Movement to end the 'war on drugs' is lecture topic

By Franklin Crawford

Drug policy reform advocate and former Princeton University professor Ethan Nadelmann will present a University Lecture titled "Building a Political Movement to End the War on Drugs," Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 4:30 p.m. in 165 McGraw Hall on campus. The talk is free and open to the public.

Nadelmann

Nadelmann, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Drug Policy Alliance, based in New York City, is widely regarded as one of the outstanding proponents of drug policy reform, both in the United States and abroad. The Drug Policy Alliance works to broaden the public debate on drug policy and to promote realistic alternatives to the war on drugs.

"Ethan Nadelmann is one of the rare individuals who has been able to bridge academia and activism," said Mary Katzenstein, Cornell professor of government. "His knowledge of both the international and domestic dimensions of the drug war is informed by careful, rigorous study. At the same time, his commitment to and irrepressible energy in building an organization that draws diverse groups of activists into a movement that calls for a reassessment of the drug war has been remarkable."

While on campus, Nadelmann will speak to students in two different government classes.

Nadelmann was born in New York City and received his B.A., J.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University and a master's degree in international relations from the London School of Economics. He taught politics and public affairs at Princeton from 1987 to 1994, where his lectures and writings on drug policy, appearing in publications ranging from Science and Foreign Affairs to American Heritage and National Review, attracted international attention.

In 1994, Nadelmann founded the Lindesmith Center, a drug policy institute created with the support of American philanthropist George Soros. In 2000, the center merged with another organization to form the Drug Policy Alliance.

Nadelmann's visit is sponsored at Cornell by the University Lectures Committee, the Peace Studies Program, the American Studies Program, the Department of Government and the Cornell Program for the Study of Contentious Politics.