The energy was palpable in the New Orleans Astor Crowne Plaza last week as nearly 1,200 people from around the world came together for the biennial International Drug Policy Reform Conference. Attendees from all across the drug policy reform movement--activists, researchers, service providers, government officials and more--connected over three days of panels, plenaries and trainings, all kicked off with rousing speeches from DPA President Ira Glasser and Executive Director Ethan Nadelmann at the opening plenary.

Everyone was talking about the keynote presentation, given by Antonio Maria Costa, the executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (transcript), and Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch (PowerPoint), director of the International Harm Reduction Development Program for the Open Society Institute. Costa clarified former UN policies and those under his direction, and also drew comparisons and highlighted contrasts between current UN policy and drug policy reform. This level of discourse with a representative of a global policy-setting agency was affirmation that drug policy reform has truly become a mature movement.

Other conference plenaries boldly tackled controversial topics.  In one, a panel of African American speakers considered the question of why conservative, middle class Black America has not taken on drug law reform as a civil rights issue.  In the closing session, Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan gave an inspiring speech about his choice to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors, helping to bring North America’s most forward-thinking drug policies to his city.

One element that resonated with attendees outside the conference sessions was a series of bus tours, hosted by local New Orleanians who lived through Hurricane Katrina, to raise awareness of the extent of devastation in the city two years after the storm. This powerful experience was a sharp contrast to the tourist-friendly polish of the French Quarter, where the conference took place, and a reminder to all of the rebuilding work still ahead.

Local presence and involvement with the conference was strong.  A city council member, James Carter, welcomed conference-goers with a speech at the event's opening night reception.  Local groups such as Safe Streets / Strong Communities, Odyssey House and Critical Resistance – New Orleans joined the conference as partners, and also sent representatives to participate in panel sessions and meetings.  The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported on the conference and also ran an op-ed by Ira Glasser, former executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union and chair of DPA's board.

For those who were not able to attend, the conference came alive in blog posts from numerous attendees. Drug War Rant featured detailed coverage of several sessions, Grits for Breakfast reflected on the conference, and DPA's own D'Alliance blog captured impressions from a DPA staffer attending his first ever International Drug Policy Reform Conference. All this coverage and more is compiled in the conference section of the DPA website.

More conference coverage will be available in the coming days, including audio and video recordings of various sessions. Please bookmark the conference section of the DPA website to see the latest. You can also share your thoughts on the conference at DPA's discussion forums.

Thanks to more than a thousand energetic attendees and the commitment of co-sponsors ACLU, Harm Reduction Coalition, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Marijuana Policy Project and Students for Sensible Drug Policy, last week's conference was the biggest and most vibrant drug policy reform conference yet.

On a more somber note, we are saddened to report that medical marijuana patient and Alabama Compassionate Care activist Michael Phillips passed away early Sunday morning, Dec. 9.  He was 38.  Michael experienced seizures due to an inoperable brain tumor, and medical marijuana was the only thing that controlled them. He had traveled from Millbrook, Alabama, to New Orleans to attend the conference, leaving his home state for the first time in 20 years.  Michael widely reported that he had a wonderful time at the conference, connecting with people who understood him and shared his commitment to bringing medical marijuana to Alabama. 

DPA is sending both flowers and a donation to the Phillips family. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so through the blog of Alabamians for Compassionate Care director Loretta Nall.