Drug Policy Alliance

The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is a New York City-based non-profit organization, led by executive director Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno and funded in part by George Soros, with the principal goal of ending the American "War on Drugs". Veteran journalist Walter Cronkite spoke out against the War on Drugs in support of the Drug Policy Alliance.

Today, the Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates for an end to the War on Drugs, estimates that the United States spends $51 billion annually on these initiatives.

Lindesmith Center founder Ethan Nadelmann served as its first Executive Director.

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.

The stated priorities of the organization are the decriminalization of responsible drug use, the promotion of harm reduction and treatment in response to drug misuse, and the facilitation of open dialog about drugs between youth, parents, and educators.

Some people like Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance have suggested that organized marijuana legalization would encourage safe use and reveal the factual adverse effects from exposure to this herb's individual chemicals.

The Drug Policy Alliance was formed when the Drug Policy Foundation and the Lindesmith Center merged in July 2000.

In 2000, the Center and the Drug Policy Foundation were merged into the Drug Policy Alliance, with the Center being renamed 'The Lindesmith Library.' The Drug Policy Foundation was a non-profit organization whose focus was public policy, advocating for harm reduction, sentencing reform for non-violent drug offenses, and the legal access to medical marijuana.

The stated priorities of the organization are the decriminalization of responsible drug use, the promotion of harm reduction and treatment in response to drug misuse, and the facilitation of open dialog about drugs between youth, parents, and educators.

Veteran journalist Walter Cronkite spoke out against the War on Drugs in support of the Drug Policy Alliance.

Cronkite spoke out against the War on Drugs in support of the Drug Policy Alliance, writing a fundraising letter and appearing in advertisements on behalf of the DPA.

DPA was a source of support for California's Proposition 36.

According to the Drug Policy Alliance, total savings for taxpayers over the past five years total $1.4 billion.

In 1985, part of NORML was split off to found the Drug Policy Foundation, which was then merged with the Lindesmith Center to become the Drug Policy Alliance in 2000.

He is the president of the Dennis Trading Group Inc. and the vice-chairman of C&D Commodities, a former chairman of the advisory board of the Drug Policy Alliance, a member of the Board of Directors of the Cato Institute, and on the Board of Trustees of the Reason Foundation.

The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is a New York City-based non-profit organization, led by executive director Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno and funded in part by George Soros, with the principal goal of ending the American "War on Drugs".

The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is a New York City-based non-profit organization, led by executive director Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno and funded in part by George Soros, with the principal goal of ending the American "War on Drugs".

The office for legal affairs is located in Oakland, CA, with two additional state offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

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 admits what is plain for all to see: the war on drugs is a failure."

DPA believes that cannabis should be legal for medicinal purposes of severely ill individuals.

They are working state-by-state to educate and inform governors and the people about their beliefs on medicinal marijuana.

They present their success with the compassionate use bill which brought medical marijuana access to New Mexico in 2007.

DPA has also provided funding for Flex Your Rights, a nonprofit organization that educates the public about their constitutional rights during police encounters.

"Prop 36" and the formation of the Drug Courts gave non-violent drug offenders the opportunity to seek treatment in drug rehabilitation programs rather than serve jail sentences.

DPA was a sponsor of California’s 1996 landmark medical marijuana law, Proposition 215, which made cannabis available to seriously ill patients as well as reduced criminal penalties for possession.

It allows up to six cities to establish syringe access programs.

This helps prevent the spread of blood-borne diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

DPA is also working to eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing and racially biased crack/cocaine sentencing schemes at the state and federal levels.

DPA supported the bill that legalized cannabis in Uruguay in 2013.