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Top 10 Drug Policy Reform News Stories of 1997
DrugSense Weekly http://www.drugsense.org
January 21, 1998
With the daily struggles associated with cannabis club lawsuits, mass
arrests, the spread of AIDS and Hepatitis C, it is important to reflect
upon our successes. In 1997, the drug policy reform movement made great
strides toward opening the debate and moving the world toward a more
pragmatic drug policy. Reviewing the Top 10 news stories of the year
illustrates our progress.
by Kendra E. Wright
kendra@drugsense.org
- Physicians and medical institutions show growing support for reform.
- The two gold standards of American medicine support methadone reform.
The National Institutes of Health joins the Institute of Medicine in
support of widespread methadone availability.
- The American Medical Association endorses needle exchange and medical marijuana.
- Editor of the New England Journal of Medicine Jerome Kassirer challenges federal policy on medical marijuana.
- Leading doctors successfully sue the federal government over medical marijuana policy.
- The Physicians Leadership Council on National Drug Policy, made up of the
elite in medicine, is created and urges public health approaches to drug
control.
- The African American community's support for reform grows.
- Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus call for an end to the needle
exchange federal funding ban.
- Prominent African Americans including US Representative Maxine Waters,
Henry Louis Gates of Harvard University, Ronald Hampton of the National
Black Police Association and Ramona Edelin of the National Urban Coalition
draw attention to the disparity in the crack vs. powder cocaine sentencing
laws and call for a reduction in the penalties for crack to be equal with
those of cocaine.
- Drug policy reform makes progress worldwide.
- In England, the campaign for cannabis decriminalization picks up speed
with support from the Sunday Independent. Leading businessman, doctors,
musicians and others join the effort.
- In France, Lionel Jospin is elected Prime Minister after saying he
supports decriminalization of marijuana. Three cabinet ministers come out
for reform and France moves toward making marijuana available as a
medicine.
- In Switzerland, citizens vote for reform in a landslide. Research in
Switzerland shows heroin maintenance works. In particular, the study showed
dramatic declines in crime rates.
- Canada moves forward on marijuana with a court decision favoring medical
marijuana use and statements by leading police and other officials
supporting reform.
- Hollywood gets behind medical marijuana.
- A special episode on Murphy Brown features the main character using me
dical marijuana to relieve nausea caused by chemotherapy treatments for her
breast cancer. After DEA Director Tom Constantine threatens the television
program's producers, they re-air the show one month later.
- More judges come out for reform.
- Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, Judge
Juan Torruella
- U.S. District Court Judge Kane in Colorado
- U.S. District Court Judge John Curtain in New York
- Superior Court Judge James Gray, a friend of reform, decides to take a
sabbatical from the bench to run for US Congress.
- George Soros makes the cover of Time magazine.
- Due in large part to his high profile drug policy-related philanthropy
including $1 million to needle exchange, $25 million for reforms in
Baltimore, general support to drug policy reform organizations and support
of medical marijuana initiatives in California and Arizona, George Soros is
featured in Time.
- Innocent US citizen's death prompts reevaluation of US drug policy and
border patrol.
- Widespread media attention of the Esequiel Hernandez shooting death by US
Marines on the Mexican border resulted in a withdrawal of military troops
from the border and a reevaluation of the use of military troops in
domestic law enforcement and border patrol.
- US voters stand up to legislatures trying to reverse reforms.
- In Oregon, signatures are gathered to challenge recriminalization of
marijuana.
- In Arizona, signatures are gathered to challenge a legislative attempt to
undo the medical marijuana initiative passed in 1996.
- Opponents of medical marijuana back down.
- Attorney General Lungren endorses Senator John Vasconcellos' medical
marijuana reform bill.
- Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey funds research on medical marijuana at the
Institute of Medicine.
- NIDA approves AIDS research on medical marijuana.
- NIH hosts scientific conference on medical marijuana which concludes with
broad support for medical use and further research on medical use.
- Feel-good drug prevention programs did not go without criticism.
- Research showing DARE fails our nation's children was published and
reported on by major news media.
- For the first time, in response to the Monitoring the Future Study,
parents spoke out against the drug war in an organized way.
- ABC's March Against Drugs received widespread critical coverage which
resulted in ABC publicly admitting that they would think twice about doing
another such propaganda campaign (how will they handle Clinton's 1998 $175
million Partnership for a Drug Free America advertising campaign?).
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