Making Your

Voice Heard
2010 Annual
Report
 Table of Contents
2 Reducing the Role of The work described herein
Criminalization in Drug Policy includes that of the Drug
6 Sensible Marijuana Regulation Policy Alliance, a 501(c)(3)
10 Moving Toward a Health-Based Approach organization, and Drug Policy
14 Empowering Youth, Parents and Educators Action, a 501(c)(4) organization.
16 Reaching New Audiences,
Transforming Public Discourse
19 Grants, Donors, Board and Financials
Letter from the President and
Executive Director

Making Your Voice Heard

The momentum right now behind drug policy reform is
unprecedented.
It’s not just that we’re finally winning important legislative
battles in Congress, and that we’re more and more successful
at the state and local levels. It’s that this issue excites passions
among a remarkable diversity of people in the U.S. and
throughout the world.
This movement is made up of individuals from across the
globe whose life experiences vary dramatically. But what we
share is more important than anything that separates us:
A yearning to uproot the fears, ignorance and prejudices
that fuel the drug war, and a commitment to finding more
compassionate, just and effective ways of dealing with drugs
in our lives and communities.
You may have noticed from the new look and feel of DPA’s
website and publications that we have adopted a provocative
new visual identity illustrated by the simple, inclusive state-
ment, “We are the Drug Policy Alliance.” This idea conveys
the tremendous scope of our struggle, and underscores our
conviction that drug policy reform isn’t really about drugs at
all – it’s about people.
This issue crosses racial, political and ideological lines unlike
any other. It pops up as the top issue when citizens express
their opinion online. Demographics are on our side – young
people, who bear the brunt of failed drug war policies, are
more drawn to this issue than any other. We’re witnessing a
palpable shift in the way these issues are approached in main-
stream politics – these days, you don’t hear many politicians
boasting about their drug war credentials.
The accomplishments detailed in this report – which focus
on DPA’s fiscal year from June 2009 through May 2010 –
would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Whether
testifying before Congress about the drug czar’s budget,
ushering crack sentencing reform through Congress with
near-unanimous consent, passing innovative medical mari-
juana laws in New Jersey and Maine, or leading the first
successful effort to reform a “drug-free zone” law, DPA staff
and members are making this dramatic progress possible.
Yet we still have a long way to go. Elected officials may be
adopting new rhetoric and cautiously advocating for gradual
reforms, but they have yet to substantially shift the bulk
of drug control resources from a criminal justice approach
to a health-based one. The worst drug war policies remain
entrenched, as more than three quarters of a million people
are arrested for marijuana possession every year and more than
half a million are behind bars tonight for a drug law violation.
We’re making progress like never before, and we currently
have the wind at our backs – but all this could change unless
we continue to grow stronger, tougher and smarter. It’s up
to us – as people who care about science, compassion, health
and human rights – to ensure that real change comes as soon
as possible.
We are grateful for all you’ve done, and for all that you can
do – especially now.

And the media, at last, seems to be aiding our efforts more

often than not. Coverage of the mounting support for ending
prohibition has been extraordinarily positive – on the front
pages of USA Today, The New York Times and most other
national publications, major talk radio stations, the leading
blogs, and all over cable and network television – with
DPA staff pitching the stories, shaping the content, and
speaking on air.

Ira Glasser Ethan Nadelmann

President Executive Director
Reducing the Role of
Criminalization in Drug Policy

More than half a million people –

whose only crime was to use,
possess or sell an illegal drug –
are in prisons and jails right now.
These people are overwhelmingly
black and Hispanic. Taxpayers
spend tens of billions of dollars
annually, in direct and indirect
costs, to incarcerate them. DPA’s
approach is grounded in three
principles: freedom, responsibility
and compassion. We believe that
people should not be punished
solely for what they put into their
bodies, but only for crimes that hurt
others. And we know that when
people struggle with drug misuse,
compassion is typically more
effective than punishment.

2 Annual Report 2010: Making Your Voice Heard

DPA is directly confronting excessive criminalization and
incarceration on several critical fronts: by paving the way for a
comprehensive transformation in federal drug policy, by repealing
a “drug-free zone” sentencing enhancement for the first time, by
implementing recent reforms of New York’s infamous Rockefeller
Drug Laws, by limiting the knee-jerk criminalization of Salvia
and K2, by removing unfair barriers for people with criminal
convictions, and by fighting for military veterans caught in the
crossfire of the drug war.
Charting a Course for Federal Reform
While the federal government has yet to significantly shift
drug war resources toward a health-based approach, there are
promising signs that the White House and Congress are
willing to take substantial steps to reorient U.S. drug policy.
While Congressional Democrats and Republicans are
deadlocked over just about every other issue, they worked
together to successfully reform the two-decades-old policy
of punishing crack cocaine offenses 100 times more severely
than powder cocaine offenses. This is the most significant
drug sentencing reform bill in decades, and the first to
explicitly eliminate a mandatory minimum sentence – or to
lower a drug sentence at all – in decades. The 100-to-1 ratio
has caused myriad problems, including perpetuating racial
disparities, wasting taxpayer money, and targeting low-level
February 7, 2010
Tony Newman
Director, Media Relations
wwww.drugpolicy.org
offenders instead of dangerous criminals. African Americans
comprise 82 percent of those convicted for federal crack
cocaine offenses but only 30 percent of crack users, and
62 percent of people convicted for crack offenses were low-
level sellers or lookouts.
The original Senate bill and the bill passed by the House
Judiciary Committee completely eliminated the disparity, but
to get bipartisan and unanimous support it was amended in
committee to only reduce the 100-to-1 disparity to 18-to-1.
Many families will benefit from the change, but it obviously
doesn’t go far enough. DPA considers this bill to be merely
a down payment on completely eliminating the disparity,
and a stepping stone to reforming punitive drug policies
more broadly.
One avenue for instituting this broader change is the blue-
ribbon commission on criminal justice reform proposed by
Virginia Senator Jim Webb, which we hope will be signed
into law this year. The commission would make recommenda-
tions for reducing incarceration, reforming U.S. drug policy,
eliminating racial disparities, improving re-entry efforts, and
expanding access to substance abuse treatment, mental health
services and health care. DPA has met with Senator Webb
several times, and he asked for our help in both lobbying for
passage of his bill and ensuring that the commission prioritizes
drug policy reform.
3
From Punishment to Public Health:
Reducing the Role of Criminalization in Drug Policy
continued
A fitting symbol of the shifting tide in federal policy was
DPA Executive Director Ethan Nadelmann’s testimony before
Congress in April at a hearing on the drug czar’s budget
and work plan. The House Domestic Policy Subcommittee,
which oversees the drug czar’s office, is chaired by one of the
strongest supporters of drug policy reform on Capitol Hill,
Congressman Dennis Kucinich. Representative Kucinich
began the hearing by grilling the drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske,
on the foolishness of wasting money on supply reduction
strategies and criticizing him for failing to embrace the
language and strategies of harm reduction. Nadelmann’s
testimony, by contrast, was received positively, and may well
influence the legislation that emerges from the subcommittee.
New Jersey Repudiates Failed Sentencing Policy
DPA’s efforts in New Jersey over the past seven years have
transformed it from one of the worst states for drug policy
to one of the best. In January, outgoing Governor Jon Corzine
signed a major reform spearheaded by DPA – the nation’s
first law to eliminate “drug-free zone” mandatory minimum
sentencing enhancements. This new legislation gives judges
the discretion to waive the harsh three-year mandatory
sentence for drug law violations within 1,000 feet of a school.
DPA laid the groundwork for the legislation, helped draft the
bill, recruited legislative sponsors, generated hearings, and
garnered support from a remarkable array of allies, including
eight former New Jersey attorneys general.
4 Annual Report 2010: Making Your Voice Heard
“We want to reduce the harms of
drugs and we want to reduce the
harms of our failed policies… In 1980,
we had 50,000 people behind bars on
nonviolent drug charges – now we
have half a million. In 1980, we were
spending a few million dollars on the
drug war – now we’re spending tens
and tens of billions of dollars.”
Ethan Nadelmann
Executive Director
Drug-free zone laws have led to a radical expansion of the
prison system, disproportionately impacting urban Americans,
despite conclusive research showing that they do not reduce
drug activity. The zones cover entire cities, forcing judges to
give stiff mandatory minimum drug sentences. The laws are
racially unjust – 96 percent of those sentenced under these
laws in New Jersey are African American or Latino. Now we’re
working on enacting similar reforms in other states seeking
ways to save money and increase fairness and efficiency in
criminal sentencing.
New York: Making Rockefeller Reform Real
Winning a major legislative reform can take years of hard
work, but implementing the reform often takes many more.
In April 2009, your support enabled DPA to lead the coali-
tion to win reform of New York’s draconian Rockefeller Drug
Laws. We have focused since then on making Rockefeller
reform real – especially ensuring that people unfairly
languishing behind bars are released sooner rather than later.
The reforms allow for the resentencing and release of over
1,200 people currently incarcerated under the Rockefeller
Drug Laws. DPA brought together legal service agencies and
human service organizations that provide reentry services,
including legal help, housing, counseling and job training
to people upon their release from prison. DPA staff met with
officials from the legislature and the Governor’s office, as
well as with the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg,
to encourage coordination of services and smooth implemen-
tation of the reforms.
DPA also created the New Directions coalition to monitor
the reforms. The coalition includes DPA grantees such as
New York Academy of Medicine, the Fortune Society, the
NYC Drug Users Union (VOCAL), Women on the Rise
Telling Her Story (WORTH) and many others.
Tearing Down Unfair Barriers for People with
Criminal Convictions
An estimated one in five Americans has a criminal record –
most commonly the result of a drug law violation. National
research has demonstrated that legal employment reduces
recidivism and is a key factor in ensuring successful reentry
of people leaving jail or prison. Yet 40 percent of employers
won’t consider an application if the candidate reveals that
he or she has a criminal record.
In 2010, DPA spearheaded successful legislation in
New Mexico that removes a major barrier to employment
for people with convictions – the question on government
job applications asking if a person has ever been convicted of
a crime. New Mexico joined Minnesota as the second state
to pass “ban the box” legislation. Under the new law employ-
ers can still ask the question during the final interview and
can conduct background checks if required for the position.
However, it gives people convicted of a crime equal footing
during the application process by delaying the inquiry about
conviction status until the interview process.
“Banning the box” gives people an opportunity to get their
foot in the door for an interview and to be seen for their
qualifications, merits, and job experience – not just as a
person who checked a box.
Beating Back New Prohibitions: DPA Urges Sensible
Regulation of K2 and Salvia
In early 2010, a product known as K2 or Spice that is said
to simulate the psychoactive effects of marijuana came to the
attention of lawmakers across the nation. Even though K2
is relatively new in the U.S., sensational news media reports
have raised its profile and mystique. In March, Kansas became
the first state to criminalize K2, and 10 other states quickly
followed suit.
wwww.drugpolicy.org
DPA is fighting back, urging sensible legislative responses to
K2 such as regulatory controls on sale and possession that
include age restrictions, product labeling requirements, and
marketing, branding and retail display restrictions. Similarly,
in 2009 DPA worked to ensure that California, Maine and
Maryland passed model legislation that regulates and taxes
adult sales of Salvia, while banning sales to minors.
Even as legislators increasingly embrace various drug policy
reforms, the knee-jerk criminalization of K2 and Salvia dem-
onstrates that elected officials still tend to prohibit first, and
ask questions later. We will continue to neutralize this threat
and to ensure that lawmakers learn from the lessons of the
past by passing laws to regulate and control these substances.
Fighting for Veterans Caught in the Drug War
As of 2004, roughly 140,000 veterans were in U.S. state and
federal prisons, with tens of thousands more in county jails.
Research shows that substance misuse is the single greatest
factor associated with the incarceration of veterans.
On Veterans Day, DPA released Healing a Broken System:
Veterans Battling Addiction and Incarceration. The report
examines the significant barriers that veterans face in obtain-
ing effective treatment for mental health and substance
misuse problems, and the tragic consequences of leaving
these wounds of war untreated.
The report comes at a critical time. As more veterans
return from longer and repeated deployments to Iraq and
Afghanistan, the number of incarcerated veterans is likely
to increase significantly. The report recommends changes to
state and federal laws that expand and improve alternatives
to incarceration for veterans who commit nonviolent drug
offenses, overdose prevention programs that target veterans
who misuse substances or take prescription medications,
and increased access to medication-assisted therapies such
as methadone and buprenorphine for veterans who struggle
with opiate dependence.
The report generated favorable media coverage in the
Detroit News, Orange County Register, Oakland Tribune,
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, other regional outlets, and
the Army Times, which is circulated to over two million
servicemen and their families.
5
Sensible Marijuana Regulation

Marijuana prohibition has resulted in more than

20 million arrests since 1970 and has deprived
responsible people of their jobs, educational
opportunities, property and freedom. It is unique
among American criminal laws – no other law is
both enforced so widely and harshly yet deemed
unnecessary by such a substantial portion of the
population. DPA’s efforts focus on making marijuana
legally available for medical purposes, reducing
criminal penalties and arrests for possession, and
ultimately ending marijuana prohibition.

6 Annual Report 2010: Making Your Voice Heard

As Californians prepare to vote on a landmark initiative to tax
and regulate marijuana, the national debate over marijuana
prohibition is heating up like never before. Public opinion is
rapidly shifting, as the proportion of Americans who favor
making marijuana legal has climbed to 40-45 percent – almost
double what it was in the mid-1980s. The Obama adminis-
tration took a major step in the right direction by issuing new
guidelines directing federal agents not to arrest or harass medical
marijuana patients and their sanctioned suppliers who are
obeying state law. DPA played a pivotal role in passing medical
marijuana legislation in New Jersey and a ballot initiative
in Maine, both of which authorize regulated distribution of
marijuana to patients. At the same time, our publications are
highlighting the disparate racial impacts of marijuana prohibi-
tion – especially in California and New York City.
National Marijuana Debate Gets Real
For years, people like you have helped us limit the federal
government’s systematic obstruction of state and local
medical marijuana laws. Now, they have changed their tune.
In October 2009, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
announced new Department of Justice guidelines for pros-
ecuting medical marijuana cases. The guidelines direct
federal drug agents not to arrest or harass medical marijuana
patients and their sanctioned suppliers in states that have
approved the medicine, as long as they are following their
state’s medical marijuana law. Holder’s move provided a
green light for state and local authorities to become involved
in the production and distribution of medical marijuana.
It also sent a persuasive signal to state legislatures around the
country that the federal government will no longer exercise
or threaten federal interference.
Even the U.S. Congress passed historic legislation in
December to end the decade-long ban on implementing a
medical marijuana law approved by Washington, D.C.
voters in 1998. This was the first time Congress has given its
approval to a state or local law that permits medical use of
marijuana. By 2011, there will likely be dispensaries operating
just a stone’s throw from the White House and Capitol Hill.
The widespread acceptance of medical marijuana has
blossomed alongside an increasingly mainstream debate
about regulating and taxing the sale of marijuana. DPA
is working closely with the campaign for California’s
Proposition 19 – which, if approved by voters in November,
will legalize possession and cultivation of small amounts
of marijuana and allow local jurisdictions to regulate its
production and distribution.
wwww.drugpolicy.org
DPA also testified at a California Assembly committee
hearing for Assemblymember Tom Ammiano’s bill, which
DPA assisted in drafting, to regulate and tax marijuana like
alcohol. Although it ultimately died, the bill became the first
such legislation in U.S. history to win a committee vote.
This groundbreaking proposal provoked – and elevated –
national debate about alternative models for legally regulating
marijuana markets.
Medical Marijuana On Its Way to New Jersey
DPA laid the groundwork for New Jersey’s medical marijuana
legislation – enlisting sponsors, crafting hearings, and earning
support from a wide-ranging group of backers. Our goal was
not just to pass a bill – but to ensure that it had the broad
support necessary for successful implementation. We also
focused on organizing advocates and patients to share their
stories with legislators and the media, resulting in impressively
high levels of legislative and editorial support.
The passage of New Jersey’s medical marijuana law made
headlines around the country, including the top of the
front page of the New York Times. What’s innovative about
New Jersey’s law is the high degree of state engagement with
the regulatory process. The bill will allow for the licensing
of centers where qualifying patients can safely access medical
marijuana. While we were disappointed about some compro-
mises made in the final legislation – such as the elimination
of the right of patients to grow their own marijuana – we
will continue to work to improve the law in the coming
years. Over the next year, DPA will work with the state’s
Department of Health and Senior Services on regulations
to implement the legislation.
Maine Voters Overwhelmingly Approve
Medical Marijuana Initiative
Maine voters sent an unmistakable signal of support for
medical marijuana in their state, approving Question 5, the
Maine Medical Marijuana Initiative, with 59 percent of the
vote. DPA worked closely with local Question 5 proponents
and helped to fund the campaign.
DPA played a pivotal role in legalizing medical marijuana
in Maine in 1999 – but it was the only one of the seven medi-
cal marijuana laws that DPA won between 1996-2000 that
was not implemented. Like New Jersey’s new law, Question 5
represents the next generation of cutting edge medical
7
Sensible Marijuana Regulation
continued
marijuana laws that protect licensed distributors, in addition
to patients. It mandates the creation of a regulated system of
medical marijuana distribution to qualified patients through
nonprofit dispensaries, in addition to establishing a statewide
identification card system to protect patients from arrest.
Marijuana Prohibition and Racial Justice
DPA is working to highlight the fact that marijuana prohibi-
tion is a racial justice issue throughout the nation – especially
in California and New York City. Most New Yorkers don’t
know that in 2009, the New York Police Department arrested
close to 50,000 people for marijuana possession at a stagger-
ing cost of nearly $100 million. In the 12 years between 1997
and 2008, the NYPD made more than 10 times the number
March 9, 2010
Stephen Gutwillig
State Director, California
8 Annual Report 2010: Making Your Voice Heard
of marijuana possession arrests than in the previous 12 years,
earning New York City the dubious distinction of being the
“marijuana arrest capital of the world.”
Almost 90 percent of those arrested were black or Latino.
The NYPD arrests Latinos for marijuana possession at four
times the rate of whites, and blacks at seven times the rate of
whites – despite the fact that marijuana use rates are the same
for each group. These arrests for marijuana possession don’t
directly result in long prison sentences, but they do result in
permanent criminal records that disqualify people for jobs,
housing, schooling and student loans.
To raise public awareness, DPA employed innovative tactics,
generating high levels of media attention that made marijuana
arrests a political issue in New York for the first time.
January 14, 2010
Tamar Todd
Staff Attorney
DPA consistently
utilizes the media to
spread the word and
broaden the debate
on drug policy – and
in the past year we
were more successful Stephen Gutwillig, State Director, California
NBC Nightly News
than ever. We have
taken an issue that
hovered at the fringes
of American politics
just 15 years ago and
brought it into the
mainstream without
sacrificing our passion, Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director

our vision or our core

The O’Reilly Factor

principles.

Meagan Johnson, Policy Coordinator, New Jersey

New Jersey Star-Ledger

wwww.drugpolicy.org
Moving Toward a
Health-Based Approach

We advocate for new drug

policies that focus on reducing
the cumulative death, disease,
crime and suffering associated
with both drug use and drug
prohibition. We’re dedicated to
ensuring that people struggling
with addiction have access
to counseling and effective
treatment, including maintenance
therapies such as methadone,
buprenorphine and heroin
maintenance programs. As the
momentum to reduce the role of
criminalization in drug policy
gains steam, policymakers and
the public are more receptive than
ever to health-based approaches.

10 Annual Report 2010: Making Your Voice Heard

May 13, 2010
Bill Piper
Director, National Affairs
DPA is leading the way in addressing the overdose crisis,
making unprecedented gains in expanding and improving access
to sterile syringes to reduce HIV/AIDS, instigating discussions
about the need for heroin maintenance programs and supervised
injection facilities in the U.S., and establishing a model in
California for shifting federal drug war funding to treatment.
Each of these efforts strengthens access to effective drug treatment
services that improve lives and reduce the societal costs of drug
misuse and addiction.
Overdose Emerges as a Major Legislative Issue
Since 1990, accidental overdose deaths in the U.S. have
quadrupled to over 26,000, and now represent the second-
leading cause of injury-related death in the U.S. DPA is at
the forefront of innovative efforts to reduce overdose fatalities.
Our efforts primarily focus on two goals: improving access to
the overdose reversal drug, naloxone, and passing life-saving
911 Good Samaritan laws, which encourage people witness-
ing an overdose to call 911 without fear of arrest.
DPA has taken the lead in making this an issue on Capitol
Hill. Thirty-one Members of Congress are now co-sponsors
of the Drug Overdose Reduction Act, a federal bill drafted
and supported by DPA that was introduced by Maryland
Representative Donna Edwards. The overdose bill would
direct federal dollars to overdose prevention programs,
wwww.drugpolicy.org
research efforts, and data collection systems. In May,
DPA held a federal briefing on Capitol Hill to educate law-
makers and their staff about policy solutions to the crisis.
In 2010, more than a dozen states across the country
considered legislation to slow the growing overdose crisis,
and Washington became the second state in the country to
pass a 911 Good Samaritan bill. The first, we’re proud to
say, was passed in New Mexico in 2007 – a direct result of
DPA’s efforts.
Our major report, Preventing Overdose, Saving Lives, has
helped shape the debate about harm reduction approaches
to the epidemic. Since last year, DPA has been hosting an
ongoing series of teleconferences to educate the public about
advocating for this lifesaving legislation. We also created
an overdose legislation advocacy guide, available at
www.drugpolicy.org/overdose, to teach interested members
of the public how to become effective advocates.
Our objective, working with local governments and allies
like the Harm Reduction Coalition, is to dramatically reduce
overdose fatalities – without undermining legitimate access
to pain medication.
11
Moving Toward a Health-Based Approach
continued
Starving the Drug War in California
As part of the 2009 federal stimulus package, California
received $225 million in federal Byrne Justice Assistance
Grants funding – about ten times the state’s typical annual
allocation. Historically, Byrne Grants have fueled many of
the worst drug war practices in California (as they have across
the nation), including drug task forces that generate thou-
sands of low-level possession arrests each year. Every Byrne
Grant dollar spent on arrests generates roughly $10 in new
costs to the state, none of which are covered by the grants.
Concerned that such a huge injection of dollars into
California’s drug task forces would lead to a jump in new
arrests and drug war waste, DPA led a successful, precedent-
setting campaign to redirect the funds to more sensible and
cost-effective programs. Our effort is now paying off for
the state’s 58 counties, which received $100 million for
community-based drug treatment, probation and re-entry
courts – money that would otherwise have been used to
finance costly and wasteful arrests. Based on previous
cost-benefit analyses, this investment is expected to reduce
state costs by over $200 million.
12
Congress Finally Overturns
Syringe Access Funding Ban
In December 2009, the movement experienced a watershed
moment when the two-decades-old policy banning cities and
states from using federal HIV/AIDS prevention money on
syringe access programs was finally lifted. Congress passed the
measure and the president signed it in December. Thanks to
your support, thousands of lives will be saved.
Ending the syringe funding ban is a huge victory for
HIV/AIDS prevention and drug policy reform. DPA and
numerous allies have worked hard on this issue since the
1990s. We couldn’t have succeeded without strong leadership
from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Congressmen
David Obey and Jose Serrano, and Delegate Eleanor Holmes
Norton, who responded to pressure from advocates urging
them to stand up for science over drug war hysteria.
“The time to act is now. Too many
people are dying needlessly. In 2006
(the last year for which data is
available), 26,000 Americans died
from accidental drug overdose – that’s
the highest number ever recorded.”
Meghan Ralston
Harm Reduction Coordinator
Annual Report 2010: Making Your Voice Heard
The legislation not only overturns the syringe funding ban
but eliminates troubling provisions that the House passed
early in 2009. While there are some troubling restrictions in
the bill, it is groundbreaking that federal money is flowing
to syringe access programs around the country.
The science overwhelmingly shows that syringe access
programs reduce the spread of infectious diseases without
increasing drug use. On the campaign trail, President Obama
called for treating drug use as a health issue instead of a
criminal justice issue, and promised to base policy decisions
on science rather than politics. While the Obama administra-
tion has yet to shift the majority of drug war funding toward
this approach, this is a sign that the administration is willing
to take substantial steps to reorient U.S. drug policy toward
a health-based approach.
Building Support for the First Supervised Injection
Facility in the U.S.
Supervised injection facilities (SIFs) are places where people
can safely inject drugs and connect to health care services –
from primary care to treat disease and infection, to addiction
counseling and treatment. As of 2009 there were 92 facilities
operating in 61 cities around the world – but none in the U.S.
DPA continues to be an active part of the campaign to
build support for a SIF in San Francisco. As part of the
local coalition Alliance for Saving Lives, DPA co-sponsored
a symposium on supervised injection facilities in 2007 that
brought researchers and advocates from Vancouver to talk
about the success of Insite, North America’s first and only
SIF. The evidence from Insite, as well as from dozens of SIFs
in other countries, is that they are effective in reducing new
HIV infections, overdose deaths, and public nuisance – and
that they do not increase drug use or criminal activity.
DPA is currently working with advocates, service provid-
ers, and community members in San Francisco to create the
political will to support a SIF. In 2010, the MAC AIDS Fund
gave DPA a groundbreaking grant to advocate for a SIF in
San Francisco. DPA is conducting research on perceptions
of the public safety implications of a SIF, and planning to
lead a visit to Insite in Vancouver for some of San Francisco’s
key stakeholders and policymakers. A broad array of
supporters – researchers, doctors, drug users, advocates,
police officers and even political candidates – have spoken out
in favor of a SIF in San Francisco.
wwww.drugpolicy.org
(Re-)Starting the Conversation: Heroin Maintenance in
the United States
Heroin maintenance programs allow people who are addicted
to illegal heroin and have not succeeded in other programs
to obtain pharmaceutical-grade heroin legally from clinics.
Empirical studies from Canada, Germany, England, the
Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland show that this cutting
edge treatment innovation is cost-effective, successful at
reducing criminality and problematic drug use, and improves
the mental and physical health of participants.
While a research trial in the U.S. remains several years away,
DPA has a long-term commitment to establishing heroin
maintenance programs in North America. In 1998, we
initiated the discussions that led to Canada’s successful trial,
the North American Opiate Medication Initiative (NAOMI).
The results, published in 2009 in a groundbreaking article
in the New England Journal of Medicine, provide compelling
evidence that heroin maintenance is effective for people who
have not succeeded with methadone maintenance.
In January 2010, DPA and George Washington University
convened a public forum in Washington, D.C., to discuss
heroin maintenance. DPA staff was joined by researchers from
Germany and Canada, scholars, students, activists, journal-
ists and elected officials. Washington, D.C. Councilmember
Tommy Wells gave opening remarks at the forum. “I am
proud that my city is hosting this event and am interested
to learn more about the positive impact that heroin-assisted
treatment has shown on problematic heroin use, HIV/AIDS
and street crime,” said Wells.
Ultimately, DPA supports heroin maintenance programs not
just because of the powerful evidence that they save lives –
but also because of our commitment to the principle that
science should not be trumped by politics. Furthermore,
heroin maintenance can transform people’s understanding
of the nature of addiction – by demonstrating that addiction
is not just about a particular drug, but about the legal and
social context in which it is used.
13
Empowering Youth,
Parents and Educators

DPA promotes effective drug education for youth that

moves beyond inaccurate, fear-based messages and
zero-tolerance policies by offering honest, reality-based
information grounded in dialogue and trust. Parents and
schools understandably want children to abstain, but a
fallback strategy is needed for those teens who just say
“yes” or “maybe” or “sometimes” to alcohol and other
drug use. Our Safety First and Just4Teens materials
provide parents and educators with honest information
about alcohol and other drugs, as well as realistic
options for dealing with adolescent drug use.

14 Annual Report 2010: Making Your Voice Heard

In New Mexico, DPA implemented federally-funded interactive
workshops on effective drug education for hundreds of school
personnel and drug prevention specialists. In California, we’re
organizing parents affected by the drug war to generate main-
stream calls for widespread drug policy reform, and challenging
the wasteful and counterproductive practice of random student
drug testing. Nationally, we’re playing a key role in persuading
Congress to cut federal funding for the drug czar’s ineffective,
decades-old media campaign.
A Model for Effective Drug Education
In fall 2008, DPA released Just4Teens: Let’s Talk about Meth
and Other Drugs, an innovative drug education video featur-
ing the voices of young people, prevention specialists, and
adults in recovery. Rejecting the fear-based “Just Say No!”
messages still used in schools and prevention programs,
Just4Teens focuses on honest, open and respectful discussion
with teens about their experiences and the realities of drugs
and drug use today.
Since the release of Just4Teens, DPA has been facilitating
interactive research-based workshops on effective drug
education for school personnel and community prevention
specialists. To date, DPA has trained over 1,500 teachers,
counselors and prevention specialists. By utilizing a capacity-
building train-the-trainer model, DPA has reached large
numbers of youth with honest, reality-based drug education.
Curtailing Wasteful Federal Media Spending
Over the past two decades, billions of taxpayer dollars
have been spent warning, scaring and threatening America’s
young people with abstinence-only messages. Still, national
surveys indicate that over half of American teenagers have
experimented with an illegal drug and 80% have tried
alcohol before they finish high school.
For years, DPA has worked to educate members of
Congress about the failure – as documented in evaluations
commissioned by the National Institute on Drug Abuse –
of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. In 2008,
Congress cut funding for this program from $100 million
to $60 million. In 2010, DPA’s work paid off again when
a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee made a
landmark move by completely eliminating funding for the
program. The Senate voted to continue funding the program,
however, and a compromise will likely be reached later
this year.
wwww.drugpolicy.org
Organizing Parents to End the Drug War
More and more parents are realizing that the drug war did
nothing to protect their children – and even made their lives
more dangerous. DPA is collaborating with our longtime
grantee, A New PATH, to launch an initiative called Moms
United to End the War on Drugs. This campaign is an ex-
plicit movement-building initiative that harnesses the moral
authority of parents to highlight the drug war’s failures and to
generate mainstream calls for widespread drug policy reform.
In April 2010, Moms United staged a rally and vigil in
San Diego, followed by similar events in Orange County,
Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco and finally at the
state capitol in Sacramento this fall.
Challenging Random Student Drug Testing
Promoting and expanding random student drug testing was
a top priority of the drug czar’s office during the Bush admin-
istration, and DPA is working diligently to ensure that the
new administration ceases support for this invasive, unproven,
expensive and counterproductive practice.
DPA has partnered with the ACLU to block the expansion
of random, suspicionless drug testing of students in California
schools. In May 2010, DPA filed an amicus curiae brief in
a key case in Mt. Shasta, California, supporting a student’s
challenge to the policy of random drug testing of students as
a condition of participation in co-curricular activities, such
as math club, chess club, choir or band.
Random student drug testing deters students from partici-
pating in co-curricular activities and thus denies important
educational, social and health benefits to students, particularly
those most at risk. Ultimately, DPA is committed to this issue
not just because scientific research does not support the safety
or efficacy of random student drug testing – but because it
undermines trust in student-teacher relationships and distorts
the proper allocation of responsibility among parents, doctors,
schools and other sources of support.
15
Reaching New Audiences,
Transforming Public Discourse

DPA is at the vanguard of the

burgeoning drug policy reform
movement. While much of our day-
to-day work involves organizing and
leading political coalitions to advance
specific policy objectives, we also
“connect the dots” among the many
issues related to drug policy reform
to build consensus around the
basic organizing strategies of the
movement. We help start and mentor
local drug policy reform organiza-
tions and provide media, organizing
and funding support. We have taken
an issue that hovered at the fringes
of American politics just 15 years ago
and brought it into the mainstream
without sacrificing our passion, our
vision or our core principles.

16 Annual Report 2010: Making Your Voice Heard

DPA consistently utilizes the media to spread the word and
broaden the debate on drug policy – and in the past year we were
more successful than ever. We have also expanded our capacity
to reach new audiences by broadening our online activism and
social networking reach. The International Drug Policy Reform
Conference – in New Mexico in 2009 and Los Angeles in 2011 –
is the principal gathering of drug policy reformers from around
the world. Our efforts are putting drug policy reform on the
agendas of thought leaders and organizations around the world.
Provoking Debate
The greatest obstacles to sensible drug policy reform are fear
and ignorance – and the only solution is public education that
engages the media and excites the public. We pitch stories every
day to reporters and columnists, send out press releases, draft
op-eds for publication by staff and other prominent public
figures, debate on talk radio, appear on television, and speak
to audiences all across the country and around the world.
We react to breaking news, and we make our own news, always
with an eye toward informing the public in ways that advance
our objectives. In the past year, DPA was quoted in over
1,000 news stories, and published dozens of op-eds in national
and regional papers.
DPA’s executive director, Ethan Nadelmann, is increasingly
presented with invitations from influential organizations.
He got the message out at annual conferences and special
events sponsored by organizations such as the Campaign for
THE HUFFINGTON POST
March 31, 2010
Sting
DPA International
Honorary
Board Member
America’s Future, NAACP, Democracy Alliance, American
Society of Addiction Medicine, American Academy of Addiction
Psychiatry, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy,
Institute of the Americas, TIDES Momentum, Milken Institute,
and Young Elected Officials Network.
New Technologies, New Audiences
Like most other non-profit organizations, DPA suffered a
reduction in funding during the economic crisis that required us
to severely cut expenses. But we managed to stabilize and finish
the fiscal year on a solid footing. Thanks to your support, we are
now positioned to grow into an even more powerful and effective
organization.
DPA has significantly increased its capacity to exert influence
online by broadening its social networking reach and expanding
its email messaging program. The number of online subscribers
to DPA’s online action network increased by 70 percent in
fiscal year 2009-10, and we’ve drawn in thousands more sup-
porters through our use of Facebook, Twitter, online video and
text-to-give campaigns.
One example of DPA’s ability to reach new audiences through
both traditional and online media is our new promotional video
featuring George Soros, Montel Williams and Sting. Fox News
ran several segments about the video, including one in which
Ethan Nadelmann debated Bill O’Reilly on The O’Reilly Factor
about the failures of the drug war. To our delight, Fox News’
attacks dramatically increased viewership of the video.
New Possibilities Energize Biennial DPA Conference
Last November, the movement came together at the 2009
International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Albuquerque,
New Mexico. It was our strongest, most diverse coalition of people,
issues, co-hosts and partner organizations yet. The conference
focused on the rapidly changing political climate and forward-
thinking issues, reflecting the diversity of our growing movement.
We raised dedicated funds to grant conference scholarships,
enabling 300 students, activists and others the opportunity to
attend the conference at little or no cost.
The Reform Conference wasn’t just a conference – it was an
intellectual, political, emotional and even spiritual feast. One
participant described the conference as a cross between a top-level
policy conference and a three day revival meeting.
We will convene in 2011 in Los Angeles from November 2-5 for
what we fully expect will be our largest and most dynamic gathering
ever. We hope to see you there.
17
Annual Report 2010: Making Your Voice Heard
Foundation Support
DPA received support from nineteen
local and national foundations this
year. Most support specific parts of our
agenda that align most closely with their
own organizational priorities, on issues
including racial justice, prison reform,
human rights, civil liberties, HIV/AIDS
prevention and community health.
Angelica Foundation
Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Consumer Health Foundation
Fund for Nonviolence
Herb Block Foundation
Hugh M. Hefner Foundation
Zanvyl & Isabelle Krieger Fund
Libra Foundation
Livingry Fund
MAC AIDS Fund
Curtis W. McGraw Foundation
Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation
Open Society Institute
Public Welfare Foundation
Rosenberg Foundation
San Francisco Foundation
Santa Fe Community Foundation
Syringe Access Fund
Doris Goodwin Walbridge Foundation
wwww.drugpolicy.org
2009-2010 Advocacy
Grant Awardees
The Drug Policy Alliance Advocacy
Grants Program seeks to promote
policy change and advance drug
policy reform at local, state and national
levels by strategically funding smaller,
geographically limited or single-issue
organizations and projects. Endowed
annually at a level of roughly $1.2 million,
the Advocacy Grants program works
to raise awareness and promote policy
change through two vehicles: the
Promoting Policy Change Program and
the Rapid Response Program.
Organizations are national unless
otherwise indicated.
Promoting Policy Change
$50,000
DrugSense
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
$40,000
Center on Juvenile and Criminal
Justice (CA)
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
New York Academy of Medicine
The Ordinary People’s Society (AL)
$20,000 to $35,000
A New PATH (CA)
Alabama Citizens for Drug Policy Reform
Albany County District Attorney,
David Soares (NY)
AlterNet
The Bronx Defenders (NY)
California Society of Addiction Medicine
Colorado Criminal Justice
Reform Coalition
Families for Freedom (NY)
Harm Reduction Therapy Center (CA)
Homeless Youth Alliance (CA)
Institute for Metropolitan Affairs,
Roosevelt University (IL)
Justice Strategies
New England Policy Advocates
Northwest Community Care
Network (NC)
Project South Institute for the Elimination
of Poverty and Genocide (GA)
VOCAL (NY)
Voluntary Committee of Lawyers
Volunteers of America,
Delaware Valley (NJ)
Women on the Rise
Telling Her Story (NY)
Less than $20,000
ACLU of Mississippi
Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization
Direct Action for Rights and Equality (RI)
DRCNet Foundation
Drug Policy Education Group (AR)
Drug Policy Forum of Hawai`i
Drug Policy Forum of Kansas
Drug Truth Network
Families Act (CA)
The Fortune Society (NY)
Homeless Youth Alliance (CA)
Los Angeles Community Action Network
Mothers Against Teen Violence (TX)
New Mexico Women’s Justice Project
Partnership for Safety and Justice (OR)
Regional Congregations and
Neighborhood Organizations (CA)
Utah Support Advocates for
Recovery Awareness
Rapid Response
$20,000 to $25,000
Main Street Solutions (ME)
National Association of Social Workers
Working Families Organization (NY)
$10,000 to $19,999
Maine Citizens for Patients Rights
Colorado Criminal Justice
Reform Coalition
Pennsylvania Prison Society
People Serving a Larger Mission (CA)
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Women with a Vision (LA)
Less than $10,000
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
Institute for Metropolitan Affairs,
Roosevelt University (IL)
Voluntary Committee of Lawyers
Harm Reduction Action Center (CO)
19
DPA Honorary Board DPA Board of Directors

Former Mayor Rocky Anderson Christine Downton

Harry Belafonte Former Vice Chairman and Founding Partner of
Former Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci Pareto Partners
Congressman John Conyers, Jr.
Walter Cronkite [1916-2009] Jodie Evans
Ram Dass Co-founder, CODEPINK
Dr. Vincent Dole [1913-2006]
Former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders James E. Ferguson, II
Judge Nancy Gertner Senior Partner, Ferguson, Stein, Chambers Law Offices
Former Police Chief Penny Harrington
Calvin Hill Jason Flom
Arianna Huffington President, Lava Records
Former Governor Gary Johnson
Judge John Kane Ira Glasser, DPA Board President
Former Attorney General Nicholas deB. Katzenbach Former Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union
Former Police Chief Joseph McNamara
Former Police Commissioner Patrick V. Murphy Carl Hart, PhD
Dr. Beny J. Primm New York State Psychiatric Institute
Dennis Rivera
Former Mayor Kurt Schmoke Kenneth Hertz
Dr. Charles Schuster Senior Partner, Goldring Hertz and Lichtenstein LLP
Alexander Shulgin
Former Secretary of State George P. Shultz Mathilde Krim, PhD
Russell Simmons Founding Chair, American Foundation for AIDS Research
Judge Robert Sweet (amfAR)
Former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Paul Volcker
David C. Lewis, MD
Founding Director, Center for Alcohol and Addiction
Studies, Brown University

Pamela Lichty
President, Drug Policy Forum of Hawai`i

International Ethan Nadelmann, JD, PhD

Honorary Board Executive Director, Drug Policy Alliance
(In formation)
Robert Newman, MD
Director, Baron Edmond de Rothschild Chemical
Dependency Institute at Beth Israel Medical Center
Ruth Dreifuss
Former President of the Swiss Confederation Rev. Edwin Sanders, DPA Board Secretary
Senior Servant, Metropolitan Interdenominational
Václav Havel Church Coordinator, Religious Leaders for a More Just and
Former President of the Czech Republic Compassionate Drug Policy

Sting George Soros

Chairman, Soros Fund Management

John Vasconcellos
Former California State Senator
Co-Founder, The Politics of Trust

Richard B. Wolf, DPA Board Treasurer

Chairman of Board, Consolidated Dye

22 Annual Report 2010: Making Your Voice Heard

DPA Staff
Management Team
Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director
Derek Hodel, Deputy Executive Director
Ryan Chavez, Managing Director, Finance and Administration
DeDe Dunevant, Managing Director, Communications
Jill Harris, Managing Director, Public Policy
Clovis Thorn, Managing Director, Development
Communications
Jag Davies, Publications Manager
DeDe Dunevant, Managing Director, Communications
Megan Farrington, Deputy Director, Internet Communications
Jeanette Irwin, Director, Internet Communications
Stefanie Jones, Event Manager
Tommy McDonald, Deputy Director, Media Relations
Tony Newman, Director, Media Relations
Anthony Papa, Manager, Media Relations
Derek Rosenfeld, Internet Communications Associate
Development
Rafael De Arce, Manager, Membership and
Development Operations
David Glowka, Manager, Foundation Relations
Judh Grandchamps, Gift Entry Associate
Clovis Thorn, Managing Director, Development
Finance and Administration
David Abbott, Office Manager
Teresa Bonomo, Administrative Associate
Ryan Chavez, Managing Director, Finance and Administration
Lina Mingoia, Human Resources Manager
Yair Tygiel, Executive Associate to Ethan Nadelmann
Candida Ventimiglia, Controller
wwww.drugpolicy.org
Policy
Jill Harris, Managing Director, Public Policy
Movement Building
asha bandele, Director, Advocacy Grants Program
Yolande Cadore, Director, Strategic Partnerships
Office of Legal Affairs
Daniel N. Abrahamson, Director, Legal Affairs
Theshia Naidoo, Staff Attorney
Daniel Robelo, Research Associate
Tamar Todd, Staff Attorney
Office of National Affairs
Emily Brooks, Legislative Associate
Bill Piper, Director, National Affairs
Grant Smith, Federal Policy Coordinator
Jasmine Tyler, Deputy Director, National Affairs
State Policy Offices
California
Margaret Dooley-Sammuli, Deputy State Director,
Southern California
Jessica Gelay, Administrative Associate, Southern California
Stephen Gutwillig, State Director, California
Jennifer Jain, Administrative Associate, San Francisco
Meghan Ralston, Harm Reduction Coordinator,
Southern California
Marsha Rosenbaum, Director Emerita, San Francisco and
Safety First Program
Laura Thomas, Deputy State Director, San Francisco
New Jersey
Amanda Bent, Administrative Associate
Meagan Johnson, Policy Coordinator
Roseanne Scotti, State Director, New Jersey
New Mexico
Sheila Lewis, Interim State Director, New Mexico
New York
Kassandra Frederique, Policy Associate
Evan Goldstein, Policy Coordinator
gabriel sayegh, State Director, New York
23
Financial Statements
Drug Policy Alliance, a 501(c)(3) Organization
DPA Statement of Financial Position FY2010
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents $ 4,279,990
Investments $ 616,000
Grants receivable $ 2,012,180
Accounts receivable $ 29,021
Prepaid expenses and other assets $ 105,515
Deposits $ 84,580
Property, equipment and leasehold
improvements, net $ 110,144
Total Assets $ 7,237,430
LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
Liabilities
Accounts payable and
accrued expenses $ 150,157
Compensated absences $ 205,975
Total Liabilities $ 356,132
Net Assets
Unrestricted $ 4,097,826
Temporarily restricted $ 2,783,472
Total Net Assets $ 6,881,298
Total Liabilities and Net Assets $ 7,237,430
DPA Statement of Activities FY2010
SUPPORT AND REVENUE
Contributions unrestricted $ 5,022,518
Contributions temporarily restricted $ 2,467,500
Conference and other income $ 1,447,435
Total Income $ 8,937,453
EXPENSES
Program Expenses
Conferences $ 372,967
Communications $ 1,285,901
Health and harm reduction $ 6,332
Public policy and legal affairs $ 2,106,358
Treatment and prevention $ 182,196
Special projects $ 483,181
Grants $ 1,266,412
Support Services
Management $ 1,413,815
Fundraising $ 1,247,776
Total Expenses $ 8,364,938
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS $ 572,515
Net Assets, beginning of year $ 6,308,783
Net Assets, end of year $ 6,881,298
24
Drug Policy Action, a 501(c)(4) Organization
Drug Policy Action Statement of Financial Position FY2010
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,411,864
Investments $ 1,242,000
Accrued interest receivable $ 1,218
Total Assets $ 2,655,082
LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
Liabilities
Accounts payable and
accrued expenses $ 39,293
Net Assets
Unrestricted $ 2,615,789
Total Liabilities and Net Assets $ 2,655,082
Drug Policy Action Statement of Activities FY2010
SUPPORT AND REVENUE
Grants and contributions $ 720,000
Membership $ 110,139
Investment income $ 11,089
Miscellaneous income $ 50,000
Total Income $ 891,228
EXPENSES
Program Expenses
Consulting $ 129,771
Campaign donations $ 7,850
Ballot initiatives $ 12,297
Advertising and marketing $ 13,595
Insurance $ 1,685
Seminars and conferences $ 200
Miscellaneous $ 10,730
Support Services
Administrative expenses $ 126,902
Professional fees $ 53,397
Total Expenses $ 356,427
CHANGE IN NET ASSETS $ 534,801
Net Assets, beginning of year $ 2,080,988
Net Assets, end of year $ 2,615,789
Annual Report 2010: Making Your Voice Heard
We are the Drug Policy
Alliance and we envision
a just society in which the
use and regulation of drugs
are grounded in science,
compassion, health and
human rights, in which people
are no longer punished for
what they put into their own
bodies but only for crimes
committed against others, and
in which the fears, prejudices
and punitive prohibitions of
today are no more.

Please join us.

wwww.drugpolicy.org
California
DPA Office of Legal Affairs
Berkeley, CA
legalaffairs@drugpolicy.org

Los Angeles, CA
la@drugpolicy.org

San Francisco, CA
sf@drugpolicy.org

District of Columbia
DPA Office of National Affairs
Washington, D.C.
dc@drugpolicy.org

New Jersey
Trenton, NJ
nj@drugpolicy.org

New Mexico
Santa Fe, NM
nm@drugpolicy.org

New York
Drug Policy Alliance Headquarters
70 West 36th Street
16th floor
New York, NY 10018

212.613.8020 voice
212.613.8021 fax
nyc@drugpolicy.org

www.drugpolicy.org

Annual Report 2010: Making Your Voice Heard