From: [s--w--p] at [aol.com] (Snowcap) Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs Subject: Legalization Movement Makes Strides (News article) Date: 19 Dec 1994 17:54:04 -0500 The following is an excerpt from the December issue of DRUG POLICY REPORT, an independent monthly newsletter on drug-related issues. DRUG LEGALIZATION MOVEMENT MAKES GAINS The drug legalization movement has been making significant gains in the last several months, in spite of electoral losses, and the firing of their chief ally in the Clinton Administration, Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders. The movement is raising money with the help of Hungarian multi-billionaire, George Soros, and is attempting to push the drug debate in their direction by promoting a "harm reduction" agenda as a first step toward legalization. Two recent conferences, one private and one public, illustrate the gains they have made. On December 8, Soros hosted a private dinner at his New York home for 40 of his friends. One attendee, who asked not to be named, told Drug Policy Report that the event was "a propaganda session" during which four speakers argued that "harm reduction" is the way of the future and that drug legalization has been successful abroad and would be good for the United States. The group was addressed by: Ethan Nadelmann, Director of the Soros supported Lindesmith center-a drug policy research group; Malthea Falco, President of Drug Strategies (also supported by Soros); Edith Springer, a former drug addict and "harm reduction consultant"; and Stanley Crouch, a musician. A spokesperson for Drug Strategies' Washington office said that although they receive financial support from Soros, neither the group nor Ms. Falco favor drug legalization. The Drug Policy Foundation also takes no organizational position on legalization, but many of the individuals within its leadership personally support the legalization or decriminalization of drugs. Soros has emerged as the most important individual financial backer of the drug legalization movement. Soros' "Open Society Institute" has donated $6 million to the Drug Policy Foundation and smaller amounts to Nadelmann's and Falco's groups. The Drug Policy Foundation has said that they intend to use the funds to support an advertising program, a government affairs program, and a grant program. The first grant ($25,000) was provided to the Australian Drug Law Reform foundation, an organization which promotes 'alternative' drug policies for Australia. Subsequent grants, totaling a $1 million a year over three years, will be awarded to advocacy and drug treatment groups. On December 3, the Drug Policy Foundation held its annual national conference in Washington. Over 500 people attended, making it the organization's most successful conference to date. The group has a total of 18,000 paid members. Arnold Trebach, the organization's President and a Professor at American University, said, "The reform movement as a whole has never been stronger. More and more good people are getting the message that there is something terribly wrong with the way in which this country and most of the nations of the world deal with drugs. More organizations are being formed to deal with all of the myriad phases of change." Trebach said that the movement has allies, beyond Elders, working quietly within the Clinton Administration and that their pronouncements on drug issues have a "much more civilized ring to them than those of the Reagan-Bush era." Ethan Nadelmann, Director of the Lindesmith Center, told conferees that in spite of the recent Congressional elections, which he referred to as "Black Tuesday," the drug legalization movement was making significant inroads. He noted efforts to: rein in excessive asset forfeitures; moves towards legalization in Colombia, Switzerland, Holland, Australia, and Germany; and, the growth of needle exchange programs. Nadelmann explained the importance of harm reduction as an intermediate step towards legalization. "I am a big fan of harm reduction," he said. "It is about making prohibition work better, but on our terms." He said it was foolish for the legalization movement to stand entirely on the outside of existing policies. Instead, Nadelmann encouraged legalization activists to push for a "better, more humane, more sensitive drug policy." Towards this end, many drug legalization advocates are lending their support to efforts to repeal mandatory minimum sentences for selling narcotics. A session on this topic included a presentation by Julie Stewart, the President of Families Against Mandatory Minimums. She established her group after her brother was sentenced to five years for selling cocaine. Stewart criticized harsh sentences for what she characterized as small amounts of cocaine. Using sugar to represent cocaine, she poured 500 grams into a small bowl, and then picked up a tablespoon's worth of the substance. She noted that selling 500 grams of cocaine, or a tablespoon of crack, bring 5 year sentences. Stewart provided an interesting contrast to the fire and brimstone of some of the legalization enthusiasts. In fact, when an audience member (who appeared to be a Grateful Dead aficionado), launched a harsh attack on Republican policies, she cut him off, warning that partisanship could only hurt their cause. She noted that efforts to fight mandatory minimums had support among some Republicans, including former Attorney General Ed Meese. Arnold Trebach said that his goal in establishing the Drug Policy Foundation in 1987 was to "make the idea of opposition to the drug war decent and respectable." The firing of Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders suggests they are not quite there yet, but the movement's growing resources and emerging alliances indicate that they are making rapid progress.