Drug Policy Alliance

The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is the nation's leading organization promoting drug policies grounded in evidence, health, equity, and human rights. Founded in 2000 through the merger of the Lindesmith Center and the Drug Policy Foundation, DPA has spent over two decades pioneering transformative drug policies in the United States and beyond, leading the movement to treat drug use as a health issue rather than a crime.

The organization addresses the harms of drug use and drug criminalization through policy solutions, organizing, and public education. With approximately 40 staff across the U.S., an annual operating budget of $12 million, and 200,000 members, activists, and supporters, DPA advocates for a holistic approach to drugs that prioritizes health, social supports, and community wellbeing. DPA opposes punitive approaches that destabilize people, block access to care, and drain communities of resources. Through collaboration with other movements, they work to change laws, advance justice, and save lives.

DPA's work spans multiple issue areas including reducing fentanyl harms, preventing overdose deaths, increasing access to addiction services, ending criminal penalties for drug possession, removing barriers to employment and housing, regulating drugs for health and safety, legalizing marijuana, and advocating for health-centered U.S. foreign drug policy. The organization operates the Reform Conference and maintains an extensive digital archive of over 2,600 books on drug policy reform, harm reduction, and addiction studies.