RECONSIDER GETS 450 NAMES ON DRUG LAW REFORM LETTERS

Ogdensburg, New York -- St. Lawrence County's ReconsiDer chapter has
collected more than 450 signatures on letters urging reform of the state's
and nations's drug laws.

ReconsiDer member Lawrence Seguin of Lisbon said the group managed to round
up the names on letters promoting a variety of issues over the past two months.

Seguin said he and fellow member Lee Monnet began circulating the petitions
after a visit to the local chapter by Nick Aeyle of the state ReconsiDer
organization.

ReconsiDer was formed to advocate for easing the New York State drug laws,
and members are often involved in efforts to legalize or decriminalize
various drugs from marijuana to stronger substances.

Three different letters sent to state and national elected officials touch
on a wide variety of issues, said Seguin.

They are:

One to Congress urging opposition to a proposed law that would stop
transmission of instructions for preparation of so-called "schedule 1"
drugs over the internet;

Another to state officials advocating repeal of the "Rockefeller drug laws"
of New York State;

And a third to the Senate calling on "honest debate on (national) drug
policy."

The first, said Seguin, is going to Reps. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Howard
Berman and Zoe Lofgren, both D-Calif., and all members of the House
Judiciary Committee.

The second targets Gov. George Pataki, State Sen. James Wright
(R-Watertown); Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno; Assembly Speaker
Sheldon Silver; and Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava (R-Gouvrneur).

And the third was sent to U.S. Sens. Joseph Biden and Orrin Hatch of the
Senate Judiciary Committee.

People signing the letters are "the silent majority," said Seguin. "The
people being quiet are the ones who have had a lot of concerns" about the
drug issue.

The signatures were gathered "by word of mouth, calling people, and
contacting friends," he said.

The third letter addresses the issue that tough drug laws have been in
place "for 27 years and nothing has changed. The DEA (Drug Enforcement
Administration) is getting only ten percent of the drugs coming in," with
heroin and cocaine readily available.

He said it is his opinion that the prison system is "an industry" noting
that "If you go to the Department of Corrections website and download their
map, you can see that they're in rural areas. They're using them to
achieve an economic impact."

He said he was shocked when he saw that Mayor William Nelson urged a fourth
prison in Ogdensburg, describing it in the process as an "economic boost"
for the city.

"They said the same thing about the other prisons, but we lost K-Mart,
Ames, Jubilee, Great American, and Mater Dei Collage," added Seguin.

"What is the impact? We've lost about six businesses. What is the economic
impact?" He added "One mall is closed. Wouldn't we be better off with a
rooftop highway bringing in real business, rather than something to house
1,000 people lifting weights all day?"