International Drug Policy Reform Made Easy With DrugSense/MAP When Mexican President Vincente Fox bowed to U.S. pressure and refused to sign a bill that would have legalized the personal possession of all drugs, DrugSense was there. When England nearly re-criminalized the adult possession of cannabis, DrugSense was there. When American and Canadian activists, researchers, politicians and drug policy reformers organized a counter-symposium in Montreal to protest the DEA's International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC), DrugSense was there. DrugSense.org/donate. Whether it's decriminalization efforts in Mexico or Canada, the rejection of drug interdiction funding by Latin America, or ongoing harm reduction efforts in Europe, DrugSense/MAP is there to help organize these international efforts. For example, they created a Canadian media contact list for the recent IDEC counter-conference in Montreal using their powerful and comprehensive Media Contact on Demand mapinc.org/mcod/. Coverage of this conference was then tracked through their MAP DrugNews Archive of drug-related articles from around the world (drugnews.org), which now tops 164,000 clippings and counting! In fact, about half of the news articles received and posted by MAP are from outside of the U.S., and DrugSense has been integral in starting up Canadian, German, French, and Dutch versions of its popular Media Awareness Project. The progress made by other nations toward evidence-based drug policy may represent one of the best tools to push for positive change in the U.S. So, although DrugSense/MAP continues to focus on American drug policy reform, they have long been aware of the importance of assisting reformers all over the world. But, if DrugSense/MAP is to continue to provide news and services to the international drug policy reform community - like the Mercy Center - and to use international pressure to push for U.S. reform, they need YOUR help right now! Please donate today! Their secure server at > DrugSense.org/donate < accepts credit card and Paypal account payments. Or you can snail-mail Money Orders and Checks which should be made payable to DrugSense and sent to: No doubt you are a busy person. You have work, school, family, and a host of other commitments. If you are like many people today, you sometimes feel as if you have very little time to do the things you want to do or even feel you should do. At the same time, you agree that the War on (some) Drugs has become a disastrous failure. Maybe a relative received a long sentence for minor drug possession. Perhaps an injured friend has problems finding adequate pain relief. A loyal employee you know might be required to prove his innocence by taking a drug test. You know you want to make a difference, but what can you do? DrugSense has some answers. Here is how you can change the world in just a few minutes per week. * Help us Newshawk articles about drug policy. Newshawks are individuals who find drug-policy-related articles in newspapers and magazines, or on selected Websites, and forward those articles to us using a special format. The more articles we have, the more powerful our DrugNews Archive (www.drugnews.org) becomes as a voice for fairness and honesty. You can help build this incredible resource with just a few minutes of Internet surfing. For more information, please see mapinc.org/hawk.htm * Help us format articles for archival storage. The true power of the DrugNews archive rests in its ability to store drug policy articles long after they have disappeared from their source Websites. Putting these articles in a uniform format and appending correct attributions to them makes the archive a powerful research tool. This, too, helps promote the truth about drugs and drug policy and will likely take no more than a few hours of your time per week. You can give formatting as much or as little time as you have, but rest peacefully in the knowledge that you made a difference. Those who provide volunteer formatting services are called Editors and are required to complete a short web-based, self-paced training course. Please contact Jo-D Harrison, jo-d@mapinc.org, for more details. * Donate to DrugSense. Some people have more money than they have time. Monetary contributions can be a powerful force for social change. DrugSense is a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit that provides accurate information about drug policy. You can see the myriad of services we offer on a bare bones budget by exploring www.mapinc.org and www.DrugSense.org. Your dollars go toward supporting these integrated services designed to bring the truth to the media about drug policy and end the War on Drugs. Please visit www.DrugSense.org/donate and donate what you can. You may also mail your check or money order to: DrugSense 14252 Culver Dr #328 Irvine, CA 92604-0326 Remember, it's not what others do, it's what you do. You CAN change the world. You can help end the War on Drugs by helping DrugSense. Mark Greer Executive Director, DrugSense Please note that DrugSense is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

Give us FeedBack     Is there a country or other region you'd like to see on this list? Do you have a News Item, some Information or a Resource? To send a message to the webster, use this tool. Who are you? e-mail address: Message: Portugal drug law show results ten years on - The Associated Free Press | LISBON — Health experts in Portugal claim that Portugal's decision 10 years ago to decriminalise drug use and treat dependent users rather than punishing them is an experiment that has worked. "There is no doubt that the phenomenon of addiction is in decline in Portugal," said Joao Goulao, President of the Institute of Drugs and Drugs Addiction, a press conference to mark the 10th anniversary of the law. The number of dependent users considered "problematic" -- those who repeatedly use "hard" drugs and intravenous users -- had fallen by half since the early 1990s, when the figure was estimated at around 100,000 people, Goulao said. Other factors had also played their part however, Goulao, a medical doctor added. "This development can not only be attributed to decriminalisation but to a confluence of treatment and risk reduction policies." Portugal's holistic approach had also led to a "spectacular" reduction in the number of infections among intravenous users and a significant drop in drug-related crimes, he added. A law that became active on July 1, 2001 did not legalise drug use, but forced users caught with banned substances to appear in front of special addiction panels rather than in a criminal court. The panels composed of psychologists, judges and social workers recommended action based on the specifics of each case. Since then, government panels have recommended a response based largely on whether the individual is an occasional drug user or an addict. Of the nearly 40,000 people currently being treated, "the vast majority of problematic users are today supported by a system that does not treat them as delinquents but as sick people," Goulao said. In a report published in June 2011, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) said Portugal had dealt with this issue "in a pragmatic and innovative way." Drug use statistics in Portugal are generally "below the European average and much lower than its only European neighbour, Spain," the report also said. "The changes that were made in Portugal provide an interesting before-and-after study on the possible effects of decriminalisation," EMCDDA said.   Visit - http://idpc.net/alerts/portugal-drug-law-worked.

Help End the International War on Medical Cannabis (Marijuana) In days, a group of powerful world leaders will ask the UN to end the war on drugs and move towards regulation. But politicians say that the public will not support alternative drug policies. Let's give this unique opportunity massive public support and get urgent action. Follow this link below - >> Click here << - and tell everyone you know about it. Then everyone you don't know ... yet! In days, we could finally see the beginning of the end of the 'war on drugs'. This expensive war has completely failed to curb the plague of drug addiction, while costing countless lives, devastating communities, and funneling trillions of dollars into violent organized crime networks. Experts all agree that the most sensible policy is to regulate, but politicians are afraid to touch the issue. In days, a global commission including former heads of state and foreign policy chiefs of the UN, EU, US, Brazil, Mexico and more will break the taboo and publicly call for new approaches including decriminalization and regulation of drugs. This could be a once-in-a-generation tipping-point moment -- if enough of us call for an end to this madness. Politicians say they understand that the war on drugs has failed, but claim the public isn't ready for an alternative. Let's show them we not only accept a sane and humane policy -- we demand it. Click below to sign the petition and share with everyone --if we reach 1 million voices, it will be personally delivered to world leaders by the global commission - >> Click here << - and Act Now! to End Medical Cannabis Prohibition around the World by Stopping the War on (Some of the People doing Some of the) Drugs. For 50 years current drug policies have failed everyone, everywhere but public debate is stuck in the mud of fear and misinformation. Everyone, even the UN Office on Drugs and Crime which is responsible for enforcing this approach agrees -- deploying militaries and police to burn drug farms, hunting down traffickers, and imprisoning dealers and addicts - is an expensive mistake. And with massive human cost -- from Afghanistan, to Mexico, to the USA the illegal drug trade is destroying countries around the world, while addiction, overdose deaths, and HIV/AIDS infections continue to rise. Meanwhile, countries with less-harsh enforcement -- like Switzerland, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Australia -- have not seen the explosion in drug use that proponents of the drug war have darkly predicted. Instead, they have seen significant reductions in drug-related crime, addiction and deaths, and are able to focus squarely on dismantling criminal empires. Powerful lobbies still stand in the way of change, including military, law enforcement, and prison departments whose budgets are at stake. And politicians fear that voters will throw them out of office if they support alternative approaches, as they will appear weak on law and order. Many former drug Ministers and Heads of State have come out in favour of reform since leaving office, and polls show that citizens across the world know the current approach is a catastrophe. Momentum is gathering towards new improved policies, particularly in regions that are ravaged by the drug trade. If we can create a worldwide outcry in the next few days to support the bold calls of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, we can overpower the stale excuses for the status quo. Our voices hold the key to change -- Sign the petition and spread the word, visit - >> Click here << - and Spread The Word! We have a chance to enter the closing chapter of this brutal 'war' that has destroyed millions of lives. Global public opinion will determine if this catastrophic policy is stopped or if politicians shy away from reform. Let's rally urgently to push our hesitating leaders from doubt and fear, over the edge, and into reason. Support the Avaaz community! We're entirely funded by donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way -- donate here. Avaaz.org is an 8-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 13 countries on 4 continents and operates in 14 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns Facebook or Twitter. To contact Avaaz, write to us at www.avaaz.org/en/contact or call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US). With hope and determination, Alice, Laura, Ricken, Maria Paz, Shibayan and the whole Avaaz team SOURCES: Reports that show the war on drugs has failed: http://idpc.net/publications/failure-regime-selected-publications Reports that show alternative approaches of decriminalisation and regulation are working: http://idpc.net/publications/alternative-strategies-selected-publications General report on drug law reform in practice: http://www.tni.org/report/legislative-innovation-drug-policy The Global Comission on Drug Policy that will call on the UN to end the war on drugs http://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/Documents.aspx Drug War by the Numbers http://www.drugpolicy.org/facts/drug-war-numbers Final Report of the Latin American Comission on Drugs and Democracy http://www.drogasedemocracia.org/English/Destaques.asp?IdRegistro=8