Pubdate: Mon, 16 Oct 2000
Source: San Luis Obispo County Tribune (CA)
Copyright: 2000 The Tribune
Contact:  P.O. Box 112, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406-0112
Fax: 805.781.7905
Website: http://www.thetribunenews.com/
Author: Erin Green, The Tribune
Note: The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bookmark: For Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act items: 
http://www.mapinc.org/prop36.htm

ACTIVISTS SEND MESSAGE AGAINST WAR ON DRUGS

Proposition 36, Legal Usage Were Themes Of Event

The war on drugs and a ballot measure on treatment for convicted drug
users took center stage in downtown San Luis Obispo on Sunday
afternoon when about 100 people turned out for the 8th Annual Hemp
Rally and Teach-In.

With less than a month to go until Election Day, an eclectic mix of
drug-rights activists, civil-rights defenders and interested passersby
collected on the lawn and patio in front of the San Luis Obispo County
Government Center. The event was hosted by SLO Hemp for Victory, a
grassroots group promoting the legalization of marijuana and awareness
about the law and drugs.

"What we've got is a system that isn't working," said Dia McAfee, one
of the main organizers of the event. "We want to educate people and
the government to the fact that ... there are alternatives to the
current system."

One speaker, Jaz McKay, told the crowd that the war on drugs "does
more harm to our individual rights than any other action the
government has ever taken."

McKay also said there is a concentrated effort on the part of the
government to "slowly erode all of our rights."

Hank Alberts, president of the San Luis Obispo chapter of the American
Civil Liberties Union, spoke about a concerted effort by the ACLU and
six other organizations. The groups want to put an initiative on next
year's ballot to create a citizen's oversight board for local law
enforcement agencies. The idea was prompted by civil rights complaints
received by the ACLU.

"We need to hold all public agencies accountable for what they do,"
Alberts said. "It's in the tradition of the Constitution of the United
States."

Speakers also used the day to discuss one of the upcoming ballot
measures, Proposition 36. The measure would require that first- and
second-time offenders receive treatment instead of jail time for being
under the influence of drugs or possessing drugs for personal use.

"The problem is that the judicial system has been handcuffed," said
Carol-jo Papac, a former San Luis Obispo resident and speaker at the
event, referring to the mandatory punishments drug offenders currently
receive. "Judges have no say in this already."

The proposition's opponents say the proposal would undermine the
state's drug court system. The California Association of Drug Court
Professionals, a group consisting of state judges, held a news
conference in Los Angeles last week to voice their opinions on the
measure.

"Judges seldom speak out on political issues, but this is an issue
that will directly affect our courts and cripple our drug courts,"
Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Stephen Manley told the
Associated Press.

"Proposition 36 will spend $120 million (each year for 51/2 years) on
treatment that will not work," Manley said. "What does work is when
you hold drug addicts accountable."

McAfee disagrees and says the prison environment does more harm than
it does good. "Prison is an inhumane place," she said. "It causes a
lot of damage. It causes people harm. You can only heal someone by
being putting them in a healthy environment."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D