dismal reputation. But, now in 2003, the Tribune says, “As DARE
America enters its third decade, it faces the challenge of taking what
it has learned in its most outstanding local programs and applying
those lessons nationally. ” Which outstanding local programs is the
Tribune referring to? While the Tribune has highlighted some DARE
officers who are no doubt dedicated to their jobs, this does not
translate to the existence of “outstanding” local programs. Officers
may have all the best intentions, but the finest carpenter can’t build
a sturdy house on a crumbling foundation.

This is a central problem with DARE. Local communities are reluctant
to criticize their own DARE officers, especially when they are
passionate about a difficult job. But this is where the false logic
begins. Because our DARE officer is dedicated, DARE is good for kids
and should not be cut. Or because DARE offers allows positive
interaction between police and youth, it has value, and since we need
to have drug education, it might as well be DARE. Or the worst, DARE
offers positive interaction, and is therefore effective drug education.

None of these assertions are supported by facts or logic. But the mere
existence of DARE seems to make some people feel good, so good that
they are willing to believe that DARE’s many fatal flaws can somehow
be corrected, even if such a process never leads to effective drug
education.

S. Young

IMPORTANT: Always include your address and telephone
number

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

TARGET ANALYSIS

With a daily circulation average of 679,327 The Chicago Tribune ranks
7th nationally among all daily newspapers. The Tribune accepts letters
to the editor from everywhere, seeing itself as a national newspaper.

While we recommend aiming letters for 200 words or less, the average
length of pro reform letters printed by the paper, based on an
analysis of the database at http://www.mapinc.org/lte/ is 231 words.
Although rare, the paper has printed letters in the 300 word range.

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

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

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

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

Prepared by: Stephen Young, DrugSense Focus Alert Specialist

Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003
Subject: #260 Stop The Federal Assault On Patients, Clinics Providers!

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

DrugSense FOCUS Alert #260 – Tue, 28 Jan 2003

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

As federal prosecutions against medical marijuana patients and
providers escalate, a coalition of patients, care givers, doctors and
public officials have united to launch an outdoor advertising campaign
throughout California. But the billboards are just the start of the
campaign by the Coalition for Medical Marijuana.

Your support is needed to build on this effort. Today the Coalition
(see list below) is asking you to contact your elected representatives
at all levels of government to ask them to support the compassionate
access to medical marijuana by patients in need.

You can write to your Member of Congress through http://www.MedicalMJ.org.
It has a page that allows you to send faxes and emails see:
http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=100506&type=CO. A
particular focus of your letters should be Senator Barbara Boxer. She
is up for re-election in the next election cycle in what will be a
tight race. She need to know that her failure to lead on medical
marijuana — especially her failure to stand up for voters in
California is going to lose her votes.

Please also contact your local and state media – write letters to the
editor to newspapers – contact broadcast media and ask them to cover
the issue.

Is there any doubt that the federal government determined to undermine
the will of the people on this issue? The buyers clubs are being
closed or run underground one by one. Federal prosecutors won’t
permit court testimony concerning why marijuana was used, even though
marijuana is permitted as medicine under the laws of California and
eight other states. And because juries have no way of knowing
otherwise, Federal prosecutors accuse patients and the Good Samaritans
who help supply them with their medicine of being “Drug King Pins.”

The media stories about what happened to Bryan Epis
http://www.mapinc.org/people/Bryan+Epis and what is happening to Ed
Rosenthal http://www.mapinc.org/people/Ed+Rosenthal are glaring
examples of how the federal government is working to end the
compassionate use of medicinal cannabis.

Thanks for your effort and support.

Will You Act? It’s not what others do – it’s what YOU
do.

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

LINKS YOU CAN USE TO CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

Some of these links have pre-formatted letters you may modify and
send. But don’t forget that other contacts like phone calls and office
visits may have even greater impact.

Letters you can send to your Congress members by going here
http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=100506&type=CO

Contact information for all your elected officials at every level
http://capwiz.com/norml2/dbq/officials/

You can send a Fax about pending legislation in Congress by going here
http://mpp.org/USA/action.html

Another letter you can modify and send to your Congress members
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=1213

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

CONTACT LINKS FOR THE MEDIA

Use the dropdown at this link to obtain Letter to the Editor email
addresses for the press in your state http://www.mapinc.org/resource/email.htm

Contact information for many media outlets, including broadcast media
http://capwiz.com/norml2/dbq/media/

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

SAMPLE LETTER TO MEMBER OF CONGRESS

(PLEASE NOTE: If you choose to use this letter as a model please
modify it so that your members of congress do not receive multiple
copies of the same letter. The letter should be addressed to the
member by name.)

Dear Senator/Congressman

In 1996 the people of California voted to allow seriously ill patients
to use marijuana as a medicine. Many local jurisdictions worked with
patients to develop methods of safe access through community-based
dispensaries. The state Supreme Court upheld the law and these
programs of safe access. But the federal government is doing its best
to thwart these efforts.

In recent months the Ashcroft-led Justice Department has made medical
marijuana enforcement a high priority — over thirty federal cases
have been brought in California. When these cases are brought to trial
it results in the jury being told it cannot consider evidence of
medical use and the judge forbids the defendant to tell his side of
the story. As a result statutes designed to incarcerate drug kingpins
like Pablo Escobar with lengthy mandatory minimum sentences are being
used against Good Samaritans who are trying to provide medicine to the
seriously ill. While the actions of these providers is consistent
with California law under federal law they are receiving mandatory ten
year sentences.

Please use your office to defend the rights of seriously ill
Californians. Medical marijuana is supported by 80 percent of
Californians according to recent polls. Even though President Bush
spoke in favor of states rights when he was running for office his
administration is now violating states rights by prosecuting medical
marijuana cases.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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

FOR ADDITIONAL INFO to help you in your letter writing efforts please
See: Writer’s Resources http://www.mapinc.org/resource/

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

The Coalition for Medical Marijuana http://www.medicalmj.org/

Sponsors Include:

American Alliance for Medical Cannabis http://www.letfreedomgrow.com/

Americans for Safe Access http://www.safeaccessnow.org/

California NORML http://www.canorml.org/

CannabisMD http://www.cannabismd.org/

Cannabis Consumers Campaign http://www.cannabisconsumers.org/

Common Sense for Drug Policy http://www.csdp.org/

DRCNet http://www.drcnet.org/

Drug Policy Alliance http://www.drugpolicy.org/

DrugSense http://www.drugsense.org/

Green Aid http://green-aid.com/

Human Rights in the Drug War http://www.hr95.org/

Patients Out of Time http://www.medicalcannabis.com/

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

Prepared by Richard Lake, DrugSense FOCUS Alert Specialist

Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003
Subject: # 259 Speak Out For Ed Rosenthal!!

SPEAK OUT FOR ED ROSENTHAL!!

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

DrugSense FOCUS Alert #259 Wed, 22 Jan 2003

One of marijuana reform’s greatest pioneers and allies is of course Ed
Rosenthal of California.

The jury has been selected and the trial of Rosenthal in federal court
began on Jan 21. A federal judge in San Francisco is blocking a jury
from hearing evidence that could exculpate him. Rosenthal is thus
facing 20 years in prison on federal drug charges, though he believed
himself to be immune from prosecution when he was deputized by the
nearby city of Oakland in 1998 to cultivate cannabis for chronically
ill patients.

Rosenthal, 58, is now facing charges of cultivating more than 1,000
marijuana plants at a San Francisco medical marijuana club, conspiracy
to grow marijuana, and maintaining a place to grow marijuana at an
Oakland warehouse. The warehouse reportedly contained several thousand
tiny starter plants that Rosenthal says were intended for distribution
to medical marijuana patients who want to grow their own cannabis.

During two weeks of hearings prior to jury selection, Rosenthal’s
lawyers engaged in a bitter legal struggle with Judge Breyer, who
sought to block Rosenthal from using Prop. 215 as a defense against
federal charges. Breyer denied defense motions to dismiss the charges
based on selective prosecution, lack of jurisdiction, official
immunity, and 9th and 10th Amendment arguments.

In short, prior to trial, Judge Breyer effectively denied any and all
rational and reasonable defense that Rosenthal’s lawyers might offer,
all of it based on the federal government’s view of medical marijuana
being the sole arbiter with regards to legal defense on medical
necessity grounds.

Now a jury of 12 Californians, eight of whom (based on the 68% yes
vote in S.F.) likely voted for Proposition 215, are forced to decide
his fate subject to this heavy legal instruction.

PLEASE WRITE A LETTER TODAY to the local area newspapers of San
Francisco. A short list of links follows below. If you write a letter
to more than one outlet, please send them individually and do not use
the CC feature of your email. It is also helpful to create unique
messages for each paper due to the tight market. This further
increases your chances for being printed. But remember that
regardless of your being printed, it is URGENT that the media in the
area be kept fully alert to the injustice that is being served in
their own backyard. We need newspapers and readers to editorialize
and express outrage against the federal government is directing its
heavy power of the Justice Dept on Californians who honestly believed
themselves to be respecting state law. And that further, these people
were doing no harm to anyone whatsoever.

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

**********************************************************************
CONTACT INFO

You can get a continually updating link for stories about this trial
that are being printed nationwide by going here:

http://www.mapinc.org/people/Ed+Rosenthal

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

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

A good summary of the past week’s events along with some historical
background relating the facts of the case and related rulings can be
found in the following stories. Note that a portion of the
introductory text above was taken from the first article below,
written by Ann Harrison and posted at Alternet.

US: Web: The Trial Of Ed Rosenthal
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n087/a04.html
Pubdate: Fri, 17 Jan 2003
Source: AlterNet (US Web)

US: Clash on Medical Marijuana Puts a Grower in U.S. Court
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n095/a03.html
Pubdate: Tue, 21 Jan 2003
Source: New York Times (NY)

**********************************************************************
SAMPLE LETTER
(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.)

Dear Editor:

Federal Judge Charles Breyer may be able to keep all mention of
California law out of his courtroom in the case of medical marijuana
activist Ed Rosenthal (cited article), but he cannot silence the press
and Americans who find the charges against Rosenthal to be
unconscionable.

The Bush administration’s top lawyers know full well that over 75% of
Americans support legal access to marijuana under a doctor’s
direction. Yet in their misguided and Quixotic attempt to rid the
world of any marijuana use whatsoever, they are now expending huge tax
dollars in trying, convicting and then imprisoning Rosenthal for up to
twenty years mandatory. More importantly they are charging a man who
was operating completely within California state law and who had the
support and endorsement of the City of Oakland, local law enforcement
and of course the 68% of San Franciscans who legalized marijuana for
medical use in 1996.

Our federal resources are needed to protect us from real enemies, not
from those who provide medicine to the sick and dying.

PS: Please keep this story on your radar and consider providing
critical editorial comment.

Stephen Heath
Clearwater FL

(Always include your address and phone number for newspaper verification. Most papers will not print your letter otherwise.
**********************************************************************

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

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

**********************************************************************
Prepared by:
Stephen Heath, Drug Policy Forum of Florida http://www.dpffl.org
Focus Alert Specialist for MAP

Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002
Subject: #258 Please Help Canadians Understand What We Really Believe

PLEASE HELP CANADIANS UNDERSTAND WHAT WE REALLY BELIEVE

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

DrugSense FOCUS Alert #258 Tue, 17 Dec 2002

Below we are requesting you write Letters to the Editor to Canadian
newspapers to help present the actual views of the public outside on
the question of decriminalizing cannabis. Dr. Joycelyn Elders in the
following OPED best described the situation:

Pubdate: Sat, 14 Dec 2002
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2002, The Globe and Mail Company
Contact: [email protected]
Author: Dr. Joycelyn Elders
Note: Dr. Joycelyn Elders was U.S. surgeon-general from 1993 to 1994. She
currently is distinguished professor of public health at the University of
Arkansas School of Medicine in Little Rock.

CANADA HAS IT RIGHT ON MARIJUANA

On Dec. 12, the House of Commons special committee on the non-medical
use of drugs released a report calling for the decriminalization of
marijuana, and Justice Minister Martin Cauchon has said he plans to
put forth a decriminalization bill early in 2003.

It is a safe bet that the U.S. government reaction will be hostile,
just as it always seems to be when people talk about reconsidering
marijuana laws.

Canadians should understand that on drug policy, the U.S. government
is increasingly out of step with Americans. Canadians should use their
own good sense, make their own judgments, and disregard U.S. bullying,
as most of our drug laws were made on a racist foundation instead of
science.

In September, when the Canadian Senate special committee on illegal
drugs issued a report that recommended replacing marijuana prohibition
with a system of regulation, the official U.S. reaction was swift and
blunt. John Walters, director of the White House Office of National
Drug Control Policy (commonly termed the Drug Czar) was quoted on both
sides of the border expressing his dismay. He even hinted at a border
crackdown that could strangle trade between our nations.

U.S. drug-policy leaders should spend more time talking with
knowledgeable Canadians such as Senate committee chairman Pierre
Claude Nolin to learn why they have reached such dramatically
different conclusions from the U.S. drug warriors. If they did, they
might learn that much of their rhetoric about marijuana being a
“gateway drug” is simply wrong. After decades of looking, scientists
still have no evidence that marijuana causes people to use harder
drugs. If there is any true “gateway drug,” it’s tobacco.

And tobacco, through its direct physical effects, kills many thousands
of people every year. So does alcohol. And it is easy to fatally
overdose on alcohol, just as you can fatally overdose on prescription
drugs, or even over-the-counter drugs, such as aspirin or
acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol).

I don’t believe that anyone has ever died from a marijuana
overdose.

This is not to say that marijuana is harmless. It’s not, and there are
good reasons not to use it — especially for young people.

But from a public-health perspective, there is a solid case to be made
that arresting marijuana users, giving them criminal records and
disrupting careers and families does more harm to more people than the
drug itself does.

Why do U.S. officials such as Mr. Walters so adamantly resist even
having this discussion? The answer lies in the numbers. We have a
massive antidrug bureaucracy that is largely fuelled by our war on
marijuana: Nearly half of all drug arrests in the United States are
for marijuana-related charges, and 89 per cent of those are for simple
possession. Take away those arrests and massive antidrug budgets are
much harder to justify.

But if our officials start making threats again, Canadians should
remember that those officials don’t represent the views of the
American public. A Nov. 4 Time magazine poll found that 72 per cent of
Americans don’t believe marijuana users should go to jail. Eighty per
cent believe seriously ill people should be able to use marijuana for
medical purposes, despite our government’s rigid opposition to that
humane and sensible idea.

If Canada needs guidance, it can look toward Europe, where many
governments have moved toward enlightened policies, and others are
conducting serious, thoughtful examinations of their marijuana laws.
If we are lucky, Canada will set an example that the United States
will eventually follow.

———————–

The above OPED contains facts you can add to your own to help drive
home your point in letters to as many Canadian newspapers as possible
to let Canadians know that the views of our Drug Czar are not the
views of either science or the public in the United States.

WRITE A LETTER TODAY

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

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

CONTACT INFO

Since the House of Commons special committee report recommendations on
cannabis were announced MAP has archived over 100 news items related
to the announcement. Most of these items are worthy targets for your
Letter to the Editor efforts. To review these potential targets please
click this link:

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

This will provide a list of the headlines, with the most recent
printed first. A few of the items will be Letters to the Editor, and a
few not related to the announcement. But the majority are.

To obtain more details to help you select potential targets without
before reading the actual article go to the bottom of the page where
you will find the Power Search Drugnews webform. Simply use the Details
dropdown to change the details to High and click the search button. The
resulting pages (be sure to notice that you will be able to move
through ten pages, of which the first six or seven will contain good
targets) should help you select your targets. Then just go to the
actual article to obtain the newspaper’s Contact: line for sending off
your letter.

IF you choose to write to more than one newspaper, and we hope you
will, please consider modifying your letter at least a little for each
one. And email each letter to each newspaper by itself. This will
increase your chances of publication.

Please remember that even if your letters are not selected for
publication, they still have an impact on the newspaper’s editors as
they note reader interest which results in increased coverage of our
issues.

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

SAMPLE LETTER

(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.)

To the editor of ??? Newspaper in Canada:

Noting the criticism by the United States Drug Czar towards Canada’s
proposed reforms in marijuana policies, I find it interesting that any
Canadian leaders are giving John Walters’ opinion serious attention.

Over the past 20 years as the U.S. federal government has escalated
the War on Drugs, I notice they didn’t check first to see what Ottawa
thought.

When we decided to increase drug arrests in our country to the point
where we became the planet’s largest jailer, no one in Washington
sought out Canadian viewpoints. When John Walters formed a plan to
deluge our media with his propaganda about pot smokers funding
terrorists, I’m sure he didn’t care one hoot what Canadians thought.

Why then are some of your leaders worried about whether or not Canada
chooses to follow in lockstep the draconian drug policies endorsed by
the United States? You are on the correct, common-sense track – a
track already in place in several European countries as well as
several U.S. and Australian states. Don’t be knocked astray by U.S.
government fueled hysteria about decriminalizing or even legalizing
responsible adult marijuana use.

Respectfully submitted,

Stephen Heath

(Always include your address and phone number for newspaper
verification. Most papers will not print your letter otherwise.)

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

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

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

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

Prepared by: Stephen Heath, Focus Alert Specialist, Florida Cannabis

Date: Sun, 01 Dec 2002
Subject: #257 John Walters’ Reefer Madness

JOHN WALTERS’ REEFER MADNESS

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

DrugSense FOCUS Alert #257 1 Dec 2002

As Richard Cowan reminds us, the primary reason for the continued War
against marijuana users is ‘bad journalism’. It appears in recent
weeks that this may be changing.

First, Walters was a speaker in Vancouver at a major gathering of
local business leaders, including the present and incoming mayors of
the city. His speech was interrupted by Marc Emery and friends, but
the main story was afterwards, when both mayors denounced his message
and expressed concern about how he misrepresents marijuana. A number
of Vancouver and Canadian newspapers provided full coverage and also
supportive editorial comments criticizing Walters and the U.S. drug
war.

Then the Pittsburgh PA Tribune-Review printed a scathing review of a
visit their editorial board received from Walters, again denouncing
his lies.

Now the New York Times joins the fray, with a no-punches pulled review
of Walters’ lies and exaggerations about marijuana and it’s impact on
Americans.

The only way we can see this type of journalism increase is to let the
newspapers know that we appreciate it and to encourage them to more
fully investigate and fact-check the words that come out of Walters’
mouth.

While being criticized in Vancouver, Walters’ defended his statements
by maintaining that …”I am subject to the scrutiny of the press…”,
implying that he would not lie in such a case.

The more we encourage the press to call him out, the more he will be
forced to change his message. While expecting the Drug Czar to EVER
tell the whole truth is wishful thinking, we can be confident he will
not be left alone by the press if we reinforce them when they do their
job correctly.

Thanks for your effort and support.

WRITE A LETTER TODAY!

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#form

**********************************************************************
CONTACT INFO

[email protected]

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

Pubdate: Sat, 30 Nov 2002
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2002 The New York Times Company
Contact: [email protected]
Author: Bill Keller

REEFER MADNESS

We interrupt our coverage of the war on terrorism to check in with
that other permanent conflict against a stateless enemy, the war on
drugs.

To judge by the glee at the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy, the drug warriors have just accomplished the moral
equivalent of routing the Taliban – helping to halt a relentless jihad
against the nation’s drug laws.

Ballot initiatives in Ohio (treatment rather than prison for
nonviolent drug offenders), Arizona (the same, plus making marijuana
possession the equivalent of a traffic ticket, and providing free pot
for medical use) and Nevada (full legalization of marijuana) lost
decisively this month. Liberalization measures in Florida and Michigan
never even made it to the ballot.

Some of this was due to the Republican election tide. Some was
generational – boomer parents like me, fearful of seeing our teenagers
become drug-addled slackers. (John Walters, the White House drug czar,
shrewdly played on this anxiety by hyping the higher potency of
today’s pot with the line, “This is not your father’s marijuana.”)
Some may have been a reluctance to loosen any social safety belts when
the nation is under threat. Certainly a major factor was that
proponents of change, who had been winning carefully poll-tested
ballot measures, state by state, since California in 1996, found
themselves facing a serious and well-financed opposition, cheered on
by Mr. Walters.

The truly amazing thing is that 30 years into the modern war on drugs,
the discourse is still focused disproportionately on marijuana rather
than more important and excruciatingly hard problems like heroin,
cocaine and methamphetamines.

The drug liberalizers – an alliance of legal reformers, liberals,
libertarians and potheads – dwell on marijuana in part because a lot
of the energy and money in their campaign comes from people who like
to smoke pot and want the government off their backs.

Also, marijuana has provided them with their most marketable wedge
issue, the use of pot to relieve the suffering of AIDS and cancer patients.

Never mind that the medical benefits of smoking marijuana are still
mostly unproven (in part because the F.D.A. almost never approves the
research and the pharmaceuticals industry sees no money in it). The
issue may be peripheral, but it appeals to our compassion, especially
when the administration plays the heartless heavy by sending SWAT
teams to arrest people in wheelchairs. Thus a movement that started,
at least in the minds of reform sponsors like the billionaire George
Soros, as an effort to reduce the ravages of both drugs and the war on
drugs, has become mostly about pot smoking.

The more interesting question is why the White House is so obsessed
with marijuana.

[snipped]

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n2178/a10.html

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

TARGET ANALYSIS

The average daily circulation of the New York Times, available
throughout the United States, is 1.2 million copies, largest of any
seven day a week newspaper. An editorial page ad runs $1,350 per
column inch, so even a short published letter is a donation in ad
value to reform of over $2,000.

The average published letter is short and to the point, only 123
words, with a maximum of 150 words.

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

SAMPLE LETTER

(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.)

Dear Editor:

To the editors of The New York Times:

Columnist Bill Keller does Americans a real service by questioning the
lies spread by drug czar John Walters.

Opening his 2002 advertising campaign with the stating that marijuana
users indirectly finance terrorism, Walters has gone on to misused his
office to lobby against voter initiatives.

He attempts to recreate marijuana as a ‘new super drug.’ The 90+
million Americans who have tired it know that the real danger is
arrest, prosecution and a jail cage.

It is responsible to deliver a message about the true risks of using
marijuana.

But when the facts show that marijuana is clearly less dangerous than
the legal drugs alcohol and tobacco, we know that Walters is just
desperate to provide rationale for police arresting almost 2000
Americans daily (over 1000 per week in NYC alone) for marijuana possession.

(contact info)

(Always include your address and phone number for newspaper
verification.

Most papers will not print your letter otherwise.)

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

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

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

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

EXTRA CREDIT:

This article was discussed by for 25 minutes on C-SPANs Washington
Journal Saturday morning http://www.c-span.org/journal/ It starts at
1 hour and 35 minutes into the show at this video file:
http://video.c-span.org:8080/ramgen/idrive/wj20021130.rm

Please also send a note to the Washington Journal thanking them for
covering the topic of legalizing marijuana. Contact: [email protected]

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

Prepared by: Stephen Heath, Drug Policy Forum of Florida ,
http://www.dpffl.org, Focus Alert Specialist