Friend,

Joe Biden has been elected the next President of the United States – and with every new administration brings new opportunities.

With Oregon becoming the first state in the nation to decriminalize all drugs and marijuana initiatives passing in five states, this election made clear that Americans are united in wanting to end the drug war. We have the people on our side, and we hope Biden will follow our lead.

Biden has stated that it was a “mistake” to support legislation that ramped up the drug war and increased incarceration, including the 1994 crime bill, when he was in the U.S. Senate. He now says we need a compassionate approach to problematic drug use.

At the Drug Policy Alliance, we agree. And we’re ready to make change. The Biden administration can harness the current drug policy reform momentum in its first 100 days by:

Responding to COVID-19 by letting at-risk people out of jails and prisons and helping end mass incarceration driven by the drug war.
Permanently removing barriers and increasing access to life-saving treatments and harm reduction services for people who use drugs. This includes ensuring adequate funding and support for harm reduction service providers.
After passing the groundbreaking MORE Act in the House this year, ensuring it gets through the new Congress and onto Biden to be signed into law next year. It's time to legalize marijuana at the federal level and repair the harms of its prohibition.
Dismantling the Drug Enforcement Administration and moving federal resources away from futile law enforcement strategies that rely on aggressive policing, criminalization, and incarceration as the default tools for dealing with drugs and drug use.
Following Oregon’s lead and moving forward the decriminalization of all drugs while increasing access to treatment and harm reduction services like naloxone access, overdose prevention centers, and effective drug treatment.

We look forward to working together on a humane approach to drugs that reduces the role of criminalization and increases access to health-based treatment and harm reduction services for people who need them.

This was a historic and monumental election for drug policy reform. But our fight continues and there’s so much more work to be done. Please keep standing with us to end the disastrous drug war once and for all.

Sincerely,

Kassandra Frederique
Executive Director
Drug Policy Alliance

The Drug Policy Alliance depends entirely on private donations to fund our work to end the war on drugs and promote new drug policies grounded in science, compassion, health, and human rights. Your support is crucial – thank you!

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