Drug Policy Reform Network of Oklahoma
The political branch of the Drug Policy Forum of Oklahoma (www.dpfok.org)
Working for Drug Peace!
CONTACTING DPRNOK:
DPRNOK
P O BOX 10641
Midwest City OK, 73140
We can not continue the fight to reform drug policies in Oklahoma without your generous contributions.
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The Oklahoma Compassionate Care Campaign for medical marijuana is making great progress.
Our goal is to change state law, to allow doctors to recommend medical marijuana. This would include regulations for cultivation and distribution. In fact, the final version of the proposed legislation for legalizing medical marijuana for Oklahoma can be viewed here, following detailing of plans for a "Day at the Capitol" to present this proposed legislation.
We have received written endorsements from more than forty potential Oklahoma medical marijuana patients and three Oklahoma medical professionals (one Medical Doctor (M.D.), one Registered Nurse (R.N.). and a pain therapist.).
Early in 2010 (date TBA), we will have a medical marijuana lobbying day at the State Capitol.
We will visit our elected officials in person and ask them to support medical marijuana.
If you can’t make it to the Capitol Feb 17 2010, please contact your legislators anyway. Please call, email, fax and/or write letters today! Ask them to “Please introduce and endorse The OklahomaCompassionate Care Medical Marijuana Legislation.” Let them know we are sending the legislation to their office and that they can meet actual medical marijuana patients on Feb. 17.
Potluck membership meeting; Community Center, 315 W. 8th Stillwater, OK
1.Board attending:Danny. Buntin, Jeff Pickens, Keary Prophet, Larry Bonnell, Clinton. Wiles.Amy Webb logged in by phone but could not maintain contact.
Members:Phillip Grimes, Morton Skorodin., Ron Shewy, Richard Cunningham
Guest:Mrs. Prophet, Terry Grimes
7:24Meeting called to order
2.Board Elections:Larry Bonnell nominated and elected to 3 year term.
In order to fill out open seats and have existing terms, based on the understanding that Amy’s term ends in 2011, cycle at the proper 3 year intervals; the following slate was nominated:
Clinton Wiles and Morton Skorodin to 3 year terms
Richard Cunningham to a 2 year term
Phillip Grimes to a 1 year term.
Slate was elected unanimously.
3.Minutes of last meeting were approved.It was requested that minutes be posted as the body of an email as well as an attachment.
Treasurers’ report:Expenses of $0.84 payment to OK Tax Commission on sales at the Peace Festival leaving a DPFOK balance of $33.54.Expense of $52 to Verizon leaving a balance of $38.34 for DPRNOK.
4.Capitol Event:
We now have 72 endorsements.
Group meeting is scheduled for 2nd Floor Rotunda, 1 p.m., 17 Feb.
The plan is to present the legislators of each patient with a copy of our proposed literature and the other legislators with a single page fact sheet for other legislators plus such visitation as can be done.
Moved and passed to have 50 copies of legislation and 100 fact sheets.
Ron and Phil will create fact sheets.
Jeff will send emails to all legislators announcing our pending visits and ambitions.
Clinton will send emails to media about the event.
5.Constitutional Discussion:Moved to March meeting Unanimous
6.Letter Writing to legislators tabled.
7.Current officers and newsletter responsibility continued pro tem to March meeting.
8. New Business:March meeting attentively scheduled for 3rd Friday of March at Phil’s, Poteau, OK.
Future meeting scheduled for 3rd Friday’s at 6:30 p.m.Unanimous
Committee Chair reports and Public Comments deferred for time concerns.
The Medical Marijuana Movement is on a roll in the United States. New Jersey just passed medical marijuana and approximately twenty states had medical marijuana legislation introduced this session.
Now it’s our turn. That’s right; right here, right now, OOOOklahoma!
On Wednesday, Feb. 17, medical marijuana patients and supporters are meeting at the State Capitol. We will meet on the second floor Rotunda at 1:00 p.m. and have a brief discussion before visiting our senators and representatives. We will be presenting them with written information about medical marijuana and a copy of our proposed legislation.
It doesn’t matter if you are a potential medical marijuana patient or just someone who wants to see medical marijuana available in Oklahoma; we need you to attend this event.
Please attempt to arrange a meeting with your state senator and representative by calling their office. Arrange the meeting between 1:00-3:00 p.m. To find out who your state senator and representative are, call your local “Board of Election/Election Board”, or the State Election Board (405) 521-2391. You can also find this information online at http://dprnok.net/blog/take-action-now/find-your-state-rep/.
It isn’t a problem if you can’t arrange a meeting with your elected official. We are going to visit their office anyway.
If we can’t speak directly to our elected officials, we will leave the information with their staff.
No one will have to visit their legislators alone. Our volunteers will gladly go along to support you. We will stick together to demonstrate that many good people support medical marijuana in Oklahoma.
If you can’t make it to the Capitol that day, please contact your legislators anyway. Please call, email, fax and/or write letters today! Ask them to “Please introduce and endorse The Oklahoma Compassionate Care Medical Marijuana Legislation.” Let them know we are sending the legislation to their office and that they can meet actual medical marijuana patients on Feb. 17.
Newsletter: Jan.-Feb. 2009 Vol. 12 Issue 1
__________________________________________________________________________________________ The DPFOK serves the public with information and expert opinion
about legal and illegal drugs and the issues surrounding them. Inside This Issue
1. DPFOK 12th Anniversary Party and Meeting (Jan. 21), Stillwater, OK
2. DPFOK Elections 2010 (Jan. 21)
3. DPFOK Financial Report 2009
4. “Medical Marijuana Day” at the Oklahoma State Capitol
5. DPFOK Contact Information
6. DPFOK Membership/Contribution Form
*Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.*
Chief Editor: Jeff Pickens
1. 12th Annual Celebration,Potluck & Elections
Please join us as we celebrate our 12th year anniversary and potluck dinner. We will also be holding elections for our open board seats and reviewing our Constitution. We hope you will join us!!
Friday, Jan.22 at 6:30pm, room 121 at the Stillwater Community Center, 315 W. 8th.
2. DPFOK Elections 2010: Jeff Pickens
Contents:
Section A. Overview
Section B. DPFOK Board Member Election
Section C. DPFOK Officer Election
Section D. DPFOK Board of Directors 2009
Section A: Overview
DPFOK Members and Friends,
All current (paid) DPFOK members may nominate themselves or any other DPFOK member
for a board position (See Section B).
Officer elections will be held immediately following the election of the following five board positions:
Three open (3 - year) terms
Two open (1- year) terms
All current DPFOK members may nominate any board member (including those newly elected) for an officer position (see Section C).
Nominations are now open for the Board and officers. Nominations will be accepted until the time of voting. Please To make a nomination email us at DPFOK@sbcglobal.net or call (405) 714-1236.
If you have not renewed your DPFOK membership, please fill out the membership/contribution form and send it with cash, money order or personal check a.s.a.p. You can also renew your membership using your credit card or Paypal account by going to our website: (www.dpfok.org ). This not only guarantees your membership status, but gives the DPFOK a good financial start for 2010.
Section B: DPFOK Board elections
All DPFOK members may nominate themselves or any other DPFOK member for a board position.
We encourage all DPFOK members to consider running for a position on the Board.
All DPFOK members present will be eligible to vote. Each member will select one name for each position open from the total list of nominees. If there is a tie for the last position, a run-off will occur, until one nominee has the most votes.
*The three (3-year term) board positions that
are coming open are currently held by:
1. *Larry Bonnell (President)
2. Vacant
3. Vacant
The two (1-year term) board positions that
are coming open are currently held by:
1. Vacant
2. Vacant
*These board members can be nominated again this time, for these same positions.
Nominations for each position will be open until the time of voting.
More than one member can be nominated for each position. In fact, we encourage this healthy competition!
Section C: Officer Elections
Officer elections will be held immediately following the election of the open board positions.
All DPFOK members may nominate any board member (including those newly elected) to an officer position.
We encourage all board members to consider running for one of these offices.
2010 DPFOK Board Members present will be eligible to vote. Each board member will select one name for each position open from the total list of nominees. If there is a tie, a run-off will occur, until one nominee has the most votes.
*Current officers:
President: Larry Bonnell (2009)
Vice-President: Keary Prophet (2009)
Treasurer: Jeff Pickens (2006-2009)
Secretary: Clinton Wiles (2009)
*The officers listed above can be nominated again this time, for the same or other office.
Nominations for each position will be open until the time of voting.
More than one board member can be nominated for each position. In fact, we encourage this healthy competition!
Treasurer Analysis and Progress Report, DPFOK Treasurer 2009, J. Pickens
In 2008 our organization experienced some difficulties. Some of our most active board members left for various reasons and we suffered a fifty percent reduction in membership!
In 2009 expenses for the DPFOK (educational branch) were $141.19 (loss) more than our revenues.
We ended 2009 with $59.63 in the DPFOK account.
In 2009 DPRNOK (political branch) revenues were $14.09 (surplus) more than our expenses.
We ended 2009 with $58.77 in the DPRNOK account.
2009 was also a good year for us. We have recovered 3/5 of the members we lost and made other progress.
Accomplishments we should all be proud of:
An increase of over forty endorsements (over sixty total) for our medical marijuana campaign
establishment of a board of directors
influencing Stillwater School Board to pass a treatment/education budget
attaining two grants for an Oklahoma medical marijuana campaign
continuing to have quality guest speakers and presentations
established new DPFOK political branch
With your help we will continue to grow and organize.
Volunteering time and energy are valuable contributions. Unfortunately, in our political system, money is essential as well. Becoming a contributing member is one of the best ways to support the Drug Policy Forum of Oklahoma.
Regardless of your ability to pay a membership fee, we want you on our team. The DPFOK is
determined to make a positive contribution to drug policy reform and we need your help!
4. “Medical Marijuana Day” at the Oklahoma Capitol
The Medical Marijuana Movement is on a roll in the United States. New Jersey just passed medical marijuana and
approximately twenty states had medical marijuana legislation introduced this session.
Now it’s our turn. That’s right; right here, right now, OOOOklahoma!
On Wednesday, Feb. 17, medical marijuana patients and supporters are meeting at the State Capitol.
We will meet on the second floor Rotunda at 1:00 p.m. and have a brief discussion before visiting our
senators and representatives. We will be presenting them with written information about medical marijuana
and a copy of our proposed legislation.
It doesn’t matter if you are a potential medical marijuana patient or just someone who wants to see medical marijuana available in Oklahoma; we need you to attend this event.
Please attempt to arrange a meeting with your state senator and representative by calling their office. Arrange the meeting between 1:00-3:00 p.m. To find out who your state senator and representative are, call your local “Board of Election/Election Board”, or the State Election Board (405) 521-2391. You can also find this information online at http://dprnok.net/blog/take-action-now/find-your-state-rep/.
It isn’t a problem if you can’t arrange a meeting with your elected official. We are going to visit their office anyway.
If we can’t speak directly to our elected officials, we will leave the information with their staff.
No one will have to visit their legislators alone. Our volunteers will gladly go along to support you. We will stick together to demonstrate that many good people support medical marijuana in Oklahoma.
If you can’t make it to the Capitol that day, please contact your legislators anyway. Please call, email, fax and/or write letters today! Ask them to “Please introduce and endorse The Oklahoma Compassionate Care Medical Marijuana Legislation.” Let them know we are sending the legislation to their office and that they can meet actual medical marijuana patients on Feb. 17.
5. Contact DPFOK/DPRNOK
Send submissions, contributions, membership forms, questions, and/or request for free trial issues of Newsletter to: DPFOK, P.O. Box 10641, Midwest City, OK 73140
Larry Bonnell (Ph.): (405) 714-1236, Jeff Pickens: Howzkeepa@hotmail.com
I wish to make an additional contribution of: $10 ___ $20 ___ $50 ___ other _____
I wish to contribute to The Drug Policy Reform Network of Oklahoma (to be used for direct political action) $____
I am paying by: check ___ money-order ___ cash ___
Total enclosed $_________________
Make checks or money orders payable to: Drug Policy Forum of Oklahoma or Drug Policy Reform Network of Oklahoma Mail to: Drug Policy Forum of Oklahoma, P.O. Box 10641, Midwest City, OK 73140
*All memberships include a full year of our newsletter.
*All $ go to our mission of drug policy reform.
* The Drug Policy Forum of Oklahoma (DPFOK) is a non-profit 501-C-4 Public education organization.
* The Drug Policy Reform Network of Oklahoma (DPRNOK) is a 501-C-4 Political action organization.
* Donations to 501-C-4 non-profit organizations are not Tax Deductible.
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12th year anniversary Potluck,Elections,Constitution Review
Please join us as we celebrate our 12th year anniversary and Potluck diner. We will also be holding elections and nominating members to our open seats along with reviewing our Constitution. We hope you will join us!!
Friday, Jan.22 at 6:30pm, room 121 at the Stillwater Community Center, 315 W. 8th.
Day at the capital with medical marijuana patients
State Capitol Building
2300 North Lincoln Boulevard Oklahoma City, OK73105
Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Activism Alert: A day at the capital with medical marijuana patients has been set for February 17th 2010 @ 1:00 p.m. If you are interested in participating, please contact us!!
DPRNOK
P O BOX 10641
Midwest City OK, 73140 Via E-mail
Phone:1-405-714-1236
Please call, email, fax and/or write letters to your Oklahoma senator and representative today! Ask them to - Please introduce and endorse The Oklahoma Compassionate Care Medical Marijuana Legislation. The campaign has a tiny budget. We need your contributions to afford more publicity. We need volunteers to help with a wide range of activities. With your help, we can build a strong statewide coalition for medical marijuana. Your active participation is the most important contribution of all. To endorse this campaign or get more information contact: 405-714-1236 or E-mail. Endorsements may also be made here on our official web site.
As 2009 winds up, we present the last installment in our series of articles on drug reform in state legislatures. This week, we look at Good Samaritan bills, sentencing bills, drug testing bills, and a hemp bill and a SWAT bill.
Rhode Island Senate chamber
Although we have tried to be comprehensive, we might have missed something. If we have, please write to us here.Good Samaritan Bills
Connecticut: A bill that would protect overdose victims and the people seeking help for them from prosecution, HB 5445, was introduced in January and referred to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, where it got a hearing in March. It has not moved since.
Hawaii: A bill providing limited immunity from prosecution for overdose victims and those seeking to help them, HB 532, was introduced in January, passed the Health Committee on an 8-0 vote in February, and was assigned to the Judiciary Committee. It has now been held over for the 2010 session.
Maryland: A bill that would protect overdose victims and the people seeking help for them from prosecution, HB 1273, passed the House on a 135-0 vote in March, passed the Senate on a 47-0 vote in April, and was signed into law by Gov. Martin O’Malley in May.
Nebraska: A bill protecting drug overdose victims and those seeking to assist them from prosecution, LB 383, was introduced in January and got a hearing before the Judiciary Committee in March, but has not moved since.
New York: A bill that would provide protection to drug overdose victims and those seeking to help them, A 8147, was introduced in May and referred to the Assembly Rules Committee in June, where it has sat ever since. A companion measure, S 5191, was introduced in April and has sat before the Senate Codes Committee ever since.
Rhode Island: A bill that would provide limited immunity from prosecution for drug overdose victims and those trying to help them, S 194, was introduced in February and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where it has been stalled ever since.
Washington: A bill that would protect overdose victims and those trying to help them from prosecution, HB 1796, was introduced in January and approved by the Committee on Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness in February. It was then referred to the House Rules Committee, where it died for lack of action.
Drug Testing
Kansas: A bill that would have required people who seek public assistance to undergo drug testing, HB 2275, passed the House on a 99-26 vote in March. It was referred to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee at that time, but has not moved since.
Louisiana: A bill that would have required welfare recipients to undergo drug testing, HB 137, died in June on an 11-5 vote in the House Appropriations Committee.
Missouri: A bill that would have made it a crime to falsify a drug test or to sell or transport drug test adulterants, HB 446, was introduced in May and promptly went nowhere. It is currently “not on the calendar.” A bill that would require drug testing of welfare recipients upon “reasonable suspicion,” SB 73, won a hearing before the Senate Progress and Development Committee in February, but has been dormant ever since.
West Virginia: A bill that would have mandated random drug tests for people who receive food stamps or unemployment benefits, HB 3007, was blocked in committee. A last ditch effort to revive it via a House floor vote was defeated 70-30 on a straight party line vote. Republicans voted for it.
Sentencing
Louisiana: A bill, HB 630, which would grant parole eligibility to people sentenced to life without parole for heroin offenses, passed the House and Senate in the spring and became law without the governor’s signature in July. It became effective August 15.
Massachusetts: The state Senate last month approved SB 2210, which grants parole eligibility to nonviolent drug offenders serving mandatory minimum sentences. But the House recessed without taking action on the measure.
New Jersey: A bill that would give judges discretion to waive mandatory minimum sentences for some drug offenses, SB 1866, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on November 23 and passed Senate yesterday. Its companion measure, A2762, passed the Assembly last year, and Gov. Jon Corzine (D) has said he will sign the bill.
New York: The legislature and Gov. David Paterson (D) came to an agreement in March on a second round of reforms to the state’s draconian Rockefeller drug laws. The reforms, which went into effect in October, included returning judicial discretion in low-level drug cases, expanding treatment and reentry services, expanding drug courts, and allowing some 1,500 people imprisoned for low-level drug offenses to apply for resentencing.
Hemp
Oregon: Oregon became the 17th state to pass legislation favorable to hemp farming and the ninth state to remove legal barriers to farming the potentially lucrative crop as Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) in August signed into law SB 676, an industrial hemp act sponsored by state Sen. Floyd Prozanski (D). The bill removes all state legal obstacles to growing hemp for food, fiber, and other industrial purposes. It passed the House 46-11 and the Senate 27-2. Industrial hemp production remains prohibited under federal law.
SWAT
Maryland: Gov. Martin O’Malley signed into law a bill that will require law enforcement SWAT teams to regularly report on their activities. The bill was largely a response to a misbegotten drug raid last July in Prince Georges County in which Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo and his family were doubly victimized — first by drug traffickers who used their address for a marijuana delivery, then by Prince Georges County police, who killed the family’s two pet dogs and mistreated Calvo and his mother-in-law for several hours. The bill, the SWAT Team Activation and Reporting Act (HB 1267), requires all law enforcement agencies that operate SWAT teams to submit monthly reports on their activities, including when and where they are used, and whether the operations result in arrests, seizures or injuries.
Title: Board Meeting - Drug Policy Reform Network of Oklahoma Location: Belle Isle Library - OKC Description: Please come if you can , invite others too.
December 16th . Belle Isle Library , Meeting Room C. 6:30-8:30p.
The Belle Isle Library is at the NW Corner of the intersection of NW Expressway and Villa Ave. in OKC. call if you have questions.
Larry (414-0767) Start Time: 6:30 Date: 2009-12-16 End Time: 8:30
Medical marijuana patient Will Foster is a free man. According to a phone call I just received from his partner, Susan Mueller, Foster was released on parole and walked out of prison in Oklahoma today.
As you who have followed the Will Foster saga know, he became a poster boy for drug war injustice when he was sentenced to a mind-blowing 93 years in prison in Oklahoma back in the 1990s for growing a closet-full of medical marijuana. Thanks in part to the efforts of Stopthedrugwar.org (then known as DRCNet), Foster eventually got his sentence cut to a mere 20 years–for growing plants!–and was eventually paroled to the care of Guru of Ganja Ed Rosenthal in California, who had taken up his case.
Last year, Foster was raided and charged with an illegal marijuana grow in California, although his grow was perfectly legal under the state’s medical marijuana law. He spent a year in jail in Sonoma County before prosecutors dropped all charges, but by then, Oklahoma parole authorities demanded he return to the state to finish his sentence. Foster dropped his fight against extradition and returned in September.
A good sign occurred a few weeks ago, when the parole board decided he had not violated his parole and should be released. This week, Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry must have agreed–he had the final say in the matter.
Right now, Foster is making his way to parole offices in Oklahoma City to sign the paperwork. He should be back with his loved ones in California in a matter of days.
Thanks to everyone who agitated for his release. Every once in awhile, we win one.
Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Activism Alert: 
