Posted March 14th, 2022 by hiwayhowie
Sky Above – Mud Below:
I had a most excellent chat with Senator Merkley’s (D-OR) aide for criminal justice. The topic was Oregon’s, one-year, positive experience with total drug decrim. She asked for and received the names of six, Senate, Republican staffers who expressed interest/support for the concept. In the past 14 months, Majority Leader Schumer has only expressed in marijuana legislation and his aide will not take a meeting. I am still pushing for a companion, decrim bill in the Senate.
The next day I had a good chat with the aide of my Congressman Trone (D-MD). She gave one excuse after another to do nothing on the topic of learning about the effective Swiss heroin treatment program. Example: ‘you can’t imagine how difficult it is, the many hoops a Member has to jump thru to get approval for foreign travel.’ She ended the chat saying that, ‘no, CMan Trone will not talk to someone on the House Health committee about the Swiss approach. Rather, I should do that and influence a Member to learn more. Un, bleeping believable… = Mud Below
Me thinks the $40-billion Drug Treatment Industry has effectively bought our Congress and President.
My two-minute chat with freshman, Republican House Member Nancy Mace (R-SC) was refreshing and productive. I am not allowed to say on what we agreed. She introduced last year the best, most comprehensive marijuana repeal bill I have seen in my 15 years on the Hill. She was the first woman to graduate from The Citadel military academy in SC and it showed. Wow!
| Weekly Activities:
3767 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 05 this week
335 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 01 this week – Nancy Mace (R-SC)
Meetings: 1 – Grover Norquist center-right
COP stats since inception: August 2009
408 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc.: 0 this week –
93 Radio Interviews… 0
208 interviews and reports in minor media …0 this week.
107 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 0 This week
44 published interviews/foto in major (daily) newspapers or magazine… 0 this week
Blaze TV {new, popular right-wing}, (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio) Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press + 9 other MI papers. Chicago Tribune, Honolulu Star Advertiser {foto and caption}, Reason Magazine, Reuters
31 major conferences attended – (UN drug conference, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat etc.) 0 this week
Weekly attendance at Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 150 conservative leaders. Named the “Grand Central Station of the Conservative Movement.”
* Consider being a member of COP at $40.00 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 40 dollars buys all the copy paper COP uses in one year. Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal drug prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org
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Posted March 7th, 2022 by hiwayhowie
What you already know: I was having a good chat with a Senator’s aide. I mentioned her state has MMJ, defelonized simple drug possession and is close to legalizing marijuana. Her candid response is rarely said (out loud); ‘When our state changes the marijuana laws, the Senator will then publicly support it.’ AKA….no leadership, all follower….so typical of most politicians. Just pitiful.
| Weekly Activities:
3762 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 11 this week
Meetings: 2 – Grover Norquist center-right & a DC based social justice committee
COP stats since inception: August 2009
334 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 0 this week –
408 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc.: 0 this week –
93 Radio Interviews… 0
208 interviews and reports in minor media …0 this week.
107 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 0 This week
44 published interviews/foto in major (daily) newspapers or magazine… 0 this week
Blaze TV {new, popular right-wing}, (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio) Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press + 9 other MI papers. Chicago Tribune, Honolulu Star Advertiser {foto and caption}, Reason Magazine, Reuters
31 major conferences attended – (UN drug conference, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat etc.) 0 this week
Weekly attendance at Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 150 conservative leaders. Named the “Grand Central Station of the Conservative Movement.”
* Consider being a member of COP at $40.00 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 40 dollars buys all the copy paper COP uses in one year. Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal drug prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org
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Posted February 27th, 2022 by hiwayhowie
I had a good day: on the 23rd I made my bi-annual presentation on the state of the War on Drugs to the center-right group of Mr. Norquist. Grover asked me 4 questions during my 4 minutes, as he is keenly interested (as a Libertarian) in the topic. Some of the factoids below.
There were 4 candidates for Congress in the audience. Later I was able to speak to two of them directly. One agreed completely with the concept of drugs becoming a health issue versus criminal; the other was silent.
| Weekly Activities:
3750 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 07 this week
408 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc.: 04 this week –
93 Radio Interviews… 01 this week..central PA talk radio station
Meetings: 2 Grover Norquist center-right
1 zoom conference at CATO regarding new ideas on the heroin OD crisis
COP stats since inception: August 2009
334 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 0 this week –
208 interviews and reports in minor media …0 this week.
107 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 0 This week
44 published interviews/foto in major (daily) newspapers or magazine… 0 this week
Blaze TV {new, popular right-wing}, (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio) Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press + 9 other MI papers. Chicago Tribune, Honolulu Star Advertiser {foto and caption}, Reason Magazine, Reuters
31 major conferences attended – (UN drug conference, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat etc.) 0 this week
Weekly attendance at Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 150 conservative leaders. Named the “Grand Central Station of the Conservative Movement.”
* Consider being a member of COP at $40.00 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 40 dollars buys all the copy paper COP uses in one year. Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal drug prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org
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Past: Present: Future
Past: 51 years after Nixon declared the policy – The War on Drugs has been the most destructive, dysfunctional and immoral policy since slavery and Jim Crow
Present: one cop in 12 is a full-time narcotics officer. Every street cop is a part-time narc, as they search millions of cars each for drugs
1.5 million in prison for reasons which touch drug prohibition
WOD has been very effective as a method to cause voter suppression
WOD has been somewhat effective in suppressing the right to own a gun
37 states have med MJ; 18 states – 50% of USA population has access to legal MJ
400,000 employed in cannabis industries…roughly 25 billion in sales.
Car searches down over 50% in those state which have legalized MJ
Future:
The future is decrim which Oregon has had for a year. Results:
80% reduction in police action (tickets for simple possession)
80% reduction in vehicle searches
No reports of increase in use/nor DUI drugs/nor extra car crashes
4 states will legalize adult, MJ use this year
9 states have pending bills to go Oregon decrim
17 states have defelonized simple possession, incl OK and UT
Magic mushroom, hallucinogens are being decrimed or legalized by cities and states all over USA
Posted February 21st, 2022 by hiwayhowie
May I take some credit? I had an excellent chat on Feb 1 with an aide to CMan McGovern (D-MA). 2 days later he became a co-sponsor of the Decrim Bill – HR 4020. Coincidence?
Every Little Edge: At Grover yet another candidate for the House made her pitch. She would like to be the first Latina to represent her State. After a brief chat, I gave her my COP business card with a short message in Spanish (apply 10th Amendment to Marijuana) on the back.
FWIW: 9 states have bills introduced Oregon-styled total drug decrim bills.
| Weekly Activities:
3743 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 06 this week
334 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 01 this week – Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ)
404 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc.: 02 this week – A state rep from NC and another from
Meetings: 1 Grover Norquist center-right
COP stats since inception: August 2009
92 Radio Interviews… 0 this week
208 interviews and reports in minor media …0 this week.
107 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 0 This week
44 published interviews/foto in major (daily) newspapers or magazine… 0 this week
Blaze TV {new, popular right-wing}, (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio) Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press + 9 other MI papers. Chicago Tribune, Honolulu Star Advertiser {foto and caption}, Reason Magazine, Reuters
31 major conferences attended – (UN drug conference, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat etc.) 0 this week
Weekly attendance at Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 150 conservative leaders. Named the “Grand Central Station of the Conservative Movement.”
* Consider being a member of COP at $40.00 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 40 dollars buys all the copy paper COP uses in one year. Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal drug prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org
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