Fact Sheet
June 17th, 2021 marks 50 years since President Nixon declared the “War on Drugs,” stating that drug abuse was “public enemy number one.” In the half century since Nixon’s deceptive declaration and the enactment… Read More
Video
50 years ago, President Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs, proclaiming drug abuse as "public enemy number one" in the United States. Today, it's never been clearer that the real enemy is the drug war itself, and the… Read More
Fact Sheet
Since the launch of the modern drug war fifty years ago by President Nixon, states throughout the United States have not only replicated the harsh federal system of criminalizing drug use and possession, they… Read More
Audio
As we approach the one-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's killing, the connection between deeply problematic policing and the criminalization of drugs has never been more apparent. On this episode, we take a deep… Read More
Fact Sheet
For most of the past century the United States has adopted increasingly punitive policies toward the possession, use and distribution of drugs; and, particularly in the last 50 years, has built a massive regime to… Read More
Video
Since Portugal enacted drug decriminalization in 2001, the number of people voluntarily entering treatment has increased significantly, overdose deaths and HIV infections among people who use drugs have plummeted,… Read More
Report
It's Time for the U.S. to Decriminalize Drug Use and Possession
DPA Report
July 2017
Download the full report (PDF)
Executive Summary
What is Decriminalization?
Why is Criminalization a Problem?
Why is… Read More