January 20, 2006

METH BILL BOMBS

SOUDER: More bad meth laws in '06?

In November, we reported that Indiana Republican congressman Mark Souder's bill that would impose harsh mandatory-minimum sentences for possession or sale of even very small amounts of methamphetamine was moving forward in congressional subcommittees. Last week, the Drug Policy Alliance happily reported that the bill bombed when the PATRIOT Act renewal it was slipped into failed to pass. (But beware Souder introducing similar meth legislation this year, warns the DPA).

In the same report, the DPA outlines an ambitious roster of goals in 2006, including building more support for medical marijuana—which was recently made legal in Rhode Island despite a federal ban—and a special focus on drug reform in the District of Columbia, to be led by Naomi Long, who deftly coordinated the 2005 activities of the Campaign to End AIDS.

Sign up for the DPA's newsletter by clicking above—but rest assured that AIDS Issues Update will alert you to significant advances in drug-policy reform as well.

The Housing Works AIDS Issues Update is reported, written and edited by Diana Scholl, David Thorpe, Phil Fox Rose, Christine Campbell, terri smith-caronia and Housing Works staff. Send your feedback, leads and story ideas to d.scholl@housingworks.org.

You can reach us by phone at 212-967-1500 x168, by fax at 212-868-4222, and by email at d.scholl@housingworks.org. Housing Works provides housing, advocacy and services to homeless people living with AIDS and HIV. Housing Works is the nation's largest community-based AIDS organization and the nation's largest minority-controlled AIDS organization.

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