This list is by no means comprehensive, but it is an attempt
to show how complicated and broad the drug policy reform issue
really is:
The American
Civil Liberties Union has opposed marijuana prohibition since
1968 on the grounds that it causes unwarranted government intrusion
into private lives.
The Drug Policy Alliance
– A leader of drug policy organizations, nationally and internationally.
Be sure to visit
Common Sense for Drug Policy
a leader in organizing drug policy reform worldwide.
Also from CSDP: Top 10 Drug War Distortions.
This is a useful tool to have at your finger tips and use in discussions and debates.
LEAP — Law Enforcement Against prohibition
Current and former members of law enforcement who support drug
regulation rather than prohibition.
Reentry Central — the national website for news and information on the subject of ex-offender reentry and related criminal justice issues.
The Independent Institute
conducts research in economics, law, political science, history, sociology and other fields.
The War on Drugs is a War on Students. More than 43,000 college students face possible denials of federal aid this year under a 1998 law that bans such help to people who have drug convictions. Read more.
The Criminal Justice Policy Foundation provides information
to policy makers and the public to promote innovative ideas about criminal justice issues,
including sentencing, drug policy reform, and police policy.
We highly recommend drugpolicy.org. This site features full-text articles from the academic and popular press focusing on drug policy from economic, criminal justice, and public health perspectives.
www.downbound.com
Downbound.com believes strongly in hemp production and the promotion of environmental sustainability. They have hundreds of organic hemp items including clothing, footwear, bags and accessories. All of their products are non-sweatshop and non-exploitive of animals. The site also has a large library of information on related topics.
Is the funding of terrorism another unintended consequence
of drug prohibition? Read more information that is quite relevant to our turbulent times. See http://www.narcoterror.org/
Can you win the drug war? Check out this Flash site:
http://www.stopthewar.com
Students Against the Drug War! Hear what the children of DARE are saying:
http://www.ssdp.org/
The Dogwood Center – This website focuses on injection-related HIV,
the neglected half of HIV prevention in the United States.
ReconsiDer is a grass roots organization out of New York state fighting the drug war.
New York is a key state to watch as New York state judges have been speaking out against the draconian Rockefeller drug laws.
Amnesty International
is an important critic of the drug war and has been exposing the inhumane conditions faced by US prisons.
Human Rights and the Drug War –
a project of Human Rights '95. Includes a photo gallery of Drug
War POWs and their children who now live in foster homes.
The November Coalition
– Active communication for and about Drug War Prisoners and progress in reform.
Esequiel (Zeke) Hernandez, an 18-year-old goat herder
near the Texas - Mexico border, apparently thought he was firing
at rabbits or rocks when he shot his rifle in the direction of
Marines doing drug patrols one night. The Marines,
assuming they were being fired upon, returned fire and killed
Hernandez. Read more about the militarization of the drug war:
Drug Policy Forum
of Texas
The Voluntary Committee of Lawyers
Encouraging discourse over the consequences of the drug war
DrugSense – If you have
reservations about the War on Drugs, explore DrugSense to become
better informed.
The Media Awareness Project –
Provides tips on writing letters to newspapers and getting published in
the mainstream media.
Join the Marijuana Policy Project
The Drug Reform Coordination
Network – a central internet resource for online drug
reform activism. An excellent resource; includes "The Activist's
Guide" and an on-line library.
Families Against Mandatory Minimums is
the national voice for fair and proportionate sentencing laws. They shine
a light on the human face of sentencing, advocate for state and federal
sentencing reform, and mobilize thousands of individuals and families whose
lives are adversely affected by unjust sentences.
Marijuana News is an
excellent, always up-to-date newsletter on the Cannabis Controversies and is
published by Richard Cowan, author of the famous National Review
article: "Why Conservatives Should Support the Legalization
of Marijuana."
NORML
– National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
One of the leading voices of reason in the fight for sensible drug policies.
FEAR - Forfeiture Endangers American
Rights
Financial incentives of Civil Asset Forfeiture have left
many law enforcement agencies dependent on drug law enforcement
to meet their budgetary requirements, at the expense of alternative
goals such as the investigation and prosecution of non-drug crimes,
crime prevention strategies, and drug education and treatment.
Read: POLICING FOR
PROFIT: THE DRUG WAR'S HIDDEN ECONOMIC AGENDA