PLEASE SUPPORT OREGON'S MEASURE 33 DrugSense FOCUS Alert #295 Saturday, 16 Oct 2004 Dear Reformers: Maybe you already know this - Oregon has Measure 33 on the ballot and it is going to be a tight contest. Polls are close, TV ads just starting, and every household has received a copy of the state's Voter's Pamphlet. To see Voter's Pamphlet arguments go to: http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/nov22004/guide/meas/m33.html Supporters of Yes on 33 are asking Letter to the Editor writers to please send letters to Oregon newspapers from everywhere in support of the measure. Time is short. Letters need to be sent within the next few days. The more letters sent, printed or not, the more likely Oregon newspapers are to focus on the issue. Since the ballot measures in Oregon are a hot topic for every newspaper it is not necessary that your letters be tied to any specific item in a newspaper. But, please, focus on the advantages of the measure. Now is not the time to get into other reform issues - please, please wait until after the election if you wish to focus on other reform issues. Facts for your letters are found at: http://www.yeson33.org/ Marijuana is safe medicine and patients need safe access. Measure 33 strengthens the current program. THANKS for your effort and support. It's not what others do it's what YOU do SELECTING TARGET NEWSPAPERS You may obtain a list of Oregon newspapers, complete with letter email contacts or newspaper feedback webforms by going to this link and selecting Oregon in the Location dropdown and All Fields. You may even email yourself a copy for easy use: http://www.mapinc.org/resource/email.htm While letters need not be in response to anything a newspaper has printed, the latest news articles and opinion items from Oregon newspapers are at this link: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Measure+33 SAMPLE LETTER We are not including a sample letter in this Alert because we have confidence that most activists understand what needs to be said regarding Measure 33. However, we do suggest that if you are sending out a number of letters to multiple newspapers that you modify the wording with each letter. Rival newspaper editors do not like seeing the same exact letter print in different newspapers. Make each letter unique and in your own words for best overall results. Please send each letter one at a time directly to the newspaper. Please do not include other email address in what you send as this will cause the receiving newspaper to believe you are promoting a group effort, which will result in their discounting your letter. ALWAYS include your full name, address and a telephone contact so that the editors can verify your authorship. Most newspapers will not print a letter without this information. FINALLY, we suggest keeping your Word Count per letter to 200 or less - 150 words or less is even better for most papers. All newspaper editors appreciate brevity. Some newspapers have Word Count guidelines, so watch for that if you can read the actual paper or view its website. ADDITIONAL INFO to help you in your letter writing efforts, Please See: Writer's Resources http://www.mapinc.org/resource/ PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER OR TELL US WHAT YOU DID (Letter, email messages, etc.) Please post a copy of your letter or report your action to the sent letter list () if you are subscribed, or by E-mailing a copy directly to if you are not subscribed. Your letter will then be forwarded to the list so others can learn from your efforts and be motivated to follow suit. This is _Very_ Important as it is one very effective way of gauging our impact and effectiveness. Subscribing to the Sent LTE list () will help you to review other sent LTEs and perhaps come up with new ideas or approaches as well as keeping others aware of your important writing efforts. To subscribe to the Sent LTE mailing list see http://www.mapinc.org/lists/index.htm and/or http://www.mapinc.org/lists/index.htm#form Prepared by: Stephen Heath, Media Activism Facilitator = Please help us help reform. Send drug-related news to

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