Friend,

After 51 years of failure, our government continues its war on our communities by prioritizing criminalization as a response to drug use. Enough is enough: tell Congress it’s time to decriminalize drugs and invest in health alternatives.

As we talk to people across the country, most agree that problematic drug use needs health-based approaches. We all want to help; not hurt our loved ones and we want to keep them safe from the overdose crisis that is stealing lives at staggering rates.

Yet history continues to repeat itself as the U.S. prioritizes punishment over support. Today marks 51 years since President Nixon declared the “war on drugs'' – the longest war in the nation’s history that is fueling the overdose crisis and has made drug possession the most arrested offense in the country with one arrest every 31 seconds. While President Biden has made necessary investments in harm reduction, it’s only a small fraction of the increasing investments in drug enforcement that maintain the drug war status quo.

We all want a world where someone struggling with problematic drug use has access to a range of services that can help them: harm reduction, housing, overdose prevention centers, evidence-based treatment, and more. That’s why we’re fighting to decriminalize drugs and invest in health-based alternatives.

Exactly one year ago we prioritized the health of our communities by leading the charge on the first-ever drug decriminalization bill introduced in Congress – the Drug Policy Reform Act (DPRA).

On this first anniversary of the Drug Policy Reform Act, build on our momentum by urging your Members of Congress to support this groundbreaking bill right away.

The DPRA is the most impactful chance we’ve ever had to dismantle the federal drug war through decriminalizing drugs and investing in health-based alternatives by:

Ending criminal penalties for drug possession at the federal level
Shifting the U.S. Attorney General (DOJ)’s regulatory authority over to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Expunging records and providing for resentencing
Incentivizing state and local governments to adopt decriminalization policies
Reinvesting in alternative health-centered approaches
Eliminating life-long consequences associated with drug arrests and convictions, including the denial of employment, public benefits, drivers’ licenses, and voting rights

We showed it’s possible with our victory making Oregon the first state to decriminalize drugs. Now we’re leading efforts to do the same from our campaign in the nation’s capital of Washington, D.C., to nationwide reform in Congress with the Drug Policy Reform Act (DPRA).

Don’t let the drug war continue for another half a century: urge Congress to take the first step by decriminalizing drugs nationwide. Together, we can end this disastrous war and replace it with policies that center health, equity, and human rights.

Sincerely,

Hanna Sharif-Kazemi
Policy Coordinator, National Affairs
Drug Policy Alliance

P.S. Our brand-new strategic vision outlines how we will change this shameful reality and build a world without the drug war – from exploring the next frontier like the legal regulation of all drugs to the more immediate need to decriminalize drug possession and invest in health services everywhere we can.

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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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