An Activist’s Guide
When Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders was run out of town for raising questions about the drug war, Dave Borden decided it was time to get involved. A Princeton graduate with a degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, Borden had no interest in drugs but he was appalled by the social havoc the drug laws were wreaking. Skillfully working the Internet, he developed a network of local activists, students, and drug policy critics who began exchanging ideas and action alerts with a rapidly growing membership list. Borden’s Drug Reform Coordination Network (DRCNet) quickly became an international clearinghouse.
One of his earliest supporters was Clifford Schaffer, a California businessman who felt the nexus of the problem was information. If people knew the facts, said Schaffer, they would demand a change in course. Schaffer’s contribution was a burgeoning electronic library, a vast searchable database of original drug war documents and statistics where you can find links to the House Hearings on the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 or the Swiss report on Medical Prescription of Narcotics. It would be impossible to estimate the impact of DRCNet, but these days when a politician makes a wild statement about the drug war, he’s likely to be called out in print by several well-informed letter writers who probably got their facts from the Internet. This easy access to scientific and historic data is beginning to have an impact on the press as well. Now, when headlines announce the fall of the latest drug lord, the sub-head usually admits that it’s expected to have no impact whatsoever on the flow of drugs.
For those who agree with Borden that it’s time to join the fray, here’s a list of organizations on all sides of this issue, from the Drug Enforcement Administration to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
Drug Policy Libraries
http://www.drcnet.org/
Web site of the Drug Reform Coordination Network (DRCNet). Includes
articles on prohibition, harm reduction, needle exchange, sentencing, asset
forfeiture, medical marijuana, chronic pain treatment, international drug
policies, and methadone maintenance, as well a calendar of events, action
alerts and a weekly news bulletin.
http://www.druglibrary.org/
World's largest online drug policy library, sponsored by DRCNet.
Information on a wide range of drug policy topics, including the full text
of major reports. Front page includes links to a number of substantial
online collections.
http://www.drugtext.nl/
Drugtext Europe, web site of the International Foundation for Drug Policy
and Human Rights. One of the largest online library collections on drug
policy. U.S. mirror site at http://www.drugtext.org/.
http://www.drugpolicyalliance.org/
The Drug Policy Alliance is a Manhattan-based drug policy research institute.
Its site features full-text articles from the academic and popular press
focusing on drug policy from economic, criminal justice, and public health
perspectives. Recent "focal point" topics include drug maintenance
programs and medical marijuana.
Other Drug Policy Information Sites
http://www.prdi.org/
The Partnership for Responsible Drug Information holds public forums on
drug policy and provides extensive informational resources for parents and
the media.
http://www.vcl.org/
Named after an organization of attorneys that played a critical role in
bringing about the repeal of Alcohol Prohibition, the Voluntary Committee
of Lawyers works with lawyers, law professors, law students and others
associated with the legal profession to foster an open, honest, and
constructive discussion about the drug war and what it is doing for and to
our nation and legal system.
Think Tanks
http://www.rand.org/centers/dprc/DPRCpubindex.html
The Rand Corporation's Drug Policy Research Center includes a subject index
and abstracts for all publications on their site. Topics include drug
policy and trends, state and local drug policy, national drug policy,
international drug policy, prevention, treatment, enforcement, data systems
and analysis, and modeling and policy gaming. Reports can be ordered online.
http://www.sproject.com/
The Sentencing Project, a think tank that researches the impact of criminal
justice policies and advocates alternatives.
http://www.ncianet.org/ncia/
National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA) web site.
http://www.cato.org
Well-known libertarian think tank.
Asset Forfeiture
http://www.fear.org/
Forfeiture Endangers American Rights (FEAR), national organization opposing
the rampant abuses of asset forfeiture. Site features victims' stories and
federal and state forfeiture legislation.
Chronic Pain
http://www.actiononpain.org
American Society for Action on Pain (ASAP), organization advocating for
adequate pain treatment for all who need it.
Harm Reduction / Needle Exchange
http://www.harmreduction.org/
Web site of the Harm Reduction Coalition (HRC), a national organization
promoting strategies for reducing the harm related to substance abuse and
sexual behavior.
http://www.lindesmith.org/tlcintro.html#harmred
The Lindesmith Center's index of harm reduction-related documents on its site.
http://www.drcnet.org/needle-exchange/
"Needle Exchange: A Form of Harm Reduction," DRCNet's "topics in depth"
page on needle exchange.
http://www.nasen.org/
North American Syringe Exchange Network (NASEN) home page.
http://www.safeworks.org/safeprograms.html
The Safeworks AIDS Project in Minneapolis, Minnesota, maintains a directory
of needle exchange program web sites.
http://www.safeworks.org/savelivesnow/
State-by-state data on drug-related AIDS from the Health Emergency reports
of the Dogwood Center.
Law Enforcement Perspectives
http://www.leap.cc
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition - ranking police officers condemn the war on drugs.
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/
Drug Enforcement Administration web site.
http://members.aol.com/deawatch/
"The Voice of America's Front-line Drug Warriors" is sponsored by the
American Law Enforcement Electronic Library rather than the Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA).
http://www.weedseed.org/
"Cops Against the Drug War," from DRCNet's "Topics in Depth" section,
contains materials on the the Hoover Law Enforcement Summit wriiten by Dr.
Joseph McNamara, a former police chief of San Jose and Kansas City.
Mandatory Minimums and Sentencing
http://www.famm.org/
Web site of Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), a national
organization advocating repeal of mandatory minimum sentencing and reform
of the federal sentencing guidelines. Features victims cases and links to
further information.
http://www.november.org/
The November Coalition, an organization focusing on drug war prisoners.
http://www.pkdata.com/cure/
Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE) home page,
national organization advocating for rehabilitation and alternatives to
incarceration.
http://www.ussc.gov/
United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) web site.
http://www.fjc.gov/
The Federal Judicial Center (FJC) web site.
Medical Marijuana
http://www.calyx.com/~olsen/MEDICAL/YOUNG/young.html
DEA Judge Francis L. Young's ruling (September 6, 1988) on medical
marijuana-the ruling of the Chief Administrative Law Judge of the DEA after
hearing two years of testimony, pro and con, on the issue of the medical
use of marijuana.
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/medical_mj.htm
Medical marijuana master reference, an extensive directory of medical
marijuana information available on the net.
http://www.marijuana.org/
Web site of the San Francisco Cannabis Cultivators' Club (formerly the
Cannabis Buyers' Club).
http://www.marijuanamagazine.com/
"The Medical Marijuana Magazine," an interesting medical marijuana magazine
by former NORML director Dick Cowan and best-selling author Peter McWilliams.
Methadone Maintenance
http://www.lindesmith.org/methmain.html
The Lindesmith Center's "focal point" on methadone, featuring nearly twenty
scholarly articles on methadone maintenance and a directory of methadone
information.
http://www.methadone.org/
Home page of the National Alliance of Methadone Advocates (NAMA).
Human Rights/Latin America
http://www.wola.org
Washington Office on Latin America
http://www.igc.apc.org/csn
Colombia Support Network
http://www.hrw.org/about/initiatives/drugs.html
Human Rights Watch Drugs and Human Rights project (international and domestic)
News about drug issues
http://www.mapinc.org
The Media Awareness Project publishes a daily digest of drug war news items from around the world with links to the full text.
http://www.ndsn.org/
"News Briefs," the monthly newsletter of the National Drug Strategy Network
(NDSN). News about all aspects of the drug problem-American and
international, with detailed coverage going back to 1993. Non-advocacy.
http://www.drcnet.org/rapid/
DRCNet bulletins, including "The Week Online" news service.
Prevention and Drug Education
http://www.arf.org/
The Addiction Resources Foundation (ARF).is a reputable source of accurate
information on drugs an addiction.
http://www.drugfreeamerica.org/
The Partnership for a Drug Free America (PDFA) is a nonprofit coalition of
media and advertising agencies using national television and print
advertising to stigmatize drug users and warn against drug abuse.
http://www.dare-america.com/
"How to Raise Drug-Free Kids" is sponsored by Reader's Digest.
http://www.drcnet.org/DARE/
"A Different Look at DARE" is featured in DRCNet's "Topics in Depth" section.
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/library/daremenu.html
Multiple documents on the controversial Drug Abuse Resistance Education
(DARE) program, from the DRCNet online drug policy library.
http://www.jointogether.org/
Join Together, a national network of prevention organizations. Includes an
extensive directory of links to sites on prevention, treatment, self-help,
and education.
Prohibition Advocacy
http://www.casacolumbia.org/
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) is a nonprofit
advocacy organization which produces reports on the harm to individuals and
society caused by drug abuse.
http://www.drugwatch.org/
Drug Watch International (DWI) is a nonprofit coalition advocating much
stronger law enforcement.
http://www.emory.edu/NFIA/
National Families In Action (NFIA) is a nonprofit grassroots anti-drug
organization that works to set up community drug abuse prevention programs.
Reform Advocacy Groups
http://www.dpf.org/
The Drug Policy Foundation (DPF) is the largest drug policy reform
organization, with a major annual conference, grants program, newsletter,
and a wide array of services to policy-makers and the media who are
interested in drug policy issues.
http://www.cjpf.org/
The Criminal Justice Policy Foundation (CJPF) assists public health,
criminal justice, and other public officials in finding innovative
solutions to criminal justice and drug policy problems.
http://www.aclu.org/
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is heavily involved in
Constitutional law aspects of drug policy reform.
http://www.wps.com.au/druglawreform/
Families and Friends for Drug Law Reform, Australian organization for
people who have lost loved ones to drug abuse.
http://www.maps.org/
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) focuses on
research into medical uses of marijuana and psychedelics. Raises funds and
helps researchers overcome regulatory obstacles.
http://www.mpp.org/
The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) lobbies for reform of the marijuana laws
and is currently focusing on medical marijuana.
http://www.norml.org/
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) is the
oldest and largest marijuana reform organization and advocates the
legalization of marijuana for adults.
Treatment and Self Help
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) pioneered the "twelve-step" self-treatment
program for people with severe drinking problems.
http://www.ca.org/
Cocaine Anonymous (CA) is a self-treatment program for people with cocaine
problems, modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous.
http://comnet.org/mm/
Moderation Management (MM) is a moderation-oriented treatment program which emphasizes self-management, moderation, and a balanced lifestyle. It is
"not intended for alcoholics or those severely dependent on alcohol."
http://www.frw.uva.nl/cedro/peele/
The Stanton Peele Addiction Web Site contains a library of materials on the
addiction experience.
http://www.ncadd.org/
National Center of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) is a federal drug
abuse treatment and prevention advocacy agency which focuses largely on
alcoholism.
http://www.samhsa.gov/csat/csat.htm
The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) of the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) works to expand Federal drug
abuse treatment efforts.
http://www.wsoinc.com/
Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a self-treatment program for people with
narcotics problems, modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous.
Government Sites
http://www.ncjrs.org/
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
http://www.ncjrs.org/drgshome.htm
NCJRS Drugs & Crime Clearinghouse
http://www.state.gov/www/global/narcotics_law/
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/
Bureau of Justice Statistics
http://www.fedstats.gov/
Fedstats
http://www.health.org
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
http://www.nida.nih.gov/
National Institute on Drug Abuse
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
http://www.fda.gov/
Food and Drug Administration
http://inet.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SDFS/
Safe and Drug Free Schools Program
