Stories from the week of November 13, 2009

Howard on the Hill

 Stories from the week of November 13, 2009

 The Empire Strikes Back: On Tuesday I attended a strategy meeting on the Webb Commission Bill (S-714). The rebels led by Princess Jennifer Stitt of FAMM (www.famm.org) informed us that the storm troopers of the Empire had forced the good King Webb to accept substantial changes to his bill or face ruin.

 Typical of the storm troopers demands, this in the section on ‘changes in oversight, policies and laws designed to:’ (2) – reduce the overall incarceration rate through effective enforcement and prevention strategies.- In other words the more effective storm troopers are, the fewer citizens would go to jail. The Rebels will urge Webb to insert the word ‘punishment’ after the phrase ‘effective enforcement.’ And that boys and girls, is how sausage* is made.

Band of Brothers: On Wednesday Karen and I flew out early to the Drug Policy Alliance (www.drugpolicy.org) bi-ennial*, international conference in Albuquerque, NM. This was my fifth conference and Karen’s second. About 1000 committed reformers received excellent information in the many sessions, renewed old friendships and created a few new ones.

Why we fight: Enjoying an offsite Mexican lunch with our friends Bob & Rita Wiley of Colorado the raison d’être of our efforts & the pain of current policy revealed itself.

We were wearing our MOMS say, DADS say, COPS say legalize pot t-shirts. A mature woman approached and asked how we could legalize pot. Her story – she had a crippling, painful back condition for which she had discovered that marijuana was the perfect medicine. I responded she was in luck because New Mexico was a state that had legal medical MJ. She shook her head. ‘My husband has a top secret clearance. He is already outside because he does not want to be seen with you and the shirts. He feels his clearance would be revoked, if his wife took MJ, even legally.’

Our hearts screamed at the injustice and pain this woman suffered everyday. I told her I was working hard at the federal level to allow God’s medicine to be as normal as aspirin for all US citizens. She thanked us for our efforts and disappeared from our lives.

*sausage > hier = Gesetze *

biennial = jeder zwei Jahre

Consider being a member of COP at $30.00 per year. Add your voice to those who agree that Modern Prohibition/War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional and immoral policy since slavery & Jim Crow.

Thank you, Howard

 Make checks payable to:

 Citizens Opposing Prohibition Inc

PO Box 772 Buckeystown, MD 21717-0772

817-975-1110  Modern Prohibition/The War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional & immoral domestic policy since slavery & Jim Crow.