Posted February 23rd, 2015 by hiwayhowie
COP on the Hill
Stories from the week of February 20, 2015
Please, arrest me: On Friday I was chatting with two Capitol police officers at a door checkpoint. I started by informing them they had missed the chance for a big bust this morning. I had had my briefcase full of free, MJ samples for Congressional staff but at 1500 they were all gone.
They countered with the story of a guy earlier this week. They asked what is in the 303 shell casing (fairly large rifle bullet)…the guy extracted a small bud of MJ. He then demanded the police arrest him, putting his hands together to be cuffed. My colleague didn’t miss a beat. “You wanted to be arrested for that much marijuana? Take it outside and give it to a Metro DC officer.” And escorted him out of the building. Times are a changin.
Two weeks ago recall I asked the Drug Czar a question…did not know CSpan covered it…my question starts around 1:07 & 45 seconds…the non-reply is a few minutes later. CSPAN: http://www.c-span.org/video/?324232-1/discussion-us-domestic-foreign-drug-policy
It’s working: It is worth noting I heard my first full-throated defense in six months for drug prohibition this week. The WV office and his staffer were absolutely convinced that current policies are working to reduce crime, death, disease and drug use. !Yikes! Still having two out of 435 offices clueless. The Senate is worse with about 20 out of 100 being clueless.
My colleague from MPP Don Murphy gave me an excellent tip at lunch…if Congress allows states to legalize, there will be more money for states that don’t…i.e. if you are a vegetarian, that leaves more meat for me…I will try next time… thanks Don.
Published LTE in Baltimore Sun: At very bottom “Heroin Prohibition is the Problem.”
This week’s raw data:
1755 Presentations to Congressional staffers.. 16 this week
81 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $80,000).. 01 this week
02 meetings this week
- COP stats since inception: August 2009
60 brief chats with Members of Congress.. 0 this week
108 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 0 this week
12 Conversations (five minutes or longer) with Member of Congress.. 0 this week
- 20 major conferences attended.. (United Nations drug conf, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, etc) 0 this week
- 81 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, weekly papers, etc.. 0 this week
53 Radio Interviews.. 0 this week
38 Appearances on major TV networks..this week (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC)…0 this week (BBC)
- 28published interviews in major (daily) newspapers or magazine…this week
* 2 editorials in daily papers mentioning Howard’s efforts & in support of COP position
- 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 $30.00 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 30 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 prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v15/n103/a02.html
Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm
Votes: 0
Pubdate: Tue, 17 Feb 2015
Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)
Copyright: 2015 The Baltimore Sun Company
Contact: talkback@baltimoresun.com
Website: http://www.baltimoresun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37
Author: Howard J. Wooldridge
HEROIN PROHIBITION IS THE PROBLEM
Tsunamis of drugs have rolled into and around Maryland since the 1960s. As a retired detective, I worked the trenches of our drug war. Polls show 80 percent of the people recognize the total failure of policy.
Indeed, the police are a mosquito on the butt of an elephant. We have never, ever been able to make more than a dent in drug availability. Attorney General Brian Frosh needs to come clean to Maryland residents and admit that heroin prohibition is more the cause of deaths than a way to reduce them ( “Maryland joins multistate task force to combat heroin,” Feb. 12 ).
Howard J. Wooldridge, Buckeystown
The writer, a retired police detective, is co-founder of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.
Posted February 16th, 2015 by hiwayhowie
Stories from the week of February 13, 2015
Wink, wink – nod, nod: Making the rounds this week at House offices, I had a staffer inform me his boss was never going to let go of the drug war. He then whispered that several in the office were not in agreement with the boss and gave me a big wink. Just made my day.
Sir Walter Raleigh II: Finishing the day, I was in the back of the elevator, when it stopped on 4. Freshman Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R-VA) was there with an aide. She said she would wait for the next one. I cried out, “Will no one give up their place for the new Congresswoman from Virginia?”
Sure enough, one gentleman stepped out, insisted she take the spot. She did and the aide used the stairs. I was able to introduce myself and the mission. She is a regular at Grover Norquist meetings = I certainly don’t learn/recognize many Members.
New Allies: www.ThirdWay.org hosted a breakfast of all the major players in the MJ reform movement. 17 of us showed up. May I say it was an impressive group of trouble-makers. Third Way is a center left think tank of moderate size/influence that just added marijuana as one of their issues. They will be a force going forward.
This week’s raw data:
1739 Presentations to Congressional staffers.. 13 this week
60 brief chats with Members of Congress.. 02 this week (Barbara Comstock – R/VA & Juan Vargas – D/CA)
02 meetings this week
- COP stats since inception: August 2009
108 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 0 this week
12 Conversations (five minutes or longer) with Member of Congress.. 0 this week
- 20 major conferences attended.. (United Nations drug conf, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, etc) 0 this week
- 81 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, weekly papers, etc.. 0 this week
53 Radio Interviews.. 0 this week
80 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $79,000).. 0 this week
38 Appearances on major TV networks..this week (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC)…0 this week (BBC)
- 28published interviews in major (daily) newspapers or magazine…this week
* 2 editorials in daily papers mentioning Howard’s efforts & in support of COP position
- 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 $30.00 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 30 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 prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org
Posted February 15th, 2015 by hiwayhowie
Stories from the week of February 6, 2015
No longer a wild & crazy guy: A Capitol police officer has been interested in my issue since I arrived nearly 10 years ago. He remarked this week that whereas upon my arrival I was considered close to a lunatic (promoting legalization of all drugs), now I am close to mainstream and winning votes. After only 10 years, I/the message is an overnight success.
From a staffer where the Member voted no: “Thanks for the email this morning, Howard! I’ll do what I can to preach the good word in this office.” ….Nice to know the message is being spread, even when I am not there.
The word is ‘Prohibition:’ On Friday 100 gathered at the CSIS (Center for Strategic & International Studies: http://csis.org/ to hear the Drug Czar and the US’s chief delegate on drug issues at the United Nations (William Brownfield). Brownfield thundered that the world faced two choices: Legalization or Prohibition.
It was gratifying to hear the word ‘prohibition’ employed to describe current policies. He later stated these four pillars of US policy. A Summary of his total remarks at the bottom.
- Respect the integrity of the existing UN Drug Control Conventions…
- Accept flexible interpretation of those conventions.
- Tolerate different national drug policies…accept the fact that some countries will have very strict drug approaches; other countries will legalize entire categories of drugs…
- Combat and resist criminal organizations
I met both after the presentation and had a brief chat.
This week’s raw data:
1726 Presentations to Congressional staffers.. 20 this week
03 meetings this week
108 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 02 this week
Drug Czar Botticelli & Ambassador Brownfield
- COP stats since inception: August 2009
58 brief chats with Members of Congress.. 0 this week
12 Conversations (five minutes or longer) with Member of Congress.. 0 this week
- 20 major conferences attended.. (United Nations drug conf, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, etc) 0 this week
- 81 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, weekly papers, etc.. 0 this week
53 Radio Interviews.. 0 this week
80 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $79,000).. 0 this week
38 Appearances on major TV networks..this week (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC)…0 this week (BBC)
- 28published interviews in major (daily) newspapers or magazine…this week
* 2 editorials in daily papers mentioning Howard’s efforts & in support of COP position
- 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 $30.00 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 30 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 prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org
Brownfield’s remarks & analysis by a reporter
:
State-level cannabis reforms, which gathered steam this month, have exposed the inability of the United States to abide by the terms of the legal bedrock of the global drug control system; the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. This is something that should force a much-needed conversation about reform to long-standing international agreements. But while ostensibly ‘welcoming’ the international drug policy reform debate, it is a conversation the US federal government actually wishes to avoid. The result is a new official position on the UN drugs treaties that, despite its seductively progressive tone, serves only to sustain the status quo and may cause damage beyond drug policy.
The 1961 Single Convention has been massively influential. Almost every state in the world is bound to prohibit cultivation, trade and possession of cannabis and a range of other substances such as coca and opium for anything but medical and scientific purposes. Wherever you are, your drugs laws are probably modeled on this agreement.
The United States has been a staunch defender of this legal regime. The treaties are central to its foreign policy on drugs, including in Latin America. But at home the government has been clear that it will not trample on the will of voters with regard to cannabis, even though this places it in breach of the 1961 Convention. So the US faces a predicament; a treaty breach it does not wish to admit within a system it wishes to protect.
The response is the new ‘four pillars’ approach, set out by Ambassador William Brownfield (Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement):
Respect the integrity of the existing UN Drug Control Conventions…
Accept flexible interpretation of those conventions…
Tolerate different national drug policies…accept the fact that some countries will have very strict drug approaches; other countries will legalize entire categories of drugs…
Combat and resist criminal organizations
Brownfield’s statement received some positive responses, welcoming it as a breakthrough in drug policy reform. However, its attractiveness is superficial and there are important reasons to be cautious.
For US foreign policy on drugs the four pillars make sense in the short term. Through these pillars, the US can appear to embrace reform discussions while changing nothing of substance. US approaches to Latin America that have dominated US attentions can carry on as before. The US gets to continue to have presence in places it has no business being other than to fight the drug trade – the fourth pillar of this ‘new’ approach.
In addition, in defending the ‘integrity of the treaties’, the US can go on using those treaties as a disciplinary tool against producer and transit nations in the region. Under the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, when a country does not fulfill the requirements of the international drugs conventions, the President determines that the country has ‘failed demonstrably’ to meet its obligations, which can lead to sanctions.
Bolivia received such a determination again only a few weeks ago. While explaining the rationale for a more ‘flexible interpretation’ Brownfield said, ‘Things have changed since 1961’. However, the Presidential Determination on Bolivia stressed that the ‘frameworks established by the U.N. conventions are as applicable to the contemporary world as when they were negotiated and signed by the vast majority of U.N. member states’.
Posted February 5th, 2015 by hiwayhowie
Stories from the week of January 30, 2015
Seeing Eye Person: Returning to work in the basement corridor of the Cannon Building, I noticed a woman totally engaged/wrapped up in her I-Pad as she walked. I commented to her that it was a bit dangerous to not watch where one goes. She explained that her aide in front was making sure she had no trouble. I realized at that moment it was Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). I broke into Spanish to introduce myself and that I represented law enforcement who wanted to end federal prohibition of drugs, starting with MJ.
Nice: FYI..On my first visit to offices this year I remark to the aide about the Member’s votes in 2014. For those who voted to end federal prohibition I say: ‘On behalf of street cops, thank the Member for the votes in 2014 which supported a 10th Amendment approach to MJ. These votes are allowing my profession to focus on serious bad guys like pedophiles and the deadly drunk drivers. We hope and trust he/she will maintain their belief in the 10th.’
Naughty: Please let the Member know we are disappointed with the votes in 2014 and the lack of commitment in the 10th Amendment (emphasis on 10 A) {almost all the votes against the 10th approach came from Republicans..pointing out their lack of belief in the 10th is a hard sting to hear}…we need to have the police in this country focus on pedophiles, people blowing up marathons and buildings,…. not waste time on a green plant.
NOTE: my laryngitis prevented me from using my voice much. I learned I am definitely part of the LEAP team going to the United Nations drug conference in Vienna in early March. I am now spending 20 hours/week on my languages.
This week’s raw data:
1706 Presentations to Congressional staffers.. 04 this week
- COP stats since inception: August 2009
58 brief chats with Members of Congress.. 0 this week
12 Conversations (five minutes or longer) with Member of Congress.. 0 this week
106 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 0 this week
- 20 major conferences attended.. (United Nations drug conf, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, etc) 0 this week
- 81 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, weekly papers, etc.. 0 this week
53 Radio Interviews.. 0 this week
80 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $79,000).. 0 this week
38 Appearances on major TV networks..this week (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC)…0 this week (BBC)
- 28published interviews in major (daily) newspapers or magazine…this week
* 2 editorials in daily papers mentioning Howard’s efforts & in support of COP position
- 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 $30.00 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 30 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 prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org
Posted January 23rd, 2015 by hiwayhowie
Stories from the week of January 23, 2015
Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell: “Hey, where are my free samples?” shouted the Capitol Police officer who was checking people at the entrance to the Cannon building. I had just said a few words to a Member and I will admit to be momentarily speechless, before I replied, “Sorry, I already gave them all away.” The Member did not ask & I did not tell and we parted company. Too bold, too open for the officer? Yikes!
Making Grover Norquist smile: Due to the protest march against Roe v Wade, the Norquist brunch had many special guests this week. After the meeting I introduced myself to a German Right to Lifer who was part of an international org. We spoke two minutes auf Deutsch. I then turned to her colleague from Mexico and had a brief chat in Spanish. Making Grover’s guests feel welcome is part of my job.
Good Guy?: Almost late for a soirée in the Capitol I tried to use the tunnel from Cannon. The first officer said I would have to go up and out and come in via the Visitor’s Center…a 10 minute task. His colleague said I know this guy and he is okay…they let me use the tunnel and I arrived just as the event opened their doors. The event featured Senator Paul and the three, black Members: Mia Love of Utah, Will Hurd of Texas and Senator Scott of SC. I made some good contacts. Crown and chocolate that night!
Change the World: Nico Orduz of LEAP and I had a planning meeting before the soirée. We will visit the embassies in this hemisphere. We will introduce them to LEAP and suggest they sponsor changes to the 1961 treaty which began world-wide prohibition. Our first visit should be in two weeks. !Buena suerte a nosotros!
Georgia on my mind: Georgia NORML is working hard for change and a state senator asked for resources to persuade his colleagues. He and I chatted for 15 minutes. I sent his judiciary staffer several sheets on marijuana that I use in Congress. Later I started the ball rolling to provide him with LEAP assets in the Peachtree State…where I graduated from high school
I was knocked out the first part of this year with a nasty cold, laryngitis. I am back to 100%
This week’s raw data:
1702 Presentations to Congressional staffers.. 12 this week
58 brief chats with Members of Congress.. 04 this week
12 Conversations (five minutes or longer) with Member of Congress.. 01 this week
(Weber R-TX, Ros-Lehtinen R-FL, Castro D-TX, Waters D-CA, Roby R-AL)
106 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 01 this week
03 meetings this week
- COP stats since inception: August 2009
- 20 major conferences attended.. (United Nations drug conf, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, etc) 0 this week
- 81 interviews and reports in minor media = blogs, cable TV, weekly papers, etc.. 0 this week
53 Radio Interviews.. 0 this week
80 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $79,000).. 0 this week
38 Appearances on major TV networks..this week (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC)…0 this week (BBC)
- 28published interviews in major (daily) newspapers or magazine…this week
* 2 editorials in daily papers mentioning Howard’s efforts & in support of COP position
- 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 $30.00 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 30 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 prohibition. COP provides that voice. …
