NORTH TEXAS GROUPS EFFORTS TO CHANGE DRUG POLICY STRENGTHEN

By Marisa Taylor Star-Telegram Staff Writer

When Robert Williams heard that a friend faced 10 years in prison for
conspiracy to distribute 1,000 pounds of marijuana, he wasn't angry at his
friend.

He was angry at the country's drug sentencing policies.

"It's absurd that this dear friend of mine who is 51 years old is going to
be 61 when he gets out," Williams said. "The punishment should fit the crime."

Williams decided to join the North Texas chapter of the Drug Policy Forum
of Texas, a small but growing organization that wants the government to
change its drug enforcement policies.

The state organization, established in 1994 in Houston by pharmacology
professor G. Alan Robison, has grown to about 800 members from 15. The
North Texas chapter, which started in May 1998, has doubled its membership
to 40.

Members are not united behind a single goal. Some focus on one cause, such
as relaxing laws regarding marijuana possession. Others embrace broader
changes, such as reducing sentences for drug users.

The members agree on one point: The nation's war on drugs has failed.

"It's just a matter of getting the word out," said Bob Ramsey, the North
Texas chapter's executive director. "As time goes on, more people are going
to question the drug war."

The group has plenty of opposition. Federal drug enforcement officials
counter that government policies are working and say these groups ignore
evidence that drugs are harmful.

Others have branded leaders of the movement as radical, self-serving baby
boomers who want to use drugs but don't want to face the consequences.

But the Drug Policy Forum of Texas appears to be tapping into some
frustration. Membership increases whenever the group gets publicity,
members said.

Robison, who once worked for the group out of his house, recently hired a
staff member who earns about $30,000 a year to run daily operations of a
new office. Billionaire philanthropist George Soros donated $50,000 about a
year ago. During the past year, Robison raised $25,000 from fund-raisers.

With donations from several Houston lawyers, Drug Policy Forum of Texas
started a half-hour weekly television program that first aired Aug. 17 on a
Houston cable channel. The group's newsletter is sent to 2,000 people
statewide.

The North Texas chapter started having monthly meetings in Irving, and
members plan to meet in public places to spread their message, said member
Howard Wooldridge of Keller, a former police officer.

The Drug Policy Forum of Texas recently joined other groups on the steps of
the Texas Capitol to urge Gov. George W. Bush to commute drug offenders'
sentences and to grant pardons to those who are nonviolent.

"It's a good example of how drug reform organizations can work together and
network," Robison said. "All of a sudden, we're doing great."

Bush can consider commuting a sentence or granting a pardon only if the
Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommends it, said Bush spokeswoman
Linda Edwards.

"The governor is also reluctant to grant pardons because he believes people
who commit crimes should pay the cost for those crimes," she said.