Drug Policy FOUNDATION

1988 & 1989 Biennial Report PREFACE

“The Drug Policy Foundation was created by people who were convinced that the excesses of the massive worldwide war on drugs were an evil that had to be openly opposed by good men and women everywhere. While the founders of the organization were Americans, they had sympathetic colleagues in many countries who urged them on and joined them in this effort. These citizens and officials constitute what may be termed the loyal opposition to the war on drugs. They support the worldwide effort to control drug-related crime and corruption, to combat predatory criminal syndicate, to ameliorate the tragedies of drug abuse, and to improve public health. But they oppose many of the extremist tactics and counterproductive strategies now used in this effort.

The Foundation believes that peaceful methods offer the best hope for curbing drug abuse while preserving the constitutional rights of all. Through research, education, legal action, and public information programs the Drug Policy Foundation hopes to delineate rational models of effective drug policy reform for the nations of the world. The first step is to convince the public and policy makers that opposition to the drug war is decent and humane….

Contrary to claims made by drug warriors, we in the reformist movement are not “pro-drug”. We are concerned about the negative health effect. We are concerned about the negative health effects of drugs, but we see the problem aggravated by a prohibitionists policy. Drug prohibition provides criminals a thriving black market that generates obscene profits. These criminals use their money to buy guns and bribe police. Overworked police fight a losing battle with the drug gangs.

We in the movement are alarmed at the harsh, mandatory penalties for drugs. In some places, a rock or two of crack will land a user in prison for at least 10 years. As a result, prison overcrowding has reached crisis proportions, and the United States has the largest prison population in the Western world.

The avid enforcement of drug laws has the perverse effect of increasing drug abuse. Not only do we see our neighborhoods getting more dangerous, but we see increasingly potent drugs and the rapid spread of AIDS.

The Foundation is an education, research and legal center. It publishes books, articles and newsletters; rewards peoples for outstanding achievement in the field off drug policy; responds to media and scholarly information requests; presents regular forums and an annual international conference; and represents in court those wronged by the drug war.

The foundation is a charitable corporation under the laws of the District of Columbia and section 501 ©(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Thus all contributions to the foundation are tax deductible. To maintain its independence, the Drug Policy Foundation neither seeks nor will it accept government funding. The Foundation is supported through the contributions of hundreds of private citizens and organizations.

The Drug Policy Foundation extends thanks to those persons and organizations who provided vital support during 1988-89. Special thanks go to our thee largest contributors: the Chicago Resource Center and its president, Richard Dennis, and executive director Mary Ann Snyder; the Linnell Foundation in Boston, Mass., and the late Robert Linnell; and Anne “Petey” Cerf of Lawrence, Kan. Their support was and continues to be invaluable to the work of the Foundation.

While the Drug Policy Foundation has outstanding counsel in Kevin Zeese, the leading Washington law firm Covington and Burling accepted the Foundation as a pro bono publico [for the public good] client in regard to corporate and tax matters in 1988. We have received valuable advice from Marialuisa Gallozzi, the Covington and Burling associate assigned to take primary responsibility for advising the Foundation. Having Covington and Burling in our corner is a source of great comfort.”

With the assistance of good people everywhere, we look forward to the challenges facing us in the 1990s. We will continue to build an enduring institution for rational drug policy reform.”

Arnold S. Trebach and Kevin B. Zeese
Washington, D.C.
March 1990