A NORML ESSAY CONTEST

Walter F. Wouk, president of the Schoharie County Chapter of NORML (the
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), announced today
that the organization will award a $500.00 prize to the high school senior
who writes the winning essay on the theme "How does the war on marijuana
threaten America's constitutional democracy?"

Wouk is concerned by the growing disregard for the U.S. Constitution in our
schools. He said, "the sight of police officers, with drug sniffing dogs,
roaming the halls of local schools does little to instill the spirit of
liberty in our children." According to Wouk, "the government's misguided
war on marijuana is responsible for an epidemic of fascist-like hysteria
that is poisoning the minds of our children."

According to Wouk, there's a growing trend among school officials to sic
drug-sniffing dogs on students. Recently, the Galway Central School Board
asked the Saratoga County Sheriff's Department to bring police dogs trained
to sniff out drugs onto school grounds to conduct the searches. There was
no specific incident that brought on the policy , school officials said
they were merely responding to a request from a student group.

Wouk said, "the goal of this essay contest is to make young people aware of
the growing threat to the freedom that they take for granted. Guilty until
proven innocent is not an American value," he said.

The contest is open to residents of New York's Capitol Region who are
graduating high school seniors or students entering their senior year of
high school in 1998. Contest guidelines are available on NORML in
Schoharie's web site at:
http://www.midtel.net/~reply2

Checked-by: Richard Lake