The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is a
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
–based
nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
that seeks to advance policies that “reduce the harms of both drug use and drug prohibition, and to promote the sovereignty of individuals over their minds and bodies” The organization prioritizes reducing the role of criminalization in drug policy, advocating for the legal regulation of marijuana, and promoting health-centered drug policies. DPA has been led by executive director Kassandra Frederique since September 2020.
Overview
The Drug Policy Alliance was formed when the
Drug Policy Foundation
The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is a New York City–based nonprofit organization that seeks to advance policies that “reduce the harms of both drug use and drug prohibition, and to promote the sovereignty of individuals over their minds and b ...
and the
Lindesmith Center The Lindesmith Center was an Open Society Institute project which has conducted research related to drug reform. It was founded in 1994 by Ethan Nadelmann with financial support from George Soros. The Center conducted some NIDA-funded studies on h ...
merged in July 2000. Lindesmith Center founder
Ethan Nadelmann
Ethan A. Nadelmann (born March 13, 1957) is the founder of the Drug Policy Alliance, a New York City-based non-profit organization working to end the War on Drugs. He is a supporter of the legalization of marijuana in America.
Early life
Nadelma ...
served as its first Executive Director.
Broadcast journalist
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the ''CBS Evening News'' for 19 years (1962–1981). During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the mo ...
spoke out against the
War on Drugs
The war on drugs is a Globalization, global campaign, led by the United States federal government, of prohibition of drugs, drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim of reducing the illegal drug trade in the Unite ...
in support of the Drug Policy Alliance. He appeared in advertisements on behalf of the organization and wrote a fundraising letter, which was also published in ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
''.
In the letter, Cronkite wrote: "Today, our nation is fighting two wars: one abroad and one at home. While the war in Iraq is in the headlines, the other war is still being fought on our own streets. Its casualties are the wasted lives of our own citizens. I am speaking of the war on drugs. And I cannot help but wonder how many more lives, and how much more money, will be wasted before another
Robert McNamara
Robert Strange McNamara (; June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American business executive and the eighth United States Secretary of Defense, serving from 1961 to 1968 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He remains the Lis ...
admits what is plain for all to see: the war on drugs is a failure."
[
]
Main issues
Cannabis
DPA believes that
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
should be legalized and regulated for adult use and for medicinal purposes. DPA believes marijuana should be removed from the criminal legal system and regulated responsibly with equity, social justice, and community reinvestment at the core.
Drug war
DPA believes that the War on Drugs in America has failed. They present the argument that the United States has spent billions of dollars on making the country drug-free, but many illicit drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and many others, are more potent and prevalent than ever before.
Overdose
DPA believes the growing numbers of deaths due to drug overdose should be dealt with as a medical rather than a criminal issue. They present drug decriminalization, methadone and buprenorphine access, naloxone access, overdose prevention centers, drug checking, and Good Samaritan laws as their solutions.
Parents, teens, and drugs
DPA believes that young people need access to credible information regarding decisions and information on drugs. They believe that open and honest dialogue is the key, and with this idea started the Safety First Project.
Health approaches
DPA believes that drug use should be treated as a health issue instead of a criminal issue and advocates for harm reduction and drug decriminalization.
Law
DPA believes that many of the arrests for drug possession conflict with the constitutional rights of Americans.
[Drug Policy Allianc]
"Reducing Harm: Treatment and Beyond"
/ref> DPA has also provided funding for Flex Your Rights, a nonprofit organization that educates the public about their constitutional rights during police encounters.
Communities affected
DPA believes that the war on drugs does not affect all of the American population the same way, and that some communities are disproportionately affected.
Drug policy around the world
DPA states that many countries around the world are approaching their own war on drugs in a different way than the United States does and that many of the countries can lead as examples for many new approaches in the U.S.
Results
DPA was a sponsor of California's 1996 landmark medical marijuana law, Proposition 215
Proposition 215, or the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, is a California law permitting the use of medical cannabis despite marijuana's lack of the normal Food and Drug Administration testing for safety and efficacy. It was enacted, on November 5 ...
, which made cannabis available to patients as well as reduced criminal penalties for possession. Beginning with California in 1996, DPA has played a role in roughly half of the campaigns that have legalized medical marijuana in the U.S.
DPA played a role in all the campaigns to legalize marijuana for adult use more broadly to date: Colorado and Washington in 2012; Uruguay in 2013; Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C., in 2014; California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada in 2016; New Jersey in 2020; and New Mexico and New York in 2021.
In 2000, DPA helped push California's landmark treatment-not-incarceration law called Proposition 36. It replaces jail time with substance abuse treatment for first and second time nonviolent drug offenders. More than 84,000 people were removed from jail and graduated from treatment.[Drug Policy Allianc]
"About DPA"
/ref>
DPA has been involved with other drug sentencing reforms including the repeal of New York's Rockefeller drug laws in 2009, the federal Fair Sentencing Act in 2010, Proposition 36 in 2012 which reformed California's Three Strikes Law, Proposition 47 in 2014 which changed some nonviolent offenses like simple drug possession from felonies to misdemeanors in California, bail reform in New Jersey in 2014, and asset forfeiture reforms in California, Florida, and New Mexico in 2015-16.
In 2006, DPA got the "Blood-Borne Disease Harm Reduction Act" signed into law in New Jersey. It allows up to six cities to establish syringe access programs. This program is designed to prevent the spread of blood-borne diseases such as HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
. DPA also played a role in efforts to make syringes legally available in New York (2000), California (2004) and supported efforts in Connecticut, Illinois, and other states.
DPA has worked across the country to pass the "911 Good Samaritan Immunity Laws." These laws are to help encourage overdose witnesses to call 911. They reduce drug possession charges for those who seek medical help. DPA led a campaign in New Mexico to pass the law and were successful in 2007. DPA has also helped pass numerous naloxone access laws, including in California and New York to make it available over-the-counter.
In 2020, DPA's advocacy and political arm, Drug Policy Action, spearheaded the passage of the Oregon Ballot Measure 110, which made Oregon the first state in the nation to decriminalize drug possession while significantly expanding access to evidence-informed, culturally-responsive treatment, harm reduction and other health services.
DPA awards
DPA gives biannual awards at its International Drug Policy Reform Conference to "honor advocates, elected officials and organizations for their courageous work in reforming drug laws.". These include
* Edward M. Brecher Award for Achievement in the Field of Journalism
* Richard J. Dennis Drugpeace Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Drug Policy Reform
* Alfred R. Lindesmith
Alfred Ray Lindesmith (August 3, 1905 – February 14, 1991) was an Indiana University professor of sociology. He was among the early scholars providing a rigorous and thoughtful account of the nature of addiction. He was a critic of legal prohib ...
Award for Achievement in the Field of Scholarship
* Robert C. Randall Award for Achievement in the Field of Citizen Action
* Norman E. Zinberg Award for Achievement in the Field of Medicine
* H.B. Spear Award for Achievement in the Field of Control and Enforcement
* Justice Gerald Le Dain
Gerald Eric Le Dain, (November 27, 1924 – December 18, 2007) was a Canadian lawyer and judge, who sat on the Supreme Court of Canada from 1984 to 1988.
Life and education
Born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Eric George Bryant Le Dain and ...
Award for Achievement in the Field of Law
* Dr. Andrew Weil
Andrew Thomas Weil (, born June 8, 1942) is an American celebrity doctor who advocates for alternative medicine including the 4-7-8 breathing technique.
Early life and education Early years
Andrew Thomas Weil was born in Philadelphia on June 8 ...
Award for Achievement in the Field of Drug Education
See also
* Arguments for and against drug prohibition
*Decriminalization of marijuana in the United States
In the United States, the non-medical use of cannabis is legalized in 21 states (plus Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the District of Columbia) and decriminalized in 10 states (plus the U.S. Virgin Islands) as of November 2022. '' De ...
*Freedom of thought
Freedom of thought (also called freedom of conscience) is the freedom of an individual to hold or consider a fact, viewpoint, or thought, independent of others' viewpoints.
Overview
Every person attempts to have a cognitive proficiency by ...
*Harm reduction
Harm reduction, or harm minimization, refers to a range of public health policies designed to lessen the negative social and/or physical consequences associated with various human behaviors, both legal and illegal. Harm reduction is used to de ...
*Prison reform
Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, improve the effectiveness of a penal system, or implement alternatives to incarceration. It also focuses on ensuring the reinstatement of those whose lives are impacted by crimes. ...
*War on Drugs
The war on drugs is a Globalization, global campaign, led by the United States federal government, of prohibition of drugs, drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim of reducing the illegal drug trade in the Unite ...
References
External links
*
6 September 1990 rare video of "National Public Radio's Morning Edition" at 01:40:06
of John P. Walters and opposing views by Arnold Trebach of the Drug Policy Foundation about the "War on Drugs
The war on drugs is a Globalization, global campaign, led by the United States federal government, of prohibition of drugs, drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim of reducing the illegal drug trade in the Unite ...
."
Video appearances on C-SPAN
Global Commission on Drug Policy
The International Drug Policy Consortium
Global Drug Policy Program
Americans for Safe Access
LEAP - Law Enforcement Action Partnership
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
Marijuana Policy Project
Students for a Sensible Drug Policy
San Francisco Drug Users Union
The Beckley Foundation
Cannabis law reform in the United States
Cannabis law reform organizations based in the United States
Drug policy organizations based in the United States
Drug policy reform
Non-profit organizations based in New York City
Organizations established in 1999
1999 establishments in New York (state)
Charities based in New York City
1999 in cannabis
501(c)(3) organizations