TOP TEN DRUGSENSE STATISTICS

The DrugSense staff has been struggling with a couple issues recently.
The main issue is funding.

We are concerned about the stability of our regular sources of income
and hope to secure more funds directly from users of DrugSense services
- see http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm if you're ready to help
without reading any further.

But we can certainly understand if you want more details. DrugSense
provides a number of services on a limited budget. So many services, in
fact, it's difficult to describe them all in a concise manner.

This is the other issue with which we've struggled: How do you
communicate all the important things this organization does and its
financial situation without overwhelming the typical DrugSense user in
an avalanche of details?

So here is an attempt to tell the story with ten numbers culled from
dozens of other statistics we have explored during our struggle.

1) 90,983 - That's the number of news articles about drugs and drug
policy archived by the Media Awareness Project of DrugSense - see
www.mapinc.org/drugnews

2) 11,048 - The number of published letters archived by MAP from 1996
to the present. Those are all letters that have helped spread the
reform message to media consumers around the world - see
http://www.mapinc.org/lte/

3) $11,036,952 - Estimated ad value of those published letters -
roughly what it would have cost to buy advertising space equal to the
amount of space taken by the published letters - see
http://www.mapinc.org/lte/value.htm

4) At least 86 - Minimum number of drug policy reform organizations
that have received Web and technical support from DrugSense (we've
helped so many groups we can barely keep track!) - see
http://www.drugsense.org/sitemap.htm

5) 271 - Issues of DrugSense Weekly published over the years - see
http://www.drugsense.org/nl/2002/

6) Uncounted thousands - Volunteers who have been moved by MAP and who
have helped our success by serving as news editors, letter writers and
NewsHawks -see http://www.mapinc.org/how2.htm

7) 750 - People have ever given financial support to DrugSense - see
http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm

8) 1.4 MILLION - Individuals who visit the MAP web site per year - see
http://www.drugsense.org/statistics/analog/mapinc/jun01jun02/

9) 1,399,250 - Discrepancy between the number of people who use MAP's
website in a year and those who have ever given to DrugSense/MAP.

10) $210,000 - The annual DrugSense budget.

By looking at these select numbers, readers should be able to sense the
value of the services we offer far outweigh our expenditures. However,
some of our already stretched funding is in jeopardy. There could be
one simple solution. In order for us to be almost completely
user-supported, we simply need donations of five cents per year from
every MAP website visitor.

OK, perhaps, it's unrealistic to expect this to happen. So we urge
whoever can afford more than a nickle to give what they can to cover
the slackers. Donations of $100 or more entitle the giver to some
exceptional premiums.

If you've contributed to or volunteered with DrugSense or MAP in the
past, we greatly appreciate it. If you haven't, we hope we can count on
you for a contribution now.

Whatever numbers you choose to look at, DrugSense and MAP offer a
remarkable value. Please help us to continue providing these priceless
services.

Contributing is easy. You can charge your contribution to your credit
card or a PayPal account at: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm

If you prefer to donate via check, please mail your checks payable to

DrugSense or MAP Inc.

PO Box 651,

Porterville,

CA 93258

Please be our partner in helping to save the USA from the excesses of
the War on Drugs.