eNewsletter: Thursday, February 8

DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE
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eNewsletter: Thursday, February 8, 2007

CONTENTS:

1. Featured Content

Momentum Builds for Medical Marijuana in New Mexico
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136702

Italy Contemplates Drug Policy Reform
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136703

DPA Awards Rapid Response Grants for Work on Incarceration Alternatives
and Syringe Exchange
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136704

DPA Participates in Methamphetamine Conference
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136705

2. In Other News

Community Builds Momentum Against Prison Expansion in San Diego
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136706

Strong Start for Medical Marijuana and Other Reform Bills in New Mexico
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136707

Drug Policy Alliance Joins "Milton Friedman Day" Celebration
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136708

3. Announcements

DPA Seeks Project Coordinator in New Mexico
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136709

4. Highlight

"Booze Clues": Student Drug Testing in the News
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136710

5. Recent additions to Drugpolicy.org

6. Events

_____________________________________________________________________
F E A T U R E D C O N T E N T

MOMENTUM BUILDS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN NEW MEXICO

The New Mexico Senate approved the Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act (SB 238:
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136711 ) on Wednesday, February 7, 34 to
7. If the bill becomes law, it will allow qualified patients suffering from certain illnesses,
such as cancer, HIV/AIDS and epilepsy, to use medical cannabis for relief of their symptoms.

With momentum from yesterday's Senate vote and a recent statement by New Mexico Governor Bill
Richardson supporting the bill, SB 238 now moves to the House. The first committee hearing there
could take place early next week.

"We are grateful for the strong leadership shown by the Senate," said Reena Szczepanski,
director of the Drug Policy Alliance New Mexico. "We're hopeful that the members of the House
will show the same compassion."

The New Mexico House has been the sticking point for medical marijuana in past years, with the
2005 and 2006 legislative sessions ending without a House floor vote.

Erin Armstrong, a medical marijuana advocate who suffers from advanced thyroid cancer, expressed
hope that the governor's support will help the bill move through the House. "I am thrilled that
Gov. Richardson continues to show compassion for seriously ill New Mexicans," she said. "I hope
the Legislature also recognizes that many New Mexicans can't wait any longer for relief."

Armstrong, one of the two people for whom the Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act is named, has
worked tirelessly with DPA New Mexico to advance medical marijuana legislation. DPA New Mexico
has made passage of medical marijuana legislation a top priority in 2007, engaging in a
collective effort with supporters across New Mexico as well as DPA board members.

ITALY CONTEMPLATES DRUG POLICY REFORM

Italy's drug policies are starting to move in a positive direction since a new prime minister,
Romano Prodi, took office in May 2006. A bill to decriminalize personal use and reduce penalties
for dealing drugs--especially marijuana--is currently up for consideration in Italy's
legislature.

The country's current drug laws are based on legislation from 1990 which gave a nod to the U.S.
zero tolerance approach, making personal possession and use of illicit drugs a criminal offense.
In a 1993 referendum, 55% of voters decided to decriminalize personal use, but punishments such
as the suspension of a drug user's driver's license or passport remained in place.

Under the leadership of Silvio Berlusconi (2001 - 2006), Italy fully embraced U.S.-style
prohibitionist ideology, enacting a more harsh drug law. This law, known as the Fini-Giovanardi
law after the ministers who sponsored it, erased scheduling distinctions, putting marijuana on
par with drugs such as cocaine and heroin. The law also criminalized personal drug use,
increased penalties for dealing, and restricted treatment options.

A new bill was introduced in May 2006 to reverse many of the Fini-Giovanardi policies, but the
Prodi administration has yet to consider it. On January 23, 2007, 40 members of Parliament
increased pressure for change by asking the president of the Camera dei Deputati (Chamber of
Deputies) to choose a date for discussion of the bill.

In the meantime, incremental changes have been taking place. In November 2006, the Italian
Minister of Health issued an administrative decree raising the amount of THC a person can
possess for personal use. The previous limit was 500 milligrams, and this has been raised to one
gram.

Changing the drug law in Italy is part of the Prodi government's stated program, so
reform-minded members of Parliament and reform groups such as the Forum Droghe (
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136712 ) have made a commitment to
continue pressuring the administration for change. The Forum Droghe noted after its annual
association meeting in June 2006 that Italy must reverse its policies before the war on drugs
ideology permeates law enforcement and public opinion.

DPA AWARDS RAPID RESPONSE GRANTS FOR WORK ON INCARCERATION ALTERNATIVES AND SYRINGE EXCHANGE

As part of its grants program, DPA awarded Rapid Response grants to two organizations in
January: Californians for a Responsible Budget (CURB) and The Camden Area Health Education
Center (CAHEC) in New Jersey.

CURB, which does grassroots organizing and public education throughout California, was granted
$15,000 to mount a campaign in response to Governor Schwarzenegger's recent announcement that he
will seek to expand the number of prison beds in the state. Advocating for treatment instead of
incarceration is at the top of the group's agenda in fighting the governor's proposition.
Treatment advocates are working hard right now to keep Proposition 36, California's
treatment-not-jail program, a strong and viable alternative to incarceration, so CURB's effort
is extremely well-timed.

CAHEC received $20,000 in funding to advocate for the expansion of syringe exchange programs in
New Jersey. In December, the state passed legislation allowing the programs to exist, making it
the final state in the union to permit syringe access for reducing the spread of diseases such
as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. CAHEC is currently the only syringe exchange program in New Jersey,
and skepticism about syringe exchange remains among some of the public and some policymakers.
CAHEC is poised to change that.

Several organizations have already applied for Rapid Response funding in February. If you would
like more information about eligibility or how to apply, please visit the grants page of DPA's
website: http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136713 . You can also see a list
of previous grant recipients: http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136714 .

DPA PARTICIPATES IN METHAMPHETAMINE CONFERENCE

The first weekend in February, several DPA staff members attended and presented at a national
methamphetamine conference hosted by the Harm Reduction Project in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The conference, called Science and Response 2007, brought together hundreds of people with
expertise on a wide range of methamphetamine-related issues -- from prevention to treatment to
law enforcement. This was the second such conference, the first having taken place in August
2005.

The 2007 conference was kicked off by Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson, a member of DPA's
honorary board, who gave an inspiring opening speech.

Over the course of the three day event, DPA contributed to a variety of conference
presentations. Executive director Ethan Nadelmann gave a provocative talk on a methamphetamine
policy panel, raising the sorts of questions that often go unasked, such as: To what extent is
there methamphetamine use among people who do not go to jail or prison? What are the public
health consequences of the shift from domestic illicit lab production to major illicit Mexican
superlab production?

Nadelmann also took the opportunity to meet with the mayor of Salt Lake County, Peter Corroon,
about drug policy reform.

Other DPA staffers were involved in discussions ranging from syringe exchange to law
enforcement:

* Bill Piper, DPA's director of national affairs, put together a lively panel on
possibilities for substitution treatment for methamphetamine abuse, analogous to methadone
maintenance therapy for opiate addiction.

* Jennifer Kern, DPA's Drug Testing Fails campaign coordinator, and Camilla Field,
deputy director of DPA's San Francisco office, presented on a panel about prevention strategies.
They discussed why the use of scare tactics and reliance on surveillance programs do not, in
fact, deter young people form experimenting and using alcohol and other drugs.

* Theshia Naidoo, a staff attorney for DPA, did a presentation entitled "Responding to
Methamphetamine: California's Proposition 36 Demonstrates the Promise of Treatment Instead of
Incarceration." She explained that methamphetamine users participating in Prop. 36 complete
treatment at rates equal to or better than users of other drugs, and used a case study to
illustrate that stigmatizing methamphetamine users is detrimental to public health and safety.

* Nikos Leverenz, director of DPA's California Capital office, moderated a panel on
syringe access. His main point was that research and data are important: Leverenz used estimates
of injection drug user rates from a 2004 Journal of Urban Health article in recent testimony
before the Sacramento City Council to support a syringe exchange ordinance. The council passed
the ordinance unanimously.

* Gabriel Sayegh, director of DPA's State Organizing and Policy Project, moderated a
panel called "Law Enforcement." The focus of the panel was to explore the perspective of law
enforcement regarding methamphetamine, HIV/AIDS, and hepatitis C.

These were just some of the topics addressed by DPA staff and the rest of the conference
attendees. The diversity of perspectives and topics brought home the goal stated in the
conference program: "By presenting the spectrum of response to methamphetamine use, we hope to
learn from one another by drawing upon what is effective or promising and applying it to our
work."

_____________________________________________________________________
I N O T H E R N E W S

COMMUNITY BUILDS MOMENTUM AGAINST PRISON EXPANSION IN SAN DIEGO

About 100 San Diegans came together on January 24 to learn more about proposals to expand the
state prison system, including plans for a new women's facility in San Diego. The participants
voiced their desire for more community education and for action, both to stop the expansion and
to support effective re-entry programs and alternatives to incarceration.

Governor Schwarzenegger's $10 billion proposal would create 78,000 new prison beds across the
state, and Assembly Member Sally Lieber's bill, AB 76, would build up to 15, 200-bed prison
facilities for women, including at least one in San Diego.

Nonviolent female offenders, the majority of whom are incarcerated for drug offenses, are the
fastest growing segment of the California prison population.

According to AB 76, the new facilities would be staffed by prison guards and would have fewer
visiting days than California's existing women's prisons. Altogether, they would increase the
state's capacity for female inmates by 25%.

Proponents of the bill claim that these facilities will support female prisoners' transition
back into the community, but those working on prisoner re-entry in San Diego disagree.

"If you can't leave the facility, and no one can visit you, how does that help you reconnect?
You might as well be on the moon," said Rev. Dennis Malone, co-founder of the San Diego chapter
of All of Us or None, an organization of and for formerly incarcerated people dedicated to
ending discrimination against those with a criminal history.

Rev. Malone and other community members discussed the variety of tools--from prevention programs
to diversion to re-entry services--San Diego already has to safely reduce the number of people
behind bars and to help people coming out to stay out.

"We don't have to invent anything here; we just need to invest in what works," the reverend
continued. "We need to spend on real, result-driven re-entry solutions, not just throw good
money after bad."

Gretchen Burns Bergman, co-founder and executive director of A New PATH (Parents for Addiction
Treatment and Healing), echoed the concern that, while San Diego is facing the possibility of a
new prison, community-based programs that work--like Prop. 36--are not being fully utilized.

"Prop. 36 has made state money available for drug treatment in San Diego County, and we have a
great need for treatment," she said. "But, for some inexplicable reason, our county is not
spending all of the allotted funding, putting individuals at risk of not receiving life-saving
treatment."

Oliver Hamilton, founder of the Prop. 36 Alumni Association, an organization of graduates of the
state's landmark, treatment-instead-of-incarceration program, praised Prop. 36 for being one of
these evidence-based programs and for giving him and the program's other 60,000 graduates a
chance to get their lives back on track.

"I am proof that Prop. 36 works not only to keep people out of the criminal justice system but
also to help get them engaged in the community," Hamilton said. "Thanks to the voters who passed
Prop. 36 in 2000, I am back in control of my life and it's never been better. Now I share the
gift of recovery every day."

The January 24 event was organized by the Drug Policy Alliance, and co-sponsored by A New PATH,
ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, All of Us or None, California Coalition for Women
Prisoners, California Prison Project, Prop. 36 Alumni Association, San Diego FACTS and the San
Diego NAACP.

STRONG START FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA AND OTHER REFORM BILLS IN NEW MEXICO

With New Mexico's legislative session in full gear, the Drug Policy Alliance Network is working
on five different drug policy bills that are rooted in compassion and science. The Lynn and Erin
Compassionate Use Act ( http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136715 ), a
medical marijuana bill, passed its first committee hearing yesterday.

The hearing took place before the Senate Public Affairs Committee, which unanimously passed the
bill. If the bill maintains its current momentum, this could be the third year in a row for
Senate approval of medical marijuana legislation.

The sticking point for medical marijuana in New Mexico in past years has been the House, where
the legislative session ended in both 2005 and 2006 without a floor vote. Drug Policy Alliance
New Mexico director Reena Szczepanski is optimistic about the bill's prospects this year. "I am
confident that our elected officials see that this is an important issue for New Mexicans," she
said. "I sincerely hope that they realize that the sick and dying should not have to wait any
longer for relief."

Other reform legislation is also off to a promising start in the legislature. A treatment bill (
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136716 ) and an overdose prevention bill
( http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136717 ) both unanimously passed their
committee hearings yesterday.

Another bill, to improve Medicaid coverage of substance abuse treatment, is being heard today
before the Senate Public Affairs Committee. This legislation (
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136718 ) is sorely needed because New
Mexico has one of the highest rates of unmet treatment needs for adults and teens in the
country.

DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE JOINS "MILTON FRIEDMAN DAY" CELEBRATION

On the evening of January 29, a documentary on the late economist Milton Friedman, The Power of
Choice: The Life and Ideas of Milton Friedman, will make its debut on PBS stations across
America.

Although the documentary does not detail Friedman's views on drug policy, the Nobel
Prize-winning economist was a longstanding supporter of Drug Policy Alliance and openly
criticized America's drug war in venues like Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal.

In 1992, The Drug Policy Foundation - one of Drug Policy Alliance's predecessor organizations -
published interviews with Friedman and excerpts from his works in the book On Liberty and Drugs:
Essays on the Free Market and Prohibition (
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136719 ).

Upon Friedman's death at age 94 last November, executive director Ethan Nadelmann praised him
for his spirited role as a longstanding drug war dissident on The Huffington Post (
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136720 ): "Friedman didn't view
America's drug war as an economic problem. For him, the drug war remained primarily an immoral
government endeavor.... As he once told a reporter, 'I think it absolutely disgraceful that our
government [should] be in the position of converting people who are not harming others into
criminals, of destroying their lives, putting them in jail.'"

Nikos Leverenz, director of the California Capital Office, points to Milton Friedman as a
seminal intellectual influence: "I doubt that I would be dedicated to fighting America's
pernicious drug war were it not for the sage words of Milton Friedman. As with other classical
liberal intellectuals, he looked to the improvement of the human condition as a lodestar.
Freedom is not simply an abstract ideal: it is a tangible means to ameliorate those hardships
resulting from both living in a world with scarce material resources and those coercive
government activities that often serve to exacerbate such hardships."

Drug Policy Alliance is delighted to join those who are celebrating the life and work of one of
America's foremost public intellectuals. We shall continue to work toward the vision shared by
Friedman and all those who are dedicated to ending the current drug war, particularly by
advancing those policies and attitudes that best reduce the harms of both drug misuse and drug
prohibition.

More Information:

Official "Milton Friedman Day" Website:
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136721

Milton Friedman on the Drug War (Shaffer Library on Drug Policy):
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136722

Autobiographical Entry on Nobel Foundation Website:
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136723

2006 Podcast Interview on Capitalism and Freedom:
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136724

____________________________________________________________________
A N N O U N C E M E N T S

DPA SEEKS PROJECT COORDINATOR IN NEW MEXICO

DPA New Mexico is embarking on a two-year methamphetamine education project, and is seeking
experienced and motivated candidates for the position of Project Coordinator to oversee this
project. For more information, including qualifications, please see the full job posting.
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136709

_____________________________________________________________________
H I G H L I G H T

"BOOZE CLUES": STUDENT DRUG TESTING IN THE NEWS

See DPA's Isaac Skelton on a New York CBS affiliate's news story (
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136710 ) discussing a new drug test
technology that can determine whether or not a randomly tested student has consumed alcohol
within the previous 80 hours. Pequannock Township in New Jersey will be the first school
district to begin using the new test, beginning in February.
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136710

_____________________________________________________________________
R E C E N T A D D I T I O N S T O DRUGPOLICY.ORG

FROM NEW ORLEANS TO NEWARK: HOW ARE WE GOING TO END THE VIOLENCE IN OUR CITIES? bandele, asha
and Newman, Tony, Huffington Post. February 7, 2007. In today's Huffington Post blog DPA's asha
bandele and Tony Newman challenge elected officials, community leaders and residents not to
forget the victims of violence at home.
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136752

RAISING THE SPEED LIMIT. Piper, Bill. Salt Lake City, UT. Presented at the National Conference
on Methamphetamine, HIV & Hepatitis: Science and Response 2007. February 1-3, 2007. This is the
introduction to a panel hosted by Bill Piper, DPA's director of national affairs, at the 2007
methamphetamine conference.
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136753

RESPECTING THE "WILL OF THE PEOPLE" IS A FICKLE THING: SCHWARZENEGGER, PROP. 36, AND THE TAPED
CONVERSATIONS. Russo, Frank D., California Progress Report. February 6, 2007. California voters
approved Proposition 36, a drug treatment-instead-of-incarceration program by a 61 to 39 percent
margin in November 2000. However, despite a taxpayer savings of $1.3 billion in the first five
years, Governor Schwarzenegger wants to cut funding to the extremely successful program.
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136754

_____________________________________________________________________
E V E N T S

March 5, 2007. Natcher Conference Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. NIDA
CONFERENCE ON ADDICTION AND PAIN. The prevalence of, and process of how to prevent, reduce, and
treat, negative health consequences of opioid treatment in the context of pain are not well
understood. The goal of this meeting will be to bring the power of science to inform
practitioners how to most effectively and compassionately treat pain conditions while minimizing
the risk of abuse and addiction in patients.
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136755

May 13-17, 2007. GROMADA Conference Centre, Warsaw, Poland. 18TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE
REDUCTION OF DRUG RELATED HARM. This annual international conference is a key forum for the
dissemination of harm reduction ideas and practice, attended by over 1000 people from over 60
countries. The theme for the 18th conference is "Harm Reduction - Coming of Age."
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136730

December 5-8, 2007. Astor Crowne Plaza, New Orleans, LA. THE 2007 INTERNATIONAL DRUG POLICY
REFORM CONFERENCE. DPA's International Drug Policy Reform Conference is the world's principal
gathering of people who believe the war on drugs is doing more harm than good. No better
opportunity exists to learn about drug policy and to strategize and mobilize for reform. Mark
your calendar now!
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=4226869&l=136756