Dear Friend of Drug Policy Reform,
As the year winds down, we would like to extend to you our sincerest thanks for your continued support. While we haven't yet ended drug prohibition, we have succeeded in growing DrugSense to meet the expanding needs of drug policy reform.
- We revamped the DrugSense.org Web site to make it a "portal" to worldwide drug policy. This new look includes a video library, a bookstore, a blog, and, of course, easy access to old favorites like the DrugNews Archive and Focus Alerts. If you're not yet a member, please join today! Visit www.DrugSense.org for details.
- We have instituted a new Media Activism Facilitator (MAF) project, which will take DrugSense tools into the field by offering training on them to local activists. Look for a MAF representative in your area or log onto DrugSense.org for dates and times.
- We've grown the DrugNews archive to more than 130,000 articles on all aspects of drug policy regardless of spin. Using this archive, more than 1,600 Letters-to-the-Editor have been published this year, garnering an estimated $1.8 million in equivalent advertising value for the reform message. We provide Web hosting, e-mail discussion lists, and technical support to more than 130 organizations.
- Nationally, the Marijuana Policy Project won 17 of 20 marijuana initiatives it helped field in the past election. In June, the California Attorney General, the California PTA, and the NAACP joined the Drug Policy Alliance to advance a bill in the California legislature to disallow suspicionless drug testing in California public schools. The Ashcroft vs. Raich case to determine the legality of the non-monetary exchange of medical marijuana was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this month. Drug policy has truly arrived on the national stage, and by helping the activists involved in each of these endeavors, DrugSense, too, has played a role in their success.
This year, 2005, DrugSense will be celebrating its ten-year anniversary. Ten years of providing quality, state-of-the-art services to the drug policy reform community. To kick off this anniversary and to recognize our collective accomplishments this past year, please make a generous end-of-the-year contribution to DrugSense. Our secure Web server at www.drugsense.org/donate.htm accepts credit cards. If you'd prefer, you can mail your check or money or order to DrugSense, 14252 Culver Drive #328, Irvine, CA 92604-0326. And, remember that, as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, your donations are deductible to the full extent provided by law.
Again, thank you for your continued support. We wish you a prosperous and successful new year!
Sincerely,
Mark Greer
P.S. The new DrugSense Donor Guide 2004 is now available. It contains a full description of DrugSense services, along with a detailed financial statement. If you would like a free copy, please either e-mail me at mgreer@mapinc.org or call our toll free number at 1-800-266-5759.