CLOSE WATCH NEEDED ON USE OF NEW LAW

What if you threw a party and nobody came? Under a new federal law known as
the "RAVE Act," this exception may become the rule for organizations
promoting any viewpoints the federal government doesn't like.

Recently, a scheduled fundraising concert for a NORML/Students for Sensible
Drug Policy (SSDP) affiliate in Billings, Mont., was shut down after the
venue's management was informed by the DEA that they could potentially be
fined $250,000 under the new law if any attendee was caught smoking
marijuana.

The law, formally known as the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act of 2003,
permits federal law enforcement to prosecute business owners if they
knowingly make their property available for "the purpose of manufacturing,
distributing, or using any controlled substance."

Though the expressed intent of the "RAVE Act" is to target those who
maintain known drug establishments such as crack houses, the DEA's recent
action makes it apparent that police would rather use the law to target free
speech and free assembly at gatherings promoting ideas that run contrary to
federal opinions and policies.

As such, the "RAVE Act" should be of concern to all Americans who value our
nation's constitutional liberties. Left unchecked, the precedent here is
both frightening and shockingly un-American.

J.D. Brown

Ashland