Ways to help
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Chair a Drug Policy Rapid Response Team (DPRRT) in your congregation.
This is especially needed in our Targeted
States. The goal of a DPRRT is to have people ready to contact
their elected representatives or the media on short notice. It is
important to note that the purpose of a DPRRT is NOT to discuss drug
policy, but rather to discuss and implement the most effective ways
of mobilizing grassroots support for drug policy reform efforts. (See
below for info on policy discussion groups.) By being a recognized
committee in your congregation your efforts gain credibility and it
usually gives you the ability to announce meetings at the service,
get things printed in the order of service, post on bulletin boards,
gain access to congregation email and mailing lists, and propose resolutions
for the congregation to vote on.
Propose a drug policy resolution to be voted on by local,
state, regional or national denominational bodies.
Every denomination has a different structure for developing policy
positions. We can help you figure out how to navigate yours.
First, check out your denomination’s existing
positions on drug policy. See where there might be room
for improvement. We can help you draft winnable resolutions
that use specific language that is needed for it to be useful for
lobbying legislators. Then you can usher it through the process
and engage the denominational leadership on the issue. For a local
or state issue, it may not be necessary for the resolution to go all
the way to the national body.
Invite a dynamic speaker to a forum or for a guest sermon.
We are in touch with many great speakers all over the country that
would be honored to address your congregation. Drug policy reform
is a fascinating issue. A well planned event is sure to provide a
memorable thought-provoking experience for those that attend.
Of course, one key to an effective forum or guest sermon is that it
inspires immediate grassroots action on a specific policy change.
We can help you with that.
Show a movie.
We have two movies that make for a memorable event. One is "BUSTED:
The Citizen’s Guide to Surviving Police Encounters."
This is a great movie to show and a good opportunity to get other
people from the community involved. This works best when a criminal
defense attorney is on hand to answer specific questions. The
other movie is a ten-minute trailer about a mandatory minimum prisoner
called "A
Question of Justice." This is great to show as the
jump off point to a discussion about sentencing that leads to action
aimed at changing laws.
Set up a table after the service.
This table can have information about drug policy reform, a sign-up
sheet, and an opportunity for people to send letters to their elected
officials.
Engage your religious leaders.
The religious leaders of your congregation can be powerful allies,
but you need to educate and engage them. You can persuade them
to do a number of things such as, sign a letter-to-the-editor, give
a sermon on the topic, propose a resolution to clergy groups he/she
is involved in, meet with or write a letter to an elected representative,
moderate a panel on the topic, etc.
Create an exhibit that highlights the human costs of the drug
war.
One of the most powerful ways to raise awareness about the consequences
of the drug war is to show pictures of families along with their stories
and statistics that show the dismal state of affairs. We have
access to pre-made exhibits.
Volunteer with local or state drug policy reform campaigns.
If there is a drug policy reform ballot initiative in your state,
we can link you and other members of your congregation up with the
folks on the ground running the campaign. They might have you
work a booth, put up yards signs, help in the office, gather signatures,
or work the phones. These efforts always need all the help they
can get.
Take up a collection for our efforts.
IDPI does not have an endowment, which means that we rely solely on
the contributions of concerned citizens who want to see our efforts
continue. For most people, it is easier for them to give money
than to give time. There are some congregations that choose
a non-profit organization once a month to take an additional collection
for. If your congregation does that, you could ask to have IDPI
included. If your congregation does not have something set up
like this, you could take your own collection. For example,
in your efforts to get people involved in the above efforts, invariably
you will run into people that are concerned about these issues but
for whatever reason decline to participate in what you are organizing.
This is a perfect time to suggest that they make
a donation in lieu of their participation.
Start a drug policy discussion group in your congregation.
Drug policy is a fascinating issue to study because it is so misunderstood.
There are lots of great
books on the topic that are engaging to read and make great topics
of conversation. We can also help you get movies and handouts
that can facilitate the study of this issue. Maybe the result
of the discussion group could be a resolution supporting specific
reforms.
Interfaith
Drug Policy
Initiative, P.O. Box 6299, Washington,
D.C. 20015
Phone: 301-933-7681 Fax:301-933-7682 |
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