It's just a softball game ...vs. the Drug Czar's team

SSDP is the official sponsoring organization for The One Hitters, a co-ed recreational softball team in the Congressional League in Washington DC, established in 2002 our team is comprised of individuals who work for or support marijuana and other drug law reform. This year, we're officially 2-1 so far, but if I do say so myself, we're not too shabby.

Being in the Congressional League, we play some interesting teams, such as those who work for various Congressional offices, government institutions, advocacy groups, law firms, and others. Perhaps the most unlikely match up for a league softball game would be The One Hitters vs. The Czardinals, which is the Office of National Drug Control Policy's team. We were thrilled earlier this season when our respective coaches scheduled a game between the two teams! But then for some reason, The Czardinals cancelled on us ...again.

The One Hitters is a co-ed softball team established in 2002

in the Congressional League in Washington, DC comprised of individuals

who work for or support marijuana and other drug law reform.

contact: OneHittersSoftball@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 25, 2011

One Hitters Burned Again By Timid Czardinals

Office of National Drug Control Policy Backs Out of Softball Game with Drug Policy Reformers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Once again, the softball team representing the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has backed out of playing a Congressional Softball League game against the One Hitters, a team consisting of members of several drug policy reform organizations and others who support ending the “war on drugs.” A game between the two teams had been scheduled for May 25, but the ONCDP Czardinals pulled out shortly after scheduling the game, with ONDCP public liaison coordinator Quinn Staudt citing an “accidental double-booking.”

This is not the first time the Czardinals have refused to play the One Hitters. In 6 years, the team found one reason or another to avoid taking the field against this team of individuals dedicated to reforming the out-of-date and ineffectual policies promoted by the ONDCP.

This behavior is being mimicked on the national stage by the ONDCP as well. While drug czar Gil Kerlikowske has stated that he will no longer use the rhetoric of a “war on drugs” and President Obama said that he wants to move to treat drug abuse as a health problem rather than a criminal justice problem, little has been seen in the way of action in that direction. The President has also said that he does not support the legalization of any drug, even marijuana, despite the inarguable damage marijuana prohibition does to society, individual users, medical patients that benefit from marijuana treatments, governmental budgets, and respect for the rule of law.

"It is really disappointing that the ONDCP not only refuses to have an honest debate with drug policy reformers about the absolute failure of drug prohibition, but also keeps ducking out of softball games with us,” said One Hitters team captain Jacob Berg. “We think it would be a great opportunity to advance the discussion between drug law reformers and the people ostensibly in charge of drug policy in this country. I wonder if they are afraid to have that conversation. The drug czar said ‘legalization’ isn't in his vocabulary, but it's just a friendly softball game!"

The One Hitters hope the Czardinals will put aside ideological differences and accept their invitation to play a softball game this summer on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Increase in Teen Marijuana Use Due to Failed Policies (Press Release)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 15, 2010

CONTACT:  Jonathan Perri, SSDP National Associate Director – (401) 265-9445

Increase in Teen Marijuana Use Due to Failed Policies, 

Not Medical Marijuana
More High School Seniors Now Smoking Marijuana 

than Cigarettes, According to Survey

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Officials at Students for Sensible Drug Policy claim that a new survey by the University of Michigan showing the highest rates of marijuana use among young high school seniors in the last three decades is the direct result of the failed policy of marijuana prohibition.  Over 20% of high school seniors reported smoking marijuana compared with only 19% reporting smoking cigarettes.  

“Because marijuana is available on the black market, high school students have easier access to it than they do to cigarettes,” explained Jonathan Perri, Associate Director at SSDP. “Drug dealers aren’t going to ask for an ID before they sell drugs. If marijuana were regulated and taxed like alcohol or cigarettes, it would be more difficult for young people to purchase.”

At a press conference in Washington this week, the White House drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, blamed the increase on the debate surrounding marijuana legalization and state medical marijuana laws around the country.

“If the drug use numbers go down even slightly, the ONDCP takes credit for it, but when they go up, they don’t want to reassess their own failed policies. There is no evidence that medical marijuana laws have resulted in a national increase in use among high school seniors - if anything, young people no longer believe the reefer madness that the federal government has been spreading about marijuana for years," said Perri.

The group argues that regulating marijuana like cigarettes would be more effective at reducing use. “Tobacco use has become unattractive to young people through prevention education and by keeping the drug in a legal but regulated market with heavy taxes imposed,” continued Perri. “It’s time to do the same with marijuana.”

Students for Sensible Drug Policy is an international grassroots network of students who are concerned about the impact drug abuse has on our communities, but who also know that the War on Drugs is failing our generation and our society. SSDP mobilizes and empowers young people to participate in the political process, pushing for sensible policies to achieve a safer and more just future, while fighting back against counterproductive Drug War policies, particularly those that directly harm students and youth.

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Obama Drug Strategy to Focus on Prevention and Treatment

The Office of National Drug Control Policy will release its new drug control strategy tomorrow.

The new drug control strategy to be released Tuesday boosts community-based anti-drug programs, encourages health care providers to screen for drug problems before addiction sets in and expands treatment beyond specialty centers to mainstream health care facilities.

"It changes the whole discussion about ending the war on drugs and recognizes that we have a responsibility to reduce our own drug use in this country," Gil Kerlikowske, the White House drug czar, said in an interview.

The administration has made it crystal clear that they are not going to embrace marijuana legalization but they have made some positive drug policy moves:

• Repealed the federal ban on needle exchange funding
• DoJ issued a memo instructing that people or dispensaries in compliance with state medical marijuana laws not be prosecuted by the federal government.
• Obama and Biden support ending the crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity

These are clearly steps in the right direction but how much further will the Obama administration go? Despite Kerlikowske calling for an end to the war on drugs, the administration's drug control budget calls for twice as much spending on law enforcement than it does on treatment and prevention. It does propose a 13% increase in funding for alcohol and drug prevention programs and a 3.7% increase for addiction treatment.

We're looking forward to reading the new strategy. 

Gimme a L... Gimme a E... Gimme a G...

What does that spell? Legalize! A word that supposedly, neither President Obama nor ONDCP Director Gil Kelikowske have in their combined vocabulary.

Ok. While Obama doesn't say legalize here - he does say decriminalize. What is much more important in this clip is:

"I think that the war on drugs has been an utter failure."

Is failure in their vocabulary? Because they better get used that word being associated with U.S. drug policy if neither are willing to even say the "L-word". How can we take these two seriously when it comes to the much needed reform of our criminal justice system and drug policies?

Kerlikowske vs. Walters

While the newest director of the ONDCP, Gil Kerlikowske, isn't likely to be advocating for legalization anytime soon - I think he may be taking us in the right direction - toward actually caring about substance abuse.

"Regardless of how you try to explain to people it's a 'war on drugs' or a 'war on a product,' people see a war as a war on them," he said. "We're not at war with people in this country."

For the past 8 years the focus of the ONDCP has been honed on marijuana. And we've most certainly been at war with people that use drugs. Marijuana, then drug czar John Walters would say, is as dangerous as crack. He opposed state medical marijuana laws (again comparing it to "medical crack") and has spoken out against states making marijuana the lowest law enforcement priority. But Kerlikowske is different. In this interview with the Wall Street Journal, Kerlikowske was asked:

What's the number one drug problem?

Well [illegal] prescription drug use is rising and one problem I want to shout about. At the federal level it's easy to look at things nationally but drug issues are different depending on the geography. In some places meth may be far more serious, even though on a national scale it doesn't appear that way. In Appalachia Oxycotin may be far more serious. I want to look at things regionally and in a narrower focus than in a national focus.

Without a doubt, Walters would have answered marijuana to that question. He may have thrown meth in their too but not without claiming that marijuana leads to meth. Kerlikowske doesn't even mention marijuana. He states the truth - prescription drugs and their diversion are a serious problem. He's also smart to look at this regionally rather than create a blanket campaign against a single drug.

Check out this 2003 article from the Seattle Times concerning Seattle's lowest law enforcement priority ballot question. You'll see that Kerlikowske opposed the initiative for an almost sensible reason: Arresting people for possessing marijuana for personal use, says Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske, is not a priority now. Officers aren't now bringing in everyone they see smoking a joint, he said.

Kerlikowske at least promises to take his job more seriously than Walters. He doesn't have to support legalization for me to get behind policies that make sense. Furthermore, I don't think full out legalization is necessary for us to make improvements with treating drug addiction (though it sure would help a lot) because as LEAP's Peter Christ says "Legalizing drugs is not the answer to our drug problem. Legalizing drugs is the answer to our crime problem." The drug problem, unfortunately, isn't going anywhere - its here to stay - legalized drugs or not. But we can stop throwing gas on the fire now.

If Kerlikowske is ready to put our money where his mouth is - we'll see a campaign from the ONDCP that shows needle exchange programs work to reduce disease transmissions and provide places where addicts can go to get help and eventually - off drugs. We'll see funding for law enforcement decrease and treatment funding increase (you'll see here that Obama's budget, while increasing treatment funding, also decreases prevention funding and unfortunately calls for more $$ for law enforcement). Talking dogs and flying aliens warning our kids about pot will be replaced with realistic drug education that focuses on America's real drug problems - not support for a witch-hunt of marijuana users.

Deprioritization is key at this point. We can't focus on marijuana anymore and I think our new drug czar knows this. At least that much leaves me optimistic.

Ban on Needle Exchange Funding Stays

Last week it was revealed that President Obama will not be keeping his promise to lift the ban on needle exchange funding.

A White House spokes person assures that Obama is still committed to this change:
"We have not removed the ban in our budget proposal because we want to work with Congress and the American public to build support for this change," he said. "We are committed to doing this as part of a National HIV/AIDS strategy and are confident that we can build support for these scientifically-based programs."

The Huffington Post's Ryan Grim lets us know that the White House website no longer features the president's support of the program, however. See the before and after here.

Hmmm... I think LEAP's Tom Angell sums things up perfectly: "It's hard to imagine how removing mention of support for a proven lifesaving program from the White House website is part of a grand strategy to 'build support' for syringe exchange."

If Obama wants to build more support for lifting the ban he shouldn't be removing his own support from his website. He should have more information about needle exchange programs and their success at reducing the spread of HIV.

Former Drug Czar to Adult Marijuana Users: "Knock Yourself Out"

Look out! The sky is falling! Pigs are flying!

Barry McCaffrey just said something sensible. Actually, he says a few sensible things about the importance of drug treatment in this interview from 2000. McCaffrey came around to see that treatment access and quality needed to improved in the U.S. Unfortunately little has been done to actually shift law enforcement resources to treatment and education.

It makes sense to me. If you earn a high school degree, become an adult, smoke marijuana responsibly, and don't hurt anyone else... who cares? Not Barry McCaffrey thank goodness!

Gaming While High

And if you thought that silly alien ad was bad, get this. The ONDCP's newest angle on getting young people to not smoke pot is... it makes you suck at video games. And then, obviously, a poorly animated Zelda look alike will make you feel bad about yourself for losing level 3. He'll also suffer a broken arm and play chess instead. By himself.

This is just plain silly. This is what we're spending $60million a year on? I've seen Kung-Fu movies that are voiced over better than this piece of shit.

Just another offensive and likely counterproductive advertisement from the folks at Above the Influence. At least with Stoners in the Mist, you could actually play a game.

Let's compare that video with Safety First's Lets Talk About Meth and Other Drugs:


Remind me again. Which one had a budget of $60million dollars?

Ask the Drug Czar a Question!

True. Drug Czar John Walters will be replaced shortly. But lets not make these last two months any easier for him. Take just a few minutes to ask him a question or two about U.S. drug policy with this nifty form on the White House website. 

Some topics to ask him about: 

• Crack/Powder Cocaine Sentencing Disparity
• HEA Aid Elimination Penalty
• Prohibition Related Violence in Mexico
• Increasing Accessible/Affordable Substance Abuse Treatment
• Mandatory Minimum Sentencing
• Student Drug Testing
• State Wide Good Samaritan Policies 

Of course there is plenty more to ask and you'll want to be specific. It will only take a few minutes and SSDP would love for you to post your questions to SSDP talk, facebook, and the comments section of the blog! Feel free to contact me to strategize about questions if you'd like!

Extreme Ecstasy Brah!

Just when you think the ONDCP couldn't backtrack anymore, John Walters warns us of the dangers of "extreme ecstasy".

Why would anyone try to label ecstasy as extreme in the hopes that it would scare young people away from using it? Has the ONDCP ever seen the X-Games or what about Extreme Doritos? The word extreme has been used over the past decade as a youth advertisement tool for everything from snack foods to video games and has been successful. Anyone can guess what calling ecstasy "extreme" might lead to.

By calling the ecstasy extreme it seems like the ONDCP are saying the effects are more extreme or intense. As if this is some sort of new drug "cocktail" that will attract young people because its effects are stronger. This article states the obvious in saying that the "biggest reason [for mixing meth and MDMA] is cost." No other reasons are even listed because there really aren't any.

So this extreme ecstasy is actually MDMA mixed with methamphetamine and apparently is all Canada's fault. I think its important to point out that MDMA stands for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. See that whole part, after dioxy, that says methamphetamine. Okay, good. MDMA provides a stimulant effect. So why mix methamphetamine with MDMA pills? Because it cuts down on cost and increases profit for dealers and still gives the user that stimulant effect they expect from MDMA. Many pills have been passed off as ecstasy and when tested have been found to contain only methamphetamine or even just caffeine.

Is it really "extreme ecstasy" or is just an blatant example of ecstasy prohibition failing miserably by taking a drug that should be a pharmaceutical and placing it in the black market? As American parents and doctors pump amphetamine in the form of Adderal to children in the treatment of over-diagnosed ADD and ADHD one really has to be bewildered at this new scare tactic against ecstasy and methamphetamine.

So now American drug warriors can claim that they not only made a difference in the availability of ecstasy, or pure ecstasy rather, but they have created a new, more "extreme" drug that is more profitable for drug dealers.