Pubdate: Mon, 04 Oct 1999
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TX)
Website: http://www.star-telegram.com/
Email:  http://www.star-telegram.com/comm/forums/
Author: Marisa Taylor

NORTH TEXAS GROUPS EFFORTS TO CHANGE DRUG POLICY STRENGTHEN

When Robert Williams heard that a friend faced 10 years in prison for 
conspiracy to distribute 1,000 pounds of marijuana, he wasn't angry at his 
friend.

He was angry at the country's drug sentencing policies.

"It's absurd that this dear friend of mine who is 51 years old is going to 
be 61 when he gets out," Williams said. "The punishment should fit the crime."

Williams decided to join the North Texas chapter of the Drug Policy Forum 
of Texas, a small but growing organization that wants the government to 
change its drug enforcement policies.

The state organization, established in 1994 in Houston by pharmacology 
professor G. Alan Robison, has grown to about 800 members from 15. The 
North Texas chapter, which started in May 1998, has doubled its membership 
to 40.

Members are not united behind a single goal. Some focus on one cause, such 
as relaxing laws regarding marijuana possession. Others embrace broader 
changes, such as reducing sentences for drug users.

The members agree on one point: The nation's war on drugs has failed.

"It's just a matter of getting the word out," said Bob Ramsey, the North 
Texas chapter's executive director. "As time goes on, more people are going 
to question the drug war."

The group has plenty of opposition. Federal drug enforcement officials 
counter that government policies are working and say these groups ignore 
evidence that drugs are harmful.

Others have branded leaders of the movement as radical, self-serving baby 
boomers who want to use drugs but don't want to face the consequences.

But the Drug Policy Forum of Texas appears to be tapping into some 
frustration. Membership increases whenever the group gets publicity, 
members said.

Robison, who once worked for the group out of his house, recently hired a 
staff member who earns about $30,000 a year to run daily operations of a 
new office. Billionaire philanthropist George Soros donated $50,000 about a 
year ago. During the past year, Robison raised $25,000 from fund-raisers.

With donations from several Houston lawyers, Drug Policy Forum of Texas 
started a half-hour weekly television program that first aired Aug. 17 on a 
Houston cable channel. The group's newsletter is sent to 2,000 people 
statewide.

The North Texas chapter started having monthly meetings in Irving, and 
members plan to meet in public places to spread their message, said member 
Howard Wooldridge of Keller, a former police officer.

The Drug Policy Forum of Texas recently joined other groups on the steps of 
the Texas Capitol to urge Gov. George W. Bush to commute drug offenders' 
sentences and to grant pardons to those who are nonviolent.

"It's a good example of how drug reform organizations can work together and 
network," Robison said. "All of a sudden, we're doing great."

Bush can consider commuting a sentence or granting a pardon only if the 
Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommends it, said Bush spokeswoman 
Linda Edwards.

"The governor is also reluctant to grant pardons because he believes people 
who commit crimes should pay the cost for those crimes," she said. 
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