cannabisnews.com: Florida Eyed as 2002 Battleground for Drug Reform

Florida Eyed as 2002 Battleground for Drug Reform

Posted by FoM on June 10, 2001 at 15:15:00 PT
By Alan Scher Zagier
Source: Naples Daily News

Calling the war on drugs an abject failure that wrongfully imprisons small-time users more in need of medical care, a California drug-reform group backed by three of the country's richest entrepreneurs is targeting Florida as its next battleground. The Campaign for New Drug Policies — which receives heavy support from billionaire financier George Soros, insurance executive Peter Lewis and for-profit university founder John Sperling — recently registered with the Secretary of State's office in Tallahassee in hopes of placing its reform measure on the fall 2002 ballot as a voter-driven initiative.

Entitled the "Right to Treatment and Rehabilitation for Nonviolent Drug Offenders," the ballot measure would require courts to steer certain first- and second-time drug-law violators into treatment and rehab programs. It's modeled after California's Proposition 36, approved by voters last year. Eligible offenders would come from the ranks of those charged with simple possession or purchase of drugs or drug paraphernalia, whether it be marijuana, heroin, cocaine or any other illegal substance. The ballot language leaves pursuit of that option up to defendants but calls it "a matter of right." Those accused of selling, delivering or trafficking drugs, as well as offenders facing accompanying charges of theft or violent crimes, drunken driving and any felonies would be barred from the treatment alternative. So would individuals convicted or imprisoned for violent crimes within five years of their drug offense. "The concept of drug addiction, when you look at it from almost any other perspective besides that of politics, is that it's a sickness," said Sydney Smith, a Miami defense attorney and chairman of the Florida reform effort. "It's been driven in the last decade by dogma, not science." Bill Zimmerman, the California political consultant who heads the Campaign for New Drug Policies, estimated that 10,000 Floridians each year are put behind bars who meet the criteria of the proposed law, a per capita rate second in this country only to his home state. "We can save the state a great deal of money and save the lives of numerous drug offenders who would otherwise be stigmatized," he said. "People in large numbers are rejecting the war on drugs." To get on the statewide ballot in 17 months, the group must submit in advance a total of 488,872 valid signatures of voters, said state elections officials. That figure is derived from a formula requiring a minimum number of signatures from each of the state's 23 congressional districts, said Joel Mynard, an official with the state Division of Elections. Ten percent of that total, or roughly 49,000 signatures, is required by the end of this year to trigger a review by the state attorney general and then the Florida Supreme Court to ensure the measure complies with ballot-access laws. Zimmerman said the group hopes to reach that initial threshold by mid-August. But according to Smith, the campaign already is close to meeting the target, thanks to the efforts of paid signature-gatherers in 15 key counties. Those efforts have yet to extend into Southwest Florida, he said. Asked about grassroots work to build support for a new law, Smith acknowledged to being a one-man operation at the moment. But the group's polling shows that a majority of state residents support the changes, both Zimmerman and Smith said. "We're not trying to create any political constituency," said Smith. "Our position is most people already support this initiative." In California, Proposition 36 passed despite opposition from "virtually the entire political and media structure," Zimmerman said. "We find the public has very strong feelings about this issue and doesn't pay much attention to the political structure or admonishments from the media on how to vote," he said. "I don't think we're going to have trouble winning." The proposal so far seems to have gone largely unnoticed around the state. Members of Gov. Jeb Bush's press office weren't familiar with the initiative effort and did not respond to a Daily News request for comment. Locally, State Attorney Joe D'Alessandro also wasn't aware of the reform measure, but said he was not opposed to "the concept" of mandatory drug treatment for non-violent first offenders. The devil, as always, remains in the details. "Virtually everyone in law enforcement believes in more treatment," he said. "The problem is we don't have enough treatment centers. It takes a lot of time, money and effort. If they want to go that route, they better fund it, or else we're whistling in the wind." The ballot language leaves "determination of the type and duration of the appropriate treatment program" up to a "qualified professional." Treatment would be capped at 18 months. Zimmerman figures Florida would need to invest $35 million to $40 million annually into expanded drug treatment — or less than half of what the state would save by decreasing its jail and prison population. D'Alessandro cautioned that such calculations assume "that the people you are treating are successful" and don't wind up back in the penal system. "If not, you're doubling the costs." Leaders of the nationwide drug reform effort, including the Soros-backed Lindesmith Center/Drug Policy Foundation in New York, are also mulling similar efforts next year in Ohio and Michigan, said Zimmerman. But work in those states isn't as advanced as in Florida. The complete text of the proposal can be found on the Florida Department of State's Web site at Internet at:http://election.dos.state.fl.us/initiatives/initiativelist.asp Among the other initiative efforts registered with the state is a medical marijuana proposal by a group called Floridians for Medical Rights. Users can access more information about voter initiatives at Internet site www.myflorida.com. Go to the Elections section (Under the Florida Department of State), then to the Election Information link, then to the Initiatives-Petitions section and click on the Initiatives, Amendments & Revisions link in the left-hand column. Users can also access the full text of the drug reform initiative at: http://election.dos.state.fl.us/initiatives/fulltext/34424-1.htmNote: A proposed ballot measure would require courts to steer certain first- and second-time drug-law violators into treatment and rehab programs. Complete Title: Florida Eyed as 2002 Battleground for Drug Reform Laws Source: Naples Daily News (FL)Author: Alan Scher ZagierPublished: Sunday, June 10, 2001Copyright: 2001 Naples Daily News.Contact: letters namplesnews.comWebsite: http://www.naplesnews.com/TLC - DPFhttp://www.lindesmith.org/Soros Foundation Networkhttp://www.soros.org/Floridian's For Medical Rightshttp://www.medicalrights.org/Campaign for New Drug Policies http://www.drugreform.org/CannabisNews Articles - Treatmenthttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=treatment

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Comment #19 posted by Willy on June 12, 2001 at 19:09:30 PT

Two quick comments.......
Subject one--- treatment: These proposals make me nervous because my sense is that the so called treatment will be a financial penalty in lieu of jailtime. The person being "treated" will pay for it. Most likely in an amount in excess of the actual cost. The state will get the "profit"Suject two--- death penalty: They can't eliminate the death penalty until treatment becomes more widespread. There's no room in the jails for murderers or rapists. They're full of drug users.Thanks
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Comment #18 posted by Dan Hillman on June 11, 2001 at 12:24:33 PT

Greenfox points out the obvious...
Let's see, the gov. worried about "militias", big gov. building vaporizes. Supposed militia type bagged mere hours later doing all those things "militia"-types are supposed to do...To sum up: I believe NOT ONE WORD of the "official" story behind the bombing of the fed. building and Tim McViegh.Back to Florida: this looks good. Don't forget that rabid drug warrior Bill McCollum was defeated handily in the last election.Here's the story from last Nov. from the Miami Herald"Nelson edges McCollum in bid for open Senate seat"BY STEVE BOUSQUET AND LESLEY CLARK sbousquet herald.comTALLAHASSEE -- Riding a wave of supportacross South Florida, Democrat Bill Nelsondefeated Bill McCollum Tuesday to capture anopen U.S. Senate seat, giving Florida twoDemocratic senators for the first time in 12years and dashing Republican hopes ofcarrying on a ``Connie Mack legacy.''``I stand before you tonight a humbled and grateful man,'' Nelson told a cheering crowd of about 200 at a banquet hall at Florida State University. ``I want to represent all of the people of Florida, not just the ones who voted for me.''McCollum conceded at 9 p.m. at a downtown Orlando hotel. Red, white and blue balloons remained tethered to the ceiling. His campaign aides fought back tears.``This is not the end of our fight for better government. This is just the beginning,'' McCollum said. ``We had the momentum coming our way at the end; we just didn't close the gap enough.''The campaign was long and bitter, with hard-hitting ads by both men. It dragged on for months. But the result came quickly. Exit polling showed Nelson the winner by 7:01 p.m. -- even as last-minute voters stood in line to vote in South Florida and polls were still open in the western Panhandlein Central time.As the evening wore on, Nelson's victory margin shrank, but the Democrat did an endless series of celebratory interviews. ``It looks OK,'' he said while half the vote was still uncounted in Democrat-heavy Broward. ``Wait until you see Broward.''Florida Republican chairman Al Cárdenas refused to concede, calling therace ``too close to call.''McCollum's showing will likely trigger a lot of second-guessing of Cárdenasand Gov. Jeb Bush, who pressured moderate Republican Tom Gallagherto drop out of the race. The trim, square-jawed Nelson, 58, has been state insurancecommissioner since 1994. He is perhaps best known for flying on a spaceshuttle mission in 1986. He and McCollum waged the most expensiveSenate race in Florida history -- close to $20 million, including independentgroups' expenditures. Nelson, who will join Democrat Bob Graham in theSenate, said his win represents a statement by Floridians against``extreme politics.''McCollum, 56, a suburban Orlando congressman since 1980 with aconservative, pro-business voting record, struggled to redefine himself asa moderate, emphasizing his work on domestic violence legislation and ahate-crime law with protections for gays.Running his first statewide race, McCollum was less well-known statewide.His role as a House prosecutor in President Clinton's impeachment was allsome voters knew about him. To some, that was enough.``He tore his britches with me when he tried to crucify Clinton,'' JimHaddock, 63, a retired railroad worker, said after voting for Nelson at achurch in Orlando.Even McCollum's attempts to saddle Nelson with homeowners' risinginsurance premiums fell flat.The Democrat rolled up majorities in hurricane-prone Miami-Dade andBroward counties.Nelson also overcame the Willie Logan factor. Logan, a long-timeDemocratic lawmaker from Opa-locka, ran a low-budget, nonpartisan race,offering an alternative to ``politics as usual.''Lacking money to buy TV ads and dogged by reports of questionablefinancial dealings, Logan was not a statistical factor.Even with an overwhelming turnout in predominantly black precincts,Logan won few black votes. At North Fork Elementary School in FortLauderdale, Vera Blackmon, 61, who works in the public defender's office,said: ``I didn't know Logan's background. I didn't know what he stood for.''``I vote parties,'' said Arthur Williams, a retired school principal. ``He wasn'ton the Democratic ticket.''Nelson was aided by the overwhelming large Democratic turnout,especially among black voters. Nelson is expected to be a moderate in the mold of his Senate colleague,Bob Graham, and Lawton Chiles, the last Democrat to hold the seat.Nelson opposes school vouchers, and his tax cut proposal of $500 billion isabout one third the size of McCollum's.Although Nelson aggressively took advantage of the existing soft-moneyloophole, he says he will join forces with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., whohas vowed to ``shut down the Senate'' until it passes meaningful campaignfinance reform.Herald staff writers Phil Long and Susan Ferrechio and Herald researcherTina Cummings contributed to this report.
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Comment #17 posted by MDG on June 11, 2001 at 10:23:46 PT:

The world's a little worse this morning.
It seems to me that there are many people for whom the pain doesn't end after an execution, though they believed the execution "would bring closure". I'd wager it would be far more difficult to find someone that didn't want the execution, who found it did "bring closure."
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Comment #16 posted by Pontifex on June 11, 2001 at 08:31:33 PT:

The Death Penalty and Treatment Penalty
Greenfox is right. Life in prison is a much worse fate than painless execution by lethal injection.This morning, Tim McVeigh got the punishment he wanted and a chance to prove to everybody that he was more calm, collected and philosophical than the crowd of medievalists outside baying for his blood. McVeigh's crime was horrible, but his punishment made him a martyr and set a rare example of bravery. Is this really a wise way to dispose of the "worst American terrorist ever"? How many Dylan Klebolds and other psychos are going to lionize this man?Whereas, had he simply been thrown in prison, America would have watched him grow old, contemplate his crimes, and very likely end up repentant and demented. Wouldn't that have been a more fitting end for such a mass murderer?I hate to say it, but the Europeans are right -- this execution was barbaric and showcases the moral turpitude of the lowest sector of American society. We should all be ashamed.And, of course, if the death penalty is OK for Tim McVeigh, then it's also OK for anybody else whose crimes can be spun as terrorism. What if they catch a pot pusher who gave cannabis to thousands of high-school students? Under federal "drug kingpin" laws, he too would be eligible to die.As for treatment in Florida, I have to agree with Rambler -- the whole thing is a farce and quite possibly a step backwards. I'd rather spend six months in jail than submit to a humiliating, urine-tested "treatment" program for using the hallowed herb. This smells like just another way of stigmatizing marijuana users as helpless, pathetic addicts.Maybe if they martyred a couple of pot smokers on a federal guerney, could end this thing in a jiffy.God, what a sick country we live in.
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Comment #15 posted by Rambler on June 11, 2001 at 06:26:57 PT

GreenFox
I also think that a conspiracy is very possible.Perhaps likely after seeing the FBI and their "misplaced" evidence.I am convinced that JFKs death was a government influenced hit,by dark powers that be.Just look at the recent sham of an "election" we just had.This McVeigh thing is such a sickening media circus.There is no reason why he should be executed.We have plenty of wonderful new prisons,I'm sure we could have found a spare cell to leave him in.That's why the drug war wont end,too many empty prisons,they might be able to convert some of them to schools,or maybe they will be renamed as "Treatment Centers",for "Drug Offenders"here's a couple of good articles about McVeighs execution this morning.http://commondreams.org/views01/0611-03.htmhttp://commondreams.org/views01/0611-02.htm
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Comment #14 posted by greenfox on June 11, 2001 at 05:46:27 PT

One last thing...
And before people start calling me a conspiricy theorist, remember: we are talking about the SAME government who fed radiated milk to retarded children (ACTUALLY TRUE!)...so I ask, is it completely crazy to think they would blow up one of their own buildings? Maybe an EMPLOYEE knew too much.... one can only wonder. All I know is I don't put ANYTHING past `em....-gf
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Comment #13 posted by greenfox on June 11, 2001 at 05:43:59 PT

Death Penalty
One hell of a penalty, huh? Sort of like "pay each player $50.00" over a heated monopoly game, but this time it's "pay each player in human blood".It's a big game to the feds, they don't give a shit who lives or dies. My personal opinion: they are covering something up. For all we know THEY blew the damn building up, and Timmy's the nutcase nutjob they found to hang for it. WHO EVEN KNOWS. What I do know is this: death is NOT a deterrant to crime, and a life in prison is FAR worse punishment than death itself. If you guys have ever seen any HBO specials on prison (no, not "Oz" I mean the real deal prison stuff) then you guys know what I'm talking about. The French had a pit that they called the "obliette" (I think I spelled it wrong, but..) it was where they put people not so much to punish them but to forget about them..... it worked, from what I understand. Besides, why is it our job, collectively as a society, to "punish" these wrongdoers? If it IS our job, I certainly don't see what kind of moral lesson we are preaching by "killing the killers". Just my opinion. Death penalty advocates at work say "well what if it was your mom"? Well I would STILL not want the person/killer to die (and I;ve though this one over). No, serving life in a system within a system, (esp. the PRISON SYSTEM in the UNITED STATES GOVERMENTS' SYSTEM).... I mean, seriously, how much more punishment can one endure? :)sly in green, foxy in kind...greenfox
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Comment #12 posted by lookinside on June 11, 2001 at 04:37:45 PT:

mcveigh
i thot i was pro death penalty...now i don't thinkso...altho his crime was horrific, it was a politicalstatement against the ATF...janet reno, et.al. need to lookat their own guilt today..(ruby ridge, waco)
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Comment #11 posted by Jim on June 10, 2001 at 23:04:32 PT:

McVeigh
I couldn't have said it any better. What a logical, compassionate outlook on life.
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on June 10, 2001 at 22:09:34 PT

Just a word about Timothy McVeigh
Timothy McVeigh will be executed in the morning and I feel sad. Not just for him but for all the people that their lives have been forever changed by what he did. It's a sign of our times and I think that's what has me feeling the way I do. I believe that the death penalty doesn't seem like the way to handle even a murderer. Life in prison is really enough for me even if I would have lost someone by the actions of someone like Tim McVeigh. Remove the person from society. No chance for parole just keep them away from us so they can't ever hurt anyone again. That's all. I just wanted to say how I feel about this whole case.
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Comment #9 posted by Rambler on June 10, 2001 at 21:34:19 PT

I know why it doesnt make sense
It doesnt make sense,because it is absurd!Can you imagine being "treated",for yourMirijuana "problem"? It's like some episodeof the Outer Limits. Some old veteran retiredHippie,has to go in for his "treatment session".The "treatment specialist",is someone whohas a sociology degree from a correspondancecourse, who was hired last week, and makes$2.00 more per hour than his previous job at McDonalds, whose parents werent evenmarried when you started smoking pot, is goingto "treat" you old Hippie ass.Good Grief!Tales From the Absurd!!!
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on June 10, 2001 at 20:24:57 PT

Concerned
I don't like to comment on articles that are so contorversial but I am saddened by this article. It just isn't settling with me. If they come to our state people will have to have treatment (drug testing) for marijuana? It's been decriminalized in our state. It would make it very bad. I'm scared about what could happen. It doesn't make sense to me. When something doesn't make sense to me know matter how hard I try to understand, it still won't make sense to me.
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Comment #7 posted by dddd on June 10, 2001 at 19:44:54 PT

spaceout
....what I was gonna say ....was about what Jeff reminded me of with;>"That these people will build the rehab houses and make money off of all of the people going there."This is exactly what is going to happen,,,and I fear it will be an impediment tolegalization,by giving the appearance that they "fixed" the drug/jail problem.dddd
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Comment #6 posted by dddd on June 10, 2001 at 19:38:51 PT

better than nuthin'
>"Entitled the "Right to Treatment and Rehabilitation for Nonviolent Drug Offenders," How bout a bill called;"The Right be covered by the Constitution for all Citizens".......that sounds like it might pass....or,,;Abolition and Repeal of all laws that Compromisethe Constitution".or,,;"The Right to have a Full Accounting Of,and Accountability For All Tax Expenditures",,,,,I'll bet you could collect plenty of signatures for that one...Florida wont be easy for this one.I was reading an article today,about how Florida has nowremedied that little problem they had with the slight mixup caused by that l'il Texas companythat accidently made it impossible for about 50,000 eligible voters to vote........so....here's how they "fixed" the problem;,,they put the whole state on one computer database..isnt that reassurring.Even if they go get enough signatures to make the ballot,,alot of the people who wouldvote in favor of the law,are not eligible to vote.I believe anyone convicted of a felonyin Florida,loses their right to vote for LIFE!....seems like double jeapordy to me.........Furthermore,,I cant believe that this excludes them from voting for president,,sincewhen does a state law apply nationally??dddd
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Comment #4 posted by jeff snyder on June 10, 2001 at 18:23:29 PT:

I worry
That these people will build the rehab houses and make money off of all of the people going there. The only way to stop the rip-off is to make drugs legal. pot at least.
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Comment #3 posted by Monvor on June 10, 2001 at 17:40:11 PT

Florida Rules
Florida rejects the War on Drugs!
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Comment #2 posted by ekim on June 10, 2001 at 17:09:09 PT:

www.prayes.com in MI.would love some of this
The Campaign for New Drug Policies — which receives heavy support from billionaire financier George Soros, insurance executive Peter Lewis and for-profit university founder John Sperling We are all volunteers with no outside money. Last year we collected 158,000 signatures half of the 300,000 we needed. This year we are stronger and more experienced. With just a little help we could have billboards and a few tv. and radio adds. When I see articals like this one I wonder what the big boys are doing with there money.
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Comment #1 posted by ekim on June 10, 2001 at 17:08:37 PT:

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