Who We Are
Drug Policy Education Group, Inc. (DPEG) formed in late 1999 as a statewide reform organization in Arkansas. We provide newsletters, information, and project participation to any Arkansas resident who shows an interest. Our board is statewide, with one African American, several low-income, wide range of age, five women and eight men. We interact with other state entities such as ACLU, state and campus NORML, League of Women Voters, political parties, and national groups including DPA, NORML, LEAP, and MPP. We have helped in the formation of reform groups in Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Missouri.
Our Mission: To address the harm caused by the war on drugs.
As an educational organization, we:
- serve as an information resource host exhibits, seminars, conferences, and programs that educate the public on drug policy issues
- offer speakers with expertise on drug policy issues
- investigate and document drug policy information specific to the State of Arkansas
- interview and collect information about Arkansas people impacted by drug policy
- produce newsletters, reports, press releases, and other educational material
- collect and archive drug policy information
- network people, organizations, and agencies on issues of drug policy.
DPEG Timeline
2000: At the time of formation in Spring 2000, DPEG hosted the two-day Clinical Conference on Cannabis at the Center for Continuing Education, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science, Little Rock. In Fall 2000, we expanded on our strategy of reaching out to the state's professional and leadership community by hosting a one-day conference, "Arkansas Youth in Trouble: What Works, What's Needed, and Where's the Money," featuring a state appeals court judge as keynote speaker and attracting over 80 participants.
2001: In Spring 2001, DPEG hosted a one-day conference "Drug War Effects on People with Disabilities," with sessions on the medical use of marijuana and on the problems faced by patients with chronic pain. That summer, we were able to assist six board members in attending the national Drug Policy Alliance conference in Albuquerque. That fall, we hosted a Little Rock roundtable discussion on racial profiling and began an ongoing association with other individuals and advocacy organizations interested in this issue. Our "Stand Up! A Celebration of Reform" in December 2001 brought together community leaders, educators, religious leaders, members of the public, and our supporters.
2002: We produced a video entitled "Illegal Healthcare: Medical Marijuana and Arkansas." This powerful 20-minute video documenting the personal stories of Arkansas patients has been aired on community television stations in the two largest urban centers of the state, screened in 15 public meetings in all regions of the state, presented at civic and religious group meetings, donated to 52 libraries in the state, and made available nationally through "Pot TV." Our library project kicked off in April 2002 with the distribution of books, articles, and booklets on drug policy issues valued at over $7000 to 52 public and university libraries statewide. Our speaker's bureau project featuring ten highly credentialed speakers was initiated in July 2002. Subsequently, an intensive speaking tour by Dr. Wynona Bryant-Williams included presentations to the Arkansas NAACP, ACORN, and other African-American interest groups. We were able to assist Dr. Bryant-Williams in attending the national Drug Policy Alliance Los Angeles conference in Fall 2002. Also in 2002, DPEG published a 32-page tabloid format newspaper on the topic of medical marijuana of which 20,000 copies were distributed, including state news media editors, all persons on the Arkansas Medical Society mailing list (medical students, doctors, and retired docs), legislators, and the general public.
2003: Beginning in late 2002 and continuing through March 2003, DPEG presented a series of advertisements viewed two to five times by over 394,000 newspaper readers statewide featuring medical marijuana patient profiles. Also beginning in late 2002 and continuing through March 2003 were a monthly series of Myth-Fact large format postcards on the topic of medical marijuana, sent to all 135 state legislators and the medical society mailing list. A slightly favorable editorial in the AR Medical Society Jan ‘03 journal was published as a result of packets we sent to all board members. In March 2003, DPEG assisted six patients in providing expert testimony before the House public health committee in hearings on medical marijuana legislation. Also providing expert testimony under the invitation of DPEG was former Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders.
2004: In 2004, board members monitored hearings conducted by the Governor's Task Force on Racial Profiling. We communicated directly with the task force director and provided information about other states' projects on gathering data about profiling. We asked the task force to consider the full spectrum of profiling including class and cultural profiling. The task force did not produce significant results which they blamed on lack of funding for administrative support. Also in 2004, we produced and published a report on the public defender system in Arkansas, an analysis on drug war costs to the state, and an analysis on the lack of drug testing regulations. Our library project added new materials to the statewide collection: Prescription Pot: A Leading Advocate's Heroic Battle to Legalize Medical Marijuana, by George McMahon, and a magazine article reprint, "Going to Pot: The growing movement toward ending America's irrational marijuana prohibition," by Ethan Nadelmann, and Drug War Facts, 4th Edition. We updated our database and began an analysis of how to revise our website. We restructured our speakers bureau to begin focusing on gaining engagements for experts. Our website produced a high volume of inquiries about methadone withdrawal methods, drug testing results, and treatment options.
2005: In early 2005, the board met for a one-day facilitated workshop to finalize our 5-year plan and renew our mission statement, now to be "The Truth About Drugs and Drug Policy." Since January, we have gained seven new board members and formulated a plan of action for the 05-06 year. Efforts to gain legislative progress in conjunction with our sister 501(c)(4) organization were stymied due to lateness of lobbyist effort (funding delay). However, a two-year legislative study on medical marijuana was instituted, and we will be working with legislators to bring expert witnesses and provide research materials, along with other support. We are in the process of shipping our next library donation to 50 libraries statewide, including Legalize This! by Douglas Husak, "Making Sense of Student Drug Testing" (DPA), and a DVD "Hemp and the Rule of Law," which will be promoted by advertisements in targeted community newspapers. We have published the 2nd edition of our tabloid format newspaper "Reform Report" including a complete update on medical marijuana research and new patient stories, plus data on the cost of the drug war in Arkansas; distribution underway includes AR Medical Society mailing list, legislators, libraries, news media, and general public. We collaborated with the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville chapter of NORML at an event on campus and are meeting soon to plan joint events for next school year. We conducted a public exhibit at an all day festival in Fayetteville, where we premiered our new mission statement on a banner and t-shirts: "The TRUTH about drugs? Prohibition is the Problem." This is our first public step into an issue arena beyond medical marijuana.
We are especially pleased that the 2005 Arkansas General Assembly passed several reform measures, which we believe is due in part to our work, including reduction of mandatory time served for meth offenders from 70% to 50% and allowance of good time, an expansion and improved funding for drug courts, and elimination of mandatory minimum sentencing in line with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. In a session acclaimed by conservatives as a ‘win' for their agenda, we are very pleased that no increase of penalties or additional drug crime laws were enacted. Considerable legislative discussion focused on the need to not incarcerate non-violent drug offenders.
2006: In 2006 DPEG collaborated with nurses who wished to organize behind reforms in the State Nursing Board procedures for dealing with addicted nurses. A strictly punitive procedure is now in place. The Board agrees that reforms would be appropriate, but to date they have not responded to offers for assistance in reviewing appropriate reforms and seeking grant funds. We have brought LEAP speaker Terry Nelson for a two day tour of Northwest Arkansas, where he spoke before civic groups and a public audience at the University of Arkansas. This was an important first step in turning mainstream public attention to drug policy reform. We shipped our annual library donation for 50 libraries statewide, and conducted a follow-up survey of libraries to determine check-out rates for previously donated items. We produced a new t-shirt of 55% hemp fabric featuring George Washington's image and the line "I Grew Hemp", with smaller text describing uses of hemp and marijuana. We revised and updated our website. We added over 100 new supporters to our mailing list. We obtained 16 videos on reform issues and so far these have aired twice to an estimated viewer audience of 4000 on the Fayetteville community access channel and a limited number have aired on the Pine Bluff university/community channel; weekly programming has begun in Little Rock. We have advised and assisted a citizen's group in Fayetteville who are conducting a petition effort in that city based on the Columbia MO model for allowing medical use of marijuana and reducing marijuana offenses to the lowest police priority. We produced and distributed a preliminary report on the state's drug courts and drug treatment options.
2007: In 2007 we provided newsletters to over 1400 recipients including state legislators, brochures to all state legislators about harm reduction, decriminalizing marijuana, medical use of marijuana, drug testing regulations, and debunking the gateway theory; distributed publications to Arkansas law schools; commissioned Zogby International to conduct an election day exit poll, which showed increased support for reform; collaborated with LEAP for a Central Arkansas ten-day speakers tour in July; updated and improved the website; demanded improved data on drug arrests from Arkansas Crime Information Center; hosted exhibits at public and university events; initiated a dialogue with stakeholders in a new law allowing drug tests for women or their newborns meant to remove the childf rom the mother; successfully advised pollsters to include drug arrest questions in a survey of homeless people in Northwest Arkansas; contributed a new book to 50 libraries and surveyed to determine retention rates of donated books. We advised and provided educational support to the leadership of a successful low-priority initiative in Eureka Springs.
2008: In 2008 DPEG provided newsletters to over 1500 recipients including reform supporters, state legislators, media, libraries, county sheriffs, county judges, and drug policy task force members; consulted and provided materials to Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families to assist in developing proposed legislation reducing negative impact of prohibition; updated website material on methadone withdrawal; obtained improved data on drug arrests through state and local FOI especially comparing arrest rates for marijuana and methamphetamine possession; hosted exhibits at public and university events; continued collaboration with other groups regarding drug testing women or their newborns including rapid response to incident of newborn removal from mother; contributed a new book "Women Behind Bars" and other materials to 50 libraries and surveyed to determine retention rate. We advised and provided educational support to a leadership coalition for a low-priority initiative (for Nov 08 vote) in Fayetteville. We completed an eight month postcard project sending a large format card per month to all state legislators, governor and other constitutional officers, all county judges, and all county sheriffs with myth/facts (including citations) on marijuana decriminalization.
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