The Do It Now Foundation survives

click images to enlarge

Way back in the day (meaning, here, 1971-73), I worked two years full-time (for a subsistence stipend of $150 a month) at a Crisis & Drop-in Center, in Kent, Washington. We used a lot of educational materials from the Do It Now Foundation, which wasn't always popular with the authorities and funding agencies. Why? They focused on the immediately dangerous drugs like speed, heroin, PCP, and barbiturates, and didn't sweat the more organic drugs.

Do It Now's spokespeople were not popular with the establishment either. . .folks like Grace Slick, Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, John Sebastian, and others. bNot to mention the garish graphics and typography, and illustrations by people like Robert Crumb, and the cartoons of the Furry Freak Brothers. But it worked. By not peddling a lot of false information, they established credibility.


click to enlarge - this book was great, and we bought them by the case


Do It Now's attitude was basically, if it grows in the ground (e.g., marijuana, peyote, mushrooms), it's not so bad. Although their educational materials were great, this pragmatic approach was not popular, as I mentioned, with the authorities, and even with many of our supporters and even workers.

I found Do It Now on-line the other day, still doing their good work, although they've definitely moderated their stance, as well as branched out into educating people about safe sex, crystal meth, and alcohol.



Click here to hear Frank Zappa's hilarious anti-speed Public Service Announcement.
Click here to read their newsletter from 1971--it is a fascinating time-capsule.

You can visit their web site here.
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