DPA Year in Review: How You Helped End the Drug War in 2023
Friend, you’ve helped us accomplish so much last year. We fought back against unfounded attacks on our progress, and made new advances in our fight for health, equity, and justice. We moved closer to ending the drug war than ever before.
Here are some ways you helped us lead the movement for drug policy reform in 2023:
Treating drug use as a health issue
The drug war is rooted in criminalization. The U.S. spends enormous sums of money on punishment and incarceration. We spend relatively little on treatment and health services.
We fought for a holistic solution: expanding access to health and harm reduction services while ending criminal penalties for drugs.
In Oregon, we worked on implementing Measure 110. Drug possession arrests plummeted. Addiction and treatment services grew. There are now more than 240 treatment providers operating in every county in the state. And $37 million in law enforcement savings will be reinvested into health services.
We also built the groundwork for drug decriminalization initiatives in seven more states plus Washington, D.C. We researched local policy impacts, consulted with stakeholders, and conducted opinion research.
In Congress, we revised the Drug Policy Reform Act. It is the first federal legislation of its kind. The bill would decriminalize drug possession, invest in crucial health services, and incentivize states to do the same.
Fighting the overdose crisis
No one should die from a preventable overdose.
We led the fight for overdose prevention centers (OPCs). OPCs reduce overdose death and connect people to ongoing care. We helped 14 state and local campaigns working to establish OPCs, including helping Minnesota enact the second-ever statewide law to allow them.
In Congress, we educated policymakers about the facts about fentanyl. We fought against the HALT Fentanyl Act, a bill that would create new mandatory minimum sentences. We pushed for our alternative, the TEST Act. We also debunked misinformation around fentanyl.
Advancing equity and justice through marijuana regulation
The movement for marijuana legalization has grown a lot. DPA continued to ensure reforms are centered in reinvestment, equity, and justice.
We played a central role in federal marijuana policy reform. We Pushed Biden to expand pardons for marijuana activity, impacting thousands.
We helped get the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act passed in the House. We also educated policymakers and provided support on related bills, including the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, the SAFE Banking Act, and the HOPE Act.
Promoting family safety and economic mobility
The drug war causes harm beyond arrests and incarceration. It negatively impacts healthcare, housing, employment, children, and more.
We influenced the Department of Housing and Urban Development to prevent people who use drugs or have been arrested for drugs from being denied housing, helping reduce homelessness.
In California, we got a bill passed to ban most workplace drug testing for marijuana. We also laid the groundwork to expand these policies beyond the state.
We fought to protect pregnant people from nonconsensual drug tests, helping keep families together.
And in Congress we fought to repeal the ban on food stamps for people with drug convictions, a cruel policy that impacts children and entire families.
Thank you
Friend, as you can see, with you by our side, we are working to end the drug war, repair its harms, and build an alternative approach to drugs.
Thank you for standing with us. We will continue to fight for the full humanity of people, regardless of their relationship to drugs. Together, we will change laws, advance justice, save lives and end this drug war once and for all.
-Drug Policy Alliance
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