Bulldog Coffeeshop, 1739 Broadway

JOURNEY FOR JUSTICE IN OAKLAND TOMORROW AT NOON AT BULLDOG

JOURNEY FOR JUSTICE IN OAKLAND TOMORROW AT NOON AT BULLDOG

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PLEASE TELL EVERYONE, THERE IS A RALLY FOR THE JOURNEY FOR JUSTICE TOMORROW AT THE BULLDOG AT 12:00 NOON SHARP PLEASE SHOW SUPPORT AND HELP OUT! These guys are nearly broke and need $$$ and atleast a thankyou. They are hanging in there and the Sacramento cops weren't friendly but Oaksterdam is planning a big party! Come to the Bulldog and share what you can. They have been struggling and now Californians must give them some love.

Please put down the bong and come to the BULLDOG COFFEESHOP TOMORROW AT NOON!!!!

Please contact Ken Locke via email or his cell: 828 506 0659

And/or Mark Pedersen also email or at 314 422 4524

Ken Locke's story and 3000-mile bike ride for MMJ
http://www.angelfire.com/planet/bikeride/medstory.html

articles from the O'Shaunessy

Spring 2006 O'Shaughnessy's Journal of the California Cannabis Research Medical Group

Cloning Made Simple

By Andrew Glazier
A horticulturist with a special interest in cacti, Glazier teaches a class on how to grow cannabis at an East Bay dispensary.
I always tell beginners looking for info, “It’s not a drug, it’s a plant,” and “We don’t grow the plant, the plant grows itself.”
The plant comes first, then the flowers. It’s good to remember this as you learn to garden. I was lucky enough to grow up in a house with a mother who actively gardened. When I opened a bag of herb one day and I saw seeds I knew what to do.
For many years, I would sprout seeds and wait for the inevitable male plants to crash the party. I would kill them and even after the males were gone, the remaining “females” would often throw off a few male parts. The Crying Game indeed. After hermaphrodites were removed, the remaining plants were pure females.
By the late ’80s, I was taking early flowering females and I would suspend their branches in a fish tank, which had chicken wire on top. The warm oxygenated water would provide a nice home for the individual branches to sprout roots. What were once branches of the same plant were now by definition, individual plants.
Some I would move out in the yard to continue growing and others would be placed under lights for 18 hours of light per day and would become “mother” plants which would then bear more branches and the cycle would repeat itself. Theft from neighbors was never a problem as I was sure to give them a few clones so they would be too busy guarding their own crop to think about stealing mine.
Today in California, medical patients can buy pure female clones. By learning how to make more clones, we lessen our dependence on others for our medicine. Never before have we had so much of the work done for us. When I talk to older growers, they are amazed how far we have come.
First we purchase a clone from our dispensary. We place it in a two-gallon pot. We buy organic soil from the local garden store. Tell the people you want the best soil for tomatoes. If you think about how expensive medical cannabis is, at $20/gram, a $12 bag of soil is a good investment. The better the soil, the better the results. This is not something to be skimpy about.
The plant is placed under a grow light, which is left on 18 hours a day. A timer is used to accurately control the settings. After a few weeks we are ready to take some clones.
A six-inch branch tip is cut from the plant and placed in water with rooting hormones added. I prefer Dip ‘n Grow brand because you can add it to water and do a lot or a few clones.
After soaking for a few minutes, the clone is re-cut using a single sided razor blade. It is then quickly added to rock wool, which is a sterile medium for rooting plants. Floral foam will work just as well.
The clone is placed in a tray with a plastic lid and placed on a heat mat with a thermostat set at 85 degrees. The lid is raised once or twice a day for fresh air. It is quickly replaced to keep humidity high. A cardboard box and cellophane will work well, also.
After seven to ten days, the clone will grow roots. It is now ready to be repotted. Clones without roots can be left and will root in a few days. By learning how to grow, we can reproduce —exactly— plants that exert the medicinal effect we seek.
The author can be contacted at
http://growlove.blogspot.com

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Urziceanu Ruling Protects Sales, Distribution

By Pebbles Trippet
Voters passed Prop 215 in 1996, establishing the explicit right to grow or obtain medical cannabis with a doctor’s authorization —but not to sell or distribute it. SB 420 expanded the protections to include sales and distribution by means of “collective cooperative cultivation projects.” This is the gist of a unanimous ruling in September 2005 by the 3rd District California Court of Appeals in People v. Urziceanu (132-CalApp4th747).
Michael Urziceanu (Ur-zi-see-on-oo), a qualified patient (and former corrections officer), was the founder of FloraCare, a dispensary in Citrus Heights, near Sacramento. He and partner Susan Rodger enlisted several hundred medical-cannabis users in what they defined as a cooperative. Urziceanu and staff grew cannabis and occasionally bought pounds from other growers to meet members’ demand. Members reimbursed FloraCare by making “suggested donations.”
FloraCare was first raided Sept. 18, 2001. It reopened and was raided again.
A jury trial in Sacramento Superior court in Fall 2003 resulted in acquittal for Urziceanu on marijuana cultivation and sales charges but a conviction for conspiracy to sell. He received a three-year sentence.
The Appeals Court reversed and remanded for a new trial on improper jury instructions on conspiracy and mistake of law, as well as search and seizure procedures. The ruling stated (page 49):
“This new law (SB420) represents a dramatic change in the prohibitions on the use, distribution and cultivation of marijuana for persons who are qualified patients or primary caregivers. Its specific itemization of the marijuana sales law indicates it contemplates the formation and operation of medicinal marijuana cooperatives that would receive reimbursement for marijuana and their services provided in conjunction with the provision of that marijuana.
“ Contrary to the People’s argument, this law (SB420) did abrogate the limits expressed in (previous) cases... which took a restrictive view of the activities allowed by the Compassionate Use Act.”
The Urziceanu court negated its own “restrictive views of the activities allowed” under Prop 215. It clarified the meaning of “primary caregiver” for qualified patients.And it laid out a detailed legal alternative to the club model of medical access, based on “collective cooperative cultivation projects” (as per SB420) rather than profit.
SB420 provides no definition of “collective,” or “cooperative,” but legal cooperatives have financial disclosure requirements that collectives do not.
The court lists seven statutory exemptions, not just the two stated in Prop 215 (possession and cultivation) and a series of principles and protections for primary caregivers who form voluntary associations using a state ID in compliance with SB420.
The Medical Marijuana Program Act (SB 420) contains section 11362.775, which states, “Qualified patients... and the designated primary caregivers of qualified patients... who associate within California in order to collectively or cooperatively cultivate marijuana for medical purposes, shall not solely on that basis be subject to state criminal sanctions under sections 11357, 511358, 11359, 11360, 13366, 11366.5, or 11570...
“This section extends the protections of the Compassionate Use Act tothe additional crimes related to marijuana: possession for sale (11359), transportation or furnishing marijuana (11360), maintaining a location for unlawfully selling, giving away or using controlled substances (11366), managing a location for the storage or distribution of any controlled substance for sale (11366.5) and the provisions declaring a building used for reselling, storing, manufacturing and distributing a controlled substance to be a nuisance (11570).”
Senate Bill 420, as unanimously interpreted by the Urziceanu judges, went beyond the right of Prop 215 patients to a defense at trial —a minimalist approach. It applies to the medical access process as a whole and acknowledges that that SB420 allows for expenses, provision of medicine and related services, including salaries:
“ This section thus allows a primary caregiver to receive compensation for actual expenses and reasonable compensation for services rendered to an eligible qualified patient, i.e., conduct that would constitute sale under other circumstances...
“ The Medical Marijuana Program Act (420) expressly expands the scope of the Compassionate Use Act (215) beyond the qualified defense to cultivation and possession of marijuana...
“ This section extends the protections of the Compassionate Use Act to additional crimes related to marijuana: possession for sale, transportation, furnishing, maintaining a location for selling... managing a location for distribution.”
There is no limit on the total number of patients who can authorize a primary caregiver to cultivate for them and provide their medicine, as long as there are sufficient physician recommendations to cover the quantity and as long as the medicine-providing processes are collectively or cooperatively organized.
Since it is generally estimated that 90-95 % of cannabis patients are unable to grow for themselves, primary caregivers are the key to true medical access in the future.
The California courts are leading the way, building bridges to safe, affordable medicine, delivering what the voters intended —that marijuana for medical purposes not be a crime but rather a health matter between doctor and patient and a statutory “right” under state law.
The California Supreme Court ruled in Mower (2002) that people who use marijuana for medical purpose are “no more criminal than” (exactly equal to) people who use prescription medicines. The Urziceanu Appeals Court (2005) applied the Mower principle and medicalized the entire production and distribution process —from cultivating, trimming and transporting to selling, distributing and managing a warehouse for storage and distribution.
If properly used and if not overturned, the Urziceanu ruling fulfills the rights of cannabis patients and caregivers to due process and medical access. A rational future is now visible, with protections for cannabis patients that were largely unthinkable 10 years ago and are now the law of the state.
A new group, Healing Alternatives Association (HAA), consisting of cannabis patients and caregivers organized collectively or cooperatively, has formed. If you would like to get more information, including the by-laws, contact HAA, po box 2555, Mendocino CA 95460, or call the Medical Marijuana Patients Union at 707-964-YESS.

The Urziceanu ruling protects primary caregivers as follows:
1) Two or more people (patients and/or caregivers)
2) Can engage in “collective cooperative cultivation” of marijuana for medical purposes and not for profit.
3) State law allows “reimbursement” for expenses and services related to provision of medicine (including reasonable salaries).
4) If the primary caregiver is providing for more than one patient (there is no limit to the number of patients a caregiver may provide for), the number of doctor approvals has to be sufficient to authorize the quantity being grown or otherwise provided.
5) The collective or cooperative or their representative registers the garden with the California Medical Marijuana Program Act, which issues ID cards through county health departments, thus extending SB420 protections to that patient or primary caregiver.

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Advantanges of Orally Ingested Cannabis

By Mollie Fry, MD
As I have monitored my patients’ cannabis use over the last seven years, it has become apparent that there are two fundamentally different groups. The first group is in the minority, representing approximately 15%. Patients in this group require immediate and short-term relief from the drug. They are medicating to treat primarily psychiatric issues: depression, panic, anxiety, and anger.
The second, much larger group of patients, are primarily interested in longterm relief of serious physiological problems. These patients suffer from conditions such as chronic pain, glaucoma, and diabetes, as well as autoimmune disorders — lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and chronic fatigue syndrome. For these patients, the oral route of administration —in which cannabis passes through the digestive tract and is broken down by the liver— is of great benefit.
One of THC’s metabolites (compounds to which it is transformed in the liver), 11-hydroxy, is now known to be four times more potent than THC itself, and has an effective half-life of approximately eight hours. The longer duration of effect makes oral cannabis preferable for those who are using it to treat sleep disorders.
Just as patients using smoked cannabis learn to inhale as needed to achieve and maintain their desired effect, patients who use oral cannabis can employ an analogous titration process. I advise figuring out what amount of a given edible preparation — say, an olive-oil extract— will bring on the desired effect without over-sedation. This is termed the “loading dose.” By determining how long it takes for the effect to come on and begin to wear off, patients can schedule a subsquent “maintenance dose” to keep on an even keel.
The sedation that may be perceived as a negative side effect during waking hours is precisely the effect that chronic pain patients and others require for a good night’s sleep.
Given the appropriate strain and dosage, cannabanoids can exert their effects for close to eight hours —adequate sleep for most patients— eliminating the need for a maintenance dose in the middle of the night.
In summary: both higher levels of cannabinoids in the blood and longer-lasting, more effective doses may be achieved by using oral marijuana in chronically ill patients.
Prohibitionist policies have limited research by preventing growers from developing strains in which cannabinoids other than THC predominate. CBD (cannabidiol) is said to have more sedative properties.

CLASS RESCHEDULED AT NEW LOCATION!!!

Thanks to the Bulldog coffeeshop for providing us a place to meet and discuss growing our own medicine. Our class will be Saturday, July 15th at 2:30 at the Bulldog Coffeeshop 1739 Broadway
http://oaksterdamnews.com/content/view/140/62/
The class is FREE to medical patients.
I am so happy the patients will still be able to come and ask questions. Medicine is not cheap and patients need to sieze control of their destiny and GROW THEIR OWN.
Thanks again to Richard Lee and the Oaksterdam news for giving us a place free of charge for the patients for whom none of this would happen without.

Journey for Justice arriving in Sacramento tonight

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PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY

If you are between Sacramento and Berkley, on up to Seattle (or know people who are), please do what you can!

Friends,

J4J is arriving this evening a in need of a place to park their truck, van, bicycle and three weary travelers.

Ken Locke & group started out in North Carolina back in April, and have made it this far.

If they are needed/requested for any functions, thy will make themselves available.

If not, tomorrow they will continue to Berkley for the end of the first leg.

Please contact Ken Locke via email or his cell: 828 506 0659

And/or Mark Pedersen also email or at 314 422 4524

Ken Locke's story and 3000-mile bike ride for MMJ
http://www.angelfire.com/planet/bikeride/medstory.html

Drug Policy Alliance info...

Medical Marijuana Makes Slow Progress in Congress

DPA Ready to Fight Back as CA Politicians Violate Prop 36

Looking Ahead to Real Reform in New York

Medical Marijuana Makes Slow Progress in Congress

Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives again thumbed its nose at compassion and common sense by rejecting the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment, which would have prohibited the federal government from undermining state medical marijuana laws. The final vote was 163 for / 259 against. This is two more "yes" votes than last year and a sign that support is slowly growing. (Since three Representatives who voted for the amendment last year couldn't make the vote this year, the base of support is actually up five over last year).

Though there is a lot to say about this, Congressman David Obey (D-WI) summed it up best when speaking in support of the amendment:

"If I am terminally ill, it is not anybody's business on this floor how I handle the pain or the illness or the sickness associated with that illness. With all due respect to all of you, butt out. I did not enter this world with the permission of the Justice Department, and I am certainly not going to depart it by seeking their permission or that of any other authority. The Congress has no business telling people that they cannot manage their illness or their pain any way they need to. I would trust any doctor in the country before I trust some of the daffy ducks in this institution to decide what I am supposed to do if I am terminally ill... When is this Congress going to recognize that individuals in their private lives have a right to manage their problems as they see fit without the permission of the big guy in the White House or the big guy in the Justice Department or any of the Lilliputians on this Congressional floor? Wake up!"

Zing!

Please take a few minutes today to thank or spank your Representative for how he or she voted on this important amendment:

1) Find out how your Representative voted. If you're not sure who your Representative is, you can check by entering your zip code at the top of this page .

2) Use this directory to go to your Representative's website where you can find information on writing, e-mailing, or calling your Representative.

3) Send a message!

• If your Representative voted for the Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment, send a thank-you message.

• If your Representative voted against the Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment, express your disappointment and encourage your Representative to vote for the amendment next year.

Read More

DPA Ready to Fight Back as CA Politicians Violate Prop 36

In a vote late Tuesday night, the California Legislature radically rewrote voter-approved Prop 36, the state's six-year-old treatment-instead-of-incarceration law, to allow jailing of people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. The trailer bill containing the changes, SB 1137, is now awaiting the Governor's signature. If it is signed on Friday as expected, DPA is prepared to file suit as early as Monday.

Daniel Abrahamson, DPA's director of legal affairs, warned, "The Office of Legislative Counsel and probably even the Governor's own lawyers have told him that this bill is unconstitutional. We have asked the Governor to do the right thing and veto SB 1137. However, if he allows the bill to become law, we will challenge it in court and are confident that it will be struck down."

The legislative maneuver to undo Prop 36 came just days after the Governor announced a special legislative session to address the state's prison crisis. Politicians say they are working to resolve the dangerous state of California's overcrowded prison system, but their actions contradict these claims. SB 1137 would alter Prop 36 to exclude many nonviolent drug offenders from the program--many of whom will instead receive jail or prison terms--and permit the incarceration of people who are in Prop 36 treatment.

Margaret Dooley, DPA's Prop 36 outreach coordinator, said, "What elected officials did Tuesday night was reprehensible. They unlawfully overrode the expressed will of the people of California and did so despite the state's own studies proving that the program is working. SB 1137 reverses the state's only effective prison reform in a decade and sets a precedent that would allow legislators to rewrite any voter initiative they happen to disagree with."

In 2000, 61 percent of California voters approved Prop 36, permanently changing state law so that all eligible nonviolent drug possession offenders must be given the option of state-licensed treatment. Since the initiative passed, over 60,000 Californians have graduated Prop 36 treatment and taxpayers have saved $1.3 billion. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, numbers of nonviolent drug prisoners are down dramatically thanks to Prop 36.

This successful initiative is important not only for California, but for other states that are considering Prop 36 as a model for alternative ways to deal with drug use. The movement to protect Prop 36 is strong--SB 1137 was met with vocal opposition from Drug Policy Alliance Network and other advocates in the legislature, as well as treatment providers, program graduates, and reformers all over California.

The next step as DPA moves to protect California's groundbreaking initiative will be a legal challenge. This corruption of the voters' will must not be allowed to stand, and DPA will continue to fight for Prop 36.

Read More

Looking Ahead to Real Reform in New York

Rockefeller Drug Law reform fell prey to politics this month when the New York Legislature adjourned with no Senate action. Despite hundreds of faxes and phone calls from New Yorkers, as well as advocacy by the Drug Policy Alliance Network inside the legislature, the Senate failed to consider a key Rockefeller reform bill, A. 8098.

A. 8098 would have broadened sentencing reforms, building on the small Rockefeller reforms passed in 2004 and 2005. The bill was passed by the Assembly, but was not considered by the Senate before the June 23 adjournment of the legislative session.

Despite this setback, there is continued hope for reform in 2006. The small reforms of the past two years took place in special session, not in regular session--a pattern that could be repeated this year. Additionally, the upcoming elections in November may shift the balance of power in New York, opening up new opportunities for reform.

Over the past three years, there has been a growing movement in the state towards repeal of the failed Rockefeller Drug Laws, including support for repeal among prosecutors themselves. In 2004, Albany County district attorney candidate David Soares ran in part on a Rockefeller repeal platform and beat the incumbent DA. In 2005, repeal candidate Gwen Wilkinson staged a remarkable upset over the incumbent Tompkins County district attorney. In recent polls, over 83 percent of New York residents said they think the Rockefeller Drug Laws should be repealed.

The laws, which were passed in 1973 by then-Governor Nelson Rockefeller, mandate stiff mandatory minimum sentences for low-level drug offenses. The Rockefeller Drug Laws send people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses, 92 percent of them black and Latino, to prison for long terms.

"Everyone, including the New York State Senate and the district attorneys, knows that the sentences are inhumane, that imprisonment does nothing to curb drug addiction, and that these laws are a form of legalized racism," said Gabriel Sayegh, director of DPA's State Organizing and Policy Project. "There is no question the Rockefeller Drug Laws have failed, and we will continue to work for their repeal."

I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!

Here's a list of links I've found useful...

http://www.drugwarfacts.org/

http://www.csdp.org/links.htm

http://www.drugsense.org/wodclock.htm

and if you need a bit of inspiration...

http://germansinpearlharbor.ytmnd.com/

CLASS RESCHEDULED AT NEW LOCATION!!!

Thanks to the Bulldog coffeeshop for providing us a place to meet and discuss growing our own medicine. Our class will be Saturday, July 15th at 2:30 at the Bulldog Coffeeshop 1739 Broadway
http://oaksterdamnews.com/content/view/140/62/
The class is FREE to medical patients.
I am so happy the patients will still be able to come and ask questions. Medicine is not cheap and patients need to sieze control of their destiny and GROW THEIR OWN.
Thanks again to Richard Lee and the Oaksterdam news for giving us a place free of charge for the patients for whom none of this would happen without.

DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND MY CONTROL, I WILL NO LONGER BE TEACHING AT MY OLD LOCATION.
I didn't want it to end without warning because the class was for you, the patients. PLEASE e-mail me at andrew_glazier@yahoo.com for the latest info. I don't do this for the money rather for all my dead friends who encouraged me to help those less fortunate. I measure my wealth in terms of debts owed to me. Thank you for two years of great classes.

DPA update

Subject:

CA eUpdate 06/07/06

June 7, 2006 manage my subscription | text version

	Coming Together to Fight Hep C in California HIV Prevention Bill Moves through California Legislature Prop 36 Grads Step Up Advocacy for Treatment Funding Coming Together to Fight Hep C in California A policy meeting in Sacramento last month brought together about 100 advocates, including representatives of the Drug Policy Alliance, to discuss California's hepatitis C epidemic and form a statewide policy coalition. HCV (the hepatitis C virus) is a serious public health problem in California, with about 600,000 people infected. The state made an important start on the issue last year by passing a bill to increase the availability of testing and treatment for people in the prison system, where one third of inmates are infected, but more needs to be done. The Sacramento conference brought together people who work on HCV, have clients with HCV, or live with the virus themselves--all groups that stand to be affected by HCV policy. They discussed what is happening with HCV around the state and at the national level, and explored policies that would help to control the spread and impact of HCV in California. One clear need that emerged from the meeting was the formation of a policy coalition to foster collaboration among groups and create unified policy strategies. With the creation of the Strategic Statewide Policy Coalition, the stakeholders will be able to further the discussion. Alberto Mendoza, DPA's Southern California regional director, said, "Treatment providers, public health advocates and policy makers all need to work together to reduce the damage hep C is causing. We need better education, especially among the injection drug user community, as well as better access to treatment. The coalition will help us figure out how to meet these needs and assess what is realistic, and what works." While the Sacramento conference dealt with statewide issues, a follow-up meeting in Los Angeles, sponsored by DPA and the California Hepatitis C Alliance, will focus on the local needs of Southern California. The meeting, taking place June 29, will include an update on the May Sacramento discussion, a brainstorm session about local versus statewide needs, and a discussion about the role of Southern California in the coalition. If you are involved in HCV work and would like to be a part of the June 29 meeting, please email Yazmin Trujillo. There will also be a larger hepatitis C education meeting in Southern California this fall to bring the coalition's work to the general public. Read More HIV Prevention Bill Moves through California Legislature The first AIDS case was diagnosed in the United States in 1981. Twenty-five years later, injection drug users remain at risk of contracting the disease through needle sharing. A bill now before the California legislature, AB 2076 (Laird), would help to reduce that risk by allowing counties to support syringe exchange programs with state HIV prevention funds. The measure passed the Assembly by a vote of 45-34, and is now headed to the state Senate. The bill would not necessitate any new funding for syringe exchange, but would simply provide counties more flexibility in deciding how to allocate the funds they already receive from the state. This flexibility is important given that 34% of all reported HIV/AIDS cases in the U.S. since the epidemic began are among injection drug users and their sexual partners, and up to 75% of new AIDS cases among women and children are directly or indirectly a consequence of injection drug use. Currently, syringe exchange programs operating in California serve larger populations than they are able to accommodate, and are forced to cobble together funds and materials from unusual sources. Since the primary goal of state HIV/AIDS prevention dollars is to prevent the onset of new HIV cases, counties should be able to utilize state monies in a manner that has proven to be one of the most effective means of preventing new cases of HIV. Syringe exchange is a proven and cost-effective way to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and other diseases without increasing drug use. Several states have adopted measures similar to AB 2076, including two with Republican governors: New York and Massachusetts. However, when a bill similar to AB 2076 went to Governor Schwarzenegger's desk in 2005, he vetoed it. This year's bill addresses concerns raised in the governor's veto message by providing for annual evaluation of the program by local governments, with opportunities for public comment. Drug Policy Alliance Network, DPA's lobbying arm, is advocating for AB 2076 in the legislature by writing letters of support and providing testimony at hearings. There will also be a key opportunity for drug policy reformers across the state to show their support when the bill reaches the governor's desk. Together, we can make sure California takes this sensible measure to help curb the 25-year-old HIV/AIDS epidemic. Read More Prop 36 Grads Step Up Advocacy for Treatment Funding Graduates of Proposition 36, California's treatment-instead-of-incarceration law, met with legislators across the state during May to ask for their continued support of the program. Funding for Prop 36 drug treatment will expire on June 30, 2006, unless it is reallocated in the state budget due out in just weeks. In San Diego, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Sacramento, Prop 36 grads shared their success stories with staff and legislators in over five dozen legislators' offices! Participants in these local advocacy days are all in recovery rather than jail thanks to Prop 36. They represent some of the more than 140,000 Californians who have entered treatment through the program in just four years--and some of the 60,000 that will have graduated by July 1, 2006. Also by that date, the program will have saved taxpayers between $800 million and $1.3 billion. On May 24, the Coalition for Effective Public Safety, of which DPA is a member, brought over 100 people from across the state to participate in a grassroots advocacy day on prison reform. Prop 36 was a central focus of the day's efforts, with DPA materials being distributed to legislators and Prop 36 grads attending many of the event's over 100 meetings and drop-ins. CEPS is a statewide, broad-based coalition of faith communities, youth, people who have been in prison, crime survivors, policy advocates, and former corrections officials dedicated to reducing prison spending by reducing the number of people in prison and building safer communities. The coalition represents 500,000 Californians. Prop 36 graduates at both the CEPS advocacy day and the Prop 36 local advocacy days warned legislators that unless Prop 36 drug treatment is sufficiently funded, people who are suffering from addiction might not receive adequate care in the program. This would both jeopardize their chances at successful recovery and undermine the cost savings to taxpayers. Read More			"The only source that will currently fund the cost of clean needles and syringes for these programs is private, and this type of funding has been decreasing. It is imperative that we provide public resources to programs that save lives and tax dollars." --Dana Van Gorder of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, speaking on the need for counties to be able to use state HIV prevention money for syringe exchange programs. FACT: According to the California Department of Health Services, syringe sharing is linked to 20% of reported AIDS cases statewide. Syringe exchange programs are a proven, cost-effective way to reduce syringe sharing without increasing drug use. » Foo Foo Dust » ONDCP Commercial Turns True » Why the Government Marijuana Monopoly Doesn't Work » Read the Blog Support the Drug Policy Alliance's work to promote drug policies based on science, compassion, health, and human rights. » Donate Now » Supporters of Drug Policy Reform are Making an Impact » Electing Compassionate Reps in New Mexico » Study Shows Marijuana Smoke Does Not Raise Cancer Risk » More News San Francisco Summer Internship with DPA DPA's Teens and Drugs project, based in San Francisco, is looking for a summer intern interested in contributing to our team effort to keep young people safe. Projects may include: planning events, updating publications, creating referral lists, researching potential partner organizations, and organizing our database. For more information, including how to apply, please see the full posting. » Read More DPA Seeks Director for California Capital Office The director, based in Sacramento, bears primary responsibility for DPA's California legislative advocacy, supervises a small professional office, and serves on the DPA management team. The ideal candidate will have 7-10 years of experience in public policy, legislative and/or governmental affairs, political campaigns or ballot initiatives; criminal justice and/or public health experience preferred. For more information on responsibilities and qualifications, please see the full posting. » Read More Southern California Hep C Meeting A meeting sponsored by DPA and the California Hepatitis C Alliance will take place in Los Angeles June 29 to address Southern California policy needs around hepatitis C. It will include a brainstorm session about local versus statewide needs, and a discussion about the role of Southern California in the statewide hepatitis C policy coalition. If you are involved in HCV work and would like to be a part of the June 29 meeting, please email Yazmin Trujillo. » Read More XVI International AIDS Conference AIDS 2006 will be one of the most important scientific gatherings in the fight against AIDS, as well as a unique opportunity for science, government, community and leadership from around the world to advance our collective response to the epidemic. Aug 13-18, 2006 Metro Toronto Convention Centre Toronto, Ontario more info 6th National Harm Reduction Conference For the 6th National Harm Reduction Conference - "Drug User Health: The Politics and the Personal" - we have returned to Oakland, one of our home bases and the site of our first national conference, held in 1996. Nov 9-12, 2006 Marriott Oakland City Center Hotel Oakland, CA more info » More Events Drug Policy Alliance 70 West 36th Street, 16th Floor New York, NY 10018 For subscription problems please contact Jeanette Irwin, Director, Internet Communications jirwin@drugpolicy.org 202.216.0035