Transform Drug Policy Foundation

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Danny Kushlick - Director

Steve Rolles - Information Officer

John Moore - Business Development Manager

Jane Slater - Administrator

Emily Crick - Research Associate

Trustees

Paul Crawford Walker - Chair

Nathalie Griffin Treasurer

Mike Jay

Tim Malyon

Henry Shaftoe

John Cooper

Dr Axel Klein

Gary Wallace

Karen Haas

The Transform Drug Policy Foundation (TDPF)^[1] is a registered non-profit charity based in the United Kingdom working in the field of drug policy and law reform. TDPF began as an independent campaign group called 'Transform, the campaign for a just and effective drug policy', and was set up in 1996 by its current Director, Danny Kushlick. The organisation achieved charitable status 2003 and was renamed 'Transform Drug Policy Foundation' in 2004. In 2007 Transform became the first UK based non-governmental organization (NGO) actively calling for the drug law reform, including the legal regulation drug production supply and use, to be granted special consultative status at the United Nations.

Contents 1 Policies 2 Public Impact 3 Other activities 4 See also 5 External links

[edit] Policies

The TDPF mission statement is:

"to reduce harm and promote sustainable health and well-being by bringing about a just, effective and humane system to regulate and control drugs at local, national and international levels."

TDPF describe their activities as: To

• Carry out research, policy analysis and innovative policy development
• Challenge government to demonstrate rational, fact-based evidence to support its policies and expenditure
• Promote alternative, evidence-based policies to parliamentarians, government and government agencies
• Advise non-governmental organisations whose work is affected by drugs in developing drug policies appropriate to their own mission and objectives
• Provide an informed, rational and clear voice in the public and media debate on UK and international drug policy

The organization believes that the current UK drug policies are not only failing but have themselves become the cause of many social problems. TDPF's reports ^[2] and policy documents ^[3] have gained wide credibility. As an independent drug policy think tank TDPF is consulted regularly by its key audiences in policy making, the NGO sector and the media ^[4].

TDPF develops, and advocates for, new policies to bring currently illegal drugs under effective legal control control and regulation, based on evidence of effectiveness, claiming that current policy is outdated and demonstrably counter-productive, being based on populist law and order politics and a misplaced 'drug war' ideologies. TDPF argue that moves towards legal regulation and control of currently illegal drugs would produce dramatically improved policy outcomes as measured by key performance indicators in crime, public health and well being, social nuisance, environmental damage, international corruption and conflict, and public expenditure.

[edit] Public Impact

TDPF has been steadily gaining support from professionals and public figures; whose fields include policy making, academia, business, church, judiciary, police, media, public health and medicine^[5].

[edit] Other activities

TDPF have a blog^[6] which covers current media coverage often highlighting the myths, moral panic and misuse of statistics. In April 2007 the blog topped over 10,000 page views and 6,000 unique visits.^[7]

[edit] See also

• Arguments for and against drug prohibition
• Drug policy reform
• Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
• Prohibition (drugs)

[edit] External links

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