Projects

We have several ongoing projects this semester, including:

Planning a conference with the North American Congress on Latin America March 23-24th. The title is Widening Destruction:

Working to raise awareness of a the Higher Education Act, 20 U.S.C. 1091(r), which denies federal funding to students convicted of possession or sale of a controlled substance.
Designing a project to provide pro-bono assistance to prisoners of the War on Drugs.

On a more general level, FEHDP's current (and flexible) agenda includes:

Reform the New York "Rockefeller Drug Laws," the mandatory minimum sentencing of first-time non-violent drug offenders without parole for 15 years to life.
On average, non-violent drug offenders spend more time in prison than those convicted of rape, child-abuse, aggravated assault, burglary, auto theft, and in some cases, murder.
The Chief Justice of New York, Hon. Judith Kaye, openly supports FEHDP with respect to this reform. In a letter to FEHDP's President she stated: "I truly believe the time is right in New York State to achieve the long-needed reform (of the Rockefeller Drug Laws)." -March 3, 1999.

Only 11% of the nation's drug users are Black, however, Blacks constitute 37% of those arrested for drug violations, over 42% of those in federal prisons for drug violations, and almost 60% of those in state prisons for drug felonies.

The evaluation and dissemination of honest and responsible drug policy and substance abuse information to the Law School community, greater New York, and the general public.