Two weeks ago we told you about the Alliance’s campaign to cut drug war spending (like cutting funding to those stupid anti-marijuana TV ads) to help pay for hurricane relief efforts. We hope to have good news to report in a few weeks.

Now, we need your help to stop the war on drugs from becoming a war on hurricane victims.

Nearly three million people have been displaced from their homes because of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Many have lost everything. Yet federal laws prohibit these victims from receiving welfare, food stamps, public housing, student loans and other benefits if they have a drug law conviction. People who have lost everything should not be denied public assistance just because they were convicted of a drug offense sometime in their past.

The Alliance held a press conference today with Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Crime Subcommittee, and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), ranking member of the House Immigration Subcommittee, to announce the introduction of the "Elimination of Barriers for Katrina Victims Act," which would temporarily suspend federal laws that deny public assistance to hurricane victims who have drug offenses in their past. If the bill is enacted, thousands of destitute families that would otherwise be denied food stamps, public housing and other aid because of prior drug offenses would be able to obtain benefits to help put their lives back together.

Fax Congress in support of this important bill.

In addition to holding a press conference, the Alliance released a statement in support of the bill signed by almost 100 state and national drug treatment, civil rights, and public health groups.

We would like to thank Joyce Ann Brown, president and CEO of Mothers (Fathers) for the Advancement of Social Systems (MASS), and Lorenzo Ford, a MASS case worker, for traveling all the way from Texas to speak at our press conference. We would like to especially thank Antoinette Samson for coming to DC to speak. Her family was evacuated from New Orleans, where they lost everything, and her courage in the face of adversity is amazing.

Introduced by Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), the “Elimination of Barriers for Katrina Victims Act” is co-sponsored by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA), Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS).

Now we need you to speak up. Contact your U.S Representative today!