10 STEPS TO END THE DRUG WAR

While the main purpose of DrugSense is to encourage accuracy and
honesty in the media with respect to illegal drugs, our goal is
ultimately to stop the costly and ineffective drug war. Through our
extensive archive of more than 170,000 articles on all aspects of
drug policy, we have identified 10 specific steps that would result
in ending prohibition as we know it.

1. Grant agronomist Lyle Craker a license to grow medicinal-grade
cannabis at the University of Massachusetts.
http://www.mapinc.org/people/Lyle+Craker

Effect: End the federal government's monopoly on growing marijuana to
meet the FDA's requirement for an independent, high quality cannabis
supply for approved cannabis-based research and product development.

2. Pass the Hinchey-Rohrbacher Amendment. http://www.mapinc.org/people/Hinchey

Effect: End the costly DEA harassment of California dispensaries and
allow states in which medical cannabis is legal to begin regulated
access without federal interference.

3. Accept the Petition to Reschedule Cannabis. http://mapinc.org/find?165

Effect: Remove cannabis from the restrictive Schedule I designation
of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and permit its prescription by
physicians like pharmaceuticals.

4. Make Afghani opium available to pharmaceutical companies.
http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Afghanistan

Effect: Develop a licensing system so that opium grown in Afghanistan
can be legally sold to make narcotic pain relievers, thereby
alleviating a worldwide shortage of these medications.

5. Defund the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.
http://www.mapinc.org/campaign.htm

Effect: Save taxpayers hundreds of millions by eliminating this
campaign, which has only resulted in making drug use more attractive to teens.

6. Increase funding for needle exchange and safe consumption sites.
http://www.mapinc.org/find?142

Effect: Prevent overdoses, reduce drug-related hospital admissions,
and slow the spread of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C.

7. Eliminate Mandatory Minimum Sentencing. http://www.mapinc.org/find?199

Effect: Reduce the non-violent prison population, and end the racial
disparity in sentencing that has resulted in one in three black men
between the ages of 20 and 29 being under correctional control.

8. Free non-violent drug prisoners and stop the Federal trials of
Marc Emery and Ed Rosenthal. http://www.mapinc.org/people/Marc+Emery
http://www.mapinc.org/people/Ed+Rosenthal

Effect: Save the taxpayers the wasted time and expense spent trying
these non-violent individuals on unpopular charges.

9. Develop citizen oversight boards for SWAT squads.
http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm

Effect: Save lives and property that are needlessly disrupted through
the use of a violent techniques for non-violent situations, which are
too often drug raids based on bad information.

10. Pass as many lowest-priority marijuana initiatives as possible.
http://www.mapinc.org/props.htm

Effect: Help the government understand that citizens want to be
protected from violent terrorists, not non-violent marijuana
consumers. Public officials, including police, need to prioritize
their scarce dollars and resources according to that which is most
dangerous and most urgent to public health and safety.

Of course, we at DrugSense know that many more steps need be taken to
move away from drug policies based on fear, prejudice, and
misinformation, and toward policies grounded in science, reason, and
compassion. If you have an idea or step that could be added to this
list, please post it to
http://www.drugsense.org/nuke/Forums&file=viewtopic&p=2654

While you are at it, please make a contribution to help fund the hard
work that makes such a list possible.
http://www.drugsense.org/donate/ DrugSense is a 501(c)(3) educational
non-profit; your donation is tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

You may also mail a check or money order to:

14252 Culver Drive #328

Irvine, CA 92604-0326

Do not forget about our matching funds grant! Every dollar you donate
will be matched by a generous funder. Your contribution will have
twice the value! http://www.drugsense.org/donate/

Help change drug policy now! You can begin by pushing for these 10
steps and by donating to DrugSense to promote more sensible policies.

Mark Greer is the Executive Director of DrugSense