Dickinson College Debate On Cannabis Legalization Now Online

My recent debate with Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed at Dickinson College on September 4 in now online for viewing. Public debates at places such as colleges and universities are crucial in educating the public about alternatives to cannabis prohibition. Interested individuals and parties that would like to establish a NORML chapter or sponsor a debate between NORML and a proponent of cannabis prohibition are encouraged to contact NORML.

NORML Wants To Know: Are You Or A Loved One A ‘Unicorn’?

By Dominic Holden, NORML Board Member

Originally published by the Seattle Stranger’s Slog.

Last week White House appointee John Walters claimed on C-SPAN that finding people in jail for “first-time nonviolent possession of marijuana… is like finding a unicorn … because it doesn’t exist.” I had a hunch that some of the 775,138 people arrested for pot possession last year were actually unicorns…

But the drug czar probably assumed that it’s a freebie to call people with criminal convictions anything he wants, because they’re likely to be too ashamed to defend themselves. That’s certainly true, but it didn’t take me long to find credible people willing to vouch for the existence of first-time, non-violent marijuana offenders—excuse me, unicorns.

In just one hour, I’ve found five people who have seen the Drug Czar’s unicorns with their own eyes. Here are Slog’s exclusive unicorn reports: (more…)

In These Times: “20 Million Arrests, and Counting”

I’m pleased to see that the political left is finally beginning to emphasize the tragedy that is marijuana prohibition. Truth is: it is impossible in this day and age to talk about social justice, civil liberties, and economic equality without calling for an end to the “war on (some) drugs.”

20 Million Arrests, and Counting
via In These Times

Since the early ’90s, the total number of Americans busted annually for pot has nearly tripled. … Yet despite this massive increase in arrests … the mass media and Congress continue to ignore the story.

… Equally troubling yet seldom discussed publicly is the reality that marijuana enforcement disproportionately affects citizens by age. According to data compiled by the FBI, 74 percent of all Americans busted for pot are under 30. One out of four is 18 or younger.

We now have a generation (or two) that is so alienated that many young people believe the police are an instrument of their oppression rather than their protection.

While young people suffer the most under current anti-pot laws, they lack the financial means and political capital to influence politicians to challenge them.

As a result, marijuana arrests continue to climb unabated. And few in the mainstream press — and even fewer lawmakers — feel any sufficient political pressure to address it.

Please take a moment to comment (free registration required) on NORML’s essay, and encourage the editors of In These Times to expand their drug war coverage.

Also, please consider registering for NORML’s 2008 annual Conference — taking place October 17-20 in Berkeley, California — where experts from around the nation will discuss, in depth, the staggering number of cannabis arrests and the disproportionate impact these arrests have on youth. Discount pricing is still available, but not for long.

See you in Berkeley!

Vested Interests? I’d say!

With the record number of cannabis arrests publicized last week, came the usual round of supporter and media inquiries about ‘who actually supports keeping America’s cannabis prohibition in place?’

Without sounding overly jaded, it will not surprise many that a principle root of the problem here is ‘money’. In fact, our tax money.

Washington DC’s Roll Call newspaper had an article last week (10/15/08, pg 9, under the very aptly entitled ‘Vested Interests‘ section) that highlights one of the major sources for cannabis arrests in the United States, and how it’s possible demise in future might have positive effects for cannabis consumers in the coming years. One can argue that a major source of the steady increase in cannabis arrests circa 1992 corresponds closely with the massive federal funding received by local, county and state law enforcement departments in a block grant funding program administered by the United States Department of Justice called the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program, known to policy wonks as ‘Byrne/JAG’. The over $500 million in annual funds funneled to state and local law enforcement agencies have largely help establish multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency ‘anti-drug’ task forces that 1) feast on civil forfeiture laws (which often allow law enforcement, not elected politicians, to divide up seized assets labeled ‘drug money’) and 2) run around claiming that America is ‘winning the war on drugs’ or that ‘legalizing cannabis sends the wrong message to children’.

However, over the years a curiously quite and bipartisan effort has been forged to strip down Byrne/JAG from an $520 million annual appropriation to $170 million. That is a real cut in funding, even by the Beltway’s standard voodoo math! President Bush’s budget office, with support from powerful Republicans in the House and Senate, along with the current Democratic leadership, appear poised to engage in one of the most fundamental changes in criminal justice policy in the last 20 years: A de-escalation–an actual reduction–in federal government spending that helps fuels the war on some drugs. And this from Bush 2.0 and the Democratic leadership (who usually don’t agree on much these days), and despite broad support in Congress for law enforcement getting what they want (218 House members, and 56 Senator have signed a letter insisting that Byrne/JAG receive full funding in the proposed federal budget) seem to be, behind the scenes in government, checking some of the excesses of modern federal drug warring.

We’ll see.

‘Release The Hounds!’
Shockingly, the political and financially self-interested opposition to the cuts are now wagering an aggressive lobbying campaign in DC to restore what they think is theirs–which, in fact, is our tax money.

An alliance of 30 law enforcement and local government group, including prohibition boosters such as the National Criminal Justice Association, National Alliance of Drug Enforcement Agencies, the International Chief of Police Association and the National Governors Association have been lobbying Congress to have the funding restored in a different spending vehicle.

Roll Call reports: Ronald Brooks, president of the National Narcotics Officers’ Associations’ Coalition, which represents some 40,000 local, state and federal narcotic officers redoubled their efforts this spring working to get more money. …

“Many of our supporters were stunned that it had been cut out in the 11th hour by the leadership and the administration (editor’s note: the ‘it’ Narco Brooks refers to is our tax dollars!). To add insult to injury, $684 million went into foreign aid to assist foreign law enforcement.”

Along with drug policy reform and civil liberty groups, reformers are now joined in supporting this historic reduction in Byrne/JAG funding by ‘conservative’ taxpayer-watchdog groups like Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform and Citizens Against Government Waste.

NORML will report to supporters in near future regarding the final outcome of the Byrne/JAG appropriation in this Congress.

The Hill (Round Three): NORML vs The Drug Czar

UPDATE!!! UPDATE!!!

Well, it’s only been 24 hours, but so far 100+ readers have posted comments to The Hill‘s blog telling John Walters to either tell the truth or get out! (I’d be more than happy with the latter.) Keep the feedback coming.

Also, many of you may also wish to stop by the Huffington Post, where my essay has just been re-posted here.

Like The Hill, the Huffington Post is a highly influential political website — and it is one of the most visited sites on the Internet. Yet their reporting is seldom critical of the war on (some) drugs. Please send The Post a message that their readership supports marijuana law reform by commenting on this story, “digging” it, and disseminating it widely. Thanks!

Drug Czar John Walters believes he can lie with impunity.

He’s wrong.

Today NORML responds to the Czar’s outrageous claims that few, if any, people are arrested or incarcerated for marijuana violations — and we do so in John Walters backyard: The Hill‘s influential Congress blog.

How Can We Discuss Marijuana Policy When America’s Top Drug Cop Won’t Even Acknowledge The Facts?
via The Hill

If denial is the first sign of addiction, then Drug Czar John Walters is hooked to the gills. He’s addicted to targeting and arresting marijuana consumers, and he’ll do and say anything to keep this irrational and punitive policy in place.

The Hill is providing reformers with a valuable service by bringing our message prominently to Capitol Hill, and acting as a mediator in a high profile debate with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. In the past, the Drug Czar’s office has outright refused to debate spokespersons from NORML or other marijuana law reform groups, but the office has felt obligated to respond to our posts on The Hill, which remains the paper of record for members of Congress and their staff.

Because The Hill is widely read by lawmakers and by the national media, it is vital that we demonstrate the popularity of this issue by commenting prolifically. Please post your feedback to The Hill and make a point of disseminating this essay to your friends and colleagues. Previous posts by NORML to The Hill‘s blog have received hundreds of readers’ comments — virtually all favorable toward marijuana law reform. Editors at The Hill inform NORML that it’s the highest volume of readers’ response they’ve ever received on any commentary on any topic!

The Hill is getting our message; will Congress or the Drug Czar?