What does the International Liaison Do?: Notes from a Recent Trip to Mexico

My job makes me feel privileged. I'm the first International Liaison for Students for Sensible Drug Policy. My job enables me to travel outside the US, working with students and youth in other countries to set up SSDP chapters. It's a great task which requires patience and perspicacity to find out what issues and ideas represent the interests of students outside the United States and who might want to form a chapter in their country and join an international youth network.

So far this year SSDP has sent me outside the United States on two occasions. In late August representatives from SSDP in the US and Colombia attended the Second Latin American Drug Policy Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As an organizer, I have to attend conferences to connect with people who might want to help SSDP. In Rio I found drug policy activists from Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay who expressed interest in SSDP's activities. Talking to the representatives of groups from these countries made me feel as though my task could know no limits. But I also know that fruitful organizing emerges from strategic decisionmaking. After four days in Rio, I knew that all of SSDP's international organizing had to focus on Mexico, at least at first. It's one of the most urgent and yet unacknowledged human rights disasters.

Mexico's importance for anti-prohibitionists coincides with my job's remit for a number of reasons. It goes without saying that the US's southern neighbor is in the grips of devastating violence linked to state authoritarianism and drug dealing ferocity. And, since SSDP is a student and youth group, it pains to look at the death toll with an eye to the deaths of people under the age of twenty five. In Northern Mexican states like Sonora, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas the death rate for this group has not just doubled or tripled it has soared. Students have on several occasions been killed by government forces on their campus. An awareness of this situation helped me understand just where students fit in terms of government policy towards their protection, or at least the denial of their protection, even on college campuses that are meant to be autonomous of government intervention -- even down to not allowing police forces to enter the university precincts.

Mexico is important, too, because some of its students -- mostly in the capital's public universities -- form a hard core of anti-prohibitionist consumers. They are sensitized to the way in which they are treated, even as part of a legal scenario that includes decriminalization for small amounts of other drugs. Many students who consume drugs reported ways in which they were treated by authoritarian and corrupt police. Many agents who arrested students I spoke to, failed to respect the legal limits and instead confiscated their drugs and pressured to send them to a judge to face penal sanctions. (The other alternative, under the permissible amounts, is to face treatment.) As in the US with the Higher Education Aid Elimination Penalty, there are ways in Mexico that authorities use to discipline their student body.

But neither of these two bits of data could help me organize meetings with anti-prohibitionist students -- and in a twelve day period. All this data did was enable me to think about what wouldn't work in the Mexican context. It's of little merit to students that the FAFSA can restrict access to education. Similarly, since prisons don't have much to do with the student experience in Mexico, it was difficult to conceive of a presentation which focused on mass incarceration. Instead, when organizing in a foreign country like Mexico, friends -- rather than issues -- count for a great deal. Fortunately SSDP made contact in Rio de Janeiro with a Mexican anti-prohibitionist and pro-regulation group called CuPIHD. And it was CuPIHD that facilitated access to students who might be intersted in SSDP.

All in all I was in Mexico City for almost two weeks in October. In this time my presentations began at CuPIHD in their offices and to about a dozen students. Then I received an invitation to present at the Instituto de Estudios Sociales in the UNAM, to a seminar run by the UN Chair in Drugs and Society, Luis Astorga. After this presentation, I received another invitation to present from students at Mexico's foremost political science faculty, also in the UNAM, the Facultad de Ciencias Politicas y Sociales. Another engagement sprang from that, offering students a pizza lunch near their university. Food was essential to bringing together students who did not know one another to talk about a subject, drugs, that essentially remains taboo in Mexico. After this presentation, and just before I left the country, I accepted an invitation to present at Mexico's foremost technocratic institution, the ITAM. Again, friends were important to set up this final invitation: the Fundacion Nauman, a German educational institution helped me gain access to the ITAM's students.

All told, in a two week period, I introduced SSDP to about 60 students. And I was aware that none of these contacts would occur without friends (CuPIHD) or goodwill (students who recognized that SSDP does care about the Mexican situation.)

And now stateside I am trying to use the data I collected from students in Mexico City to stay in touch with them, to make them feel as though they could benefit from continued interaction and depth of engagement with SSDP. For some, I've been able to continue on conversations by e-mail, Twitter, and FaceBook. But so many students in Mexico don't use the web on a daily basis, nor do they have FaceBook accounts, nor is e-mail universally used for rapid communication. Instead, and now back home, I have to rely on the ones who are committed to organizing in a particular space, but who also use the web.

It's a tough task. But as I wrote I feel more than privileged to do it. And once SSDP has chapters in Mexico City and beyond, they can shoulder the task of responding to the nastiness of the drug war and US support for it.

Proposition 19 - Hidden Victories in a Hollow Defeat

A Hollow Defeat?

With 100% of precincts reporting, California’s Proposition 19 fell less than 3.9% short of victory, leaving many in the media to focus on why Prop 19 did not get majority support. Ultimately the failure to pass Prop 19 will prove to be less important than what was gained during the campaign. Besides, how solid of a defeat could it have been when the opposition’s argument of greatest resonance was “if you are going to vote for legalization, this is not the bill to do it with?” That’s a tacit admission by the opposition that legalization is inevitable, a waving of the white flag while simultaneously fighting one last battle. A bizarre political tactic to be sure, but a sign for us that things are headed in the right direction.

So perhaps it is best to view the Prop 19 Campaign in terms of where marijuana reform stood at the beginning of 2010 versus today. These 4 outcomes from the campaign show why despite losing at the polls, Prop 19's legacy will prove to be extremely positive for reformers.

Hidden Victory # 1 - Without the Prop 19 Campagin Schwarenegger Doesn't Sign SB 1149

California’s SB 1449, which essentially decriminalized marijuana in the state, was signed into law because of the Prop 19 campaign (by “Prop 19 campaign” I am principally referring to the efforts of Yes on 19 and Just Say Now). Without the Prop 19 campaign, it is likely that Gov. Schwarzenegger would not have signed the bill. After all, it had been introduced in some form 4 times in the past decade without success. There was little reason to expect this year’s version would fare any better, as Schwarzenegger said, “I am opposed to decriminalizing the possession and recreational use of marijuana.”

However, the unexpected happened when Prop 19 consistently polled for a victory to the surprise of many. At least 10 polls conducted in the weeks and months leading up to the signing of SB 1449 had Prop 19 winning (after the signing of SB 1449, it began to reverse). In a last ditch effort to scuttle Prop 19, the Governor reluctantly signed SB 1449, using the signing ceremony to decry Prop 19 by saying that it “is a deeply flawed measure.” In an effort to defeat Prop 19’s realistic chance of passing, Schwarzenegger chose what he believed to be the lesser of the two evils (decrim). " The success of the Prop 19 campaign forced Schwarzenegger to make a concession previously thought unattainable by many. In terms of the daily lives of Californians, far fewer people are going to have criminal record as a result of the Prop 19 campaign.

Hidden Victory #2 - Behind the Youth Voter Turnout Numbers

Some have suggested that the youth voter turnout in California was disappointing, but that assessment seems inaccurate. The LA Times has said that youth voters made up 13% of the electorate, which may seem low, but according to Rock the Vote, youth voters only accounted for 10.2% of the electorate in 2002 and 11.2% in 2006. This means the youth vote in California this year was proportionately 16% greater than 2006 and 27% more than the 2002 number, hardly something to sneeze at. In fact, there was such a groundswell of college-age voters that many college-area polling stations could not meet the demand and ran out of ballots. What’s more is that these increases were accomplished in the face of SB 1449 being signed right as voter registration efforts were being launched into full gear, which created more difficult circumstances to register youth voters even under these stepped up efforts.

Hidden Victory #3 - Geographic Success with Limited Resources

The Prop 19 campaign was only able to raise about a third of the money predicted necessary to ensure a win on Nov. 2nd. Consequently, there were insufficient staff to run an ideal campaign, which meant efforts could only be focused in certain geographic areas. The campaign made the decision to try to turn out the most voters in areas that were more open to legalization rather than the prohibitionist regions of the state.

In the SF Bay area, where much of the Prop 19 campaign took place, support for Prop 19 was tremendous. Five of the nine bay-adjoining jurisdictions supported Prop 19, all but one by 9 points or more, two with landslide margins of support. In three of those jurisdictions where it did not win, it lost by fewer than 2.5 points. Nearby Santa Cruz supported Prop 19 by over 27 points.

Moving further south through California, the Prop 19 campaign had fewer resources. Support extended down the coast to Santa Barbara, but the campaign lacked the financial resources to crack into Los Angeles and San Diego. However, many of the aforementioned college polling stations that ran out of provisional ballots were in the San Diego and Los Angeles areas. This is further evidence that marijuana legalization truly brings out the youth vote, something the political establishment would be foolish not to consider going into 2012.

A related aspect is impressive number of calls made through the Just Say Now and Yes on 19 phonebanking tools. SSDPers and others from across the country made at least 15,000 calls to California voters, which certainly translated into a stronger total in favor of Prop 19.

Hidden Victory #4 - Experience: Got One Under Our Belt

One of the greatest hidden victories of the Prop 19 campaign was that it trained the emerging generation of marijuana reformers on how to run a legalization campaign, and left virtually all of them wanting to win on this issue in 2012. To be certain, the Prop 19 campaign made its share of mistakes, but given the low expectations of passage, the mistakes made this year will likely not leave much lasting harm and will help pave the way for more successful campaigns across in various states in elections to come. Prop 19 may not have written the history book, but it will have at least written the playbook for success in years to come. (As a sidenote, when the history book is written, it should be recognized that many, if not the majority of those worked for both Just Say Now and Yes on 19 are SSDP students, alumni and/or current/former staff).

Similarly leaving reformers in a better position for future campaigns were the many coalitions forged, signaling the end of marijuana reform being a third rail issue for other advocates of social justice. From organized labor to the NAACP, mainstream organizations began flocking to marijuana reform like never before. Given the prospects for future success, it seems likely that these relationships will last for years to come.

What it All Means

So yes, I am deeply disappointed that we could not get Prop 19 passed this year, but looking at the big picture, the campaign was a categorical success as it resulted in the decriminalization of marijuana in California and brought out an unexpectedly high number of youth voters. The defeat suffered this year should ultimately prove fleeting, and should be viewed as the launching pad for future success. As the LA Times recently noted, the success of the Prop 19 campaign has pushed marijuana reform from the sidelines to the mainstream spotlight, an accomplish. Change in civil rights issues is a long process peppered with numerous defeats, but it is in these defeats where advocates discover what is necessary to win, and few such events have paved a brighter light to ultimate victory than the Proposition 19 campaign.

(thanks to Irina Alexander for editorial suggestions)

SSDP Mountain Plains Conference in Colorado Saturday!

REGISTER HERE

On Saturday, November 6, SSDP will be hosting our first Mountain Plains Regional Conference. Chapters from all over Colorado, Utah and South Dakota will be convening at the University of Colorado Boulder for a weekend of drug policy education and strategy. 

We have an amazing group of speakers joining us and the discussions will be informative and exciting. 

Speakers Include:
• Rick Doblin, Ph.D. - Executive Director of MAPS
• Aaron Houston - Executive Director of SSDP
• Mason Tvert - Executive Director of SAFER
• Steve Fox - Marijuana Policy Project
• Brian Vincente - Executive Director of Sensible Colorado

• Emmett Reistroffer - Campaign Director SD Measure 13

 

Space is limited so register today! It's only $10 for students and $20 for non-students. All CU-Boulder student can attend free of charge.

 
RSVP on Facebook.

Marijuana initiatives fail in 3 states

It was bad night for marijuana law reform. Proposition 19, the ballot initiative heard round the world, was defeated by California voters by a larger margin than supporters expected. The initiative still brought in 46% support - nothing to scoff at, and took the legalization issue to the forefront of American politics. It also left half-witted journalists scrambling to see who could use the headline "Prop 19 goes up in smoke" first.

Election Results from Just Say Now

Oregon's measure 74 lost with only 42% support, which wasn't too much of a surprise. The initiative had been trailing badly in the polls for quite some time. Measure 74 would have allowed dispensaries to provide safe access to marijuana in the already medical state. Oregon police officers (9 of them actually) have been accused of fighting against the initiative despite laws against officers in Oregon electioneering. The same trait is shared in South Dakota, where highway patrol officers campaigned against medical marijuana there as well:

Measure 13, a sensible initiative and well run campaign that involved 3 SSDP chapters unfortunately failed to pass yesterday as well. Getting only 36.69% of the vote, this was a with a significant loss, That is the second time a medical marijuana initiative has failed in South Dakota. SSDP chapters at Black Hills State University, South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota worked incredibly hard over the past few months on this campaign.

In Arizona, Proposition 203 may have narrowly failed. This was neck in neck throughout the night and we are holding onto hope that this sensible initiative will prevail. As of now,  some reports say it has failed, coming up just shy with 49.75% of the vote. SSDP's chapter at Arizona State University worked directly with the campaign to assist in grassroots efforts.

SSDP's national staff would like to thank and congratulate all the students, organizations and individuals that worked so hard on all of these campaigns. You have helped bring marijuana policy reform so much further.

Polls close in 1 hour

While recent surveys have shown that Prop 19 trailing, the battle is far from over and no matter where you live in the country, it's easy to help get voters to the polls. Polls in California are closing in just about one hour.

SSDP chapter leaders are calling us to let us know that there is plenty of support for Prop 19 and students are definitely voting. San Jose State University chapter leader Mitchell Colbert left me this message earlier today:

Almost every student I talk too tells me they are going to vote for Prop 19 or that they have already voted for it today. Only 1 guy on a skateboard came by to yell "no on 19" at us and then he fell off his board.

But California isn't the only state to be watching. Important medical marijuana initiatives in Oregon, South Dakota and Arizona will also be decided today. SSDP chapters in each of these states have been working hard on each of these initiatives. You too call voters in any of these states and remind them to vote here.

You can track how Prop 19 and other marijuana reform initiatives are doing at the polls by visiting Just Say Now.

SSDP Chapters Rallying for Prop 19

UC Berkeley SSDP Rally

SSDP chapters throughout the state are engaged in GOTV efforts on their college campuses and doing everything thing they can to help get young people to the cast their ballots. Yesterday, UC Berkeley SSDP members rallied on campus before canvassing neighborhoods with Yes on 19 door hangers.

Today, UC San Diego SSDP is rallying around the Dr. Bronner's fire truck directing people to their polling place. Our students at San Jose State University and San Francisco State University have working with other groups on campus to remind students to vote. Other chapters are tabling, using sidewalk chalk to direct people to the polls and handing out VOTE19 stickers to their peers.

UCSD SSDP Chapter Members
Direct to the Polls

Chapters in California and throughout the country are calling young voters and asking them to vote today using the Yes on 19 call tool. You can use it right now too.

It seems like it's working. Our chapter leaders are reporting lines at the polls and many students confirming that they have already voted. On some college campuses, like San Diego State University, the polls are actually running out of provisional ballots.

And you have not voted yet, get to your local polling place immediately!

You can find your polling place here:
http://www.ssdp.org/polls

Tomorrow: Get out and vote!

Do you have a plan for election day? If you're lucky enough to live in one of the 4 states voting on marijuana law reform this year, make sure you know where your polling place is so you can get there on time (and bring some neighbors!).


If you don't live in one of those states, you can drastically increase the number of people going to polls in support of these reforms simply by making phone calls from your home!


If you want to call California voters, we suggest using the Yes on 19 Predictive Dialer which will allow you to call 5X as many voters as other tools.


You can also use our user friendly Just Say Now phone banking tool to easily contact voters in South Dakota, Oregon and Arizona. 

• Call Arizona Voters – about Prop 203 which would protect medical marijuana patients from arrest and prosecution. 
• Call Oregon Voters – about Measure 74 which allow the state to provide patients with safe access to medical marijuana through dispensaries. 
• Call South Dakota Voters – about Measure 13 which would protect medical marijuana patients from arrest and prosecution. 

Join the drug policy reform movement at Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity this Saturday 10.30.10

Are you coming to Washington, DC for The Daily Show's Rally to Restore Sanity or The Colbert Report's March to Keep Fear Alive this Saturday 10/30/10?

SSDP is involved in organizing events before, during, and after the rally to mobilize supporters of marijuana and other drug law reform. With the support of the Drug Policy Alliance, the Drug Reform Coordination Network (DRCNet), and other allies, we can unite as a powerful movement for drug policy sanity in Washington, DC on October 30th. Less than 72 hours before California voters will go to the polls and decide the fate of Proposition 19, a potentially monumental step forward toward ending marijuana prohibition. We must take this incredibly appropriate opportunity to be a voice for sensible drug policy, join us in Washington, DC...

BEFORE: Sign Making/Distribution Party
RSVP on Facebook
For those who will be in town the night before the rally, we'll be at an SSDP satellite home/office welcoming people into town, networking, and preparing materials. We'll have some already made 'Legalize Pot' signs courtesy of DPA, and a some 'Yes on 19' signs courtesy of the Yes on 19. Tax Cannabis 2010 campaign.

DURING: Rally to Restore (Drug Policy) Sanity
RSVP on Facebook
Meet us at the Rally! We'll be the enormous group dressed in suits and holding "Legalize Pot" signs (similar to the event logo) standing at in the center of the National Mall at 4th St.

AFTER: Phonebanking to Restore Sanity
RSVP on Facebook
Immediately following the rally, join us in our DC headquarters office for a phonebanking party to call voters in support of Proposition 19. There will be pizza! If you can, please bring a laptop & your phone.

In a recent piece on Alternet, Yair Tygiel of the Drug Policy Alliance outlines the powerful ways in which our drug policies are lacking sanity:

• As long as parents believe that prohibition -- rather than education and regulation -- keeps their kids safe, our country is not sane.

• As long as over 750,000 people are arrested for marijuana possession in the U.S. every year – most of them Black and Latino men who use and sell marijuana at the same rate as Whites -- our country is not sane.

• As long as foreign-born residents of the U.S. can be deported for a marijuana law violation – no matter how long they have lived in this country – our country is not sane.

• As long as millions of people on parole and probation are thrown back through the revolving prison doors for failing a drug test, our country is not sane.

• As long as the U.S. black market for marijuana fuels rampant violence in Mexico, our country is not sane.

Please visit rally.ssdp.org for details and updates. Hope to see you in DC this Saturday!

Regulation Works. Prohibition Fails.

This great 30sec PSA shows how the legal and regulated market for alcohol makes it difficult for young people to purchase the substance. On the other hand, marijuana prohibition makes it easy for kids to buy pot from the local dealer who doesn't care how old customers are, as long as they have money.

If you have a parent, family member or friend on the fence about regulating marijuana like alcohol, send them this video.

Students Must GOTV in California

If California's Proposition 19 wins in 12 days, it will be because students came out and voted.

As Firedoglake's Jon Walker points out, those most likely to vote yes on Prop 19 are also those most likely to not vote on November 2. 

According to the recent SurveyUSA poll, supporters of Prop 19 are more likely to be infrequent voters and less likely to have already voted by mail. The poll found those voters who say they “always” vote oppose Prop 19 by a margin of 44 to 47. On the other hand, likely voters who tend to rarely vote in midterms overwhelmingly support Prop 19. As a group, these infrequent voters support Prop 19 by a margin of nearly two to one, 58 percent to 34 percent. This means that for every two percent increase in overall turnout from infrequent voters, there would be an almost one percent increase in support for Prop 19.

The poll also found that among people who have already sent in a ballot, Prop 19 is narrowly losing, 47 percent to 50 percent, but it leads 48 to 42 among those who plan to vote but have not already. Of course, people who have already voted can’t change their minds and, by definition, can’t forget to vote on election day, which is not true with those who have yet to vote early.

Bottom line. Young people not only need to vote on Nov. 2, they have to drag their friends and peers to the polls with them.