Pubdate: Wed, 08 Oct 2003
Source: Cornell Daily Sun, The (NY Edu)
Copyright: 2003 The Cornell Daily Sun, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.cornelldailysun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1758
Author: Irena Djuric

FIGHTING THE WAR ON DRUGS

Ethan Nadelmann, drug policy reform activist and former Princeton 
professor, spoke to students yesterday about building a political movement 
to end the war on drugs while also discussing his role as an activist 
within the movement.

Nadelmann said that the government's current drug war is "doing more harm 
than good," arguing that non-violent drug use should be treated "primarily 
as a health issue, not a criminal justice issue." He addressed the need for 
harm-reduction intervention that would treat drug offenders instead of 
incarcerating them.

Nadelmann's movement has called upon ballot initiative legislation to 
reform drug policy at the state level. In Arizona and California, two such 
initiatives were passed to make treatment available to non-violent drug 
offenders rather than sending them to jail.

In the case of the California initiative, proposition 36, 61 percent of the 
voting population supported treatment and was willing to double state 
funding for that treatment, according to Nadelmann. Even though funding was 
doubled, taxpayers saved a total of 1.5 billion dollars over five years for 
not having to expand the prison system.

"We can't be a drug-free society. The real challenge is learning to live 
with drugs while at the same time minimizing their harmful effects," he 
said. Whereas the United States continues to spend money on making our 
society "drug-free," Nadelmann argued that the issue needs to be viewed 
more realistically. Regarding drugs, he said, "it's gonna be produced 
legally or illegally -- one way or another." Because, as he said, "you 
can't change people's desires," the goal of the government should be to 
minimize harm to drug users.

According to Nadelmann, in the United States, "250,000-300,00 people are 
infected or dead because of dirty needle use." He explained that In 
Australia and Great Britain, the HIV rate is between 5 and 10 percent, 
whereas in the United States, nearly half of intravenous drug users in the 
1980's and 90's had contracted HIV. Nadelmann proposes that the government 
should, at the very least, make drug use safer for those who are determined 
to do them, supporting harm reduction programs such as safe needle exchanges.

He also stressed that many diverse groups of activists must work together 
to make an impact on drug policy reform: "The growing movement has its own 
internal divisions," he said, continuing, "Some people see the issue as one 
of racial justice and don't care about the other stuff. Some come from a 
medical marijuana standpoint, some from a libertarian standpoint ... and 
for some people, it's about hallucinogens. We're all part of the same 
puzzle." Nadelmann addressed the need to attack the issue from all sides 
since many organizations, from HIV advocacy groups to women's groups, have 
a stake in the matter.

Nadelmann's interest in drug policy reform was piqued as a grad student at 
Harvard. He worked in the state department's narcotics unit, interviewed 
drug enforcement agents and saw how those incarcerated for drug possession 
were treated. "It was an interesting form of graduate research," he said.

To date, Nadelmann has attracted national interest in drug policy reform 
through articles in journals like International Organization, Daedalus and 
Foreign Policy. He has also appeared on many news shows, including 
Nightline and Larry King Live, and has written a book, Cops Across Borders. 
Additionally, he is the founder and executive director of the Drug Policy 
Alliance, a nonprofit organization. The Alliance's stated mission is "to 
end the war on drugs and promote new drug policies based on science, 
compassion, health and human rights," according to the organization's website.

Students reacted positively to the lecture. "I didn't realize the amount of 
issues involved," said Max Bushell '06.

"It's nice to see someone recognizing that there are two sides to an issue. 
All those people in one way or another are affected by this," said Seth 
Palmer '06. "He definitely grabbed me -- I was pulled in."

"I thought he was a genius to tell you the truth," said Daniel Truini '06.

Prof. Mary Katzenstein, government, said that the decision to invite 
Nadelmann to campus had a lot of support. "He's one of those rare 
individuals who has been able to bridge academia and activism." Nadelmann's 
visit was sponsored by the University Lectures committee, the Peace Studies 
Program, the American Studies Program, the Department of Government and the 
Cornell Program for the Study of Contentious Politics.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman