Drug Policy Alliance: Reflecting on an Amazing Conference

by via the DPA

Thu, Dec 20, 2007 9:52AM

Wednesday, December 19, 2007 : December 18, 2007This year, the Drug Policy Alliance joined with five co-host organizations, the ACLU, the Harm Reduction Coalition, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Marijuana Policy Project and Students for Sensible Drug Policy (who also hosted their 9th annual conference within the larger International Drug Policy Reform conference) as well as dozens of other partner groups, to bring together a stronger and more diverse population of people and issues.

This year, Antonio Maria Costa, executive director for the Vienna-based United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC), i.e., “the UN drug czar,” opted to accept our invitation and come to New Orleans to defend and explain the UNODC’s drug control policies.

This year, we featured more individuals and groups of people who have courageously made drug policy reform an integral part of their lives or are still struggling with doing so. The distinguished panel of African American speakers on Friday’s plenary session debated the question of why conservative, middle class Black America has not taken on drug law reform as a civil rights issue in a conversation that addressed elements of racism, sexism and classism within the movement. The discussion continued into the halls and now onto DPA’s discussion board.

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