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Top Ten Reform Victories
by Kendra E. Wright, VP Common Sense for Drug Policy
 With the daily struggles
associated with cannabis club lawsuits, mass arrests, the spread
of AIDS and Hepatitis C, it is important to reflect upon our
successes. In 1997, the drug policy reform movement made great
strides toward opening the debate and moving the world toward
a more pragmatic drug policy. Reviewing the Top 10 news stories
of the year illustrates our progress.
1. Physicians and medical institutions show growing support
for reform.
- The two gold standards of American medicine support methadone
reform. The National Institutes of Health joins the Institute
of Medicine in support of widespread methadone availability.
- The American Medical Association endorses needle exchange
and medical marijuana.
- Editor of the New England Journal of Medicine Jerome Kassirer
challenges federal policy on medical marijuana.
- Leading doctors successfully sue the federal government over
medical marijuana policy.
- The Physicians Leadership Council on National Drug Policy,
made up of the elite in medicine, is created and urges public
health approaches to drug control.
2. The African American community's support for reform grows.
- Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus call for an end
to the needle exchange federal funding ban.
- Prominent African Americans including US Representative Maxine
Waters, Henry Louis Gates of Harvard University, Ronald Hampton
of the National Black Police Association and Ramona Edelin of
the National Urban Coalition draw attention to the disparity
in the crack vs. powder cocaine sentencing laws and call for
a reduction in the penalties for crack to be equal with those
of cocaine.
3. Drug policy reform makes progress worldwide.
- In England, the campaign for cannabis decriminalization picks
up speed with support from the Sunday Independent. Leading businessman,
doctors, musicians and others join the effort.
- In France, Lionel Jospin is elected Prime Minister after
saying he supports decriminalization of marijuana. Three cabinet
ministers come out for reform and France moves toward making
marijuana available as a medicine.
- In Switzerland, citizens vote for reform in a landslide.
Research in Switzerland shows heroin maintenance works. In particular,
the study showed dramatic declines in crime rates.
- Canada moves forward on marijuana with a court decision favoring
medical marijuana use and statements by leading police and other
officials supporting reform.
4. Hollywood gets behind medical marijuana.
- A special episode on Murphy Brown features the main character
using medical marijuana to relieve nausea caused by chemotherapy
treatments for her breast cancer. After DEA Director Tom Constantine
threatens the television program's producers, they re-air the
show one month later.
5. More judges come out for reform.
- Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit,
Judge Juan Torruella
- U.S. District Court Judge Kane in Colorado
- U.S. District Court Judge John Curtain in New York
- Superior Court Judge James Gray, a friend of reform, decides
to take a sabbatical from the bench to run for US Congress.
6. George Soros makes the cover of Time magazine.
- Due in large part to his high profile drug policy-related
philanthropy including $1 million to needle exchange, $25 million
for reforms in Baltimore, general support to drug policy reform
organizations and support of medical marijuana initiatives in
California and Arizona, George Soros is featured in Time.
7. Innocent US citizen's death prompts reevaluation of US
drug policy and border patrol.
- Widespread media attention of the Esequiel Hernandez shooting
death by US Marines on the Mexican border resulted in a withdrawal
of military troops from the border and a reevaluation of the
use of military troops in domestic law enforcement and border
patrol.
8. US voters stand up to legislatures trying to reverse reforms.
- In Oregon, signatures are gathered to challenge recriminalization
of marijuana.
- In Arizona, signatures are gathered to challenge a legislative
attempt to undo the medical marijuana initiative passed in 1996.
9. Opponents of medical marijuana back down.
- Attorney General Lungren endorses Senator John Vasconcellos'
medical marijuana reform bill.
- Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey funds research on medical marijuana
at the Institute of Medicine.
- NIDA approves AIDS research on medical marijuana.
- NIH hosts scientific conference on medical marijuana which
concludes with broad support for medical use and further research
on medical use.
10. Feel-good drug prevention programs did not go without
criticism.
- Research showing DARE fails our nation's children was published
and reported on by major news media.
- For the first time, in response to the Monitoring the Future
Study, parents spoke out against the drug war in an organized
way. ABC's March Against Drugs received widespread critical coverage
which resulted in ABC publicly admitting that they would think
twice about doing another such propaganda campaign (how will
they handle Clinton's 1998 $175 million Partnership for a Drug
Free America advertising campaign?).
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