The Drugreporter team interviewed the former director of the Drug Policy Alliance at the drug reform conference in Atlanta. Watch our video to learn about his views on the challenges ahead for the movement!
Ethan Nadelmann is one of the most influential and successful men in the history of the drug policy reform movement. He was the founder of the Lindesmith Centre in 1994 and the director of the Drug Policy Alliance for almost 20 years. During his leadership the attitudes of American society to issues like marijuana regulation transformed dramatically, and criminal justice reform made huge progress across the USA. It is not surprising that Rolling Stone magazine described him as “the real drug czar,” and “the driving force for marijuana legalization in America”. His resignation this year came as a shock to many. We interviewed him at the International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Atlanta last week. In the interview he talks about his resignation and future plans, and how he sees the challenges ahead of the drug policy reform movement, legalisation and beyond.
Reporter: Peter Sarosi
Camera and editing: Istvan Gabor Takacs