Thursday, April 29, 2010
How to write your representative...
Watch the above video to learn the most effective way to tell politicians how you feel about drug policy. It's a with a good ol' fashioned pen and paper.
I wrote my CA Senator today and asked for him to vote yes on S.B. 1449 which would lower the penalty for possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana from a misdemeanor to a civil infraction.
I also sent a thank you card to Sen. Mark Leno who introduced such a sensible bill.
Start writing!
Friday, April 23, 2010
What did SSDP do on 4/20?
April 20th has become infamous for it's association with "pot culture" over the years and students who advocate for an end to the war on drugs (including, of course, the end of marijuana prohibition) have to work extra hard to dispel stereotypes about members of the drug policy reform movement. We all know that hosting smoke outs or tie-dye making events on April 20th of all days won't help to change that.
So what exactly did SSDP do on 4/20? We made some noise.
Our chapters at the University of Connecticut and University of New Hampshire, Durham were each featured in front page news articles in their campus newspapers on 4/20 this year. The focus of each article was on the work SSDP is doing to reform drug policies on their campuses and in their states. Not the amount or type of marijuana being smoked.
Ashley Rennebu, our chapter leader at UNH has been working on a campus Good Samaritan or Medical Amnesty policy from her position as a student Senator.
And at the University of Connecticut, the campus paper's coverage of SSDP was focused on the chapter's efforts to impact statewide marijuana policy, as they were fresh off of a strategy summit they hosted last weekend to bring Connecticut drug policy reformers together to discuss state level legislation.
So what exactly did SSDP do on 4/20? We made some noise.
Our chapters at the University of Connecticut and University of New Hampshire, Durham were each featured in front page news articles in their campus newspapers on 4/20 this year. The focus of each article was on the work SSDP is doing to reform drug policies on their campuses and in their states. Not the amount or type of marijuana being smoked.
Ashley Rennebu, our chapter leader at UNH has been working on a campus Good Samaritan or Medical Amnesty policy from her position as a student Senator.
Rennebu has been working to have the Good Samaritan Policy implemented here on the UNH campus since January of last year. Her work with the student senate has garnered much attention on the Facebook group, “Bring a Good Samaritan Law to UNH,” of which 2,034 users have become members. On Sunday, the student senate passed a resolution urging the Office of Conduct and Mediation to implement a Good Samaritan Policy here at UNH.The news at UNH on 4/20 had nothing to do with marijuana, since their Good Samaritan policy resolution only addressed emergencies involving alcohol, not other drugs. This is an excellent sign that the public opinion of drug law reform is becoming more favorable and less focused on marijuana.
And at the University of Connecticut, the campus paper's coverage of SSDP was focused on the chapter's efforts to impact statewide marijuana policy, as they were fresh off of a strategy summit they hosted last weekend to bring Connecticut drug policy reformers together to discuss state level legislation.
The chapter is currently discussing state Raised Bill 476, An Act Concerning Nonviolent Drug Possession Offenses, which seeks to downgrade the status of drug possession from a Class C Misdemeanor to an infraction. The substitute for Senate Bill 349, An Act Concerning the Penalty for the Possession of a Small Amount on Marijuana, which was defeated last May, was also discussed.Katlin Tyrol, outgoing SSDP chapter president, also mentioned the relationship between marijuana policies and student financial aid eligibility, campus drug law enforcement, and the power of student political involvement.
...at the drug summit meeting Saturday, [Katlin] said that students have testified in front of state committees and that students are a formidable force in creating change in shaping drug policy in the government. “As students we’re a powerhouse. We can do anything that we set our minds to…All the political process doesn’t happen in Congress,” she said. “It’s us.”
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
If You Want to Get At Somebody, You Get At Their Children
The war on drugs is a war on us.
In case you didn't read the New York Times this weekend, there was a grueling and heart-wrenching story about the families along the border in Mexico caught in the middle of their current political nightmare. When five houses in your neighborhood are set on fire by well-funded and well-armed men, you run - and many people are looking to the US for asylum. "Some of the families who are fleeing from Mexico are doing it because...if you want to get at somebody, you get at their children" said one terrified citizen.
There's a raging battle next door that the US government is responsible for waging and the first wave of refugees have arrived. Towns and cities all along the US border in Mexico are being abandoned as our neighbors flee for their lives.
Why?
To protect the children. To save the lives of the children.
We have created a war that kills children in order to save the children.
On January 31st, there was a massacre of students in Juárez straight out of Al Capone's days. Cartel mercenaries burst into a party filled with mostly high school students celebrating a soccer win and a birthday, and murdered 13 teenagers and two adults. Blood and bodies poured onto the street and the outrage poured out of Juárez and El Paso. In response, the US and Mexican governments have vowed to continue the same failed approach with a little extra aggression on top.
Earlier this month, two graduate students at the Monterrey Institute of Technology - the Harvard of Mexico - were murdered when they walked into a showdown between the military and a local cartel. They made the mistake of staying too late at the library to study. The Mexican government denies any real responsibility - but at least they did finally apologize under pressure.
A few days later in Durango, several students on their way to pick up their government scholarship checks were stopped at a cartel check point - stopped from ever breathing again. 10 young people were bombed and killed by the ruthless criminals in control of their part of the country. The victims ranged in age from 8 to 21, half of them under 16. (Apparently the military sometimes stays away from these roadblocks because it's not safe for them - the ones with guns who are hired to protect their citizens.)
So what is the message we are sending to the children?
According to one mother who has managed to escape to Texas with her life, '“All the children, the only thing they know how to play is sicarios,” she said, using the Spanish word for hired killers.'
Last week the LA Times reported the death toll in Mexico is more than previously estimated, and has topped 22,000 since the start of President Calderon's war on drug cartels in December 2007.
You know, it makes me absolutely ill every time a prohibitionist says, "Well if our drug policies save even one child's life, it's worth it."
Great attitude - but can you look at reality yet?
In case you didn't read the New York Times this weekend, there was a grueling and heart-wrenching story about the families along the border in Mexico caught in the middle of their current political nightmare. When five houses in your neighborhood are set on fire by well-funded and well-armed men, you run - and many people are looking to the US for asylum. "Some of the families who are fleeing from Mexico are doing it because...if you want to get at somebody, you get at their children" said one terrified citizen.
There's a raging battle next door that the US government is responsible for waging and the first wave of refugees have arrived. Towns and cities all along the US border in Mexico are being abandoned as our neighbors flee for their lives.
Why?
To protect the children. To save the lives of the children.
We have created a war that kills children in order to save the children.
On January 31st, there was a massacre of students in Juárez straight out of Al Capone's days. Cartel mercenaries burst into a party filled with mostly high school students celebrating a soccer win and a birthday, and murdered 13 teenagers and two adults. Blood and bodies poured onto the street and the outrage poured out of Juárez and El Paso. In response, the US and Mexican governments have vowed to continue the same failed approach with a little extra aggression on top.
Earlier this month, two graduate students at the Monterrey Institute of Technology - the Harvard of Mexico - were murdered when they walked into a showdown between the military and a local cartel. They made the mistake of staying too late at the library to study. The Mexican government denies any real responsibility - but at least they did finally apologize under pressure.
A few days later in Durango, several students on their way to pick up their government scholarship checks were stopped at a cartel check point - stopped from ever breathing again. 10 young people were bombed and killed by the ruthless criminals in control of their part of the country. The victims ranged in age from 8 to 21, half of them under 16. (Apparently the military sometimes stays away from these roadblocks because it's not safe for them - the ones with guns who are hired to protect their citizens.)
So what is the message we are sending to the children?
According to one mother who has managed to escape to Texas with her life, '“All the children, the only thing they know how to play is sicarios,” she said, using the Spanish word for hired killers.'
Last week the LA Times reported the death toll in Mexico is more than previously estimated, and has topped 22,000 since the start of President Calderon's war on drug cartels in December 2007.
You know, it makes me absolutely ill every time a prohibitionist says, "Well if our drug policies save even one child's life, it's worth it."
Great attitude - but can you look at reality yet?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Roosevelt University SSDP Students Advocate for Fair Sentencing
One of the most important things SSDP chapters can do is to create a public space for dialog to effect real changes in the community. Roosevelt University SSDP did an awesome job this week highlighting the work they have been doing and getting others engaged in the current drug policy debate - and they even got some press out of it.
Specifically, students came together to discuss the importance of the 2010 Fair Sentencing Act after meeting with US Senator Dick Durbin's staff to discuss the topic. (Durbin, D-IL, introduced the bill in 2009 - S. 1789.) On March 17th, it passed the US Senate by unanimous consent! We do still need this to pass in the House as well, but the outlook is positive.
The Fair Sentencing Act would do away with the 1986 Mandatory Minimum Sentences for crack cocaine possession. Currently individuals in possession of crack cocaine must serve a minimum sentence 100 times that of those in possession of powder cocaine. This act would reduce that disparity to 18-1. Not ideal, but at least a little better.
According to Laura Reichel, President of Roosevelt University SSDP, “The rates of drug use across racial groups is pretty equal. But the previous law has contributed to the disproportionate number of African-Americans that are in prison to whites.”
The racial implications of our failed drug policies is blatant. Kudos to Roosevelt SSDP for doing something about it!
Specifically, students came together to discuss the importance of the 2010 Fair Sentencing Act after meeting with US Senator Dick Durbin's staff to discuss the topic. (Durbin, D-IL, introduced the bill in 2009 - S. 1789.) On March 17th, it passed the US Senate by unanimous consent! We do still need this to pass in the House as well, but the outlook is positive.
The Fair Sentencing Act would do away with the 1986 Mandatory Minimum Sentences for crack cocaine possession. Currently individuals in possession of crack cocaine must serve a minimum sentence 100 times that of those in possession of powder cocaine. This act would reduce that disparity to 18-1. Not ideal, but at least a little better.
According to Laura Reichel, President of Roosevelt University SSDP, “The rates of drug use across racial groups is pretty equal. But the previous law has contributed to the disproportionate number of African-Americans that are in prison to whites.”
The racial implications of our failed drug policies is blatant. Kudos to Roosevelt SSDP for doing something about it!
Western Michigan University Hosts LEAP Speaker
It's great coverage of the event I hope it inspires other chapters to put on events like this and reach out to their campus paper each time they do so. It provided the WMU chapter with a way to get the word out about SSDP to their entire campus.
I particularly like this part:
SSDP also used the event to introduce themselves to the student body and begin to achieve some of their organizational goals. Led by President Alexander Lanning, the group both registered voters and gathered petition signatures to place a measure on the ballot to give marijuana possession a lower law enforcement priority in Kalamazoo.The title of the article, "Retired law enforcement officer calls for relaxed drug laws," seems to miss the point of the presentation though. What LEAP is actually discussing is that our drug regulations are currently relaxed enough that young people report purchasing marijuana in school easier than they can purchase alcohol at a store. They're calling for heightened regulation and increased control around drugs.
Lanning also gave a short address to the students in attendance, contending that SSDP was motivated by political beliefs and goals, not by personal gain.
“We’re not just a bunch of smokers looking to legalize weed,” he said.
Want to book a LEAP speaker? Join us on Cinco de Mayo for SSDP's Day of Action where chapters around the country will draw attention to the drug war's impact on Mexico. Sign up here and indicate that you would like to bring a LEAP speaker to your campus and we'll help you make it happen!
Friday, April 09, 2010
UConn Students Stand Up To Administration
Sam Tracy, incoming President of the University of Connecticut SSDP chapter had a column published in The Daily Campus, "Administration should focus on Spring Weekend safety" outlining a proposal that addresses varied concerns about the harms associated with "Spring Weekend", an annual event notorious for being two days of rowdy drinking and partying.
I can easily see why they are so successful at building strong campus coalitions such as this one. They're honest and sincere activists to the core. And drug policy isn't the only issue they are passionate about. Having SSDP chapter members with diverse backgrounds and interests is the best way to build solid relationships with other student and community groups.
Jason Ortiz, recently elected to our board of directors, has been instrumental in these efforts, as well as Katlin Tyrol, former UConn SSDP president, and Sam Tracy will be leading the chapter as their newly elected president for the 2010-2011 school year.
Representatives of USG, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Idealists United, LAVA, the Residence Hall Association, ConnPIRG, Greek Life and many others all took part in this coalition. Working for months with other groups, including the owners of Carriage and Celeron, the mayor of Mansfield, Mansfield’s state representative and even UConn and State Police, they put together a lengthy proposal and submitted it to the UConn administration.The column goes on to describe some pretty sensible reasons as to why this proposal would have been a smart:
The proposal included bringing in food vendors as well as musical performances to Spring Weekend, in order to mitigate the dangers associated with the event. The administration promptly said that they would block any of USG’s funds from going toward the plan. They even went so far as to say that UConn cannot take action in relation to Spring Weekend, as it would be the same as endorsing it.
A main reason that violence breaks out, from throwing glass bottles to destroying property, is because there really is nothing to do at Spring Weekend. You get a bunch of drunk people in a big crowd, and boredom combined with relative anonymity will lead to bad decisions. Providing a focal point for these people, such as a free concert or other kind of show, would give them something to do instead of flipping over cars.Reducing the harms associated with drug use and abuse is something that many people care about. It's our job as SSDPers to reach out to them and make the connection, and determine how we can best work together to achieve common goals. SSDP at UConn is one of our strongest chapters in our network. Eight students from their school were able to secure student group funding to come out to San Francisco for our 11th Annual International Conference in March, they even volunteered several days prior to the conference during their spring break.
To top things off, this plan would not cost the University a dime, and would actually save money. It would do this by decreasing the police forces employed for the weekend, while hiring a group of private security personnel, who are veteran workers of countless music festivals. All police are payed overtime for Spring Weekend, at $86 an hour, adding up to $133,000 for the whole weekend. The private security would be a fraction of the cost, actually saving the University about $40,000.
I can easily see why they are so successful at building strong campus coalitions such as this one. They're honest and sincere activists to the core. And drug policy isn't the only issue they are passionate about. Having SSDP chapter members with diverse backgrounds and interests is the best way to build solid relationships with other student and community groups.Jason Ortiz, recently elected to our board of directors, has been instrumental in these efforts, as well as Katlin Tyrol, former UConn SSDP president, and Sam Tracy will be leading the chapter as their newly elected president for the 2010-2011 school year.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Cops and Campuses Against Cartels
So SSDP will be organizing a 2010 Day of Action and we hope that even more SSDP chapters will participate and our voices will be louder than last year. Go to http://www.ssdp.org/
SSDP chapters will be drawing attention to this issue by doing things like:
- Demonstrating on campus with Mexican flags or balloons
- Hosting a speaker from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
- Handing out informational flyers
- Collecting petition signatures at EndDrugProhibition.com
Signup!
Get your chapter signed up to participate in the day of action ASAP! http://www.ssdp.org/
Check Out the Resources
Here's a page of resources that you can download and use:http://www.ssdp.org/
The page includes an editable press release that you can send to local news outlets, Mexican flags you can print out, an action plan, and more to come soon.
Sign the Petition During your demonstration you can set up a laptop and get people to sign the petition.
http://www.EndDrugProhibition.
Here's the Facebook event. RSVP and invite your friends!
http://www.ssdp.org/facebook/
There's more to come very soon...
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
FSU SSDP Pushes for Good Samaritan Policy
FSU chapter members gave some great quotes. Being on camera isn't always easy but it's clear that they were prepared with talking points.
"Drugs really are a medical problem and not a criminal justice problem. We feel that by enacting sensible policies that reflect the fact that people are going to use drugs but reduce the harms associated with drug usage, we feel that those are the best policies," said John Mola, Students For Sensible Drug Policy.
"A majority of students, including us, aren't aware of what the punishments are already. So I feel like greater education is always a plus and this policy in particular would help that in addition to creating a nice safety net," added Carson Zimmer, Students For Sensible Drug Policy.
"It's really nice to just have that network behind us. we're in constant communication with national SSCP and other chapters that have been successful, just to get ideas from them," said Lauryn Harris, Students For Sensible Drug Policy.
FSU SSDP is on their way to changing a policy on their campus. This is exactly the type of work SSDP chapters should be engaged in. If your chapter isn't currently running a campaign visit our campaigns page for ideas and resources to help you bring positive change to your community.
Sarah Palin Offered $25k to Speak at Marijuana Legalization Event
Sarah Palin. She's everyone's favorite oil drilling, aerial wolf hunting, "glad we chose life" (but we still aren't pro-choice) former Governor and she's just been offered $25,000 by Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws to speak at an upcoming event and endorse the NVSML's 2012 ballot initiative aiming to tax and regulate.
The offer comes after Palin was announced as a keynote speaker at the the national convention for the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America. NVSML's campaign manager Dave Schwartz figures that Palin should feel comfortable endorsing marijuana legalization if she has no problem endorsing alcohol sales.
If you're in Nevada, be sure to volunteer with NVSML and help get a legalization initiative on the ballot for 2012. If you happen to be a student in Nevada - please contact SSDP about starting a chapter at your school.
The offer comes after Palin was announced as a keynote speaker at the the national convention for the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America. NVSML's campaign manager Dave Schwartz figures that Palin should feel comfortable endorsing marijuana legalization if she has no problem endorsing alcohol sales.
"It makes no sense to keep marijuana in the criminal market while a former vice-presidential candidate celebrates the alcohol industry," Schwartz said. "We want legitimate businesspeople in Nevada to benefit from the sales of marijuana, and we want adults to be free to choose whichever substance they prefer --marijuana or alcohol -- when they relax after work."Despite the fact that marijuana use causes less harm than alcohol, I don't see Sarah Palin endorsing marijuana legalization for a measly $25k. Back in 2008 the RNC was dropping $150,000 on her clothes!
If you're in Nevada, be sure to volunteer with NVSML and help get a legalization initiative on the ballot for 2012. If you happen to be a student in Nevada - please contact SSDP about starting a chapter at your school.
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