Tonighy and Tomorrow Night: Leading Authority on Drug Policy and the War on Drugs Speaking in Aruba

Ethan Nadelmann, the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, will be speaking at events in Aruba on Monday and Tuesday night. Nadelmann’s visit coincides with a historic report released last week by the Organization of American States (OAS) that envisions possible scenarios for future drug control policy, including legalization, decriminalization and other alternatives to the war on drugs. Never before has a multilateral organization engaged in such an inclusive and intellectually legitimate analysis of drug policy options.

Described by Rolling Stone as "the point man" for drug policy reform efforts, Ethan Nadelmann is widely regarded as the outstanding proponent of drug policy reform both in the United States and abroad. He is interviewed frequently by media, including The Colbert Report, The O’Reilly Factor, Real Time with Bill Maher, and news programs on all the major U.S. networks as well as dozens of networks outside the U.S.

Nadelmann will address issues specific to Aruba, as well as international matters such as:

• Last week’s OAS report envisioning possible scenarios for drug control policy
• Current debate on drug legalization in Latin America
• Marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington
• Drug policy and the Obama Administration

Nadelmann and his colleagues have played pivotal roles in most of the major drug policy reform ballot initiative campaigns in the United States, including last year’s successful ballot initiatives in Colorado and Washington to legally regulate marijuana. They also have reformed state and federal laws involving drug sentencing, access to sterile syringes to reduce HIV/AIDS, access to drug treatment, prevention of overdose fatalities, and all aspects of marijuana policy.

Nadelmann also plays a key role as drug policy advisor to George Soros and other prominent philanthropists as well as elected officials ranging from mayors, governors and state and federal legislators in the U.S. to presidents and cabinet ministers outside the U.S.  This year alone, Nadelmann has met with and been consulted by government officials and civic leaders in Germany, Paraguay, Chile and Brazil.

Nadelmann received his B.A., J.D., and Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard as well as a Masters' degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics, and taught at Princeton University for seven years. He has authored two books – Cops Across Borders and (with Peter Andreas) Policing The Globe – and his writings have appeared in most major media outlets in the U.S. as well as top academic journals (e.g., Science, International Organization), policy journals (Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Washington Quarterly, Public Interest) and political publications from the right (National Review) to the left (The Nation).

EVENT DETAILS:

Tonight, May 20: 7:30-9:30 PM, at the Fundacion Elsa Coffi – Collegezaal, EPI, Seroe Blanco

Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 21: 7:30-10 PM, at the Aruba Trade and Industry Association Building, Dakota