Books:
• Demons, Discriminations & Dollars: A Brief History of the Origins of American Drug Policy, by David Bearman, M.D.
• Human Rights and the U.S. Drug War, by Chris Conrad, Mikki Norris, and Virginia Resner
• Shattered Lives: Portraits from America’s Drug War, by Mikki Norris, Chris Conrad, and Virginia Resner
• Smoke and Mirrors: The War on Drugs and the Politics of Failure, by Dan Baum
• Why Marijuana Should Be Legal, by Ed Rosenthal and Steve Kubby with S. Newhart; Green-Aid.com/EdRosenthal.htm
http://www.AddictInTheFamily.org
http://www.Alternet.org/DrugReporter
The American Civil Liberties Union, http://www.ACLU.org
http://www.AngelJustice.org
Australian Cannabis Law Reform Movement, http://www.NimbinAustralia.com.Cyber-Pod.com/ACLRM
Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy, http://www.CFDP.ca
http://www.CannabisConsumers.org
http://www.ChangeTheClimate.org
Founded by parents and business professionals to educate the public about the tremendous waste of tax dollars spent on the “war on marijuana” and the increasing threat to our basic civil liberties.
Common Sense for Drug Policy, http://www.CSDP.org
Common Sense for Drug Policy, http://www.CommonSenseDrugPolicy.org
Drug Policy Alliance, http://www.DrugPolicy.org; DPF.org
“The Drug Policy Alliance envisions a just society in which the use and regulation of drugs are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights, in which people are no longer punished for what they put into their own bodies but only for crimes committed against others, and in which the fears, prejudices and punitive prohibitions of today are no more.
Our mission is to advance those policies and attitudes that best reduce the harms of both drug misuse and drug prohibition, and to promote the sovereignty of individuals over their minds and bodies.”
The Drug Reform Coordination Network, 202-293-8340; http://www.DRCNet.org; StopTheDrugWar.org
Emails a weekly letter, Drug War Chronicle. Runs the DRCNet Online Library of Drug Policy
http://www.DrugScope.org.uk
http://www.DrugSense.org
To get an idea of how much money is being spent on the “drug war,” go to this site. It also provides a slew of information about drug policy, news about it, and how individuals can work to change drug policy.
“We believe that prohibition is a system which unleashes powerful forces, most notably the illegal drug markets, that inevitably make the underlying drug problem worse while adding a series of costly unintended side effects, including damage to the very values upon which free nations have been founded.
We believe that a public well informed about the death, disease and social blight produced by current US drug policy must inevitably seek to reform it.”
Drug Truth Network, http://www.DrugTruth.net
http://www.DrugWarDistortions.org
http://www.DrugWarFacts.org
Educators for Sensible Drug Policy, http://www.EFSP.org
End Prohibition, Canada; http://www.EndProhibition.ca
Families Against Mandatory Minimums, http://www.FAMM.org
“[Challenges] inflexible and excessive penalties required by mandatory sentencing laws. FAMM promotes sentencing policies that give judges the discretion to distinguish between defendants and fit the punishment to the crime. FAMM’s 25,000 members include prisoners and their families, attorneys, judges, criminal justice experts and concerned citizens.”
Family Council on Drug Awareness, http://www.FCDA.org
Forfeiture Endangers American Rights, http://www.Fear.org
Human Rights and the Drug War, http://www.HR95.org
International Harm Reduction Association, http://www.IHRA.net
Judges Against the Drug War, http://www.JudgesAgainstTheDrugWar.org
“For the past thirty years Judges have looked on as America’s War on Drugs has played itself out before their eyes. They have seen the inevitable increase in police powers and erosion of civil rights needed to facilitate the investigation of drug offenses. They have witnessed the widespread, unprecedented use of asset forfeiture. And they have been forced to impose unjust mandatory minimum sentences.
Judges Against the Drug War is the first extensive online database of judicial opinions critical of the government’s War on Drugs. Collected from state and federal jurisdictions from 1970 to the present date, these opinions contain the firsthand observations of judges presiding over drug cases and represent a unique historical record of judicial dissent against drug prohibition.”
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, http://www.LEAP.CC
LEAP is a 5,000-member organization created to: 1. Give voice to law enforcers who know the U.S. War on Drugs is a failed policy and 2. Support legalized regulation of drugs as an alternative that will lower incidence of death, disease, crime and addiction while saving tax dollars.
LEAP produced a documentary giving voice to those who have worked in the drug war and who are now against the failed policies of the War on Drugs.
“Anyone concerned about the failure of our $69 billion-a-year War on Drugs should watch this 12-minute program. You will meet front-line, ranking police officers who give us a devastating report on why it cannot work. It is a must-see for any journalist or public official dealing with this issue.”
– Walter Cronkite
The Media Awareness Project, http://www.MAPInc.org
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), http://www.NORML.org
“NORML lobbies Congress and state legislatures for more rational and cost-effective marijuana policies. We provide expert witnesses for legislative hearings in support of marijuana reform legislation and provide testimony to assist defendants charged with marijuana offenses. NORML also serves as a marijuana-law reform advocate with the media nationwide, publishes a periodic newsletter, and maintains a comprehensive Web site, which includes a 50-state legislative tracking system, where visitors can inform themselves about the issue and send a free tax or an e-mail to their state and federal elected officials. In addition, we maintain a legal committee comprised of 350 criminal defense attorneys nationwide who specialize in the defense of individuals charged with marijuana-related offenses. Because NORML lobbies state and federal elected officials, contributions to the organization are not tax deductible.
Our sister organization, the NORML Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) educational, research and legal foundation. Founded in 1997, the NORML Foundation educates the public on marijuana policy through advertising and media campaigns. The Foundation distributes a weekly news advisory to more than 1,000 media outlets and 25,000 reform activists; conducts research and publishes special reports; and provides legal support and assistance to victims of the current marijuana laws. Contributions to the NORML Foundation are tax-deductible.”
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Canada, http://www.NORML.ca
The November Coalition, http://www.November.org
Working to end the drug war.
Online Library of Drug Policy, http://www.DrugLibrary.org
Oregon NORML, ORNRML.org
“At Oregon NORML, we are leading the fight for commonsense regulation of the most useful plant ever known to mankind – cannabis hemp. We stand for the safe protected medicinal use of marijuana by patients legally enrolled in the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program. We stand for the industrial use of hemp to provide food, fuel, and fiber for America and a viable cash crop for Oregon farmers. We stand for the regulated private use of cannabis by adults. Most important, we work to reform state and federal laws regarding marijuana and bring an end to the harassment, arrest, and imprisonment of responsible taxpaying American citizens.”
Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation, POB 40332, Denver, CO 80204; http://www.SaferChoice.org; SaferDenver.com
Schaffer Library of Drug Policy, http://www.DrugLibrary.org/Schaffer/Index.htm
Students for Sensible Drug Policy, http://www.SSDP.org
Jeffrey Steinborn, attorney, Seattle, WA; 206-622-5177; http://www.PotBust.com
http://www.TaxAndRegulate.org
Veterans for More Effective Drug Strategies, http://www.VetsForMeds.org
The Voluntary Committee of Lawyers, http://www.VCL.org