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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 12, 2002
Contact: Denele Campbell
AUDIENCES STATEWIDE HEAR
MEDICAL MARIJUANA VIDEO/DISCUSSION
Fayetteville, AR:
Fifty-five people gathered at concurrent public
meetings in Mountain View and Jonesboro, last Saturday,
November 9, and in Hot Springs Sunday Nov 10, to watch a
video and debate issues related to the medical use of
marijuana.
The three separate meetings
mark the halfway point in a series of meetings
coordinated by the Drug Policy Education Group (DPEG)
Inc. in a statewide outreach effort to educate on the
issue of critical medical need. Discussion at the
meetings inevitably spreads into far reaching yet
related issues of drug policy, such as the deadly
sociological side-effects of prohibition policies and
resulting illicit, underworld markets; reputable
scientific findings about drug addiction, marijuana,
alcohol, and prescription medication; and the process by
which matters of public interest become law.
In Hot Springs, Mara
Leveritt, author of the newly released examination of
the public corruption and prohibition policies tangled
up with three boys' murder in West Memphis,"Devil's
Knot," and a member of DPEG's Advisory Board, said: "The
meeting went well. We had about 30 people. One old frail
woman came with her walker. It was a tremendous effort
for her to be there. The video was well received,
followed by a good discussion."
The DPEG-produced video,
titled "Illegal Healthcare: Medical Marijuana and
Arkansas," focuses on testimony from Arkansas patients
and includes statements by a physician and ministers.
Randy Childers, a member of
DPEG's board of directors, chaired the meeting at the
Mountain View Public Library, which lasted for two hours
and was, according to Childers, filled with "lots of
good conversation with a well-educated crowd."
According to Pat Egan,
another DPEG board member, the Jonesboro meeting "had 10
in attendance. Most appeared in their 20's, but several
were older. One in particular asked if I knew a doctor
who was helping people get marijuana. She said without
help her health problems were likely to soon make her
bedfast. I told her there is no way until we fix the
law. I told her that we could use her testimonial about
her experiences as a medical marijuana user."
Meetings have been conducted
in Fayetteville, Little Rock, Sherwood, Warren,
Arkadelphia, and Conway in addition to those held Nov
9-10. In addition, presentations have been made before
various civic organizations and interest groups
including Kiwanis, Rotary, NAACP, retirement
communities, churches, college classes, and others.
The remaining public
meetings scheduled are 2 pm Sat Nov 16 at the public
library in Mountain Home and 2 pm Sat Nov 23 at the Elk
Street Church in Eureka Springs. Meetings not yet
scheduled by planned will be in Pine Bluff and Bella
Vista, among others.
For more information about
Drug Policy Education Group, Inc. visit
www.dpeg.org. For more
information about the medical use of marijuana, visit
www.ardpark.org
Denele Campbell, Executive
Director
Drug Policy Education Group, Inc.
541 West Meadow, Fayetteville AR 72701
www.dpeg.org *
dpeg@mindspring.com
Working in Arkansas to Reduce the Harm Caused by Drugs
and by Failed Drug Policies
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