 March/April 2000 (XXXVIII 2) |
hen the Drug Concerns Working Group started, in early 1997 we were surprised that we knew so little about drug abuse and the government war on drugs. We were equally surprised at how little most Friends knew. We have come to realize that drug abuse is one of the most serious domestic problems in our country and that most government activity does little to help. Further, the war on drugs violates many of our Quaker beliefs: the peace testimony (the "war" is no longer a metaphor), our opposition to racism, our belief in the intrinsic worth of each person, our belief that loving help is more useful than punishment, our opposition to violence.
The Working Group decided that our first goal was to initiate a dialogue among Friends about drug addiction and the war on drugs. Following a Called Meeting of Friends held early in 1998, we prepared a Minute that we believed expressed a position that Friends could unite with. We distributed it to all Monthly and Quarterly Meetings. We asked for their endorsement and offered to visit Meetings to talk about all aspects of our concerns about drugs. Our purpose was twofold. We wanted to stimulate dialogue among Friends and we hope to get the endorsement of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting in session at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, March 25.
Since then we have visited and talked with 14 Monthly and Quarterly Meetings. Invariably the discussion was useful for both hosts and guests. At times the discussion became spirited and suggestions were made for improving the Minute. But we were always able to unite in our concern and the Meetings almost always endorsed the minute, in whole or in large part.
To date, 41 Monthly Meetings and three Quarterly Meeting have endorsed the minute. Thirty-six of these endorsed the Minute as it was written, five made some editorial changes or re-wrote it in a way that remained in agreement with its purpose and spirit.
The most common question raised about the Minute was that it did not sufficiently explain what will happen next or say what Friends can do now. This important objection points to what should be some of the next steps. If the Minute is approved at the Yearly Meeting, the Working Group plans to send it to other Yearly Meetings and ask that they take a stand opposing this war. Whether or not the Minute is approved, we plan to continue our dialogue with any interested Meetings and to formulate constructive programs with them.
The Working Group has in progress various programs to work with Friends who suffer from addiction or have loved ones who do, to send speakers into the high schools to work with students to avoid drugs, and to form alliances with other groups, spiritual and secular, to work to change the laws on drugs. We hope to work with all interested Monthly or Quarterly Meetings to help them set up similar programs and perhaps to set up other Drug Concerns Working Groups in areas far from Philadelphia. We welcome interested Friends to join us on the Drug Concerns Working Group, which is under the care of the Peace and Concerns Committee of PYM.
To learn more about our work or discuss the issues, please contact one of the following: Greg Barnes, 215-545-2081, Barnes@drexel.edu; Ray Bentman, 215-985-1314, rbentman@nimbus.temple.edu; George Willoughby, 856-227-5723, geowilby@juno.com
Raymond Bentman
Central Philadelphia Meeting
Drug Concerns Working Group
Editor's Note: The following minute, drafted by the Drug Concerns Working Group, is on the Yearly Meeting agenda for consideration and possible approval at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, March 25, at the Fourth and Arch Street Meeting House in Philadelphia. The minute has been endorsed by 41 Monthly Meetings and three Quarterly Meetings.
Minute on Drug Concerns
Friends for over 300 years have sought to live "in the virtue of that life and power that takes away the occasion of all war." Today our country is engaged in a "war on drugs" which bears all the hallmarks of war: displaced populations, disrupted economies, terrorization of minorities, abandonment of hope by those the war is supposedly being fought to help, the use of military force, the curtailment of civil liberties, and the demonizing of the "enemies."
In addition, drugs continue to do terrible harm to people in our country and throughout the world, particularly to the young. Our government needs to put much greater emphasis on strategies that act to remove the causes of drug addiction and provide for education, treatment, and research into the causes of addiction.
We call upon Friends to work toward exploring ways in which the vast sums now being used in this war can be diverted toward treatment, research, and education on the dangers of the use of illegal drugs and inappropriate use of legal drugs, such as alcohol and tobacco. We also call upon Friends to be mindful of the ways in which our behavior and our speech support this war and the misuse of drugs.
Some Friends, presently under the weight of this concern, are working toward the development of political alliances to change government policy. Other Friends are working to develop ways to reach out to people in and out of the Society of Friends suffering from addiction and to help them call on the Holy Spirit for aid in freeing themselves from this terrible burden. We urge Friends to support those who carry this concern and pray that others will join them in finding paths that lead us toward peace, reconciliation, and healing.
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM