----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Lake" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Robert Goodman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, February 02, 2007 12:14 PM Subject: [DRCTALK] US: A Change in the Weather
> URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n121/a07.html > > Newshawk: http://www.cannabisnews.com/ > Pubdate: Thu, 01 Feb 2007 > Source: Los Angeles City Beat (CA) > Copyright: 2007 Southland Publishing > Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Website: http://www.lacitybeat.com/ > Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2972 > Author: Dean Kuipers > Cited: National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws > http://www.norml.org > Cited: Drug Policy Alliance http://www.drugpolicy.org > Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Dennis+Kucinich > Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Mark+Souder > Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Nancy+Pelosi > Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/industrial+hemp > Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal) > Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) > Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?199 (Mandatory Minimum Sentencing) > Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/walters.htm (Walters, John) > > A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER > > Progressive Dennis Kucinich takes over a new House subcommittee, > signaling changes in national drug policy. > > The Democratic sweep in the 2006 mid-term elections has done more > than finally install a woman as speaker of the House. It has also put > one of the most vocal critics of the ill-starred "War on Drugs" in a > position to affect federal drug policy. On January 18, Ohio > Congressman and presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, one of the > most progressive Democratic voices in the House, was appointed as > chair of the new House Government Reform and Oversight subcommittee > on domestic policy, causing drug reform organizations coast-to-coast > to rejoice in hopes that a moment for significant change may have finally come. > > This subcommittee replaces the now-defunct Criminal Justice, Drug > Policy, and Human Resources subcommittee, which was headed up by > staunch drug warrior, Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN). Kucinich will assume > many of his oversight duties, including policy oversight of the White > House Office of National Drug Control Policy and appointed Drug Czar > John Walters. One commentator on Stopthedrugwar.org crowed that "the > responsibility of overseeing the ONDCP has effectively been > transferred from Congress's most reckless drug warrior to its most > outspoken drug policy reformer" [his emphasis]. > > "He is certainly the polar opposite of his predecessor, Mark Souder," > says Allen St. Pierre, spokesman for the National Organization for > the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML. "Since the time the [ONDCP] > was created in 1988, there have always been friendly people in that > subcommittee and the ONDCP has always been able to get what they want > under the guise of protecting children and saving America from drugs. > But Kucinich doesn't believe any of that. Any of it!" > > For instance, St. Pierre notes, Kucinich is a supporter of industrial > hemp, the non-psychoactive product of the cannabis sativa plant. He > is also a supporter of medical marijuana and of the federal > rescheduling of marijuana, where it is currently illegal as a > Schedule I drug, classified as having "no medical value." This > classification clashes with states such as California, which have > legalized medical use of marijuana, and leads directly to the current > rash of raids on medical marijuana dispensaries by the federal Drug > Enforcement Agency. Kucinich is expected, St. Pierre says, to be a > sponsor of a new bill to be introduced in March that would decriminalize pot. > > Washington insiders, however, are not holding their breath for great > upheaval in federal drug policy overall. Sources close to the > appointment, who asked not to be named, say that Speaker Nancy Pelosi > and other members of the Democratic leadership have effectively > embargoed major crime or drug policy legislation for the next two > years, to avoid looking soft on crime in the 2008 election. > > Kucinich, however, is promising a couple years of entertaining and > edifying hearings. > > "We're going to open up the discussion to new hearings," says > Kucinich, interviewed Sunday in Culver City, where he presented his > bill for Universal Health Care, which is co-sponsored by Rep. John > Conyers (D-MI). "We want to explore the federal government's policies > and the Department of Justice's policies on medical marijuana, for > example. We need to also look at the drug laws that have brought > about mandatory minimum sentences that have put people in jail for > long periods of time. I think it's an appropriate time to look at the > proliferation of drugs in America, and how that fits in with our > health care crisis, and how that fits in with law enforcement." > > The ONDCP did not reply to several requests for comment. That office, > however, which is a function of the executive branch, has been deeply > involved in pushing heavy sentences for nonviolent drug offenders and > resisting medical marijuana, buying big-money ad campaigns attacking > marijuana in states trying to legalize at the state level. > > Controlling that ad money could be a key to reform. When asked if his > subcommittee has any budget oversight or other muscle, Kucinich shook > his head and added, "No, this committee does not have control of the > budgets, but it does have control of the policy, and it can ask > questions and get documents that others couldn't get." > > That can make a difference, says Ethan Nadelmann, executive director > of the Drug Policy Alliance, one of the nation's biggest drug policy > reform organizations. His group plans to push for incremental slices > of legislation that can move a progressive agenda while not upsetting > Democratic unity, adding that Kucinich can "hold hearings on some of > the subjects that haven't been addressed in, you know, decades. Like > a hearing on America having the highest incarceration rate in the > world. Or maybe a hearing on why the DEA has jurisdiction over medical issues. > > "One can obviously empathize with the democratic leadership's desire > to be cautious when it comes to supporting drug policy reforms and > other sentencing reforms," he adds. "But when you have a growing > number of Republicans supporting sentencing reform, this might be a > good time for the Democrats to show a little leadership." > > In fact, several activists point out, the new Congress may be the > most sympathetic to drug-law reform that America has ever seen. > Progressives like Senator Richard Durbin and Reps. Pelosi, George > Miller, Conyers, Barney Frank, Henry Waxman, Kucinich, and Bobby > Scott have all turned up in leadership positions. > > "If we had to pick out our 40 best friends in Congress, they'd be > disproportionately in leadership positions," says Nadelmann. He > includes Sen. Patrick Leahy on that list, but cautions: "Mind you, > seven years ago, Leahy said that sentencing reform was one of the top > priorities, but now it's not even a top-10 priority. Part of that's > because there's so much other stuff to deal with." > > Still, action on several fronts is expected. Sentencing reform should > get some attention, with an aim of reducing the number of non-violent > drug offenders currently getting long prison sentences, which has > given the U.S. the highest per-capita incarceration rate in the > world. One such change would be to make sentences involving crack > cocaine equal to those given for powdered cocaine, as community > activists have long contended these simply punish the black and poor > who are more likely to use the drug in the form of crack. Hearings > might also bring new media scrutiny to decades-long marijuana > rescheduling motions and several Data Quality Act petitions, which > force bodies like the Food and Drug Administration to make decisions > based on science rather than ideology, and which have been roundly > ignored by the Bush administration. > > St. Pierre points out another potential point of influence: High > Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, or HIDTAs. Congress funnels > millions of dollars to local law enforcement for use in these areas, > and activists have long argued they are wrongly prioritized. > > "That's a very obscure acronym, but when it comes down to the > billions of dollars that get channeled out to local governments and > their law enforcement, HIDTA is the battleground. That's where Dennis > can come in and say, 'Mr. Walters, we the Congress, and, clearly, > your own constituents want methamphetamines as the number one > priority, not marijuana, and certainly not in the states that have > medical marijuana laws.' A couple of weeks ago, Walters was out in > Fresno giving awards away for busting buyers' clubs. Dennis can clip > those wings. It all depends on how he's going to want to pull the trigger." > > __________________________________________________________________________ > Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in > receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. > --- > MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman > > > > +================================================================+ > This message was sent to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To remove yourself from this email list, send email to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > or visit your personal subscription management page at: > http://ga0.org/drcnet/smp.tcl?s=++kd8eudry6jiik3. > Powered by GetActive Software - www.getactive.com > +================================================================+ > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.411 / Virus Database: 268.17.20/664 - Release Date: 2/2/07 > > _______________________________________________ Libnw mailing list Libnw@immosys.com List info and subscriber options: http://immosys.com/mailman/listinfo/libnw Archives: http://immosys.com/mailman//pipermail/libnw
