March, 31 2010, 12:30pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Tony Newman (646)335-5384 or Anthony Papa (646)420-7290
Sting Advocates for Health-Based Drug Policies and an End to the Failed Drug War
Musician and Activist Writes Passionate Letter Urging Support of the Drug Policy Alliance
WASHINGTON
Sting, the internationally renowned musician and activist, is teaming up with the Drug Policy Alliance to call for an end to the failed war on drugs. Sting has written a passionate letter laying out the devastating consequences of the drug war and urging people to support the Drug Policy Alliance in advocating for sane drug polices.
"The War on Drugs has failed--but it's worse than that. It is actively harming our society. Violent crime is thriving in the shadows to which the drug trade has been consigned. People who genuinely need help can't get it. Neither can people who need medical marijuana to treat terrible diseases. We are spending billions, filling up our prisons with non-violent offenders and sacrificing our liberties."
Sting explains how he came across the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) after reading an opinion piece by its executive director, Ethan Nadelmann, in the Wall Street Journal about the failures of drug prohibition. Ethan's article "dared to say in print--in a thoughtful, meticulous argument--what everyone who has seriously looked at the issue has known for years: the War on Drugs is an absolute failure whose cost to society is increasingly unbearable and absolutely unjustifiable."
DPA will be using Sting's letter to recruit new members. Sting follows in the footsteps of long time DPA supporter Walter Cronkite, the legendary newsman who passed away late last year.
"I am absolutely thrilled that Sting has agreed to join with DPA in advocating for an end to the drug war," said Ethan Nadelmann. "Sting is taking leadership on this important issue and we know it will inspire others to speak out and get involved."
In addition to writing the letter, Sting has also become a member of the honorary board of the Drug Policy Alliance. He joins other DPA honorary board members including former secretary of state George P. Shultz, Arianna Huffington, Russell Simmons, former president of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel, and other prominent public advocates for drug policy reform.
The Drug Policy Alliance is the nation's leading organization working to end the war on drugs and to promote new drug policies grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights. DPA is headquartered in New York City, with offices in California, Washington, DC, New Mexico, and New Jersey.
The Drug Policy Alliance is the nation's leading organization promoting drug policies grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights.
(212) 613-8020LATEST NEWS
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A trio of U.S. senators on Friday introduced what's being billed as first-of-its-kind legislation sponsors say will "take on the greed of the food and beverage industry and address the growing diabetes and obesity epidemics" with a federal ban on junk food ads targeting children.
The Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act—introduced by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.)—would also require warning labels "on sugar-sweetened foods and beverages; foods and beverages containing non-sugar sweeteners; ultra-processed foods; and foods high in nutrients of concern, such as added sugar, saturated fat, or sodium."
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Booker said that "the future of our nation depends on a continued investment in the health and wellbeing of our children," adding that "more and more of our children are developing diabetes and obesity primarily because a handful of corporate food giants push addictive, ultra-processed foods to drive up their profits."
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As the senators noted:
Today, more than 35 million Americans are struggling with type 2 diabetes—90% of whom are overweight or obese. These crises go hand-in-hand and children are severely impacted. Today, 1 out of 5 five kids are living with obesity. A serious illness unto itself, diabetes is also a contributing factor to heart disease, stroke, amputations, blindness, and kidney failure. Unless the U.S. dramatically changes course, these numbers will continue to grow exponentially.
The impact on the economy is enormous: Last year, the total cost of diabetes exceeded $400 billion, approximately 10% of overall U.S. healthcare expenditures.
Meanwhile, the U.S. food and beverage industry spends about $14 billion annually on marketing unhealthy products, with $2 billion of that spent on advertising these products to children.
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"This is the reality that extreme Republicans call 'pro-life.'"
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"One woman miscarried in the lobby restroom of a Texas emergency room as front desk staff refused to admit her," the journalist detailed. "Another woman learned that her fetus had no heartbeat at a Florida hospital, the day after a security guard turned her away from the facility. And in North Carolina, a woman gave birth in a car after an emergency room couldn't offer an ultrasound. The baby later died."
According to Seitz:
Emergency rooms are subject to hefty fines when they turn away patients, fail to stabilize them, or transfer them to another hospital for treatment. Violations can also put hospitals' Medicare funding at risk.
But it's unclear what fines might be imposed on more than a dozen hospitals that the Biden administration says failed to properly treat pregnant patients in 2022.
It can take years for fines to be levied in these cases. The Health and Human Services agency, which enforces the law, declined to share if the hospitals have been referred to the agency's Office of Inspector General for penalties.
Responding to the reporting on social media, journalist Jane Mayer declared, "This is barbaric."
Texas Poor People's Campaign said that women in the state "are being left to die in ER waiting rooms. We cannot let this policy violence against women continue. Please join us as we mobilize voters for the '24 election."
Going into November, abortion has been a key issue at the state and federal level. Supporters of reproductive freedom are working to advance various ballot measures while Democratic President Joe Biden's campaign has highlighted his support for abortion rights and the presumptive Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, has bragged about his role in reversing Roe—he appointed three of the six justices behind the majority opinion.
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Congresswoman Becca Balint (D-Vt.) said that "this is the reality that extreme Republicans call 'pro-life'—pregnant women being turned away at hospitals and emergency centers. Absolutely disgraceful. No woman should ever be denied emergency care."
Slate's Mark Joseph Stern, who covers U.S. legal battles, noted that this "devastating and timely story" from Seitz comes "just days before the Supreme Court considers whether emergency rooms can legally force patients to the brink of death before terminating a failing pregnancy."
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