Drug Policy Forum at U of I

[Tim Lohrmann <timlohr@yahoo.com>]

Here's more information on the Drug Policy Forum to be
held next Monday evening, Sept. 25th at U of I.


There is No Justice in the War on Drugs. 
We now have the largest prison
 population in the world. Mandatory sentencing ties a
 judge's hands, and sends even minor violators to
prison for unconscionably long sentences.
 It is now possible to be sent to prison based solely
on the hearsay testimony of an informant or snitch.
The prison building boom fueled by the drug war has
robbed communities of much-needed resources for
education and healthcare.

The drug war is racist: even though Whites use illegal
drugs at higher rates than Blacks, over half of the
people serving time for drug law violations are
 African-American. Finally, the war on drugs has
failed to produce any significant reduction in the
flow of drugs to our cities, and, some would argue,
even increases the
 availability of drugs to our children. 

 The November Coalition are prisoners of the drug war
and their loved
 ones. The war on drugs has plunged our country into
 an unprecedented crisis. The loss of so many people
to society and the virtual destruction of their
families is incomprehensible.
 
 If there was a counterbalance, something to indicate
less people were using drugs; if there were fewer
kinds of drugs around, in lesser quantities; if people
were more secure, one might accept some of these
 costs. That has never been the case, nor will it ever
be. When the politics of prohibition make illegal
drugs more valuable than gold, it is absolute folly to
think that people will not run the risk and trade in
the product. It is equally foolish to believe that the
product will not be produced either at home or abroad.

 Americans must stop talking of "war", for a war on
the American people is a war no one can win. The
result of decades of this unwinnable war
 has brought only hostility and division. We must
 shift to an agenda of peace, seeking terms for a
lasting reconciliation. Our intent should be
 a safer America - not one that is simply less free.
 
 The goal of the November Coalition is amnesty for
 all non-violent prisoners of the war on drugs.
Removing the prison option will compel
 our lawmakers to develop a humane policy to replace
the present one. By
 treating drug use and abuse as education and health
 issues - not problems the criminal justice system can
solve - society will bring the
 tragic episode we call the war on drugs to an end.
 
 There is No Justice in the War on Drugs
 The University of Idaho College of Law Chapters of
the National Lawyer’s Guild  and the Minority Law
Students Association present:
 A forum on Drug Enforcement Policy
 Featuring Nora Callahan, Executive Director of the
 November Coalition, and Chuck Armsbury, former state
and federal prisoner, Razor Wire staff writer and
prisoner advocate.

 DATE: Monday, October 25th
 TIME: 7:00 p.m.
 PLACE: University of Idaho: College of Law Courtroom
 ADDRESS: 6th and Rayburn, Moscow, ID

 For more information contact the Lawyer’s Guild at:
 (208) 882-9030 or e-mail timlohr@yahoo.com
 Or Contact The November Coalition, at:
 (509) 684-1550 or e-mail: moreinfo@november.org
 






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