Friend,  

People deserve support, not punishment. Yet drug war punishment affects almost every aspect of our daily lives. The decision to punish drug use instead of providing support has spread beyond the criminal system into civil systems from education to employment to housing to so much more. 

Punitive drug war tactics have devastating lifelong consequences that separate families, deny people essentials like food and housing, and destabilize lives and communities.  

Police are not the only enforcers of drug war policies. Doctors, employers, social workers, and teachers should be part of the support system for people who struggle with addiction. Instead, they are used to monitor, report, and punish drug use – even if just suspected.  

Punishments run through many of our systems, but the resources people need do not. It’s time to reverse that approach and actually help people and communities with voluntary health and support services. 

Learn more about drug war civil punishment and why it’s time to end it. 

Drug testing is one of the most consistent ways the drug war intrudes into everyday life. For example, almost a quarter of the U.S. workforce is subject to drug testing at to get or keep a job even though there’s no proof it increases productivity or predicts impairment.  

Blocking access to basic needs like food, housing, and jobs causes instability and harm in people’s lives. No one should be denied a job, a home, an education, and more because of a drug arrest or drug test. No more lives should be torn apart because of targeted punishment, harmful surveillance, and the lack of supportive services.   

Our civil systems must help people live full lives, not punish them. That’s why we are fighting to end civil drug war punishment and its far-reaching devastation.  

Together, let’s build on our progress to tackle the drug war in our daily lives so people can live freely regardless of drug use.