Drug WarRant

From the good folks at Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)

As you know, since its inception, SSDP has campaigned against a 1998
amendment to the Higher Education Act that denies federal financial aid to
anyone convicted of a drug-related offense, no matter how minor. This
provision is counter-productive and causes enormous harm, particularly to
minority students and middle-class and lower-income students who can’t
afford the high cost of college. Department of Education data indicates
that more than 128,000 students have been adversely affected by the
provision.

H.R. 685, a bill in Congress that would repeal the provision has the
support of sixty-five Representatives, and now nine Presidential
candidates have spoken out against the provision. A national coalition
has formed to fight for repeal of the provision. Allies include the
United States Student Association and the American Council on Education.

Pressure from our broad-based coalition has already started to trouble
Rep. Mark Souder, the provision’s author. Recently, Rep. Souder
introduced a proposal that he sees as a “fix” to the problems associated
with the provision. While we applaud any efforts to reduce the suffering
caused by this bad law, we know that the only true solution is its full
repeal.

We need you to send this message loud and clear to Congress!

Right now – with reauthorization of the Higher Education Act on the
horizon – is the best opportunity to repeal the drug provision.

ACTIONS TO TAKE:

1. FAX YOUR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATORS RIGHT NOW and urge them to
   support all opportunities to repeal the 1998 Higher Education Act
   amendment that delays or denies federal financial aid to anyone convicted
   of a drug related offense. Do it free here.Follow-up your fax with phone calls to their offices this THURSDAY,
   FEBRUARY 12, 2004.

We’ve been fighting this one for years and it needs to go away! I’m proud to say that the Illinois State University was one of the early ones to pass a resolution condemning this provision.

Reported in the Quad-City Times:

Cancer and AIDS sufferers as well as Illinoisans suffering from glaucoma, would be able to grow, possess and use marijuana without fear of arrest or jail under legislation just introduced in the General Assembly.

But House Bill 4868’s sponsor, Rep.æ Angelo “Skip” Saviano, R-River Grove, said his motivation in offering the measure is only to educate his fellow lawmakers.

“I’m approaching this with the idea of seeing where everybody lines up on it – law enforcement, the medical community – to see if this would be something feasible or palatable,” he said.

As a practical matter, he said the measure probably will not make it to the electronic tote board in the House chamber that records the “ayes” and “nays.”

Yes, it’s timid (providing political cover), but it’s also a good sign and a good start for Illinois. The synopsis of the bill is:

Creates the Medical Cannabis Act. Provides that a person who has been diagnosed by a physician as having a debilitating medical condition and the person’s primary caregiver may be issued a registry identification card by the Department of Human Services that permits the person or the person’s primary caregiver to legally possess no more than 6 Cannabis Sativa plants and one ounce of usable cannabis. Provides that a person who possesses a registry identification card is not subject to arrest, prosecution, or penalty in any manner, or denial of any right or privilege, including civil penalty or disciplinary action by a professional licensing board, for the medical use of cannabis; provided that the qualifying patient or primary caregiver possesses an amount of cannabis that does not exceed 6 Cannabis Sativa plants and one ounce of usable cannabis. Amends the Cannabis Control Act to make conforming changes consistent with the Medical Cannabis Act. Effective immediately.

More information available at IDEAL – Illinois Drug Education and Legislative Reform.

LastOneSpeaks has another outstanding post on the Kucinich/Kerry question for drug policy reformers.

There’s plenty of time to close ranks behind the nominee when the fight is against Bush. For now backing this losing candidate [Kucinich] could win some respect for a progressive agenda and drug policy reform.

æ
When it comes to Kerry, she also notes:

Now that it seems apparent that Kerry’s got the nomination sewn up, it’s more important than ever to support Kucinich in order to get the DNC’s attention. Kerry is not taking the issue nor the reformers seriously as evidenced by such conduct as consigning the most active thread on his Internet Forum, a discussion on drug policy, to the limbo of the “other” category instead of giving it a prominent place on the first page and he has ignored the request for his written position on agricultural hemp made by Vote Hemp, unconcerned that it cost him a good rating from the organization . We addressed his Beers problem earlier.

To that I’ll add that Kerry not only ignored the request from Vote-hemp, but actually publicly promised to respond and then failed to do so. While some would prefer to have seen an “Incomplete” than an “F” by Vote-Hemp, as someone who teaches in college I know there is a point in a student’s neglect when an incomplete grade defaults to an “F.” However, Senator, there’s always the appeal for a grade change. I’d really like to see what you have to say. (Just don’t tell my students that I’m easy.)
When it comes to surveys, Kerry seems to be keeping his views close. For years, Project Vote-Smart has been putting together the National Political Awareness Test for candidates at all levels. This is a survey that candidates can use with specific choices, or avoid pre-programmed choices and put in their own issue statements.
This year’s survey has some excellent questions regarding the drug war (among many other areas the survey covers)
Candidates are asked whether they would support the following policy initiatives (or they can propose their own):

• Support mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs.
• Expand federally sponsored drug education and drug treatment programs.
• Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
• Allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
• Increase border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S.
• Eliminate federal funding for programs associated with the “war on drugs.”
• Other or expanded principles

Unfortunately Kerry (along with Dean and Bush) has not responded (see my chart comparing candidate responses).
According to Vote-Smart:

Senator John Forbes Kerry refused to provide any responses to citizens on issues through the National Political Awareness Test. Senator John Forbes Kerry refused to provide this information when asked to do so on 23 separate occasions by: MSNBC; CBS News; Cox Newspapers; Knight Ridder; National Journal; MTV; New Hampshire Public Broadcasting; Tucson Citizen; St. Paul Pioneer Press; Portsmouth Herald; Nashua Telegraph; Iowa Public Radio; Ames Daily Tribune; Cedar Rapids Gazette; Iowa City Press; The State (SC); WYY Philadelphia; San Jose Mercury News; Geraldine Ferraro, Former Democratic Congresswoman; Michael Dukakis, Fomer Democratic Congressman; Bill Frenzel, Former Republican Congressman; Jim Leach, Republican Congressman; Richard Kimball, Project Vote Smart Presiden

There’s still time. Kerry can speak up. But we need to continue to apply the pressure. And one of the ways is by continuing to support Kucinich.
Oh, and don’t forget. Republicans should go to the primaries as well and write in Blake Ashby. You should at least make Karl Rove have to go look him up.

“bullet” For an excellent overview of the recent 9th Circuit decision to slap down the DEA’s attempt to control hemp foods, see this release from Vote Hemp.
“bullet” Dallas News has a feature today on the special prosecutor who has been tapped to take on the fake-drugs scandal that involved police and drug dealers conspiring to frame innocent people with drug charges.
“bullet” Libby at LastOneSpeaks has been following the unfolding story of the North Carolina school drug sting that has swept up a bunch of kids here, here, and here.
“bullet” Then take a look at this report of expulsions in Pueblo, Colorado, and ask two questions:

1. Does expelling that many kids really make marijuana less available? Because it sure doesn’t seem that way.
2. What are all those kids you’ve expelled for smoking pot going to do now?

“bullet” If you’re in the Nashville area, there’s something you should check out next week — two days of workshops at the library and a public forum at American Baptist College.

In the 1960s the Rev. James Lawson and the Rev. C.T. Vivian provoked and inspired Nashville and the nation as they took part in the civil rights movement. Next week they’ll be in town for a special ceremony at the Nashville Public Library.

In addition to looking back, they will look forward as to how the lessons learned in the movement more than 30 years ago can be used now to fight against what many view as a misguided “war on drugs.”

They will speak at a public forum, “Challenging the War on Drugs: A Community Conversation” from 9-11 a.m. Feb. 14 at American Baptist College, 1800 Baptist World Center Drive.

If you go, I’d love to get a report on it.
For more information call the library at 862-5804. This is being presented in conjunction with Religious Leaders for a More Just and Compassionate Drug Policy.
I’m always heartened to find religious groups getting involved in countering the destructive war on drugs. It’s been difficult for them. They’ve been led to believe for so long in a simple, yet horribly fallcious equation: government criminal enforcement = cessation of bad activity. Some are starting to realize that they’ve been selling their parishioners’ souls to an enforcement regime that creates new problems without solving any of the old ones.
My dad is a retired minister. He has always been opposed to any forms of intoxicants (including alcohol) and has generally seen drug policy reform (aka legalization) as a way for more people to do drugs. In recent years however, he has begun to question the validity of the enforcement “cure,” realizing that it is worse than the “disease.”
In addition to Religious Leaders for a More Just and Compassionate Drug Policy, you can also check out Unitarian Universalists for Drug Policy.

• “Drug War / Marijuana Decriminalization” Animation
• Kucinich on the Drug War
• Kucinich on Medical Marijuana
• Kucinich on Marijuana decriminalization
• Kucinich on the Patriot Act

A lot of states with primaries fast approaching. Tough decisions to make. All sorts of reasons to look at different candidates on different issues.
Well, I’m here to make it easy for you.

1. If you’re voting in a Democratic Primary, vote for Dennis Kucinich
2. If you’re voting in a Republican Primary, write in Blake Ashby

Simple. Of the candidates in the two main parties, these have the absolute best positions on drug policy. No contest.
Now perhaps you think that Dennis Kucinich or Blake Ashby are unelectable, or there’s some other area that you disagree with their policies, or just that they don’t have a chance of getting the nomination. My response: well of course they don’t have a chance of getting the nomination! At this point, the odds are pretty extreme. But, every vote they get means another chance of their views on the drug war being heard or considered. Then once the nominations sort themselves out, you can take a look at your final choice then (without worrying about “throwing your vote away” in the final election).
I’m serious. What will it hurt?
If, on the other hand, you’re a Democrat who is convinced that the primaries are over and John Kerry is going to be the nominee, BigLeftOutside has started to give detailed analysis on Kerry’s positions on the drug war, including:
The good:

• Kerry and Medical Marijuana
• Kerry and Marijuana
• Kerry, Mandatory Minimum Sentences, and “Crime Bills”
• Kerry and What He Already Knows About the Drug Economy

The bad:

• Kerry as Overzealous Prosecutor in anything defined as “War”
• Kerry as Social Moralist
• Kerry and the Drug Plane Shoot-downs
• Kerry and his Rand Beers Problem
• Kerry and Plan Colombia: The Bad

And the uncertain:

• Kerry and Plan Colombia: The Potential for Good
• Kerry’s Environmental Passions and Drug Policy Dilemmas
• Kerry’s Budget-Balancing Priorities and Drug Policy Dilemmas

It’s a wonderful start to a Kerry analysis, and it’s clear that Al Giordano has great knowledge and useful advice. It’s also clear that he’s got an ego the size of Texas — something he’ll need to learn to temper if he really wishes to be effective in his self-appointed role as “referee” for upcoming strategy debates within the drug reform community.

This week’s Drug War Chronicle is worth reading cover to cover. Some amazing articles including:
“bullet” Drug War Kills More Than a Cop a Month
Yes, that’s at least one policeman every month. Give this to your law-and-order-I-support-the-drug-war friends:

“These police deaths are totally unnecessary,” said Cole. “If we ended drug prohibition, none of these officers would have had to die. We’re killing our police. All we have to do is legalize drugs and that would not be happening. Can’t we learn from Alcohol Prohibition?” Cole asked. “We had the highest murder rate in our history and cops were dying right and left.”

“These are casualties of war,” said LEAP member Peter Christ, a retired police captain with 20 years of experience fighting the drug war. “It’s a war we shouldn’t be fighting,” he told DRCNet. “Drug prohibition creates an environment where we put cops in a job where they can’t win, and you have to expect these kinds of results. The answer is a no-brainer, at least for me: You have to legalize drugs.”

“bullet” Marijuana Rx for Methamphetamine? Hawaii May Give It a Try
This is fascinating and I’d like to see if it catches on in medical marijuana states.

Medical marijuana is “a multi-purpose therapeutic aid” that can do a better job of treating ice users than current programs, Adler said. …

While there are no studies of the therapeutic effect of marijuana on methamphetamine users, studies of its use in treating crack users have returned promising results. In a Brazilian study, researchers followed crack users who turned to pot to break their addiction. After nine months, they reported, “most of the subjects ceased to use crack and reported that the use of cannabis had reduced their craving symptoms, and produced subjective and concrete changes in their behavior, helping them to overcome crack addiction.” In another study from Jamaica, researchers followed 33 crack-smoking women for nine months and found that “cannabis cigarettes (“spliffs”) constitute the cheapest, most effective, and readily available therapy for discontinuing crack consumption.”

“It could work,” said Dr. Ethan Russo, Senior Medical Advisor to British pharmaceutical company GW Pharmaceutical’s Cannabinoid Research Institute. GW is the maker of Sativex, a sublingual cannabinoid medicine. “Cannabis is helpful for a variety of addictions, and the mechanisms of crack and meth are quite comparable.”

“bullet” HEA Struggle Enters New Year as Bush Budget Pushes Souder Reform
As you may be aware, a current heinous provision in the Higher Education Act denies financial aid to students who have had a drug conviction (not rape or assault or any other charges — just drugs — and it usually ends up damaging young people who got caught with pot at some point).
For years, we’ve been fighting this provision and it looks like there’s finally a better chance of getting it repealed in Congress. So Bush’s current budget has done an end run around the reform efforts and joined with drug warrior Mark Souder to propose a modification to the provision (still bad) rather than repeal. Go to RaiseYourVoice to see how you can get involved in this.
“bullet” There’s lots more good stuff in this issue of the Drug War Chronicle including a newsbrief about San Francisco giving an OK to possible city-supported medical marijuana co-ops. And you can also get fun stuff like Stop the Drug War strobe lights and ink stamps by donating.

“bullet” Did Bush drop out of the National Guard to avoid drug testing? Eric Boehlert in Salon idly speculated about the fact that the questioned time period in 1972 was the year that the military started implementing random drug tests.
Now, I’m opposed to drug testing for future Presidents. And since anybody can grow up to become President… well, you get the idea.
“bullet” For something entirely different, and just for fun in this election season, check out the Guns and Dope Party. Entertaining and informative. Equal rights for ostriches!
(thanks to Tad)
“bullet” You might find this article about The Living Things, a performance group from St. Louis, interesting…

“We aren’t angry, we’re frustrated.” With what? “With our government,” (Lillian says with a delighted laugh; “John Ashcroft came to the library in St. Louis and I shook hands with him — I shook hands with the devil!). Prozac for teens –“It’s refusal to deal with the issues of youth except by prescription. Prozac is just a gateway drug, ” Lillian explains, “It will only lead to coke and other illegal substances because it trains people to treat their problems with chemicals.” The education system: “The schools don’t want you to talk, so kids come to our shows and they are so happy they can speak their fucking minds.”

“bullet” This week’s DrugSense Weekly is out with an excellent re-cap of the week, including this great feature article by Leah B. Rorvig on drug testing: Students find dialogue more effective than drug testing.

You might think that we were the safest students in north Texas.æ But you’d be wrong.æ I knew classmates who drove drunk or high because they had no one to call who could pick them up in time to meet our strict curfew.æ Instead of opening up an honest dialogue, administrators enforced a strict no-tolerance policy, giving us the impression that we couldn’t talk to them about alcohol or other drugs.æ

This was not particularly a surprise to me, but is very welcome.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled against the DEA regarding its “final rule.” The DEA was attempting to prohibit the sale or consumption of hemp food products.
The Court had earlier granted a temporary injunction against the DEA from implementing the rule, and today they made it permanent.
From the ruling (available here in pdf form)

Appellants manufacture, distribute, or sell comestible items
containing oil or sterilized seeds from “hemp” — a species of
plant within the genus Cannabis. They challenge two Drug
Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) regulations that, taken
together, would ban the sale or possession of such items even
if they contain only non-psychoactive trace amounts of
tetrahydrocannabinols (“THC”). The DEA asserts that natural,
as well as synthetic, THC is included in Schedule I of the
Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”). We have previously held
that the definition of “THC” in Schedule I refers only to synthetic
THC, and that any THC occurring naturally within
Cannabis is banned only if it falls within the Schedule I definition
of “marijuana.”1 We reiterate that ruling here: in accordance with Schedule I, the DEA’s relevant rules and regulations
may be enforced only insofar as they ban the presence
of marijuana or synthetic THC.

To understand that section completely, it’s important to know that the Controlled Substances Act specifically exempted hemp stalks, fiber, oil and cake made from hemp seed (and sterilized hemp seed) from the definition of marijuana.
Good news. And I repeat from an earlier post:

This means you can get your delicious and nutritious hemp food products, like those pictured from Ruth’s Hemp Foods, where they have hemp bars, hemp oil, tortilla wraps/chips/pasta, hemp milk and more. Hemp cannot be legally grown in the U.S., but hemp foods can be imported from Candada, and at Ruth’s it’s easy to order online and have it shipped here.

Disclaimer: I do not work for Ruth’s Hemp Foods, nor have I received any consideration for promoting their products. However, if Ruth’s Hemp Foods appreciates this product placement, and wants to thank me… I particularly like the Cranberry Almond SoftHemp bars and the SoftHemp seeds (a case of each would be great!)