 |
||
| Friend, President Biden will likely soon announce his nominee for the next Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) or ‘drug czar’. Former Congressman Patrick Kennedy is campaigning for the role and his harmful and outdated prohibitionist views make him a disastrous potential choice for the position. Although this is concerning, we’ve been working to ensure Biden instead picks someone that centers a health-based approach to drugs. Tell President Biden that the next drug czar must support reform, not repeat the drug war mistakes of the past. Kennedy has long been on the wrong side of history. He opposes ending marijuana prohibition and actively works against state efforts to legalize marijuana. He supports forced abstinence and treatment through incarceration and drug courts. He has no plan for ending the overdose crisis and has deep ties to drug makers and for-profit treatment companies. These backwards views threaten the progress we’ve made, don’t align with overwhelming public support to end the drug war, and even run counter to promises by the Biden administration to decriminalize marijuana federally and their recent announcement that the ONDCP would be more focused on public health and curbing the overdose crisis. While we’d like to see the enforcement-focused ONDCP done away with altogether, it remains a reality and we need to ensure the person who leads will move federal drug policy toward health and away from punishment. President Biden has the power to move us in the right direction. Urge him to pick a drug czar that supports a health-centered approach instead of continuing the failed and punitive drug war tactics of the last fifty years. It’s imperative that the next drug czar not stand in the way of marijuana legalization and other reform efforts. They must acknowledge that the criminal justice system, drug courts, and coerced treatment aren’t the answer and only exacerbate harms to people who use drugs. They must accept that an abstinence-only approach doesn’t work and instead expand access to life-saving harm reduction services and medications for opioid dependency. And they must ensure funding prioritizes harm reduction, evidence-based treatment, and recovery services, rather than failed enforcement tactics. Given everything we have seen over the last year — from how COVID-19 has exacerbated the already devastating overdose crisis to the way that drugs have too often been used as an excuse to criminalize, and even harm or kill Black, Brown and Indigenous people — it would be a huge mistake to appoint someone like Patrick Kennedy that would repeat the same harmful drug war tactics of the past. Together, let’s make sure history doesn’t repeat itself. Take action to keep the pressure on Biden to make the right choice for drug czar. Sincerely, Maritza Perez Director, National Affairs 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!
Receive fewer emails. - Contact Us. Drug Policy Alliance |
