Dare to Act!

The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union is demanding that Dr. Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the UN Office of Drugs and Crime, give his explanation of a well known fact. In the Netherlands, where adults are allowed to buy and use marijuana, rates of use are actually lower than that of the United States. Significantly lower.

His explanation? Well... he's not quite ready to provide one. At least not one that the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union finds satifactory. Dr. Fredrick Polick, a dutch psychiatrist and leading European drug policy reformer, has asked Costa for his explanation on 4 occasions now.

The HCLU has created created a pretty nifty website to draw attention to this issue. I think you'll especially enjoy the personal introduction from Dr. Polick! You'll find descriptions and video for Polick's 4 "rounds" of questions and a 5th round asking you to put Costa on the spot next.

In 2008, Costa promised to publish a study that explains and provides evidence for his "availability increases use" theory. He's yet to publish it, but that doesn't mean he isn't working on it - SSDP is looking forward to reading it.

Deadly Disaster in Mexico

I think people put it best when they say we'll need to end the drug war soon enough out of pure necessity. Take, for instance, this video of what's going on in Mexico:



More than 5,300 people were killed in drug cartel violence last year. Reporters are rightfully horrified to have their name linked to any Mexican drug cartel story. Innocent children are being maliciously slain. The Texas Guard has gone on high alert for the first time in history.

Yet, when asked on Fox News why the people in Mexico are protesting the army that was sent out to supposedly help them, Senator Dan Patrick of Texas replies,

"Well, we believe Bill, that it's the drug cartels who paid the people to protest."

Ignorant? Pathetic? Too horrified to face the truth? Who knows. What we do know is that if Mexico doesn't legalize and regulate drugs soon and take away the drug cartel's major source of power, there will be no way out.

The National Drug Intelligence Center has already concluded in its National Drug Threat Assessment 2009 that "Mexico drug trafficking organizations represent the greatest organized crime threat to the United States."

Lawmakers in Texas are currently worrying about a flood of Mexican refugees attempting to escape the violence pouring into their state, but nobody really seems to know what to do.

"This violence is happening because the [Felipe] Calderon administration is doing the right thing by cracking down on powerful drug cartels," Kudwa said in a statement. "The cartels are, predictably, fighting back to protect their lucrative criminal livelihood..."[Fox News]

How can people continue to blatantly overlook the solution and honestly believe that the violent tactics being used are the "right thing" to do? Obviously these tactics are failing everyone except for the drug cartels. Obviously we need to come up with a better plan. Obviously, we need to talk legalization.

What a Couple of Dirtbags...

Can you believe this? Reading this story brought me right back to the frustrations of being a teenager.

Two Pennsylvania Judges, Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan of the Court of Common Pleas in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, have admitted to accepting $2.6million in kickbacks for sentencing juveniles to jail time in privately owned detention facilities.

Marsha Levick, chief counsel for the Juvenile Law Center, estimated that of approximately 5,000 juveniles who came before Ciavarella from 2003 and 2006, between 1,000 and 2,000 received excessively harsh detention sentences. She said the center will sue the judges, PA Childcare and Western PA Childcare for financial compensation for their victims.

Thankfully, SSDP is launching a new effort to connect with high school students and help them build chapters at their schools. Be sure to check out the website for updates on this!

Lockdown, USA

Some drug war policies are more destructive than others. A prime example are the Rockefeller Drug Laws in New York. Enacted in 1973, these laws created mandatory minimum sentencing for the possession and sale of even small amounts of drugs.

Think about this. Mandatory minimums remove a judge's discretion to hand out appropriate sentences. This is a system that gives prosecutors more power than judges - and that is a dangerous and backwards policy. A judge has to give the mandatory minimum sentence regardless of the case's circumstances. You can lower your sentence by bargaining with the prosecution.

Don't have any information? That's too bad. The only way to lower your sentence under these laws is if you can give up names of others. What ends up happening is those that are actually involved in a form of "high level" drug dealing, are able to reduce their sentences, while first time offenders, who have no connections and no names to drop, are given lengthy sentences. For this reason, New York's prisons are overflowing with non-violent drug offenders. In fact, 91% of those incarcerated for drug offenses in New York state are black and latino.

Lockdown, USA is a documentary exposing the harsh reality of a failed "War on Drugs" and the counterproductive and inhumane Rockefeller laws. It explores the lives that have been shattered and the costs, both human and monetary, of these laws. The story of Darrel Best and his family is covered:

In the fall of 2001, Darrell Best was convicted of possession of cocaine. Darrell had been doing handy work at his uncle’s house and signed for a Fed-Ex that was addressed to a neighbor. The package contained a pound of cocaine. The District Attorney offered Darrell Best a one-year plea bargain, if he admitted guilt. Darrell refused to take the plea, insisting on his innocence and claiming he wanted to set an example of integrity and honesty for his children. The Judge apologized as he read Darrell Best his sentence, 15 years to life; the minimum sentence he could give Darrell under the Rockefeller Drug Laws.

Catch Lockdown, USA on IFC starting May 5th, on iTunes May 6th, and on DVD February 2009. The film follows Russel Simmons campaign to raise awareness on this issue and features artists such as P Diddy, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Mariah Carey and Tim Robbins.

Check this film out. SSDP chapters around the country should consider hosting screenings to help support the film and spread the message.

Mexico's Drug War General dead after a week.

As a result of failed policies, from American influences, the war on drugs only continues to destroy our neighbors to the south. After only one week in charge the man Mexico coined to battle the cartels Brig. Gen. Mauro Enrique Tello Quiñones, has been brutally tortured and murdered along with two others.

"Tello, 63, along with his bodyguard and a driver, were kidnapped in downtown Cancun last Monday evening, taken to a hidden location, methodically tortured, then driven out to the jungle and shot in the head. Their bodies were found Tuesday in the cab of a pickup truck on the side of a highway leading out of town. An autopsy revealed that both the general’s arms and legs had been broken."[PoliGazette]

Sadly top Mexican officials plan to rely on the same strategies that have failed them so miserably. Since Predident Calderon started moving against the cartels 5,300 people have died in the violence, more then the entire US occupation of Iraq so far. The Mexican government has no way to curb the demands of the US market on it's own and will never take away the real profit motives that bank roll these ultra-violent organizations.

As long as Mexico continues down this path innocent people will continue to die in the violence needlessly created by their failed prohibitionist policies Xeroxed in Washington, DC.

Kellogg's Backs Heroin and LSD Users but Dumps Phelps Over Bong Hit

Kellogg's has decided to drop it's sponsorship of Michael Phelps. Kellogg's spokeswoman said "Michael's most recent behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg." Interesting.

My initial reaction was, "Are you serious? You guys make rice krispie treats!" My second reaction was to get online and research Kellogg's wholesome image. Surprisingly, Kellogg's is currently running a promotion with the popular video game Guitar Hero. Guitar Hero allows players, many of them children, to jam along with amazing artists such as Jimmy Hendrix, Rancid, the WHO, Cream, Stone Temple Pilots, Slash (ever seen a picture of that guy without a cigarette in his mouth?), and countless others who, in addition to producing fantastic auditory works of art, have all admittedly and unapologetically used drugs far more dangerous than cannabis.

Most parents are not going to care if Michael Phelps is on the front of their kid's cereal box any more than they care that their child is jamming out to a deceased heroin addict. Why? Because we pay those artists and atheletes because they have amazing talents, not for what they do in their leisure time.

Kellogg's surely knows there are artists on Guitar Hero games who are drug users. So why the hypocrisy? I'm not sure, but I think while you're calling Kellogg's at (800) 962-1413 to tell them you won't be buying any more of their products, you should also ask them to consider if they think they're sending mixed signals by continuing their association with Guitar Hero.

Help Phelps! Boycott Kellogg's!

I'll admit it, I'm not a huge sports fan. Its quite rare for me to get excited over a football or basketball game (although baseball is the exception) and I generally prefer the Winter Olympic games to the summer - come on - you know you love watching curling.

Despite my lack of enthusiasm for watching sports, I could not help but feel inspired when swimmer Michael Phelps won 14 gold medals, more medals than anyone else. Its astounding that right now Phelps is in the spotlight not for his amazing athletic abilities but for a stupid picture of him taking a bong rip at a college party.

Because of the picture, USA Swimming has suspended Phelps from competition for 3 months (which Phelps has accepted as being fair). As of now he has only lost one of his sponsors, Kellogg's. The cereal and junk food company decided to drop him because "Michael's most recent behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg." So according to Kellogg's, smoking marijuana at a party completely undoes the fact that this young man earned 14 gold medals for the U.S. in the Olympics? Its not like this picture ended up on a box of fucking Frosted Flakes.

Kellogg's needs to hear from the public that their decision will hurt their company far more than Phelps's marijuana use. Please contact Kellogg's today and tell them that you will boycott all of their products until they reverse their decision on Phelps's sponsorship. You can contact Kellogg's by visiting this page.

Just cut and paste the following message into the webform on the Kellogg's website (or edit it if you like):

I am deeply disappointed by your decision to drop your sponsorship of Michael Phelps simply because he was photographed smoking marijuana. Over half of all adult Americans, including our last three presidents, have smoked marijuana during their lives. It is outrageous that Kellogg's would hold Michael Phelps to such an unreasonable standard, rather than standing by a 23 year old who has brought more inspiration and joy to millions of Americans than most will accomplish in a lifetime. Until you reverse your decision to drop Michael Phelps' sponsorship, I will be boycotting all Kellogg's products.

Phelps' current situation so clearly shows the stupidity that is marijuana prohibition. Clearly, our schools, both high schools and colleges, are flooded with marijuana despite decades of prohibition. Marijuana use hasn't caused Phelps any problems - marijuana laws have. This is what students all over the country are facing every day. Straight A students that fail drug tests are expelled from school or banned from extracurricular activies. Others lose thier federal financial aid for a first time marijuana possession charge.

I know I won't be eating any Kellogg's products any time soon (well, not until they apologize to Phelps) although I might just consider buying myself a speedo - try that image on for size!

SSDP has created a facebook petition to show our support for Michael Phelps. If you're on facebook please sign the petition and tell your friends about it!

Of course, the more support SSDP has, the more we can give to Michael Phelps. Please donate!

Is it Over Yet?

The DEA has continued to raid medical marijuana dispensaries in California since President Obama took office. We know Obama has stated the he does not support using justice department resources to undermine state law on this issue. Yet the DEA continues to waste these resources on law abiding, tax paying dispensaries.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. Actually, its more like already having half your body out of the tunnel while DEA agents are wasting your own tax dollars to pull you back in.

Yesterday, the White House issued a statement explaining that we can expect these raids to end once President Obama nominates a new DEA Administrator.

“The president believes that federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws, and as he continues to appoint senior leadership to fill out the ranks of the federal government, he expects them to review their policies with that in mind," White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said.

This is a victory not just for California, but for 12 other states that have passed medical marijuana legislation.

The answer to my question is no, its not over yet. Stay persistent and continue writing letters to the editor and contacting your representatives. Be sure to sign and spread the word about our petition to stop the raids!

LEAP Cop Wins Suit After Being Fired for Criticizing Drug War

Check this out! This is LEAP's press release (verbatim) regarding this awesome victory for free speech!

SEATTLE, WA -- A Mountlake Terrace police sergeant who was fired after publicly criticizing the "war on drugs" has reached an $812,500 settlement in a lawsuit he filed against the city and police department, among others. Under the settlement, Sergeant Jonathan Wender has been reinstated on the force and is eligible to receive back pay and full retirement benefits.

“In an open society, people on the front lines of the criminal justice system have an ethical duty to speak out on controversial social and legal issues that affect the public we serve," said Sgt. Wender, a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), a 10,000-strong organization representing police, prosecutors, judges and others who fought on the front lines of the "war on drugs" and who now want to legalize and regulate drugs. "The public has a fundamental right to know which laws and policies are effective, and which ones aren’t; and they should expect that their police officers will speak the truth even when it isn’t popular or comfortable to do so. I hope that the outcome of this case will help reassure police and other public officials that they can speak freely on controversial topics such as the urgent need to seek better ways to deal with the crisis of drugs that plagues American society.”

Sgt. Wender joined the police force in 1990 after graduating from college and was terminated in 2005. He holds a Pd.D. from Simon Fraser University and is currently a full-time sociology professor at the University of Washington. As part of the settlement, Sgt. Wender is back on the payroll at the Mountlake Terrace Police Department, where he will serve on administrative leave until he retires from the force on November 10, 2010 and can then qualify for his full pension.

"Jonathan Wender's victory is ours, as well. As was his fight," said Norm Stamper, the retired Seattle police chief and LEAP member. "Because of this fine man's courage and perseverance, and his willingness to tell the truth about the 'drug war,' we've all moved closer to putting an end to that war. I believe police officers across the country will be moved by Jonathan's example, and will raise their voices in support of LEAP's goal of ending drug prohibition."

The lawsuit was filed against the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office, the Mountlake Terrace Police Department, the City of Mountlake Terrace, the City of Lynnwood, and a handful of individual defendants.

For more information about LEAP, please contact Tom Angell at (202) 557-4979 or media@leap.cc

SSDP Member Testifies in El Paso

While my last post made light of the situation in El Paso, this event proved to be an important day for drug policy. Even though mayor Cook's veto was not overridden by the city council, councilman O'Rourke's goal to stimulate dialogue about ending prohibition was achieved. Over 40 people testified their support or disagreement with the veto's override. It seemed like most supported keeping all options on the table and not limiting discussion - whether or not they personally supported legalization.

Nubia Legarda, a University of Texas at El Paso student, testified on behalf of SSDP in support of the amendment that would include the discussion of ending prohibition as an option to curb the escalating violence in Juarez. Nubia has family in Juarez and provided a touching and articulate testimony that made SSDP proud!

Immediately after the city council meeting, Nubia made a $10 donatation to SSDP! Thank her by matching her donation today!