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Friend,
For far too long, the United States has been engaged in a “war on drugs” — but in reality, it’s been a war on people. It’s personal for many of us, because it’s being fought in our communities, schools, workplaces, and homes.
Just ask Joe…
He grew up in Portland, Oregon and started using opioids in high school as a teenager. Eventually, he developed a dependency.
He knew he had a problem. He wanted treatment. But he couldn’t find the help he needed in his community, or even his state!
He had to go all the way to Montana for a 30-day inpatient treatment program. It helped, but when he got back to Oregon, he was back on his own. And started using again.
Joe’s drug use became problematic — eventually leading to his arrest.
It’s an all too common story. The U.S. has spent billions of dollars criminalizing drug use — leaving those who are wanting help without the resources they need.
The drug war has failed us.
Our members power our movement to end this failed war that is destroying lives every day. We need your continued support in 2024 — and to underscore the importance of kick-starting your support with a gift, a dedicated DPA donor is triple matching all gifts to this campaign dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000.
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Opportunistic politicians and pundits want to exploit the overdose crisis — itself a result of prohibition — to scare people into returning to the same policies that have failed our communities for over 50 years.
The drug war simply does not work. It hurts people instead of helping them.
Joe put it best. He said: “Why doesn’t the criminal justice system solve this problem? It’s because it’s a public health problem. And our public safety officers, our courts, these are not health professionals. That’s not the work they do.”
I couldn’t agree with Joe more.
It’s why across the country, DPA is leading the movement to replace the war on drugs with new policies based in health, equity, and human rights.
It’s why at DPA, we are committed to the idea that everyone deserves to lead their lives with dignity, with compassion and support in their times of need, and without threat or violence — regardless of who they are, or whether or not they use drugs.
And it’s why we need your continued support. We can’t do it alone.
Please, kick-start your 2024 support for DPA with a gift, and take advantage of having it triple matched dollar-for-dollar.
Thank you for being a part of our movement.
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With gratitude,
Kassandra Frederique
Executive Director
Drug Policy Alliance
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