Objectives

Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation Objectives:

Preamble

Given that the members of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation recognise:

* the massive size and escalation of the illicit drug trade and the resulting prevalence and power of organised crime;
* national and international policies of prohibition have failed to suppress illicit drug supply notwithstanding enormous financial and legal resources expended in their implementation;
* current policies have led to an escalation of crimes against property and associated crimes of violence;
* prohibition is a greater threat to personal and community health than a system of controlled availability;
* civil liberties are being eroded in attempts to stem the supply of illicit drugs;
* the fact that drug use will continue in our society;
* potential profits and pyramid supply structure in illicit drug dealing lead to active recruitment of new drug users and active introduction of new products to existing users;
* prohibition increases the burden on the criminal justice system; and
* prohibition promotes corruption;

The Foundation aims to promote:

* The unequivocal opposition to policies of prohibition with regards to illicit drugs of dependence and psychotropic substances;
* the nation-wide adoption of drug policies based on harm minimisation strategies;
* the acceptance of responsibility to reform drug laws, policies and programs; and
* the establishment of policies that will control production, manufacture and distribution of drugs of dependence and psychotropic substances.

Urgent Reforms

The Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation recognises that:

* Australia has current obligations under International Treaties;
* there is no approach to the use of drugs of dependence and psychotropic substances which will ever provide a drug free community;
* some measure of success has already been achieved through adoption of policies which give priority to the minimisation of harm;
* there is some positive overseas experience of new approaches to drug law which can provide useful models for Australian reform.

Therefore, the primary objectives of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation are:

* the urgent adoption of drug policies based on strategies of harm minimisation throughout Australia;
* the establishment and legalisation of readily accessible needle exchange and distribution programs throughout Australia;
* the introduction and maintenance of broad based methadone programs for all heroin users seeking this type of assistance;
* the expansion of drug rehabilitation programs in range and number to provide access and choice;
* the provision of politically independent finance and support for properly conducted scientific studies into the treatment of drug users, or the use and misuse of drugs of dependence and psychotropic substances, including alcohol and tobacco; and
* the development of educational programs based on self reliance and sound scientific research.

Short Term Goals

The immediate objectives of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation are:

* to seek to increase the focus of a National drugs strategy on the reduction of harm associated with drug use;
* to seek the abolition of criminal sanctions for the personal use of drugs of dependence and psychotropic substances throughout Australia;
* to seek the adoption, on a national basis, of the South Australian and Australian Capital Territory expiation notice model for the reform of laws regarding the personal use and cultivation of marijuana;
* to seek the adoption of appropriate medical uses of marijuana and heroin throughout Australia; and
* to seek the adoption, throughout Australia, of a medical model including consultation and prescription, for the distribution of selected illicit drugs.

Long Term Goals

The long term objective of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation is to seek a national commitment to undermine the black market and illicit trade in drugs of dependence and psychotropic substances, with its inherent problems, by adopting the following long term goals:

* the reassessment of Australia's commitment to its International Treaties on illicit drugs and psychotropic substances;
* independent cost-benefit analysis of all policies which seek to resolve the problems of dependence and substance misuse;
* the reform of drug laws in planned stages with detailed evaluation of such laws at all stages; and
* the minimisation of the harmful use of drugs.

DrugSense Mission Statement
Goals and Objectives

DrugSense and its largest project MAP combine to form a 501 c3 non-profit corporation. We exist to provide accurate information relevant to drug policy in order to heighten awareness of the extreme damage being caused to our nation and the world by our current flawed and failed "War on Drugs." We aim to inform the public of the existence of rational alternatives to the drug war, and to help organize citizens to bring about needed reforms.

To further those objectives, and in recognition of the critical role played by the media and the public, we:

* Call attention to factual errors and excesses of policy as reported by the working press and broadcast news organizations.
* Promote debate and discussion by encouraging citizens to communicate their views directly to the media and the public.
* Provide on-line and technical support for a wide range of reform organizations, large and small, including but not limited to providing free email chat lists, news information feeds, and web site creation and support. See our site map for a list of the organizations we support.
* Create and maintain a growing, easily searched, library of news and opinion as a research and educational tool.

We believe that public policy has nothing to fear from the truth. Effective policies require a clear understanding of their results.

We believe that prohibition is a system which unleashes powerful forces, most notably the illegal drug markets, that inevitably make the underlying drug problem worse while adding a series of costly unintended side effects, including damage to the very values upon which free nations have been founded.

We believe that a public well informed about the death, disease and social blight produced by current US drug policy must inevitably seek to reform it.

LEAP's Mission Statement

Founded on March 16, 2002, LEAP is made up of current and former members of law enforcement who believe the existing drug policies have failed in their intended goals of addressing the problems of crime, drug abuse, addiction, juvenile drug use, stopping the flow of illegal drugs into this country and the internal sale and use of illegal drugs. By fighting a war on drugs the government has increased the problems of society and made them far worse. A system of regulation rather than prohibition is a less harmful, more ethical and a more effective public policy.

The mission of LEAP is to reduce the multitude of unintended harmful consequences resulting from fighting the war on drugs and to lessen the incidence of death, disease, crime, and addiction by ultimately ending drug prohibition.

LEAP's goals are:

1. To educate the public, the media, and policy makers, to the failure of current drug policy by presenting a true picture of the history, causes and effects of drug abuse and the crimes related to drug prohibition and
2. To restore the public's respect for law enforcement, which has been greatly diminished by its involvement in imposing drug prohibition.

LEAP's main strategy for accomplishing these goals is to create a constantly enlarging speakers bureau staffed with knowledgeable and articulate former drug-warriors who describe the impact of current drug policies on: police/community relations; the safety of law enforcement officers and suspects; police corruption and misconduct; and the financial and human costs associated with current drug policies.

NORML Mission Statement

NORML's mission is to move public opinion sufficiently to achieve the repeal of marijuana prohibition so that the responsible use of cannabis by adults is no longer subject to penalty.

Adopted by the NORML Board of Directors, February 27, 1999

DRCNet Mission Statement

Stop the Drug War (DRCNet) calls for an end to drug prohibition (e.g. some form of legalization) worldwide and its replacement with a sensible regime of control through regulation. In the interim, DRCNet supports philosophically compatible policy reforms and programs to reduce the excesses of the drug war and its attendant harms.

DRCNet works for these objectives through a range of educational programs that are global in their impact; through lobbying efforts focused primarily on the US; through a philosophy of providing support infused within all our programs to our allies in the cause; and to some degree with programs that seek directly to reduce the harms of current policies and of addiction, which indirectly serve our educational and advocacy efforts. Read about our programs here.

We oppose the disorder and violence of the illegal drug trade, the injustice of mass incarceration of hundreds of thousands of nonviolent offenders, the spread of deadly epidemic diseases that is fostered by current drug policies, the denial of needed medicines to pain patients and others, the dilution of Constitutional protections and basic freedoms, and the disparate treatment by race and class that plagues drug enforcement. Current policies of punitive prohibition place illegal drugs and drug markets outside of the law, therefore beyond society’s control and ability to mitigate harm.

We believe that legalization will reduce violence by bringing the currently uncontrolled markets in illegal drugs within the law, while reestablishing popular respect for our legal institutions, reversing the ongoing corruption of law enforcement and the political system, restoring liberty, privacy and due process, and securing the public health and welfare. DRCNet therefore calls for a public dialogue on the full range of alternatives to current policy, and for implementation of peaceful, public-health based approaches for reducing the suffering caused by drugs, and the drug war, to individuals and society as a whole.

Drug Policy Forum - Florida Mission:

DPF Florida members believe that drug related problems threaten our children's future and weaken our entire nation. We promote scientific and truthful evaluation of current and proposed policies aimed at controlling traffic in all types of drugs.

Drug prohibition has cost hundreds of billions of local, state and federal tax dollars, while clogging courts and severely encroaching on everyone's freedom. Prohibition also creates profits that fuel organized crime, corruption, and gang warfare, while actually increasing children's access to drugs.

Politicians have long insisted that success is just around the corner and they promise to solve the drug problem if they have more money and more power, but drug abuse is higher now than it was 35 years ago.

DPF Florida urges reconsidering laws that were based on fear and misinformation. We ask our government to discuss more effective policies that increase our children's safety while protecting our rights and meeting public health needs.

Hemp Embassy (This Section Under Construction)

Rationale:

* Prohibitionists have assumed laws can control drug consumption, but few if any cultures can be forced or persuaded to be drug free. Some would contend that it is because of prohibition that drug use in the modern world has escalated in the way that it has. Effect has been the opposite of intent.

* The limits of legislation must be recognised. Laws do not always have the intended effect, and when this occurs the law/s concerned need to be reconsidered.

* Divided societies have more problems. How many fault lines does society need? Is active discrimination against cannabis users justified by any benefits?

We feel that cannabis users are the meat in the drug sandwich, disproportionately targeted by police, and often ripped off by dealers who are addicted to other drugs. Our drug of choice has a distinctive smell and is bulky. Unlike powders it is not often fully consumed at point of sale. The cannabis user is an easy target to boost arrest rates. Cannabis offenders are thus over-represented in prison populations. In what way is this useful?

Given the inoffensive nature of the average cannabis consumer, it seems irrational to expend large sums persecuting them for that vice alone.

As a first experimental step in the retreat from the War on Drugs, we would suggest a regulated legalisation of cannabis use and supply.

The 1998 Kofi Annan Letter -
http://www.drugpolicy.org/global/ungass/letter/

Appearing in the New York Times in 1998, this letter was signed by over 500 prominent academics, scientists and political leaders. It stated that:

"Persisting in our current policies will only result in more drug abuse, more empowerment of drug markets and criminals, and more disease and suffering. Too often those who call for open debate, rigorous analysis of current policies, and serious consideration of alternatives are accused of "surrendering." But the true surrender is when fear and inertia combine to shut off debate, suppress critical analysis, and dismiss all alternatives to current policies. Mr. Secretary General, we appeal to you to initiate a truly open and honest dialogue regarding the future of global drug control policies - one in which fear, prejudice and punitive prohibitions yield to common sense, science, public health and human rights".