THREE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

2009 presents unprecedented opportunities for drug policy reform. The
drug war has always been part of a larger culture war, with
grassroots activists on the frontlines. Now is the time to step it
up. The economic downturn is putting tremendous pressure on state
and local governments. Faced with the prospect of cutting police
forces and reducing education funding, legislators are going to think
twice before adding to what is already the highest incarceration rate
in the world. The drug war as it is waged today is not
sustainable. Following are three things you can do to speed up its
inevitable end:

1. Write letters to the editor -- This especially applies to small
community newspapers. According to a 2008 University of Missouri
study, in towns served by community newspapers of 25,000 circulation
or less, 86 percent of the population read a community newspaper each
week. This is a critical prohibitionist audience that, before the
Media Awareness Project came along, had little, if any, exposure to
reform arguments.

Don't forget the major dailies. While readership has declined and
their business model is suffering due to online ad competition, 2008
Pew Research suggests impressive newspaper readership, ranging from a
low of 33 percent weekly readers among 18-24 year olds to a high of a
66 percent among those over 65. Until someone gives me $100 million
to place ads on television, I'll continue to make use of the most
cost-effective means of reaching large segments of the population
with a reform message.

The newspaper vs. internet debate is a false dichotomy. Published
LTEs appear online and reverberate in blogs throughout the internet.
Pew research suggests that consumers who abandon hard copy newspapers
turn to tradition media sources online. For local news, increasingly
relevant during an economic decline, this means online newspapers.

2. Write your local elected officials - This is an area the reform
movement has long overlooked. I don't get paid for drug policy
activism. My day job is in a small local government. You'd be
surprised at how easy it is for a handful of engaged citizens to sway
a County Board. We're talking responsive government, not Congress
members skeptical of e-activism with staff who respond with
non-committal form letters when they respond at all.

When you write a local elected official, it's highly likely that he
or she will personally read your letter. So if you want to kill DARE
in your community because you don't want your school-age kids exposed
to a counterproductive program, don't write your Senator, write your
County Board member. Get a handful of like-minded citizens to do the
same, throw in some credible research findings, and you might be
surprised at the results.

I challenge all grassroots activists to do the following. Write your
local elected officials and ask them three questions. How many drug
offenders are currently incarcerated in the County jail? What does it
cost to incarcerate someone for one day? How much does it cost to
incarcerate someone for an entire year? Don't use a Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) request for this. You won't get good results.
FOIA requests are considered obnoxious. Unless a document already
exists that directly relates to your concerns, you won't get a
response. Write as a concerned citizen. Be polite, keep it short,
and avoid long-winded policy prescriptions.

Your question will come at a time when elected officials are
agonizing over the prospect of laying off dozens if not hundreds of
local government employees. You'll definitely get them thinking. You
may well inspire a new reform advocate. This is important. Elected
officials become state legislators, who go on to become Congress
members. Sow the seeds of reform.

If you get a written response that answers your questions - and there
is a very good chance you will - put a press release cover page on it
filled with reform arguments and send it to your local community
newspaper as a citizen activist. Again, you might be surprised at
the results. Starting a heated community debate during desperate
economic times is easier done than you might think.

3. Support the Media Awareness Project - Last but definitely not
least, support the Media Awareness Project: newshawk articles,
volunteer as an editor, donate to DrugSense. The latter is especially
important during these tough economic times. The Media Awareness
Project leverages tremendous volunteer support and gets tremendous
results on a shoestring budget. It serves as an information
repository and catalyst for the entire movement; the sum is greater
than the parts. I consider myself one of many grassroots
activists. I get a lot of LTE hits, but I'm nothing without the
newshawks, volunteer editors and donors. I give what I can and
encourage you to do the same. Together, we are making a difference!