Natural Cure

Over the past 25 years,the Illinois General Assembly has enacted nearly 20 laws that have created harsher penalties for drug offenses.

I have some unfortunate news to report. On the evening of May 16, Governor O'Malley ignored the call for reform and formally vetoed HB 992, Maryland's sentencing reform bill.

The bill would have increased the discretion of judges during sentencing, making second-time nonviolent drug offenders who are assigned to mandatory sentences eligible for parole. Under current state law, mandatory minimums cannot be paroled or suspended, and people who are serving a mandatory minimum sentence cannot have access to treatment.

While HB 992 would have been a small change, it became the most controversial bill of the legislative session. DPA and our allies garnered support from across the state, including editorials in the area's largest papers, but the governor failed to take the opportunity to be a leader in sensible drug sentencing reform.

However, there is some good news: Our message of support for reform was heard by the governor! As late as the day of the veto, Gov. O'Malley's staff asked us to stop the fax campaign because your faxes had shut down their system. Way to go! I cannot say it enough: Thank you for all your calls, letters and support.

In his veto message, the governor said he shares most of the policy goals of the bill, and his staff has indicated that he might be willing to work on a new set of legislation in the next session.

While we regret the veto, we can't lose sight of what we achieved this year. This is the furthest a sentencing reform bill has gotten in Maryland in quite some time, and we will keep working in the months ahead to advance reform. DPA and our partners have helped move the debate in Maryland forward, and we have built the base to enact lasting legislative change in the future.

Stay tuned this summer and fall as we work to develop our plans for 2008.

Sincerely,

Naomi Long
Drug Policy Alliance

Chris Mulligan! We knew you when you were but a wee intern. Look at you all grown up now and professional - and lookin' good, dude! I have no idea why the Washington Post is featuring you in this video, but I'm so glad for the opportunity to hear a pro marijuana reform message there.

Posted by Jeanette Irwin.

I'll keep this short, because Connecticut patients need your help right now.

Last week, the Connecticut Compassionate Use Bill, HB 6715, passed the House of Representatives on a vote of 89 - 58. The bill is now headed to the Senate for a full vote--and we'll need your help to get it passed.

Legislators are telling us that they've received hundreds of faxes and phone calls--but we can't let up now! The Senate needs to hear from you. Please send a message to your Senator right now!

Please help get HB 6715, Compassionate Use, through the State Senate: Here are three things you can do in three minutes to push HB 6715 to passage.

1. Send a fax to your State Senator;

2. After faxing, take two minutes to call your Senator and tell him or her you support HB 6715, Compassionate Use. Calls make a big impression on legislators.

You can call the House Clerk's Office at (860) 240-0400 and then tell the person who answers the phone what district you live in in order to be connected to your Senator. Look up your district here.

3. Forward this alert to five people you know in Connecticut, and ask them to take action.

Also, join us tomorrow, May 30, 2007, at the Capitol in Hartford at a Racial Justice Day Rally to support medical marijuana. The rally will take place at the Capitol Building, 210 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT  06106. The Rally will take place from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. on the 1st floor, in the Atrium. Please join us if you can make it!

We're almost at the finish line; please take action today so that Compassionate Use finally passes in Connecticut.

Thanks for all you do. 

Gabriel Sayegh
Drug Policy Alliance

This week, both the Senate and Assembly Budget Committees will consider funding levels for California's voter-approved, treatment-instead-of-incarceration program, Proposition 36. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed cutting the program's budget to just $120 million-$109 million short of what a recent state-commissioned UCLA report found was necessary.

Ask our representatives to continue investing in this proven sentencing reform program! California now spends $9 billion a year on prison, and every year it costs taxpayers over $43,000 to keep one person incarcerated. In contrast, in just six years, Prop. 36 has graduated over 70,000 nonviolent drug offenders, reduced the number of people incarcerated for drug possession by one-third, and actually netted taxpayer savings of $1.7 billion.

If you don't want prisons to soak up an increased share of our tax dollars, ask our Legislators to spend on programs that save-and that help shrink our already overcrowded prisons. 

Governor Schwarzenegger's plan to slash funding jeopardizes thousands of Californians' access to substance abuse treatment and an opportunity for a healthier life. What's more, he is ignoring both the will of the voters and the evidence. Prop. 36 has proved that treatment works and that it saves $2.50-$4 for every $1 invested-so the more we spend, the more lives and dollars are saved.

Urge Legislators to expand this life-changing and cost-saving alternative sentencing program, not shrink it!

Thank you for your support! For more on our plans and how you can join in, stay tuned for our next eNewsletter or visit www.prop36.org.

Sincerely,

Margaret Dooley
Prop. 36 Statewide Outreach Coordinator

Prop. 36 Background

Prop. 36 was approved by 61 percent of voters in November 2000. A June 2004 poll by the Field Institute showed support for the law at 73 percent. Nearly 12,000 people have successfully completed substance treatment during each year of Prop. 36's existence, putting the program on track to graduate 72,000 Californians in its first six years.

Analyses conducted by UCLA show that for every $1 invested in Prop. 36, the state saves $2.50. For program completers, every $1 invested leads to $4 in savings. UCLA put first year (2001-02) savings at $173 million. The Legislative Analyst's Office has estimated that the state's $120 million annual investment in Prop. 36 resulted in net savings of $205 million in 2002-03 and $297 million in 2004-05. Conservatively estimating $200 million in savings per year, total program savings in six years surpasses $1.2 billion.

Nearly six years into Prop. 36, the number of people incarcerated for drug possession has fallen by 32% (5,000 people). More than 1,000 Californians on parole complete treatment under Prop. 36 each year instead of going back to prison. By diverting so many into treatment, Prop. 36 rendered unnecessary the construction of a new men's prison (saving an addition $500 million) and also resulted in the shuttering of a women's prison. This brings total savings to $1.7 billion.
UCLA's most recent analysis, released in April, found that the program requires at least $228.6 million to provide minimal, adequate treatment and to help generate even greater cost savings. The researchers found that average stays in treatment are shorter in Prop. 36 than in similar systems because the program is under-funded. Also, many people receive incorrect, less expensive treatment placements and have little probation supervision during their stays.

UCLA researchers arrived at their recommended funding level by analyzing the costs of a series of improvements, including:

• More appropriate treatment placement (e.g., residential placement for those severely addicted, $18.9 million); 
• Providing a "minimum dose," or 90 days, of treatment ($31.3 million);
• Expanding access to narcotic replacement therapies, such as methadone and buprenorphine ($3.7 million); and 
• Enhancing probation supervision ($25 million).