Colorado, Oregon, Washington or … Uruguay, who will be first?

Will 2012 be the year?

Drug policy reform is moving along in the world and 2012 might very well be the year when marijuana will become legal in some part of the world, more precisely, somewhere in the Americas.

1st legal MJ: Colorado, Oregon, Washington or … Uruguay? — Colorado, Oregon, Washington or … Uruguay?

Uruguayan President Jose Mujica is plugging along with his marijuana legalization initiative, crisscrossing his country and the airwaves with his message, calling for a broad dialog on the issue. “We must stop looking the other way: The major problem is not marijuana, it is drug trafficking.” The project is being debated in the parliament, but no date has been set for a vote. http://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2012/08/26/jose-mujica-el-problema-grave-es-el-narcotrafico-no-la-marihuana/. President Mujica received the support of various regional ex-presidents, with Cesar Gaviria of Colombia being his most vocal supporter, but was derided by ex-president Jorge Battle(of Uruguay), who on February 11, 2001, became the first head of state to call for drug legalization while still in office. Go figure. Any similarity with the Romneycare/Obamacare controversy is purely accidental of course. http://www.elobservador.com.uy/noticia/230808/batlle-proyecto-de-legalizacion-de-la-marihuana-es-para-el-libro-guiness-/

Ex-presidents Rodrigo Borja of Ecuador, and Ricardo Lagos of Chile have joined the club of anti-prohibitionist ex-heads of states. Ricardo Lagos Weber, son of the ex-president, even presented a proposal for the legalization of auto-cultivation and use of marijuana for medical purpose to the Chilean parliament, a proposal that was squarely rejected by president Sebastián Piñera http://america.infobae.com/notas/56195-Pinera-La-droga-es-muerte-dolor-sufrimiento

In the US, all three marijuana legalization initiatives on state ballots are gathering support left and right (mostly left though), including state legislators, the local democratic party and the NAACP.

Polls give a widening edge to the Colorado initiative with support growing to 47-38, and strong backing by independents. http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2012/08/co-voters-favor-assault-weapons-ban-legal-pot-civil-unions.html#mor Washington fares even better with 50-37 support. The more controversial Oregon initiative is not doing too good, with negative support at 43-46. http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-19599-mari_wanna.html . While Washington and Colorado are sitting on comfortable piles of cash, Oregon is broke and could use some help. You can pitch in at Oregon campaign donations www.octa2012.com.

Put your money where your mouth is, support the marijuana legalization initiatives in all three states, Colorado http://www.regulatemarijuana.org/, Oregon www.octa2012.com and Washington http://www.newapproachwa.org. You can also spread the theme song for Colorado prop 64 http://www.regulatemarijuana.org/news/listen-yes-64-theme-song.

Each of these initiatives has its strengths and weaknesses, and none of them is perfect, but they certainly are a big step in the right direction and deserve your support.

Action Alerts: Global drug policy reform and what you can do about it

Speak up! Stand-up! Get involved!

I created this section to keep you informed about actions that I initiated or that I find worthwhile and potentially impactful. Feel free to comment on this post to alert me to actions you are promoting. Be aware that I mostly focus on global actions or actions with broad potential:

New Actions:

Brazil: “Drug laws: it’s time to change”

Brazil launched an international campaign “Drug laws: it’s time to change” (Lei de Drogas: é preciso mudar), aiming to collect 1 millions signatures in favor of decriminalization of drug use in Brazil. http://www.eprecisomudar.com.br/ The petition is also available on AVAAZ: http://www.avaaz.org/po/brazil_drugs/?tta

To find out more: http://vivario.org.br/en/proposal-hoping-to-reform-brazilian-drug-law-is-presented-to-the-house-of-representatives-with-over-100000-supporters/

Mexico-US Peace Caravan — Sunday August 12, San Diego to September 10-12, Washington DC

Javier Sicilia and Mexico’s Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity are leading the Peace Caravan across the United States this summer, calling for an end to the drug war. The caravan began in San Diego on August 12 and is visiting two dozen U.S. cities on its way to Washington, DC. http://www.caravanforpeace.org/caravan/ The caravan is currently in Atlanta, heading for Louisville, KY, and Chicago over Labor Day. The grand finale is scheduled for September 10-12 in Washington DC. Check the route and mark you calendar if you live in the US: http://www.globalexchange.org/mexico/caravan/route

Marijuana legalization initiatives on the November 2012 ballot in the US

Help make history, put your money where your mouth is, support the marijuana legalization initiatives in all three states, Colorado http://www.regulatemarijuana.org/, Oregon www.octa2012.com and Washington http://www.newapproachwa.org. You can also spread the theme song for Colorado prop 64 http://www.regulatemarijuana.org/news/listen-yes-64-theme-song. Each of these initiatives has its strengths and weaknesses, and none of them is perfect, but they certainly are a big step in the right direction and deserve your support.

Medical marijuana initiatives 2012

Medical marijuana initiatives are on the November ballot as Question 3 in Massachusetts, and Arkansas. Question 3 has huge lead in the polls. The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act is under far more pressure, polling at 47/46 and is being challenged by Christian conservatives groups. Arkansas could become the first state in the bible belt conservative South to pass medical MJ, although, admittedly, it is quite a long shot at this stage. Time for Bill Clinton to inhale?

Ongoing actions:

Guatemala

The time has come to renew our support for the Guatemalan leading role in drug policy reform. If you haven’t done so yet, please sign the petition: http://signon.org/sign/support-guatemalan-president. Help spread it through social networks and emails.

Uruguay

Uruguay needs our support more than ever. Share on social networks and email. http://www.world-war-d.com/2012/06/22/petition-in-support-of-the-controlled-legalization-of-marijuana-in-uruguay/

Obama-US

Obama needs to hear from you. Ask him to leave medical marijuana alone: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments

Help the people fighting in the trenches:

Make a donation to Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), the most credible drug legalization advocacy group in the world. Help support the amazing work they are doing. http://www.leap.cc/

To support a scientific approach to drug policy, please see the Beckley Foundation. The Beckley foundation opened a Guatemala office on July 3^rd with the active support of President Otto Perez Molina.

The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) is a global network of 82 NGOs and professional networks that specialize in issues related to the production and use of controlled drugs.

There are many other organizations well worth your support, such as the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), and many others that I do not have space to list here. Feel free to add them in the comment section below.

Stay tuned and keep up the fight. Thank you for your support.

Jeffrey Dhywood
Investigative writer,
Author of “World War D – The Case against prohibitionism, roadmap to controlled re-legalization”

Download a free 42 pages excerpt of “World war-D”

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/worldward

Follow me on Twitter: @JDhywood

Become a better informed activist and support global drug policy reform! I do not ask for donations, I invite you to order a book filled with valuable information.

Order your own copy of “Word War-D”

The reference book on the War on Drugs and prohibitionism
A guide to psychoactive substances and substance abuse
A blueprint for global drug policy reform and controlled legalization

(Click here to order “World War-D” from Amazon)

If you agree with our views, please share this message to support our cause. Send this message to at least 5 of your friends, post it on social networks, on your blogs, etc.

Good news and bad news for drug policy reform

Uruguay & Guatemala pushes on with legalization, the US escalates crackdown, Oregon MJ qualifies for November ballot, Drug abuse down 50% in post-decriminalization Portugal

This week brought goods news and bad news for drug policy reform in the US and in Latin America:

Marijuana legalization project in Uruguay

The Uruguayan government is getting ready to send its marijuana legalization proposal to parliament for debate. That’s for the good news; the project is plugging along. The bad news is that so far only 24% of the Uruguay population support the proposal; President Mujica would like to get 60% approval to finalize the proposal, counting on widening support as the debates unfolds, a steep uphill educational battle ahead!

http://www.subrayado.com.uy/Site/noticia/14453/mujica-enviara-al-parlamento-proyecto-para-legalizar-marihuana

President Mujica announced today that he will tour the country to explain his proposal, emphasizing that his objective is to reduce drug-related crime. http://www.infobae.com/notas/659981-Pepe-Mujica-ratifico-que-buscara-legalizar-la-marihuana-en-Uruguay.html

Uruguay needs our support. Underneath is the link to the petition in support of the marijuana legalization project. Share on social networks and email. http://www.world-war-d.com/2012/06/22/petition-in-support-of-the-controlled-legalization-of-marijuana-in-uruguay/

Guatemala moving ahead on drug legalization debate

In Guatemala, President Perez Molina is moving ahead. On July 3, he became the first serving head of state to sign the Beckley Public Letter, calling for a paradigm shift in drug policy, joining seven former head of states Kofi Annan, and a slate of high-profile personalities. President Molina also launched the Beckley Foundation Guatemala, in order to assist in the development of new and more effective drug policies. Guatemala wants to build the case for a regional coalition for drug policy reform, a long a tedious, but necessary process. http://www.beckleyfoundation.org/2012/07/02/president-otto-perez-molina-launches-beckley-foundation-in-guatemala/

At the impulse of Guatemala, drug legalization will be discussed in more details at the upcoming SICA meeting of regional heads of states. http://m.laprensagrafica.com/2012/07/16/legalizacion-de-drogas-de-nuevo-a-debate/

In El Salvador, where the Catholic Church is a powerful force, the Archbishop of San Salvador, José Luis Escobar, called for a deepening debate on legalization during a press-conference on July 8. http://www.s21.com.gt/internacionales/2012/07/08/aboga-debatir-despenalizacion-droga

Marijuana legalization on the ballot in Oregon, Fed escalates crackdown on medical mj

In the US, Oregon is the third state to put a marijuana legalization initiative on the ballot in November, joining Colorado and Washington State. http://www.katu.com/news/local/Marijuana-initiative-qualifies-for-Oregon-ballot-162446216.html

Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Cory Booker joins a small but steadily growing group of vocal anti-drug war politicians. It looks like anti-prohibitionism is not such a vote-buster anymore. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/cory-booker-drug-war_n_1676008.html

But Obama doesn’t seem to be getting the message, as medical marijuana crack-downs continue and even escalate, with Harborside, the largest dispensary in the world, despite the protests from Oakland city leaders. It is very hard to figure out why Obama, an avid pot smoker during his college-years, embarked on such a losing proposition. The crack-downs will not gain him any support in the center, while it certainly demobilizes and antagonizes some of its most faithful supporters, youths and liberals, who gathered in droves to support him in 2008, but will stay home next November. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-morgan/obama-marijuana-harborside-health-center_b_1678701.html

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/13/local/la-me-oakland-marijuana-20120713

Ask Obama to leave medical marijuana alone, as he promised in 2008: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments

And in case you needed it, here is another illustration of the total idiocy of prohibition: http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/13/mexican-drug-cartels-spreading-influence-graphic/

Meanwhile, Portugal has seen a 50% drop in drug abuse since the decriminalization of drug use and widespread adoption of harm reduction measures in 2001; drug-related crime dropped even further. http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2011/07/05/ten-years-after-decriminalization-drug-abuse-down-by-half-in-portugal/. If you read Portuguese: http://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/detalhe/noticias/nacional/saude/a-toxicodependencia-esta-a-diminuir For more detailed analysis: http://academiajurisprudenciapr.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Puerto-Rico-Marzo-06-2012.pdf. Need more evidence than prohibition doesn’t work?

And in case you needed it, here is another illustration of the total idiocy of prohibition: http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/13/mexican-drug-cartels-spreading-influence-graphic/

New Action: Mark your calendar

Mark your calendar and get ready to participate in what could become one of the largest event for drug policy reform: Javier Sicilia and Mexico’s Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity will lead a caravan across the United States this summer, calling for an end to the drug war. The caravan will begin in San Diego this August and will visit two dozen U.S. cities on its way to Washington, DC. http://www.globalexchange.org/mexico/caravan

Ongoing activist actions:

Uruguay needs our support more than ever. Share on social networks and email. http://www.world-war-d.com/2012/06/22/petition-in-support-of-the-controlled-legalization-of-marijuana-in-uruguay/

Obama needs to hear from you. Ask him to leave medical marijuana alone: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments

Stay tuned and keep up the fight. Thank you for your support.

Jeffrey Dhywood
Investigative writer,
Author of “World War D – The Case against prohibitionism, roadmap to controlled re-legalization”

Download a free 42 pages excerpt of “World war-D”

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/worldward

Follow me on Twitter: @JDhywood

Become a better informed activist and support global drug policy reform! I do not ask for donations, I invite you to order a book filled with valuable information.

Order your own copy of “Word War-D”

The reference book on the War on Drugs and prohibitionism
A guide to psychoactive substances and substance abuse
A blueprint for global drug policy reform and controlled legalization

(Click here to order “World War-D” from Amazon)

If you agree with our views, please share this message to support our cause. Send this message to at least 5 of your friends, post it on social networks, on your blogs, etc.

Update on drug policy reform in Latin America

“Mujica says that while drug addiction is a medical problem, drug trafficking is an unwinnable police problem.

Uruguay would be the world’s first nation to sell marijuana directly.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/uruguays-president-says-his-plan-envisions-legalizing-only-marijuana-no-other-illicit-drugs/2012/07/05/gJQALgpHQW_story.html

Drug policy reform on the move: pressure building in Uruguay; Guatemala may ready another surprise; Mexican go the polls

Following the announcement on June 20 of a project to legalize and control marijuana in Uruguay, a vigorous debate has been started with proponents and opponents furbishing their weapons. The initial project of creating a national registry of users seems to have been shelved, and the idea of state-run production and retail seems to have been ruled out in favor of closely monitored private businesses. A proposal for legalization of cultivation for personal use might be folded into the new legalization proposal.

“The most important is to have a debate; this debate will take place until the law is approved, and will keep going after that, as we will need to regulate” declared Julio Calzada, secretary general of the National Drugs Board.

The international media has been generally supportive and the news have been welcomed, with the Time wondering if the rest of the world should follow.

Not everybody is pleased of course. Yury Fedotov, executive director of the UN Office on Drugs on Crime told reporters: “Should it happen of course that would be a serious violation of the Single convention and Uruguay is a party to this convention… I’m also aware that the President of the International Narcotic Control Board is planning an urgent mission to Uruguay to discuss the situation with the authorities of this country.” There is no official reaction from the US administration; drug czar Gil Kerlikowske has remained silent so far. While Guatemalan president Perez Molina warmly greeted the news, Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos, who had appeared to be favorable to open drug policy debate, was highly critical of the Uruguayan move. The Uruguayan debate must be followed closely in neighboring Brazil and Argentina where a debate on drug policy in ongoing, with Brazil scheduled to vote in July on decriminalization of possession for personal use of all drugs.

Uruguay needs our support. If you haven’t done so yet, I urge you to sign the petition in support of the marijuana legalization project in Uruguay.

If you signed already, help to promote it. Share on social networks and email.
http://www.world-war-d.com/2012/06/22/petition-in-support-of-the-controlled-legalization-of-marijuana-in-uruguay/

We need a success story in MJ legalization and Uruguay can be it. They will get a lot pressure from the UN and the US government. Let’s give them support from people from the US and everywhere. Uruguay is opening the gates and can be the very first of many. Brazil and Argentine have been debating their own drug policies for a while, they could be next. This could be the beginning of a domino effect. Uruguay is calling on the international community to consider marijuana legalization. Let’s respond to them.

In other parts of the world:

Guatemala seems to get ready for a major announcement about drug policy reform. I will keep you posted. It is time to revive our Guatemala petition http://signon.org/sign/support-guatemalan-president that had been dormant since the April 14-15 OAS summit. Please sign it if you haven’t done so, and start spreading it around you. We should have more news next week.

Governor Cuomo’s marijuana decriminalization bill was killed by his GOP opponent in NY State, but Rahm Emmanuel in Chicago handily sailed his own bill through. This would be relatively insignificant if Chicago was not Obama’s political base and if Rahm Emmanuel had not been Obama’s first chief of staff, almost his right harm. Now that his buddy Rahm Emmanuel decriminalized MJ in Chicago, and fresh from his SCOTUS healthcare victory, will Obama finally have his Marijuana moment? http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/13/barack-obama-marijuana-legalisation-election

The International Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Specialized National Agencies Against the World Drug Problem was held in Peru on June 25-26. See also http://www.canzarperu2012.com/

President elections will be held in Mexico this coming Sunday, July 1. All three major candidates have stayed away from the drug war issue throughout the campaign, avoiding the topic like a hot potato as the cartel violence keeps tearing the country apart. As the PRI who ruled the country for 70 years gets ready to regain the reins of power, will it resume its cozy relationship with the drug cartels? http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/23/mexico-elections-drugs-war

Jeffrey Dhywood
Investigative writer,
author of “World War D – The Case against prohibitionism, roadmap to controlled re-legalization”

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/worldward

Follow me on Twitter: @JDhywood

Become a better informed activist and support global drug policy reform!

Order your own copy of “Word War-D”

The reference book on prohibitionism, psychoactive substances and drug policy reform!

(Click here to order “World War-D” from Amazon)

download a free 42 pages excerpt of “World war-D”

Apoya la iniciativa de legalización de mariguana en Uruguay

[emailpetition id=”2″]

Click here for English version

Por favor, agregue su nombre para apoyar la legalización de la marihuana en Uruguay, y haga clic en la parte inferior del formulario para firmar.

También puedes twittear a:

Presidencia de Uruguay: @SCpresidenciauy
Senador Jorge Larrañaga, @guapolarranaga, líder de Alianza Nacional
Pedro Bordaberry @PedroBordaberry, presidente del CEN Colorado y quien fuera ministro de Industria y Turismo en el gobierno de Jorge Batlle, primer jefe de estado en proponer la legalización de las drogas en 2000

Para leer más sobre la iniciativa de ley: http://www.presidencia.gub.uy/wps/wcm/connect/Presidencia/PortalPresidencia/Comunicacion/comunicacionNoticias/gabinete-seguridad-presento-paquete-15-medidas-promover-convivencia-ciudadana

La declaración a medios de la presidencia uruguaya: http://medios.presidencia.gub.uy/jm_portal/2012/noticias/NO_E582/Estrategia.pdf

Para leer más sobre el Presidente Mujica: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mujica

Conviértete en un activista mejor informado!
Apoya la reforma global de la política de drogas!
Pida su propia copia de “World War-D”, el libro de referencia sobre el prohibicionismo, sustancias psicoactivas y la reforma de la política de drogas (disponible solamente en Ingles por el momento)!

Jeffrey Dhywood

Autor de investigación y análisis de “World War D – The Case against prohibitionism, roadmap to controlled re-legalization”

Twitter: @JDhywood

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/worldward