Dear Friend,
On Monday,
April 2, my school -- Oaksterdam University in Oakland -- was raided by
the DEA, IRS, and US Marshals. Oaksterdam provides training to the
medical cannabis industry, and is fully compliant with state and local
law.
President Obama promised at the beginning of his administration to
respect state medical marijuana laws. He has broken this promise time
and time again -- and the consequences have been devastating.
This
was a senseless act of intimidation. But I've been an activist far too
long to become intimidated -- and with the majority of Americans and
common sense on our side, I know this is a fight we can win.
With our government trillions in debt, why is our government using
taxpayer dollars to come after me, Oaksterdam, and the thousands of
patients who need medical marijuana just to get through the day?
Tell
President Obama and the DEA: Enough is enough. Keep your campaign
promise, and stop the raids on the medical cannabis industry!
Thanks for your support,
Richard Lee
National Cannabis Industry Association
Six National Drug Policy Organizations Call on President Obama to End Unnecessary Assault on Medical Marijuana Providers
Coalition to President Obama: “It is time for a new approach on marijuana policy.”
Contact: Aaron Smith, NCIA executive director, (707) 291-0076,
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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In
the wake of recent attacks on medical marijuana providers and patients
by multiple branches of the federal government, including Monday's raids
on Oaksterdam University in Oakland, CA, a coalition of six national
drug policy reform organizations is appealing to President Obama and his
administration to follow its own previously stated policies respecting
state medical marijuana laws. In the letter, posted in full below, the
organizations call on the Obama administration to bring an end to the
federal government’s ongoing campaign to undermine state efforts to
regulate safe and legal access to medical marijuana for those patients
who rely on it.
Oaksterdam Get Down Slideshow
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Oaksterdam Get Down
Come join the fun!
Last Sunday of every month.
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Every last Sunday of the month means the totally peaceful, completely awesome Oaksterdam Get Down hosted by our friends at OaksterdamNews.Com. Visit 375 15th Street in downtown Oakland between noon and 6 p.m. every last Sunday of the month, for the event that cures racism: namely, a police-sanctioned, marijuana-friendly block party. Any bad bones in your body will be cured by cannabis-infused hamburgers and barbecue sauce, and the good bones will be nothing but magnified. Come early for the live music, and stay late for the love.
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Oakland riots after verdict in police shooting of Oscar Grant
Officer who shot dead unarmed African American cleared of murder but
found guilty of involuntary manslaughter
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Oakland Prosecutor comes out against Drug War, finds that he's not alone |
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Written by James Anthony
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Thursday, 30 March 2006 |
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition:
“Cops say legalize drugs — ask me why,” blared the tee-shirts on a
dozen volunteers as I walked into the Drug Policy Alliance national
conference at the Long Beach Marriot last November. They all looked
like cops too; big burly guys with short hair, except for a few cop
wives and a couple of guy who might have been undercover narks.
I had paid good money from my nonprofit salary for registration, hotel,
car, and airfare from Oakland to learn more about drug policy reform,
and was feeling a little afraid that I was going to get down there and
be surrounded by thousands of old hippies in a big joyous be-in.
Well, I’d just walked in and already I was surrounded by cops —
screamingly open cops, who’d walk right up to you, shake your hand,
look you in the eye, and say, “We should legalize all drugs because
that’s the only way we’re ever going to control them.” Law Enforcement
Against Prohibition (LEAP) was in the house in a very big way.
It became very clear to me. The drug policy reform movement is not just
NORML anymore and it’s not just people who enjoy drugs. It’s also
people who hate drugs (and want to control them effectively), and
people who don’t care about drugs (but care about the $70 billion the
US wastes every year on the socially harmful, but politically
expedient, Drug War).
 MEDICAL MARIJUANA RAID - Photo by Jaime Galindo
The drug policy reform movement is expanding everywhere, and nowhere
more surprisingly — or more rapidly — than among law enforcement
personnel. Started just a few years ago, LEAP now has over 5,000
members, and a goal of 10,000 this year. Its members include not only
police officers, but also drug prosecutors, judges, and prison guards
from all over the country. LEAP has introduced a “friend” category for
its non-law enforcement supporters, with a goal of a million friends
this year.
LEAP’s strategy for ending the Drug War is to use its members’
credibility as speakers in heartland settings such as Rotary Club
meetings. LEAP’s speakers’ bureau is over 100 strong and growing. They
make a convincing presentation that the Drug War has failed to reduce
drug problems, and has actually made things worse and caused untold
harm to individuals, families, communities, minorities, our nation, the
world and to law enforcement itself. They then open the question, if
what we’re doing isn’t working. What to do next? Each speaker has their
own ideas on what detailed shape legalization should take, but all
agree that the American people can come up with a better system once
they see how bad and unworkable the Drug War is.
For more information on LEAP, and to join as a member or friend, see www.leap.cc
* James Anthony is a LEAP speaker and an award-winning former Oakland
civil drug prosecutor, now practicing land use law. He is available for
public speaking engagements and is eager to talk with LEOs who are
interested in adjusting drug policy, and can be reached at
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James Anthony |
| About the author: |
| James Anthony, Prosecutor
"When the police department can't put the drug dealers in jail, they ask me to take the grandmother's house."
James Anthony has seen first-hand the destructive impact of the "War on Drugs" on both inner-city neighborhoods and on police officers; and Oakland, CA - where he has spent three years as an award-winning Neighborhood Law Corps attorney - is a ground zero for that damage.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 08 August 2006 )
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