Last week in Los Angeles, 2,000 Latino activists and leaders from all over the U.S. gathered to set a political agenda at the National Latino Congreso. One of the issues they took on was the war on drugs, resulting in the unanimous passage of a resolution to investigate the real cost of the drug war.

Authored by DPA's southern California director, Alberto Mendoza, the resolution called for supporting legislation that promotes sentencing reform as well as treatment instead of incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders. The resolution also called for the formation of state task forces to compare current drug war spending to public education and health spending "so that states can understand the real cost of the war on drugs in the state budgets and in their communities."

In passing the resolution, the Latino Congreso acknowledged the disproportionate representation of Latinos in jails and prisons, the exorbitant cost of incarcerating nonviolent offenders, and the existence of alternative strategies that focus on public health rather than criminal justice. The resolution noted, "We believe that nonviolent substance abusers are not menaces to our communities but rather a troubled yet integral part of our community who need to be reclaimed."

Mendoza said, "As Latinos, we are finally waking up to the fact that this war is a waste of money and resources, all of which could help us re-build our communities and families instead of destroying them."

In addition to working on the resolution, DPA co-sponsored the conference. Mendoza spoke at a workshop about DPA's harm reduction and syringe access work, while DPA executive director Ethan Nadelmann spoke at a workshop and on a plenary.

Mendoza said, "I'm proud that DPA was involved with this conference, and proud that the National Latino Congreso approved our resolution. It clearly indicates that Latinos are tired of the monumental negative impact the war on drugs has had on us and our communities."