Date: Thu, 2 Nov 1995 14:21:51 -0800 (PST)
From: American Anti-Prohibition League <[aal 01] at [teleport.com]>
Subject: POW RELEASE


                     AMERICAN ANTI-PROHIBITION LEAGUE
              3125 SE Belmont Street, Portland, Ore., 97214
                   phone 503-235-4524, fax 503-234-1330
                        email: [aal 01] at [teleport.com]
                     Floyd Ferris Landrath - Director

                          *** PRESS RELEASE ***

                        Thursday, November 2, 1995

                    U.S. POLITICAL PRISONERS RELEASED

    Anti-prohibition movement hails victory, marks day of celebration

      Portland - After years of separation from their families, after 
    injustice at the hands of their own government, hundreds of 
    nonviolent federal prisoners serving time for growing the 
    prohibited marijuana, are being released.  It's about time!
      To mark this achievement by the anti-prohibition movement in 
    general and the group Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) 
    in particular, Saturday's PDX-NORML benefit at Mt. Tabor Pub in 
    southeast Portland will be dedicated to the healing of those 
    families torn apart by ruthless prosecutors and ambitious 
    politicians.  "We're going to have a 'Welcome Home' banner made 
    and we're getting in touch with as many of the ex-pows in Oregon 
    as we can, offering them help getting re-established and of course 
    an open invitation to join us in the anti-prohibition movement."  
    said Mr. Terry Miller, the director of the Portland chapter of the 
    National Organization to Reform Marijuana Law, NORML.
      "It's a good thing it's gone, but penalties are still 
    draconian," said Mr. Paul Stanford, one of the Chief petitioners 
    for the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, a petition drive to tax and 
    regulate cannabis in Oregon.  Mr. Stanford also pointed out that 
    several family members of the now freed prisoners have been very 
    involved collecting thousands of signatures for the petition 
    drive.  If enough signatures are gathered the issue will come 
    before Oregon voters next November.
      "Our government has no business interfering with responsible 
    adults growing or using a natural, often beneficial plant.  It's 
    absurd on the face of it," said Mr. Floyd Landrath, director of 
    the Portland based American Anti-Prohibition League.  The league 
    is a nationwide clearing house for information and networking 
    among thousands of activists working to reform U.S. drug policy.  
    "We're on the road to reform, this is a big step in the right 
    direction," Mr. Landrath said, "but we have a long way to go to 
    make things right in this country when it comes to how we deal 
    with drugs."

                           *** END RELEASE ***

    Floyd Ferris Landrath
    [signature omitted for electronic transmission]

    NOTE: The views expressed are those of the author and American 
    Anti-Prohibition League.  They do not necessarily represent the 
    views held by organizations or individuals affiliated with the 
    league.


                     *** DRUG WAR, or DRUG PEACE? ***