Dear Friend,
For more than 50 years, elected officials and leaders have told us the war on drugs is essential for our protection, but it has only proven to be a failure that has harmed all of us.
The lies that have been sold to us by people who were supposed to have our best interests at heart have created one of the sharpest tools of oppression in this country’s history. Our drug laws aren’t about safety. They’re about control. And they most aggressively target Black, Latinx and Indigenous people; people of color; and people who are experiencing poverty.
Every 31 seconds, someone in this country is arrested simply for possessing drugs, with devastating impacts, making it harder to get a job, housing, student financial aid, and more. Drug arrests cause trauma that can be felt for generations. It’s time to say enough is enough.
As a dedicated supporter, you know the time has come to end the drug war. The time is now to build on our momentum.
Friend, for a limited time, your gift to DPA will be MATCHED dollar for dollar, up to $150,000. Make your voice heard in drug policy—give a gift that will double today to help decriminalize drugs and invest in health-centered approaches to drug use.
Decriminalizing drugs and investing in health alternatives is the first step toward ensuring a person struggling with drug use can be given access to support and not years behind bars. In 2021 alone, over 107,000 lives were lost to overdoses—the status quo must change.
We know another world is possible. Since Portugal decriminalized all drugs back in 2001, the number of people voluntarily entering treatment has increased, and overdose deaths and HIV infections among people who use drugs has plummeted. There’s no reason we can’t achieve the same outcomes here in the U.S.
Your loyal support of DPA has helped accomplish incredible victories, such as:
- We spearheaded the Measure 110 campaign, making Oregon the first state in the nation to decriminalize drug possession and shift to a health approach, which has already prevented tens of thousands of arrests and created $302 million in funding to expand access to health, harm reduction, and treatment services for communities in every part of Oregon.
- Following years of our advocacy, New York City opened the nation’s first legally sanctioned overdose prevention centers. In less than a year of operations, staff at the centers have saved lives by reversing hundreds of overdoses and connecting people to other critical health and harm reduction services.
- For the first time in the history of any U.S. presidency, we pushed Biden to take steps on marijuana reform with his recent pardoning of people with federal marijuana possession charges and beginning the process to change how marijuana is scheduled. We’ve also made significant progress
in Congress. We got the MORE Act passed in the House twice, which would declassify marijuana as an illegal drug and begin to repair the harms of prohibition. And we made history in the Senate this year with the introduction of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA), the landmark marijuana legalization bill we must advance as we get closer to ending the federal war on marijuana.
With the support
of everyday people like you, DPA is working to build a world that embraces the full humanity of people who use drugs and where the regulation of drugs is grounded in health, equity, and human rights.
But there’s still much more to get done. Your dedication and support have made DPA the leading organization in the U.S. transforming the direction of drug policy to a future with new approaches that puts people first. And I hope we can count on your continued support.
Please make a special gift to DPA today that will DOUBLE to advocate for sensible, health-based drug policies that help instead of punish and hurt.
Thank you for your passionate commitment to ending the war on drugs.
Kassandra
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Kassandra Frederique
Executive Director
Drug Policy Alliance |
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P.S. For a limited time, a generous friend of DPA will MATCH your gift dollar for dollar, up to $150,000. Make your voice heard with a gift that will DOUBLE to help advance our critically important work to end drug prohibition and punishment. Thank you again for believing every person should be able to live freely and with dignity, regardless of drug use.
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