DPA is headquartered in New York City and is deeply involved in major campaigns in the city and state.

We’re kicking off 2008 with bold plans for change.

Rockefeller Drug Laws

This year, DPA is spearheading an effort to go beyond the Rockefeller Drug Laws. We believe there needs to be a new paradigm in New York regarding our drug policies—one that takes us beyond repeal, and asks “What comes after repeal of these failed laws?” We need a public health approach to drug use and abuse—expanding community based drug treatment, reducing criminal penalties for simple drug possession, restoring judicial discretion, and utilizing our public health system to address key drug policy issues. The criminal justice approach to drug use and abuse has failed—a failure embodied by the Rockefeller Drug Laws. The laws have promoted institutional racism, failed to reduce drug abuse in our communities, contributed to mass incarceration, and wasted taxpayer dollars and human lives. The time for change is now.

The new legislation, to be introduced soon, will: restore judicial discretion in all drug cases; reduce sentences to levels more humane and just; expand funding for community based drug treatment and alternatives to incarceration; provide retroactive sentencing relief to persons currently incarcerated under the laws; and utilize savings from RDL reform to pay for new programs.

DPA co-founded and co-leads the Real Reform New York Coalition which is coordinating the movement to repeal the laws and enact a public health approach to drug policy. You can always get the latest information on the work of Real Reform New York by visiting our website, www.realreformny.org.

Stay tuned as we jumpstart the year!

Harm Reduction: Saving Lives by Preventing Overdose Deaths

In 2005, DPA won a significant victory in the passage of A.7162 / S.4869. The bill removes criminal penalties in New York for the possession of naloxone or Narcan—an opioid antagonist that can save the life of someone who is overdosing on heroin or another opiate. The bill also requires the Department of Public Health to track and report overdose deaths in New York. Read more about the bill here.

This year, we’re working to pass a Good Samaritan bill. Many drug users are afraid to call 911 when someone is overdosing, fearing arrest for drug possession if the police come. This law, modeled after New Mexico’s which passed in 2007, will provide limited immunity from drug arrest when calling 911, possibly saving hundreds of lives each year in New York state.

We also have a focus on making sure clean syringes are available to those who need them. We’ll focus on wining permanent re-authorization of the Expanded Syringe Access Program (ESAP) that allows for up to ten syringes to be sold in a pharmacy without a prescription. And we’re working with our allies in the harm reduction field to finally remove syringes from the criminal code.

Addressing the Crisis: Marijuana Arrests in New York City

Did you know that New York City is the marijuana arrests capital of the world? Indeed, just last year nearly 35,000 people were arrested in NYC alone for marijuana possession in public view (MPV). Surprised to hear this?  Don’t be. Almost nobody knows about this outside of academic circles--yet. This year, DPA is spearheading a campaign to tackle this issue and stop this practice of arresting people for low-level marijuana possession.

We’re almost done with a series of fact sheet and materials about this issue. In the meantime, you can read up on marijuana arrests in NY by reading some of the reports we have posted here, here and here.

Contact
gabriel sayegh
Director, State Organizing and Policy Project
Drug Policy Alliance
(212) 613-8048
gsayegh@drugpolicy.org

Last Updated February 2008