CJPF News & Activities
Check out CJPF's May newsletter here!
On May 6th, Eric E. Sterling spoke at the University of Maryland. The event was titled "Entheogens: Sacred Psychedelic Spirituality," and took place in the Stamp Student Union of the University. He spoke alongside Rabbi James Kahn, the Director of Jewish Engagement and Chaplaincy for the Jewish Social Service Agency. The event was hosted by the Students for Sensible Drug Policy Chapter at the University.
On May 4th, Eric E. Sterling was interviewed on "The Boston Pot Report," an internet radio program hosted by Keith Saunders and Cara Crabb-Burnham. Eric discussed the media perception of the marijuana use by the Boston bombers (the Tsarneav brothers), and the conclusions we can draw from it, following his Huffington Post article about the same topic.
On May 3rd, Eric E. Sterling wrote in the Huffington Post about how the media has portrayed the marijuana use of the Tsarnaev brothers, or the "Boston Bombers." Sterling writes about how marijuana use has become normalized, and was evidence of the brothers' normalcy, rather than a sign of deviant behavior.
On April 25th, CJPF President Eric E. Sterling spoke on a panel at the Tribeca Film Festival after the premiere of "How to Make Money Selling Drugs," in which he is featured. This documentary takes a look at all levels of the process of the drug market, and makes a powerful statement about the problems inherent in the "war on drugs." More information is available here.
On April 17, CJPF President Eric E. Sterling spoke to the Delta Sigma Theta sorority at George Washington University following a showing of the movie, 10 Rules for Dealing with the Police. He discussed police practices, drug enforcement, and the history of drug laws.
On April 1st, 2013, CJPF President Eric E. Sterling was featured in the Huffington Post, in a column titled "Crucifying the Other." Sterling writes about the dehumanization of those regarded as "the other," a categorization that those with drug abuse problems are often placed in. If society and policymakers do not see the humanity in "the other," policies excluding them from society can be justified. Sterling writes that this attitude has a dark precedent in world history.
On April 1st, 2013, CJPF President Eric E. Sterling was quoted in an opinion piece by Roger Stark on KSL.com. Sterling's commentary on the Shafer Commission was analyzed. Stark, a licensed addiction counselor, writes about some of the ramifications of the "war on drugs," a war that he says we "aren't winning."
On March 21st, 2013, CJPF President Eric E. Sterling was featured in the Huffington Post, writing about the 40-year anniversary of the Shafer Commission ("National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse") report. Sterling talks about how this report, authorized by President Nixon, was "ahead of its time," issuing recommendations that recommended a rethinking of how we deal with drugs and drug abuse. Sadly, the report was ignored by President Nixon.
On March 15th, 2013, Eric E. Sterling was a guest on "Time4Hemp," an internet radio show broadcasted on American Freedom Radio. Eric talked about the recent national and international developments in marijuana policy. The show was jointly hosted by regular host Casper Leitch and guest host Michael Krawitz, the Executive Director of Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access. The segment will be available for free download here.
On March 13th, 2013, Eric E. Sterling spoke at the Symposium of the Cardozo Public Policy, Law and Ethics Journal at Cardozo Law School (Yeshiva University) in New York City. Eric was on a panel titled "Alternatives to Prohibition." More information on the symposium is available here.
Check out what CJPF has been up to in the past few months here in our February 2013 newsletter.
On February 21, 2013, Eric E. Sterling spoke at the University of Miami about the economic costs of drug prohibition and the recent developments in marijuana law reform. The event was collaboratively sponsored by the chapters of Students for Sensible Drug Policy at Florida International University and the University of Miami.
On February 16, Eric E. Sterling spoke to a standing room crowd of over 100 participants at the International Students for Liberty Conference in Washington, D.C. The program, hosted by Young Americans for Liberty, was called "Let's Talk About Drugs," and included Nick Gillespie of www.reason.tv and Mike Riggs of www.reason.com. Sterling addressed the status of current drug policy reform efforts after Colorado and Washington. Panelists were also asked to what they would tell their Grandma to convince her that the libertarian approach to drug policy was correct. Sterling noted the adverse consequences of our drug policy for her and Grandpa's investment portfolio (see his article on Forbes.com on the cost to investors) and on the development and availability of medicines that could help her and Grandpa, and their friends. He added that the values of self-respect and respect for others that she has always taught are undermined by the coercion intrinsic in drug prohibition, and the ideology that its supporters embrace. Sterling concluded that successful drug reform will require Congress to repeal the Controlled Substances Act and abolish the Drug Enforcement Administration. This will require a non-partisan approach, probably led by the business community, and that young libertarians are probably the best positioned advocates to make the case to those critical allies. [Come back soon for some photographs of the event.]
On February 7, Eric E. Sterling spoke to 22 lawyers who were guests of the United States participating in the International Visitor Leadership Program of the U.S. State Department about American law, the survival of inequality in our legal system such as federal crack cocaine enforcement, and his role in the political activism that reduced those inequalities with enactment the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. Participants included judges, prosececutors and attorneys from Albania, Croatia, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Greece, Iraq, Nepal, Nigeria, Russia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe, who asked him about legalization of marijuana and other drugs, among a number of issues.
In the January 2013 issue of Managed Care, a magazine that covers that branch of the healthcare industry, Eric E. Sterling's comments are reported in an article expressing doubt that even in states with legal medical marijuana health insurance plans would cover bona fide medical marijuana due to the federal ban on using marijuana in medicine.
On January 22, 2013, Eric E. Sterling spoke to a law school clinical class in Community Justice at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law. Sterling gave each student his comments on their papers and oral arguments regarding their mock advocacy before an agency on behalf of a mock client proposing regulatory responses to implement a state marijuana legalization law.
On December 7, 2012, District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray signed the Good Samaritan Overdose Prevention Act of 2012, which will help prevent fatal drug overdoses. CJPF does not endorse legislation. Eric E. Sterling and the CJPF staff helped review and edit various drafts of the bill, and participated in meetings and discussions throughout the process. The text of the signed bill is here.
On December 6, 2012, Eric E. Sterling spoke to students at Washington, D.C.’s School Without Walls, a competitive admission public high school, about the “war on drugs.”
On December 6, 2012, Eric E. Sterling participated in an hour-long continuing legal education “webinar” hosted by Thomson Reuter on the impact of the marijuana initiatives of the November 2012 election.
On December 6, Eric E. Sterling spoke to the December meeting of the Northern Virginia chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) about NORML’s history and marijuana activism.
See our November 2012 newsletter here for information on the issues the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation has been working on.
On November 27, Eric E. Sterling was quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle, in a column by Debra Saunders regarding President Obama's extremely rare use of the Presidential Pardon.
On November 14, Eric E. Sterling was quoted in an article by Radley Balko in the Huffington Post about the recent U.S. elections.
On November 12, Eric E. Sterling was published in the Washington Post, writing about the recent legalization initiatives in Colorado and Washington State, and how the Obama Administration should respond.
On November 6, Washington State and Colorado voted to legalize marijuana for recreational uses. This is unprecedented, and will certainly be developing for many months to come. Eric E. Sterling was quoted on www.stopthedrugwar.org about what may lie ahead.
On October 22, Eric E. Sterling spoke to two different groups at the University of Virginia. The first was the University of Virginia Law School SSDP Chapter, where he spoke about the failures and disparities of mandatory minimum sentencing. He then spoke to Students for Individual Liberty, a 25 year old undergraduate student group at the university, regarding the cultural challenges for redesigning effective policies to control drugs and reduce harm.
On October 8, Eric E. Sterling spoke to the SSDP Chapter at the University of Maryland regarding the economics of drug prohibition.
On September 29, CJPF Intern Jasmine Mickens spoke at the SSDP Regional Conference in Providence, Rhode Island, on a panel called "Diversifying the Movement."
On September 4, Eric E. Sterling was the keynote speaker at the DJANGO Conference in Crystal City, Virginia. You can view his speech here and read some follow-up to his message here.
On August 22, Eric E. Sterling was interviewed on Al Jazeera International (english) about the racial aspects of the war on drugs. This was re-broadcast on August 23rd. A recording of the program is here.
Check out our July 2012 newsletter for information on what the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation has been up to!
On June 19, Eric E. Sterling addressed the Koch Fellows of the Institute of Humane Studies at George Mason University regarding drug policy. A link to his lecture is here.
On June 13, Eric E. Sterling was a featured speaker in the orientation of the summer clinical law program at the University of Maryland School of Law on “Drug Reform: Intersection of Policy and Lawyering.”
On June 6, Eric E. Sterling was featured on Culture Shocks radio regarding Governor Andrew Cuomo's plan to limit arrests for marijuana possession in New York. A link to the show can be found here.
On June 6, Eric E. Sterling addressed students of police science at George Washington University regarding drug policy.
On June 5, Eric E. Sterling testified before the Maryland Advisory Committee of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission regarding the role of police and prosecutorial practices in drug cases in creating racial disparity in Maryland’s prisons.
On May 24th, Eric E. Sterling was quoted by Debra J. Saunders in her syndicated column about congressional power and elderly incumbents in The San Francisco Chronicle.
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Robert Charles Silver Bob was an alumnus of Columbia College and Harvard Law School, class of 1960. In 1987 he earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Boston University. Bob was deeply committed to social service and was a member of the boards of the New England Home for Little Wanderers (a large Boston-based social service agency) and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Massachusetts. We offer our condolences to his family and many friends, and will miss his cheerful and incisive contributions. |
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