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The Week Online with DRCNet
(renamed "Drug War Chronicle" effective issue #300, August 2003)
Issue #248, 8/2/02
"Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Drug Prohibition"
Phillip S. Smith, Editor
David Borden, Executive Director
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Editorial: Getting from Here to There
2. Despite Supreme Court Ruling, No Wave of High School Drug Testing Foreseen
3. US Prison Population Leveling Off, Feds Drive Small Increase
4. Needle Exchange 2002: A Long Way Traveled, A Long Way to Go
5. Baltimore Killings Continue as Politicians Continue to Ignore Role of Prohibition
6. Stossel Special Spurs War of Letters to ABC
7. Newsbrief: Cooking Speed Equals Child Abuse Under New Tennessee Law
8. Massachusetts Governor Vetoes Decriminalization Provisions
9. Newsbrief: Afghan Crop Report Says Opium Eradication a Joke

10. Newsbrief: Leading British Comedian Says Legalize It All
11. Newsbrief: Alabama Rape Victim Ordered to Provide Urine Sample for Drug Test
12. Newsbrief: Tennessee School Board Ordered to Back Off on Zero Tolerance -- Right to Public Education at Issue
13. Newsbrief: Seattle Marijuana Enforcement Initiative Signatures Submitted
14. Web Scan: CriminalDefense.com, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Harry Levine, Ethan Nadelmann, Medical
Marijuana Research, School Daily
15. Legislative Alerts: Rave Bill, Medical Marijuana, Higher Education Act Drug Provision
16. The Reformer's Calendar
(read last week's issue)
(visit the Week Online archives)
1. Editorial: Getting from Here to There
David Borden, Executive Director, borden@drcnet.org, 8/2/02
It's easy in a cause like ending drug prohibition to wonder if it will ever happen. Public support is not high. Politicians
respond to the idea with ridicule, and viciously attack their political opponents (or their allies, for that matter) if they do
otherwise. Policies are dramatically in the opposite direction, in the US at least; passing even the smallest partial drug
policy reforms that almost everyone agrees with often requires an all out tooth and nail fight.
But if the political currents are against us, the undercurrents tell a different story. During the 10 years I've been following this
issue and the nine in which I've been actively involved, opposition to the drug war in its current form as well as support for
repeal of prohibition outright have both grown substantially. In 1998, for example, there were zero governors of US states
who would speak in a serious way about legalization; by 1999, there were two (New Mexico's Gary Johnson and
Minnesota's Jesse Ventura). A spate of leaders in other countries, particularly Latin America, have raised their voices, the
presidents of Mexico and Uruguay among them. And of course ending prohibition is possible -- drugs were legal at one
time, that can be the case again in the future; it's only a matter of when.
Human nature is such that individuals' opinions are influenced strongly by their perceptions of the prevailing viewpoints of
others in society, particularly those they respect or with whom they identify. It is not the only factor forming opinion; people
certainly do hold their own ideas, sometimes very independently of even their own friends and families. But the perception of

certainly do hold their own ideas, sometimes very independently of even their own friends and families. But the perception of
the degree of mainstream or credible support that an idea has is one major factor influencing the perception of an issue.
Drug legalization is perceived by the average American to be "radical" or unsupported by other average or respectable
Americans, and that, in my opinion at least, is the main reason why support for fundamental reform is not yet sufficient to
catalyze changes.
The flip side is that the perceived absence of such support is one major reason why it's difficult even for legalization
supporters to believe it's possible. But if we can suspend that disbelief, if we can have the courage to take the needed to
raise awareness of the consequences of drug prohibition and transform global consciousness on drug policy, our actions
can and will bear fruit. And that may happen sooner than anyone would guess while living under the drug war.
The voices of respected opinion leaders are key to effecting that transformation. When governor Johnson came out for
legalization, as difficult of a political time as he got for it in his own state, the issue took a step closer to the mainstream.
Some minds were changed, and many more were opened to considering the possibility. The same goes for former surgeon
general Joycelyn Elders, former Baltimore mayor Kurt Schmoke, the editors of National Review magazine, the editors of the
Economist, the many governors and parliamentarians throughout Europe and Latin America and many, many more.
The John Stossel special on ABC throws more fuel on that fire. Large numbers of Americans now are aware that a judge
and a priest are for legalization and that a big city police chief is at a minimum against the drug war and maybe more. Cite
this fact in your conversations with friends, refer to it in your speeches, buy a copy of the tape (maybe from DRCNet within
a few weeks from now) and invite people over to watch it. Sign up for a room in your local library and hold a public viewing.
Write a letter to the editor about it. Use the names of these prominent and respected anti-prohibitionists to help win the
hearts and minds of the public at large.
Change is possible, if we take the needed steps to get from here to there. And that journey begins with the first step.
2. Despite Supreme Court Ruling, No Wave of High School Drug Testing Foreseen
When the Supreme Court ruled in June in Earls v. Tecumseh that local school districts could constitutionally drug test
students involved in extracurricular activities, the drug testing industry, some congressional drug warriors, and at least one
well-known political hired gun got excited. But a round of interviews conducted by DRCNet this week suggests that school
districts are not about to embark on a headlong rush into student drug testing despite the high court's green light.
In a 5-4 decision, the Court expanded its 1995 Vernonia ruling, which allowed districts to test athletes in certain
circumstances, to include students who wish to participate in activities such as debate society, chess club, and the like
(http://www.drcnet.org/wol/243.html#schooldrugtesting). But while some anti-drugs groups predicted an avalanche of new

(http://www.drcnet.org/wol/243.html#schooldrugtesting). But while some anti-drugs groups predicted an avalanche of new
drug testing programs in the schools, a number of factors are conspiring to make such an event likely.
"We did not see a big increase in school drug testing after Vernonia, and we don't expect to see a big increase now," said
Ed Darden, senior staff attorney for the National School Board Association. "This is really a community decision, and there
may be cost considerations, political objections and practical concerns that stop districts from moving in that direction," he
told DRCNet. "There will be a huge number of school districts who will not move toward drug testing no matter what the
Supreme Court said."
"The Supreme Court decision hasn't gotten a lot of play down here," said Dr. Paul Whitten, Associate Executive Director of
the Texas Association of School Administrators, which includes representatives from all of the state's more than one
thousand school districts. "Those schools that wanted to do testing are already doing it and those that didn't want to aren't
going to start," he told DRCNet.
The same sentiment echoed in Alabama. "We've got a handful of districts that have been doing it for awhile and a couple
that are considering it now," said Susan Salter, director of public relations for the Alabama Association of School Boards.
"But we have not seen much change in the number of boards doing drug testing in the wake of Tecumseh," she told
DRCNet.
In some states, the Supreme Court ruling is not an issue. "This has absolutely no impact on us," said Mary Gannon, policy
services director for the Iowa Association of School Boards. "The Iowa Constitution forbids suspicionless searches, even if
the US Constitution does not. We do not do random drug testing of our students."
DRCNet has been unable to find accurate numbers for the number of school districts currently using drug testing programs,
but estimates ran from 2% to at most 10% of school districts nationwide. NSBA's Darden said "it's a small number of
districts, less than 5%, I'd guess." And based on anecdotal evidence, it appears that drug testing is most likely to occur in
small, rural districts. Whitten was able to tick off the names of the Texas districts involved in drug testing -- all were rural
and situated in the Panhandle -- although, as Salter pointed out, in Alabama, at least, drug testing is ongoing at affluent
suburban Birmingham high schools as well as in rural districts such as Limestone County.
If the Supreme Court has removed an obstacle to wider drug testing in the schools, why is there no move to implement
such programs? For Kevin Zeese, author of the Drug Testing Legal Manual and president of Common Sense for Drug Policy
(http://www.csdp.org), the answer is that significant obstacles remain. "I attended the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry
Association (DATIA) conference here in July, and advocates for drug testing argued that, with the Supreme Court decision,
the law is there, public support is there, and money for testing is there," Zeese told DRCNet. "They are wrong on all three
counts. The money is the big one," said Zeese. "There is federal money available, but not very much of it, and it competes
with other programs and services that are now seriously underfunded. State school systems are struggling and the money
that might go to drug testing competes with programs such as mental health services, after-school programs and prevention

that might go to drug testing competes with programs such as mental health services, after-school programs and prevention
programs," Zeese explained. "Drug testing is so unproven at this point, that it is hard for it to compete."
The legal status of drug testing remains problematic, as well, Zeese added. "Districts will have to be very careful to stick to
the confines of the Supreme Court decision and go no further, and they will have to worry about the state courts. Some
state constitutions offer greater protections than the US Constitution."
The school administration officials DRCNet spoke with all concurred on that count, each warning that districts faced the
specter of costly litigation over drug testing policies. "This is the beginning of the legal battles, not the end," said Darden.
As for public opinion, said Zeese, that is a battle to be waged. "There is knee-jerk public support for drug testing, but when
parents look at the details, they can be dissuaded. There will be divisions in every school district, and this is an important
opportunity for reformers to advance alternative drug prevention and treatment programs for kids," he argued. "If we as a
society really want to address youth drug use, we need a healthy kids program, preschool and after-school programs, we
need mentors -- that's what works."
If the Earls decision is not creating a rush to school drug testing, neither is there much sense that even broader testing is
coming down the pike. "This is the end and the outer limits" of school drug testing parameters said Darden. "If we go
beyond testing students in extracurricular activities to testing all students, as some have suggested, our answer is no. If
you're talking about testing every student and you have meaningful penalties, you end up taking away core educational
rights."
Zeese agreed. "The Supreme Court will not go further, provided the makeup of the Court remains the same," said Zeese.
"Justice Breyer was the fifth vote, and in his dissent he said one reason he could support extracurricular activity testing was
that it allowed students to be conscientious objectors. They could opt out of the chess club if they didn't want to be tested.
They would pay a price, but they could still get an education."
While school administrators seem to have a firm grip on the realities and practicalities of the issue, at least one
Republican-leaning hired gun smells blood. Dick Morris, who once advised President Clinton on his "triangulation" strategy
of relentlessly hewing to the center, and who has since evolved into a conservative FOX News TV commentator, saw the
issue as a potential wedge issue for Republicans in this fall's elections.
"The issue of school drug testing would put a key morality/crime issue back on the national agenda, a focus that has been
clearly lacking" in recent years, Morris wrote in the congressional insider Hill News on July 1. "The absence of such an
issue haunts Republican prospects in future elections." The GOP should "latch onto this issue" and "recognize its political
potential," he added.
But aside from a press conference held by Rep. John Peterson (R-PA) to tout his new bill to provide financial and technical

But aside from a press conference held by Rep. John Peterson (R-PA) to tout his new bill to provide financial and technical
assistance to districts who want to undertake drug testing programs, the Republican masses have not risen up. Perhaps
they are more leery of the messenger than the message. Being advised on morality issues by a political Hessian who lost
his job with Clinton after being caught spending his evenings sucking the toes of a high-priced DC prostitute, as reported in
the British tabloid The Star in 1996.
3. US Prison Population Leveling Off, Feds Drive Small Increase
While the states, faced with growing budget deficits and drug war fatigue, are beginning to rethink their approaches to crime
and sentencing and decrease their prison populations, the federal prison system is still growing at a rapid clip, according to
the Bureau of Justice Statistics' latest review of the data. According to "Prisoners in 2001," released this week, state prison
populations grew by only 3,193 people during 2001, an increase of 0.3% over 2000. In the last half of 2002, the total number
of state prisoners actually declined by 3,700 persons -- a decline of 0.3% and a possible harbinger of a growing exodus
from the state prisons.
The federal prison system, on the other hand, continued its rapid expansion, adding 11,557 inmates, a startling 8.0%
increase over the previous year. Drug war prisoners constitute a majority of all federal prisoners, accounting for 57% of all
federal inmates.
The US prison and jail population -- state and federal -- has now climbed to more than 2.1 million persons, yet another all-
time high, the report noted.
But despite the continued swelling of the federal prison population, some key states have moved to reduce their prison
populations through sentencing reforms, changes in parole and probation rules, and other measures. Prison populations
actually decreased in 10 states, led by New Jersey (down 5.5%), followed by Utah (-5.2%), New York (- 3.8%), and Texas
(-2.8%). Oddly, all of the states showing the largest increases in prison population during 2001 except one are in the
Pacific West. While West Virginia had the largest percentage increase (up 9.3%), the next four biggest percentage
increases were in Alaska (8.9%), Idaho (8.5%), Oregon (8.3%) and Hawaii (7.9%).
Other highlights from the report:
The federal prison system is now the third largest system in the country and will be the nation's largest by year's
end if present trends continue. Texas is largest, with 162,070 prisoners at the end of 2002; then California, with
159,444; then the federal Bureau of Prisons.
Some 22 state prisons are operating at between 1% and 16% over capacity, while the federal system is at 31%

above capacity.
More than 585,000 black males are in prison. Black non-hispanic inmates are the largest ethnic group in the
prisons, representing 44% of all prisoners. 10% of all black males between 25 and 29 were behind bars at the end of
2001.
Drug offenders made up 20% of the growth in state prison populations in the last decade. More than 250,000 were
serving time in state prison at the end of 2001. Drug offenders constituted 57% of the total federal prison population,
up from 53% in 1990.
The overall incarceration rate reached a new high of 686 per 100,000 citizens, leaving the US secure in its position of
worldwide leader in imprisonment. One out of every 146 residents of the US was behind bars at the end of 2001.
To see the Bureau of Justice Statistics report, go to http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/press/p01pr.htm and linked pages.
4. Needle Exchange 2002: A Long Way Traveled, A Long Way to Go
With needle exchange programs (NEPs) now well into their second decade in the US, the programs continue to expand
across the country, but coverage remains spotty and significant obstacles remain.
According to a recently released survey of NEPs conducted jointly by the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York and the
North American Syringe Exchange Network (http://www.nasen.org), the number of NEPs operating in the US had climbed
to 127 by the time of the survey last fall, up from 96 in 1997 and 29 in 1992. In 1987, one NEP was operating in the US.
NEPs now distribute sterile syringes to injection drug users in 36 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, the
survey found.
"We're at 211 active programs now," said NASEN head Dave Purchase this week. "That's the good news. The number of
programs continues to expand."
Not only are the programs expanding, the range of services they offer is increasing. More than 90% of surveyed NEPs
offered HIV and hepatitis prevention information and information on safe injection techniques, and 87% offered vein and
abscess care information. But when it came to onsite medical services, the numbers declined dramatically. While 88%
offered HIV testing and counseling, fewer than half offered counseling for hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases or other
medical care. Similarly, fewer than half of the NEPs offered any onsite social services assistance.
Funding for NEPs remains a mix of public and private funds. Although the federal government still refuses to fund NEPs,

Funding for NEPs remains a mix of public and private funds. Although the federal government still refuses to fund NEPs,
state and local governments kicked in almost two-thirds of the more than $8 million spent operating NEPS last year.
"No federal funding, that's the bad news," Purchase told DRCNet. "There is not a dime of federal support for NEPS in the
US. They are the most proven, documented and effective AIDS prevention method known, but the federal government is
blind to the science," Purchase said. "Over the years, state and local authorities have been coming around, but we are at
an impasse at the federal level."
The creation and development of new NEPS is an uneven and uncertain process, said Donald Grove of the New York-based
Harm Reduction Coalition (http://www.harmreduction.org). "It really goes state by state, and sometimes city by city," Grove
told DRCNet. "Here in the northeast, there are rays of hope. In both New York and Massachusetts, the state has created
legal mechanisms for NEPs. Here in New York, the success of the law to allow syringe sales at pharmacies has helped
convince the state health department that there is legislative support for HIV prevention programs," Grove explained. "That
showed the health department more people were interested in NEPs than just angry, complaining merchants."
But it isn't looking so good across the Hudson River, Grove told DRCNet. "Things are still locked up in New Jersey," he
said. "Governor McGreevey said he would support NEPs, but he has not expended any political capital to make it happen.
And that's a shame, because New Jersey is the epicenter in terms of constantly increasing rates of infection."
Farther south along the Atlantic seaboard, NEPs face the additional challenge of operating underground -- without official
sanction and sometimes at risk of arrest, Grove said. "In the South, everything is underground. And North Carolina, Jesse
Helms' home state, has more underground NEPS than any state in the region. Throughout the South, these NEPs are
illegal, but they're generally tolerated," he said.
But it's not only the South where NEPS have to skirt the law. Although city officials in San Diego authorized an NEP earlier
this year, the Harm Reduction Center in suburban Encinitas still runs a large, technically illegal NEP in the city and
surrounding areas of San Diego County, where officials refuse to take the steps necessary to authorize a legal NEP.
"There's no chance we're going away," said Brent Whitteker, the center's executive director. "We're exchanging 20,000
syringes a week, we're doing home deliveries -- which the city program cannot do -- we have lots of work everyday. We have
about 1500 to 2000 participants annually, and through them we reach about 5-7,000 more," he told DRCNet. "But that's out
of an estimated 23,000 injection drug users in the county."
Whitteker said the program would like to go legit, but would stay underground if it could not do the work it saw needed
doing. "We would like a legal platform, but we cannot conform in San Diego unless they change their regulations," he said.
"And there's so much more to it than just needles. The exchange only unlocks the door, it provides the opportunity to begin
to show people how to protect themselves, how to get referrals and information about services, basically to assist them in
using in a safe way so they can live a long, healthy life."

Community hostility and resistance to NEPs continue to flare up as well. Casa Segura was firebombed in Oakland last
year, the Albuquerque city council moved against a local NEP earlier this year, and the "Peoria Needle Lady," nurse Beth
Wehrman, has gotten a rather chilly reception in the heartland as well (http://www.drcnet.org/wol/236.html#peoria). It's not
always so dramatic, but it is a recurring theme, said Purchase.
"Even the most well-established programs go through cycles with their communities," he said. "It's not about the science or
the truth -- if it were, we wouldn't be having these fights -- but it's about politics, the war on drugs mythology and even some
more malignant impulses. For some opponents, it's an educational process as well," said Purchase. "That's a slow
process."
The movement is starved for resources, said Purchase, and it needs more political support, but he pronounced himself at
least partially satisfied with the current state of affairs. "We're not stalled and we've learned a lot, over that period we've
managed to back up what was common sense then with science, and now there are over 200 programs," he said. "We've
grown more knowledgeable about tailoring programs for a more diverse population. We've made progress with state and
local officials."
But Grove pointed to yet another concern. "The model for NEPs has been to start small, gain public acceptance and then
grow, but the evidence from the Beth Israel surveys doesn't support that," he said. "If they start small, they tend to stay
small. It's great that the movement is spreading, but in many places that means if a key person goes, the program is in real
trouble."
And for Purchase the overriding issue remains the same as when he first began working on AIDS prevention in the 1980s.
"The unpleasant feeling is no different than it was years ago. Here we are trying to stop the epidemic transmission of blood
borne pathogens in a population of millions, and we lack the resources to do it. For me, anger control is always an issue."
5. Baltimore Killings Continue as Politicians Continue to Ignore Role of Prohibition
Baltimore's long hot summer continued to simmer, with at least 24 homicides reported in the last month alone, including
three children. And as the death toll rises, the political temperature is rising, too. In the wake of recent shootings, whose
victims included a Baltimore police officer, Maryland and Baltimore politicians have begun firing accusations at each other
over who is to blame. The only thing they could agree on was that the black market drug trade bears much of the
responsibility for the wave of violence.
Recent killings have included the drive-by shooting of a 13-year old boy in West Baltimore, an area of thriving black market
drug activity. The boy was with eight or nine other teenagers at the time, the Baltimore Sun reported, raising the question of

drug activity. The boy was with eight or nine other teenagers at the time, the Baltimore Sun reported, raising the question of
whether the bullet was intended for him or someone else. Targeted killings like these, which are usually linked to the
unregulated drug trade, are contributing to the recent rise in shootings.
A police officer arresting a suspected drug dealer was also shot and nearly killed in July as well. The suspected motive for
the shooting was to avoid arrest. The July incident was the third time in 18 months that a Baltimore police officer making a
drug arrest has been shot, the Sun reported.
Juveniles have become common victims of shootings in Baltimore. The Sun reported that a 60-year old Baltimore man shot
three youths between the ages of 11 and 18 to remove them from his doorstep. Neighbors said the building was being
surrounded by young drug dealers, another example of the doleful impact of prohibition and the black market.
Drug war violence has spread from Baltimore to the rest of Maryland. Suburbs such as Owings Mills, once a refuge from
area crime, have experienced an increase in thefts and burglaries and drug-related killings, including the fatal shooting of an
18-year old during a marijuana deal at Owings Mills Mall. Westminster, a town almost 25 miles northwest of the Baltimore
beltway, has experienced a surge in heroin-related overdoses. High school dealers obtain heroin from Baltimore, which,
despite the city's raging drug war remains as pure as 80%, according to local news sources.
In response to Maryland's increasing drug and violence crisis, politicians have formed a circular firing squad. Rep. Robert L.
Ehrlich, Jr. accused his opponent in the upcoming gubernatorial race, Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, of distorting
statistics showing a drop in juvenile crime in Maryland, according to the Sun. Back in Baltimore, Mayor Martin O'Malley
has ordered a temporary doubling of overtime police hours in high-violence areas, expected to cost at least $10,000 a night.
Community groups have criticized the plan as only a way to scatter the crimes geographically, rather than prevent them.
O'Malley is also forming a citizens' group to monitor the prosecution of gun crimes, he announced.
O'Malley in turn has criticized State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy for failing to pursue gun charges and not opposing bail
for a suspect in the shooting of a 10-year old boy (http://www.drcnet.org/wol/246.html#baltimore). Jessamy, who is running
for reelection in a hotly contested race, responded through an aide by accusing O'Malley of skewing crime reports to hide
his failure at fighting crime. Court transcripts show that no one from Jessamy's office appeared at the bail hearing.
On Saturday, O'Malley and Jessamy held a rare face-to-face meeting, where the two called a truce and agreed on pouring
more money into the witness protection program and establish programs to increase collaboration between prosecutors and
detectives. The witness protection program's budget has been increased from $300,000 to as much as Jessamy feels is
needed, up to $17 million. Neither Malley nor Jessamy discussed the role of drug prohibition in creating the illegal drug
market and the crime it causes.
While Baltimore remains stuck in the midst of the drug war, the town once known as "The City that Reads" is grimly
earning a new moniker, "The City that Bleeds."

6. Stossel Special Spurs War of Letters to ABC
ABC news correspondent John Stossel's primetime Wednesday night special, "Just Say No: Government's War on Drugs
Fails," a slashing indictment of the drug war and a ringing call for serious consideration of legalization of drugs, has
provoked a flutter of excitement among drug reformers and much wailing, gnashing of teeth and rending of garments among
the drug war set.
Featuring Detroit Police Chief Jerry Oliver, Southern California Judge James P. Gray, NYC Rev. Joe Kane and the Institute
for Policy Studies drug policy analyst Sanho Tree, with DEA chief Asa Hutchison representing the other side, the hour-long
Stossel special ripped gaping holes in the already tattered cloak of prohibitionist orthodoxy. Stossel raised cutting
questions such as whether claimed drug use drops are truly the result of government policies and whether the US can
wisely fight simultaneously on the two fronts of drugs and terrorism, and hammered hard on the violence created by
prohibition in the US and abroad.
Drug prohibitionists, not surprisingly, were displeased, and some of them have voiced their displeasure. Clinton era drug
policy spokesman Bob Weiner reacted like a jack-in-the-box, springing out of his Washington lair with an apoplectic press
release defending the Clinton drug war and blasting Stossel. "It was a distorted and inaccurate excuse for drug
legalization," Weiner wrote, continuing, "It blows off the successes and real reductions in use generated both by
government drug policy and efforts by parents, teachers, coaches, businesses, community coalitions, religious leaders,
and law enforcement."
The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (http://www.cadca.org), a federally seeded "demand reduction"
organization, also lobbed a stink bomb Stossel's way via press release, accusing the program of lack of balance because it
failed to discuss demand reduction. General Arthur T. Dean, Chairman and CEO of CADCA, then explained the real
problem: "While I believe there is a need for discussions in the public arena, I firmly and unequivocally believe that all illegal
drugs must remain illegal, and there is no room for negotiation on that."
And that, perhaps, is what's really eating these guys. Stossel and his guests dared to try to make room for an intelligent
discussion of drug policy, driven by rational analysis instead of adherence to hoary propaganda. That's too much for the
likes of CADCA, Weiner and their ilk, who know they must maintain a monopoly on the terms of public discourse to have
any chance of defending their positions.
Now drug reformers and drug warriors are engaged in a battle of letters to ABC. After CADCA issued a warning to its
members the day before the program aired, followed by an action alert the next day, at least three drug reform groups --
DRCNet, the Libertarian Party and Drugsense -- have done likewise, reporting unusually high response rates by their

DRCNet, the Libertarian Party and Drugsense -- have done likewise, reporting unusually high response rates by their
members. At DRCNet, for example, an action alert distributed late yesterday afternoon had yielded 15 copies of members'
letters to ABC, delivered to DRCNet by fax within two hours when the office was vacated for the night. The fax machine was
still ringing.
The L-word is breaking into the mainstream. Perhaps America is getting ready to begin a debate that its Latin American
and European counterparts have explored in depth.
ALERT: Drug warrior organizations like the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (which is more rabidly prohibitionist
than many of its members) are now waging a letter writing campaign to ABC to pressure them against questioning drug war
dogma in the future. Your help is needed to show ABC that good drug war reporting like Stossel's is not only appreciated
by viewers but is needed.
Please write a letter in support of the Stossel special to:
David Westin, President
ABC News
47 West 66th Street
New York, NY 10023
Please fax us a copy of your letter to (202) 293-8344, e-mail it to alert-feedback@drcnet.org or mail to: DRCNet, 2000 P
St., NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20036.
If you don't have time to write a paper letter (the most effective method for making an impression), please visit
http://abcnews.go.com/service/Help/abcmail.html to submit your comments to ABC News online. You can also visit
http://boards.abcnews.go.com/cgi/abcnews/request.dll?LIST&room=stossel
to state and discuss your views on ABC's web board devoted to the Stossel special.
DRCNet will provide info on ordering a video of the program in the near future. In the meantime, you can read an excerpt
from it at http://abcnews.go.com/onair/2020/stossel_drugs_020730.html online.
The following is a sample letter you can use (preferably modified and personalized) in your communication to ABC, provided
by Marc Brandl of the Libertarian Party's Drug War Task Force:
Dear Mr. Westin:
I wanted to thank you for your excellent choice to air John Stossel's segment entitled "The War on Drugs: A

I wanted to thank you for your excellent choice to air John Stossel's segment entitled "The War on Drugs: A
War on Ourselves" on Tuesday, July 30th. I found it to be a fresh, engaging look at the issue of drug policy,
and I believe it represented a level of journalistic integrity that has not been seen on the issue of drug reform
for quite some time.
I hope you will not believe any who might tell you that airing Mr. Stossel's piece was a poor choice. Indeed, it
is of the utmost importance that Americans see both sides of an issue that has gone practically uncontested
for far too long.
Thank you again for your choice in programming like John Stossel's. I sincerely hope that ABC News will
continue this level of quality analysis in the future, and I will be watching more frequently in the hope that it
does.
Sincerely,
7. Newsbrief: Cooking Speed Equals Child Abuse Under New Tennessee Law
Persons who manufacture methamphetamines in homes where children are present are presumed to be guilty
of severe child abuse under a Tennessee law that took effect this month. The new law expands the definition
of "child abuse or neglect that is likely to cause great bodily harm or death" to include cooking meth at the
family domicile. No actual harm need be proven under the law, which was crafted to make it easier for the
state Department of Children's Services (DCS) to remove the children of speed users from their parents.
"The law says having a structure with a meth lab and a child inside is severe child abuse," DCS
spokeswoman Carla Aaron told the Tennessean. "It gives us more to work with."
The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth pushed the bill. The commission's executive director,
Linda O'Neal, told the Tennessean her agency supported the bill because it provided stability for children by
"providing more protections before they are returned to their families, or if that can't be done, facilitating the
termination of parental rights."
The law provides that a court's finding of "severe abuse" can be grounds for permanently taking a child from
his or her parents.
8. Massachusetts Governor Vetoes Decriminalization Provisions

courtesy NORML Foundation, http://www.norml.org
Massachusetts lame-duck Governor Jane Swift has vetoed a provision in the state budget just approved by
the state legislature that would have transferred from prosecutors to judges the option of treating many minor,
nonviolent offenses -- including drug possession offenses -- as a civil matter instead of a criminal offense. The
decriminalization provisions were included in the state budget by the House Ways and Means Committee, as
a way to save money in a state that is facing a $2.5 billion budget shortfall. The committee said that state
prosecutors, who currently have this option, have failed to exercise it.
House Ways and Means Chairman John H. Rogers (D-Norwood) said the provision could save about $1
million a year, since the state isn't required to provide a lawyer in civil cases.
The state is spending $2.5 million annually on lawyers to defend approximately 5,000 indigent people each
year on low-level misdemeanor charges, according to the Committee for Public Counsel Services.
Rogers called it a "waste of taxpayer money" to mount a full legal defense for crimes like running red lights.
Gov. Swift, who is not a candidate for re-election in November, said she vetoed the decriminalization
provisions because they "unnecessarily took power away from prosecutors."
9. Newsbrief: Afghan Crop Report Says Opium Eradication a Joke
Afghan President Hamid Karzai may sleep a little sounder now that he is surrounded by the praetorian guards
of the US Army, but despite a lot of rhetoric, neither he nor his benefactors in Washington and London have
made any serious effort to put a dent into Afghanistan's revived opium industry. According to a BBC Radio 4
broadcast from reporters on the ground in Afghanistan, the spring harvest has resulted in a bumper crop, and
less than 10% of it has been eradicated.
According to the BBC, although the Taliban successfully banned opium production last year, the poppy has
returned with a vengeance -- and authorities are turning a blind eye. A loudly touted eradication program was
announced earlier this year, but it was met with outbreaks of violence from peasant farmers and widespread
disdain from the warlords who profit from the trade but are vital to the stability of the Karzai government. One
member of the Afghan security forces who worked on the eradication program told BBC: "They came here
and made themselves look busy, but it didn't look as if too many people were taking the task seriously." He
estimated that the teams had managed to destroy two percent of the crop in his area.

Another area, one controlled by the US-allied Northern Alliance, ignored the Taliban's ban last year and is
doing the same with Karzai's ban this year, despite the Northern Alliance's heavy representation in the Karzai
government. According to the BBC, in the Northern Alliance's Bedakshan province, "cultivation has barely
been touched."
Look for a wave of cheap smack to wash up against the English Channel any time now. The year's second
harvest is set for September.
10. Newsbrief: Leading British Comedian Says Legalize It All
Comedy writer Ben Elton has joined the legalization chorus in Britain. Elton, one of the most successful
writers and standup comics in the last 20 years in Britain, is best known for creating the TV series Black
Adder and the Young Ones, but has also written five novels and four plays. He was among the select
entertainers who performed at the Queen's Jubilee pop concert last month at Buckingham Palace.
But in remarks to the Scotsman newspaper on July 23, Elton turned serious. The current drug laws should be
radically rewritten to make such drugs as cocaine and heroin legally available, he said.
"I firmly believe that hugely radical solutions are now required. It's about legalization, not decriminalization,"
said the popular entertainer. When asked whether he meant hard drugs, Elton was emphatic. "Yes. It is self-
evident that criminalization hasn't worked. All it has presented us with is organized crime."
11. Newsbrief: Alabama Rape Victim Ordered to Provide Urine Sample for Drug Test
A Saraland, Alabama, woman who filed a rape complaint after a 4th of July date turned ugly was ordered to
provide a urine sample for a drug test in Mobile County District Court on July 9. The order came after Judge
Delano Palughi ruled favorably on a defense motion asking the court to force the accuser to submit to a drug
test. Defense attorney Rick Yelverton, representing 26-year-old Emanuel DeWitt, implied that the woman
could have been under the influence of drugs at the time of the alleged rape. Yelverton argued that if the
woman was on drugs when the incident occurred, the test results could go "to her character and to her ability
to recall what happened that night."
But while a urine sample from the woman was provided, it has not been tested. After hearing furious

But while a urine sample from the woman was provided, it has not been tested. After hearing furious
objections from prosecutors, Mobile Circuit Court Judge Joseph "Rusty" Johnston ruled on July 25 that the
sample would not be tested now, but would be turned over to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.
Johnston refused to order the urine sample destroyed, saying he wanted it preserved as possible evidence in
the case.
Prosecutor Ashley Rich, lamenting that such a precedent could deter other victims from coming forward,
moved to have Johnston overturn Palughi's earlier order. "The victim is not on trial here," she wrote in her
motion to vacate the order, "and the fact of whether or not the victim was under the influence of controlled
substances at the time of the rape has no relevance to whether or not she was raped."
At a news conference outside the courtroom, Rich added that forcing a victim of a crime to take a drug test
"sends a message to other victims." A nurse or other state employee, for example, might not report a crime if
she feared being tested for drugs and possibly losing her job. "We're very concerned," she said.
12. Newsbrief: Tennessee School Board Ordered to Back Off on Zero Tolerance --
Right to Public Education at Issue
The Knox County Board of Education in Knoxville has been ordered to revise its "zero tolerance" disciplinary
policies as part of a lawsuit filed by the parents of two students expelled for having prescription sleeping pills
on school premises. The two were among 170 students expelled from Knox County schools last school year
for "zero tolerance" offenses, which call for mandatory one-year expulsions for physical attacks on teachers,
weapons possession or drug possession.
The school district made no provision for alternative education programs for the students it expelled, leaving
them in educational limbo. The parents of the two students sued the school board, arguing that the "zero
tolerance" expulsions violated the girls' rights to a public education under the US and Tennessee
constitutions. In March 2001, Knox County Chancery Court Judge Sharon Bell agreed and ordered the school
district to revise its policy to agree with state law and "constitutional guarantees afforded the plaintiffs."
The board revised its policy the following month by adding a clause saying that expelled students would be
considered for placement in alternative schools. But lawyers for the two students asked the judge to rule that
the board had violated the March 2001 order because although the board had indeed reviewed the cases of
141 students thrown out for "zero tolerance" violations between April 2001 and April 2002, it had not actually
placed any of them in alternative schools.

The judge agreed, ruling on July 8 that the school board must again revise its "zero tolerance" policies.
According to the Knoxville News-Sentinel, at a board meeting last week, the board proposed amending the
policy to explicitly state that expelled students will be considered for alternative schooling. The proposed new
policy would also order the school superintendent to consider individual factors, such as seriousness of the
offense, prior disciplinary record, grades, and attendance, when deciding "zero tolerance" cases.
The school board is starting to have second thoughts. Board Chairman Jim McClain told the News-Sentinel
he wondered if the state's "zero tolerance" policy, on which the district's policy was modeled, can survive. "I
think zero tolerance is doomed eventually," he said.
13. Newsbrief: Seattle Marijuana Enforcement Initiative Signatures Submitted
Members of the Sensible Seattle Coalition have filed some 19,600 signatures with King County election
officials for an initiative that would direct Seattle police to make marijuana possession arrests their lowest
priority. The proposed measure calls for no changes in the law, only in police practices.
The petition drive needed 17,200 valid signatures. The King County Elections Office is now screening the
signatures to ensure that they are from registered voters. If the Elections Office finds there are sufficient valid
signatures, the initiative would then have to win approval from the City Council before appearing on the
November ballot.
According to the Seattle Times, there is support for the initiative on the council. At least two council members
are in favor of the proposal, the Times reported.
If enacted into law, Initiative 75, as the measure is known, may have effects more symbolic than practical if
recent arrest figures are any guide. According to the Seattle City Attorney's Office, fewer than one percent of
its misdemeanor criminal cases (150 out of 17,000) were for marijuana possession. A similar measure
passed by the Oakland, CA, City Council in 1996 had "virtually no effect on law enforcement," Oakland police
told the Times.
Still, Seattle City Council member Nick Licata told the Times the measure would reinforce the idea that
marijuana possession should be a low priority. "I think it's better to have our limited funds for public safety
being directed toward car prowlers and home burglaries, rather than arresting adults for marijuana."
(Visit http://www.hemp.net to learn more about what's going on in Washington state activism and to read

(Visit http://www.hemp.net to learn more about what's going on in Washington state activism and to read
about Robert Lunday, an activists' activist who died too young.)
14. Web Scan: CriminalDefense.com, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Harry
Levine, Ethan Nadelmann, Britain's School Daily
Issue XVIII, Volume I of Criminal Defense magazine (July 29-August 14) focuses on the drug war nationally
and on New York state's Rockefeller drug laws, including articles on issues, law, prisoners, editorials by
advocates on both sides -- go to http://www.criminaldefense.com and click on the graphic or visit:
http://editor@criminaldefense.com/magazine/1.18/cover.html?clgid=0ad4438b5ab6a18c
Read about the impressive new organization Law Enforcement Against Prohibition: http://www.leap.cc
Sociologist Harry Levine writes on international drug policy developments and the global prohibition regime in
three recently published articles:
Blame Canada
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=13686
Global Drug Policy: A Retreat from War (review of three books)
http://www.hereinstead.com/sys-tmpl/b3bookreviewnew/
The Secret of World-Wide Drug Prohibition
http://www.hereinstead.com/sys-tmpl/worldwide/
Drug Policy Alliance director Ethan Nadelmann editorializes on drug policy under the Bush administration in
Counselor: The Magazine for Addiction Professionals, August 2002, Vol. 3, No. 4. "No Longer Hope for
Progress" is available online at:
http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/DailyNews/07_23_02Nadelmann_Counselor.html
Britain's "The School Daily" reports on the Professional Association of Teachers' recommendation to teach
UK youth how to take drugs safely rather than simply told "just say no":
http://www.theschooldaily.com/articleView.asp?articlePK=14707

15. Legislative Alerts: Rave Bill, Medical Marijuana, Higher Education Act Drug
Provision
URGENT: Help stop S. 2633, the "Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act of 2002" -- call your
Senators at (202) 224-3121, visit http://www.emdef.org for information.
Support States' Rights to Medical Marijuana: Visit http://www.stopthedrugwar.org/medicalmarijuana/ to write
to Congress today!
Visit http://www.RaiseYourVoice.com to tell Congress to repeal the Higher Education Act's drug provision in
full and let tens of thousands of young people with drug convictions go back to college.
16. The Reformer's Calendar
(Please submit listings of events concerning drug policy and related topics to calendar@drcnet.org.)
August 12-16, 8:30am-noon, Oakland, CA, Summer Seminar in Political Economy, student session open to
non-students, sponsored by The Independent Institute. Registration $175, includes books and refreshements,
one unit of college credit available at extra cost, contact (510) 632-1366 or cclose@independent.org or visit
http://www.independent.org/tii/students/SummerSeminar.html for further information.
August 17-18, 10:00am-8:00pm, Seattle, WA, Seattle Hempfest. At Myrtle Edwards Park, Pier 70, call (206)
781-5734, e-mail hempfest@hemp.net or contact http://www.seattlehempfest.com for further information.
August 21st, Portland, OR, "Media Awareness Forum," featuring KOIN TV-6 anchor Reed Coleman and
conservative radio talk show host Lars Larson discussing how drug reform advocates about increasing the
quality and quantity of local news coverage. Visit http://www.jeffandtracy.com or call (503) 605-5182 for info.
August 24-29, Lagos, Nigeria, "Tenth International Conference on Penal Abolition." Contact Prisoners
Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) at 234-(0)1-4971356-8 or prawa@linkserve.com.ng, Rittenhouse:
A New Vision of Transformative Justice at (416) 972-9992 or ritten@interlog.com, or visit
http://www.interlog.com/~ritten/ for further information.
September 4-6, Missoula, MT, First Annual Montana Drug Policy Summit. At the University of Montana,

September 4-6, Missoula, MT, First Annual Montana Drug Policy Summit. At the University of Montana,
speakers to include Dr. Ethan Russo of the Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics, Cliff Thornton of Efficacy, Scott
Crichton of the Montana ACLU, Ron Mann director of the movie "Grass," Missoula attorney John Smith and
others. For further info, contact info@montanadrugpolicy.org.
September 8-11, Chicago, IL, "Racial Justice Leadership Institute," seminar sponsored by the Applied
Research Center. Limited to 30 participants, application deadline August 5, visit http://www.arc.org/action_ed/
for further information, or contact Terry Keleher at (773) 278-4800 x162 or tkeleher@arc.org.
September 26-28, Los Angeles, CA, "Breaking the Chains: People of Color and the War on Drugs."
Conference by the Drug Policy Alliance, e-mail conference@drugpolicy.org to be placed on mailing list for
when details become available.
September 30-October 1, Washington, DC, "National Symposium on Felony Disenfranchisement,"
conference sponsored by The Sentencing Project. Admission free, advance registration required, visit
http://www.sentencingproject.org or call (202) 628-0871 for further information.
October 7-9, San Diego, CA, "Inside-Out: Fostering Healthy Outcomes for the Incarcerated and Their
Families." Contact Stacey Shank of Centerforce at (559) 241-6162 for information. October 19, Portland, OR,
"PottyMouth Comedy Competition: Flushing Away the DEA," $5,000 first prize. Visit
http://www.jeffandtracy.com or call (503) 605-5182 for info.
November 6-8, 2002, St. Louis, MO, "2nd North American Conference on Fathers Behind Bars and on the
Street." Call (434) 589-3036, e-mail fcn@fcnetwork.org or visit http:/www.fcnetwork.org for information.
November 8-10, Anaheim, CA, combined national conference of Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the
Marijuana Policy Project. Early bird registration $150, $45 for students with financial need, visit
http://www.mpp.org/conference/ for further information.
November 9, Anaheim, CA, Bill Maher benefit show for Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the Marijuana
Policy Project. Admission $50, or $1,000 VIP package including front-row seat and private reception with Bill
Maher. Visit http://www.mpp.org/conference/ for further information.
December 1-4, Seattle, WA, "Taking Drug Users Seriously," Fourth National Harm Reduction Conference.
Sponsored by the Harm Reduction Coalition, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former US
Surgeon General. For information, e-mail conference@harmreduction.org, visit http://www.harmreduction.org
or call (212) 213-6376.
April 6-10, 2003, Chiangmai, Thailand, "Strengthening Partnerships for a Safer Future," 14th International

Conference on the Reduction of Drug-Related Harm, sponsored by the International Harm Reduction Coalition
in partnership with the Asian Harm Reduction Network. For further information, visit http://www.ihrc2003.net or
contact conference@ihrc2003.net or (6653) 223624, 894112 x102.
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