ro4eva
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2004
- Messages
- 3,881
Twenty years ago, Ethan Nadelmann left his teaching position at Princeton University to become a full-time advocate for ending the drug war. As the founding executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), the largest and most influential organization promoting drug policies grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights, Ethan's vision and leadership have had a monumental impact on public opinion and changed the course of history.
Take a few minutes, as soon as you can, to hear Ethan Nadelmann's newly released TED Talk that's featured as today's lead item at TED.com. There is a good reason for the standing ovation Ethan received at the conclusion. The ideas he presents are provocative, enlightening and becoming more mainstream than anyone could have imagined when he began his activism more than two decades ago.
For anyone wondering, and unless it's noted elsewhere (and I'm blind), the speech was recorded last month in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Drug Policy Alliance has reformed state and federal laws involving drug sentencing, access to sterile syringes to reduce HIV/AIDS, addiction treatment, prevention of overdose fatalities, and all aspects of marijuana policy. DPA and its lobbying arm, Drug Policy Action, played an instrumental role in securing monumental drug policy reform victories in the recent midterm elections, including marijuana legalization in Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C., marijuana decriminalization in New Mexico, medical marijuana in Guam, and groundbreaking criminal justice and sentencing reforms in New Jersey and California.
Ethan is drug policy advisor to George Soros and other prominent philanthropists as well as elected officials ranging from mayors, governors and state and federal legislators in the U.S. to presidents and cabinet ministers outside the U.S. He and the Drug Policy Alliance have worked closely with the Global Commission on Drug Policy, whose members include global leaders and luminaries like Sir Richard Branson and Kofi Annan, to break the taboo on public discussion of non-prohibitionist drug policies.
"I've dedicated my life to building an organization and a movement of people who believe we have no choice but to turn our back on the failed prohibitions of the past and embrace new drug policies grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights," Nadelmann told the audience. "We come from across the political spectrum and almost every other spectrum as well. We're people who love drugs, people who hate drugs, and people who don't give a damn about drugs, but every one of us believe that this war on drugs -- this heartless and disastrous war on drugs -- has got to end."
TED is a nonprofit devoted to "ideas worth spreading" and Ethan is a passionate and tireless proponent for restoring sanity and humanity to drug policy: an idea whose time has come.
Further Reading - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharda-sekaran/ethan-nadelmanns-fiery-te_b_6146410.html
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What a great speech by a great man. And an outstanding job of contributing to the eventual end of this oppressive, discriminatory, destructive, and futile war on (certain) drugs which is now in its 43rd year and has not met any of its official goals - not by a long shot.
I'm so glad that more and more people continue to speak out against what is, and has always been - in my opinion - a violation of basic human rights.
I'm so glad that we have a strong base of educated, like-minded, anti-drug war individuals from all walks of life.
Non profit organizations such as LEAP, DPA, and NORML continue to devote their time and resources to further undermining what is clearly one of the greatest man-made causes of needless human suffering and despair in the history of mankind. An era of unjust oppression which began for reasons having nothing to do with genuine health concerns, but rather, because of all too common destructive human thinking and behavior such as racism, jealousy, pride, greed, lust, and on and on.
Take a few minutes, as soon as you can, to hear Ethan Nadelmann's newly released TED Talk that's featured as today's lead item at TED.com. There is a good reason for the standing ovation Ethan received at the conclusion. The ideas he presents are provocative, enlightening and becoming more mainstream than anyone could have imagined when he began his activism more than two decades ago.
For anyone wondering, and unless it's noted elsewhere (and I'm blind), the speech was recorded last month in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Drug Policy Alliance has reformed state and federal laws involving drug sentencing, access to sterile syringes to reduce HIV/AIDS, addiction treatment, prevention of overdose fatalities, and all aspects of marijuana policy. DPA and its lobbying arm, Drug Policy Action, played an instrumental role in securing monumental drug policy reform victories in the recent midterm elections, including marijuana legalization in Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C., marijuana decriminalization in New Mexico, medical marijuana in Guam, and groundbreaking criminal justice and sentencing reforms in New Jersey and California.
Ethan is drug policy advisor to George Soros and other prominent philanthropists as well as elected officials ranging from mayors, governors and state and federal legislators in the U.S. to presidents and cabinet ministers outside the U.S. He and the Drug Policy Alliance have worked closely with the Global Commission on Drug Policy, whose members include global leaders and luminaries like Sir Richard Branson and Kofi Annan, to break the taboo on public discussion of non-prohibitionist drug policies.
"I've dedicated my life to building an organization and a movement of people who believe we have no choice but to turn our back on the failed prohibitions of the past and embrace new drug policies grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights," Nadelmann told the audience. "We come from across the political spectrum and almost every other spectrum as well. We're people who love drugs, people who hate drugs, and people who don't give a damn about drugs, but every one of us believe that this war on drugs -- this heartless and disastrous war on drugs -- has got to end."
TED is a nonprofit devoted to "ideas worth spreading" and Ethan is a passionate and tireless proponent for restoring sanity and humanity to drug policy: an idea whose time has come.
Further Reading - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharda-sekaran/ethan-nadelmanns-fiery-te_b_6146410.html
----------------------------------------------------------
What a great speech by a great man. And an outstanding job of contributing to the eventual end of this oppressive, discriminatory, destructive, and futile war on (certain) drugs which is now in its 43rd year and has not met any of its official goals - not by a long shot.
I'm so glad that more and more people continue to speak out against what is, and has always been - in my opinion - a violation of basic human rights.
I'm so glad that we have a strong base of educated, like-minded, anti-drug war individuals from all walks of life.
Non profit organizations such as LEAP, DPA, and NORML continue to devote their time and resources to further undermining what is clearly one of the greatest man-made causes of needless human suffering and despair in the history of mankind. An era of unjust oppression which began for reasons having nothing to do with genuine health concerns, but rather, because of all too common destructive human thinking and behavior such as racism, jealousy, pride, greed, lust, and on and on.
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