Members and allies of the Marijuana Policy Project might want to attend this Cato Institute conference in Washington, D.C., on October 5. The keynote speaker will be New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson (R), who in June announced that he believes the drug war is a "miserable failure" and that marijuana users should not be criminalized.
If you can't make it to the conference, but you would like to tell Governor Johnson that you support his efforts to end the drug war, please call his opinion line at 505-827-3063.
"Beyond Prohibition: An Adult Approach to Drug Policies in the
21st Century"
Tuesday, October 5, 1999
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
The Cato Institute's F.A. Hayek Auditorium
1000 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20001
More than 10 years ago, federal officials boldly claimed that
they would create a "drug-free America by 1995." To reach that
objective, Congress spent billions of dollars to disrupt the drug
trade. Despite thousands of arrests and seizures, America is not
drug free. Illegal drugs are as readily available today as ever
before.
Drug prohibition has proven to be a costly failure. Like alcohol
prohibition, drug prohibition has created more problems than it
has solved. The drug war has destroyed the lives of inner-city
residents, corrupted law enforcement, and distorted our foreign
policy. Yet drug prohibition is still seen as a viable strategy
by most police officers, prosecutors, and political leaders.
Paradoxically, alternative drug policies - such as legalization -
fall outside the parameters of serious debate in our nation's
capital.
To further a more mature debate about drug policy, the Cato
Institute will host "Beyond Prohibition: An Adult Approach to
Drug Policies in the 21st Century." Legal scholars, former law
enforcement officials, and political and social leaders will
gather to discuss the harmful cosequences of drug prohibition
and to assess alternative policies.
CONFERENCE AGENDA:
8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Registration: Wintergarden
9:00 - 9:15 a.m.
Opening Remarks: Edward H. Crane, President, Cato Institute
9:15 - 10:30 a.m.
Panel I -- The Constitution and the Drug War
Steven Duke, Professor of Law, Yale University, and author
of "America's Longest War"
Roger Pilon, Vice President for Legal Affairs, Cato Institute
David Kopel, Director of Research, Independence Institute
10:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Break
10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Panel II -- The Failure of Drug Prohibition:
Law Enforcement Perspectives
David Klinger, Professor of Criminology, University of
Missouri, and former police officer of Los Angeles
Michael Levine, author of "Deep Cover" and former DEA agent
Joseph McNamara, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution,
Stanford University, and former police chief of San Jose
12:00 - 1:30 p.m.
Luncheon Address -- Gary Johnson, Governor of New Mexico
1:30 - 2:45 p.m.
Debate -- Resolved: America Should Legalize Drugs
Daniel Polsby, Professor of Law, George Mason University
Daniel Lungren, Former Attorney General of California
2:45 - 3:00 p.m.
Break
3:00 - 4:15 p.m.
Panel III -- The Political and Social Effects of the Drug War
Julie Stewart, President, Families Against Mandatory Minimums
Ted Galen Carpenter, Vice President for Defense and Foreign
Policy Studies, Cato Institute
Ethan Nadelmann, Director of The Lindesmith Center
4:15 - 4:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks:
Timothy Lynch, Director, Cato Project on Criminal Justice
4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Reception: Wintergarden
TO REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE:
The academic or nonprofit rate for the conference is $60.00, and the individual or corporate rate is $80.00. Please register by September 28, 1999. To register for this event, please visit http://www.cato.org/events/drugwar/register.html. Cancellations for full refunds must be made by October 1, 1999.
HOW TO SUPPORT THE MARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT:
o support MPP's work and receive the quarterly newsletter, "Marijuana Policy Report," please send $25.00 annual membership dues to:
Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)
P.O. Box 77492
Capitol Hill
Washington, D.C. 20013
http://www.mpp.org/membrshp.html 202-232-0442 FAX