The year likely was 1999. It was late morning and I was supposedly driving from Lancaster to Altoona, PA on business when I received a phone call from Kevin Zeese.
Kevin and I had founded Common Sense for Drug policy (www.csdp.org) after both of us had departed from the Drug Policy Foundation (DPF), he as counsel and co-founder, I as a board member. We shared ideas on how to educate the public concerning the errors and excesses of the War on Drugs as well as the need for harm reduction programs. We had been thwarted in our attempts to introduce programs at DPF that we had quickly, economically, and effectively initiated at CSDP.
Kevin excitedly told me that he had been sounded out by DPF chair, Ira Glasser (retired chair of ACLU) about CSDP taking over DPF and its million dollar endowment. Kevin and I were being offered an organization that had many prominent backers, including George Soros, and a prestigious board of directors. I shared Kevin’s excitement and asked for a few minutes to reflect.
I must have reflected intently, because I ended up missing the turn off to Altoona and going twenty miles out of the way towards Williamsport.
It must have broken Kevin’s heart when I called him back and expressed my opposition to giving up CSDP which he and I totally controlled in order to suddenly immerse ourselves into the politics and turmoil of DPF. I feared that our efforts and creativity would be misdirected to organizational and fund raising matters and once again we would not be effectively achieving our goals.
CSDP continued to moved ahead with its five pronged approach:
1) Monthly full page black and white educational advertisement in a range of prestigious current affairs magazines, a hundred in total over the years. www.csdp.org/ads
2) Publishing in soft backs of editions of Drug War Facts and subsequently creation of www.DrugWarFacts.org which turned out to the authoritative source of peer reviewed and government sponsored research.
3) Seed funding for at least a dozen of reform organizations, many of whom are still in existence and playing important roles.
4) Creation of a private list so that advocates from the fragmented reform and harm reduction movements would have a place to share information, exchange views, and build a sense of fraternity instead of infighting.
5) As had DPF, its successor Drug Policy Alliance held annual or semi-annual conventions. We sponsored a banquet for the leaders of over a score of organizations. This helped knit the movement into a cohesive force.
We and others created a solid foundation for the movement by largely educating the media and the public. Another generation jumped in and took it from there with referendums and initiatives.
Historians will probably credit the successes of reform to the Drug Policy Alliance. They have done some good work, although at high cost. Dozens of other organizations focusing on different aspects of reform and harm reduction deserve a full share of credit.
To get things done in this world, it is usually necessary to forgo fame for accomplishment. It’s a fair trade.
