NEWARK - On Saturday, March 19th, an unprecedented collection of community advocates, service providers, public safety personnel and public health professionals will come together at a day-long conference to chart a new course in drug policy for Drug policy experts from across the country and around the globe will discuss topics including: reducing crime and incarceration, effectively addressing addiction, treating drug use as a health issue, communities of color and the war on drugs, and drug policy lessons and models from abroad. When asked about the war on drugs on the campaign trail, President Barack Obama said, “I believe in shifting the paradigm, shifting the model, so that we focus more on a public health approach [to drugs].” Polls show the American people agree. President Obama’s drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, told the Wall Street Journal last year that he doesn’t like the term “war on drugs” because “[w]e’re not at war with people in this country.” Yet for the tens of millions of Americans who have been arrested and incarcerated for a drug offense, “We see the impact of the ‘drug war’ first hand, where so many people are incarcerated for being economically disadvantaged by the disappearance of work,” says The conference will be guided by four principles: Panel members and conference speakers include: · Rev. Dr. M. William Howard, Jr., pastor,
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· Paula T. Dow, New Jersey Attorney General
· Garry F. McCarthy, police director, City of
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· Beny Primm, MD, executive director, Addiction, Research and Treatment Corporation,
· Todd Clear, dean,
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· Stephanie Bush-Baskette, Esq., Author and Director of the
· Deborah Peterson Small, Founder and Executive Director, Break the Chains: Communities of Color & the War on Drugs
8:30 am – 9:30 am
Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:30 am –10:00 am
Conference Welcome
• Rev. Dr. M. William Howard, Jr., Pastor,
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10:00 am – 11:00 am
Treating Drug Use as a Health Issue
Moderated by Fred D. Mitchell, Regional Development Director, UNCF
The assumption that drug users should e punished by the criminal justice system has guided US drug policies or the past four decades. Our panel of scientific experts and community advocates will explain why treating drug se within the criminal justice system
is a misguided approach – and why a health-centered approach will save lives, preserve families and communities, and save taxpayers’ dollars.
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• David L. Nathan, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Robert Wood Johnson Medical
School Director of Continuing Medical Education,
• Daliah Heller, PhD, MPH, Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Alcohol & Drug Use Prevention, Care & Treatment, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
• Hiawatha Collins, Leader, VOCAL-NY Users
11:00 am – 11:15 am
Break
11:15 am –12:30 pm
Reducing Crime and Incarceration
Moderated by Deacon Richard Roper
The
• Todd Clear, Dean,
• Bruce Stout, Associate Professor of Criminology, The College of
• Garry F. McCarthy, Police Director, City of
• David Kennedy, Director, Center for Crime Prevention and Control,
• Cornell William Brooks, Esq., Executive Director, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Lunch with Speaker
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Lessons and Models from Abroad
Moderated by Keith C. Harvest, Esq., Chief Assistant Prosecutor,
The
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2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Communities of Color and the War on Drugs
Moderated by asha bandele, Director, Advocacy Grants Program, Drug Policy
Drug law enforcement and sentencing practices have had profound, disparate impacts on people and communities of color. Panelists will highlight how communities have been impacted and how they are fighting back.
• Stephanie Bush-Baskette, JD, PhD, Director,
• Deborah Peterson Small, Esq., Founder and Executive Director, Break the Chains: Communities of Color & the War on Drugs
• Beny
3:30 pm – 3:45 pm
Break
3:45 pm – 4:45 pm
Effectively Addressing Addiction
Moderated by Vivian Sanks–King, Esq.
Drug addiction is a complex and multi-faceted issue. Acknowledging that there is no panacea for addressing the problem of addiction, panelists will discuss cutting edge approaches, barriers to effective treatment, and opportunities to identify and promote
best practices and effective models.
• David Kerr, Founder and President, Integrity House
• Robert G. Newman, MD, Director, Baron Edmond de Rothschild Chemical Dependency Institute,
• Timothy Christie, PhD, Regional Director, Ethics Services, Horizon Health Network,
• Joyce Rivera, Founder and Executive Director,
4:45 pm – 5:15 pm
Closing Remarks and Next Steps
• Rev. Dr. M. William Howard, Jr., Pastor,