Drug Policy Alliance Co-Hosts Landmark 2009 International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Albuquerque, November 12-14

Press Release November 11, 2009
Media Contact

Reena Szczepanski at (505) 699-0798 or Tony Newman at 646-335-5384

ALBUQUERQUE– Why are elected officials from across the political spectrum starting to talk openly about ending marijuana prohibition in the United States? Can cash-starved state and local governments save money by cutting ineffective drug war programs and emphasizing treatment over incarceration? What drove three former Latin American presidents this year to release an influential report that called for “breaking the taboo” on open and honest discussion of alternatives to prohibition, decriminalizing marijuana and treating drug misuse as a health issue rather than a criminal justice matter?

Learn the answers to these questions, pose your own and participate in the cutting edge of drug policy at the International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Albuquerque, November 12-14. The conference, organized by the Drug Policy Alliance and dozens of other organizations (see list of groups at http://www.reformconference.org/) will play host to nearly 1,000 leaders in international drug policy – including elected officials, law enforcement, health care and drug treatment professionals, researchers, religious leaders, formerly incarcerated Americans and reform advocates from around the world. The Drug Policy Alliance is the nation’s leading organization working to end the war on drugs and promote new drug policies based on science, compassion, health and human rights.

In the past decade, U.S. voters and legislators have enacted more than 150 drug policy reforms on issues ranging from medical marijuana to overdose prevention to bans on racial profiling. Building on this momentum, conference participants will survey the drug policy landscape and strategize the next steps. Topics to be discussed include:

The Drug Policy Alliance is co-hosting the 2009 International Drug Policy Reform Conference with the ACLU, the Harm Reduction Coalition, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Marijuana Policy Project, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, the Open Society Institute and Students for Sensible Drug Policy. For a full list of partners and more information on the conference: Visit http://www.reformconference.org/


A young woman holds a sign that says "End the Drug War."

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