The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is a New York City-based non-profit organization, led by executive director Ethan Nadelmann, with the principal goal of ending the American "War on Drugs". The stated priorities of the organization are the decriminalization of responsible drug use, the promotion of harm reduction and treatment in response to drug misuse, and the facilitation of open dialog about drugs between youth, parents, and educators.

The Drug Policy Alliance was formed when the Drug Policy Foundation and the Lindesmith Center merged in July 2000.

The organization has offices in five states as well as a national affairs office in Washington, D.C., which lobbies for federal reform. Administrative and media headquarters are located in New York City, NY. The office for legal affairs is located in Berkeley, CA, with two additional state offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The remaining three state offices are located in Trenton, NJ, Santa Fe, NM, and Denver, CO.

Veteran journalist Walter Cronkite spoke out against the War on Drugs in support of the DPA. He appeared in advertisements on behalf of the organization and wrote a fundraising letter, which was also published in the Huffington Post. In the letter, Cronkite wrote: "Today, our nation is fighting two wars: one abroad and one at home. While the war in Iraq is in the headlines, the other war is still being fought on our own streets. Its casualties are the wasted lives of our own citizens. I am speaking of the war on drugs. And I cannot help but wonder how many more lives, and how much more money, will be wasted before another Robert McNamara admits what is plain for all to see: the war on drugs is a failure."

A drug policy most often refers to a government's attempt to combat the negative effects of drug addiction and misuse in its society. Governments try to combat drug addiction with policies which address both the demand and supply of drugs, as well as policies which can mitigate the harms of drug abuse. Demand reduction measures include prohibition, fines for drug offenses, incarceration for persons convicted for drug offenses, treatment (such as voluntary rehabilitation or coercive care for drug abusers), awareness campaigns, community social services, and support for families. Supply side reduction involves measures such as enacting foreign policy aimed at eradicating the international cultivation of plants used to make drugs and interception of drug trafficking. Policies which may help mitigate the effects of drug abuse include needle exchange and drug substitution programs, as well as free facilities for testing a drug's purity.

There is a movement in Australia to make some substances decriminalised, particularly cannabis, making the possession of such a non-convictable offence in most states (however, the definition of what constitutes possession can differ between states). As a result of the decriminalisation, the punishments for drug use and drug dealing in Australia are typically very small, with many convicted small-time drug dealers not having to spend any time in jail^{[citation needed]} .

Ethan Nadelmann (born March 13, 1957 in New York City) is the founder and executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, a New York City-based non-profit organization working to end the War on Drugs. Described by Rolling Stone as, "the point man for drug-policy-reform efforts," Ethan Nadelmann is known as a high profile critic and commentator on U.S. and international drug control policies.

Nadelmann was raised in a Jewish family in New York City; his father was a rabbi. He earned 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 University from 1987 to 1994. While he was at Princeton, he lectured and wrote extensively on drug policy, attracting considerable attention with his articles in such periodicals as Science,Foreign Affairs,American Heritage and National Review. He also formed the Princeton Working Group on the Future of Drug Use and Alternatives to Drug Prohibition.

Kevin Sabet was a Senior Adviser for Policy to White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director R. Gil Kerlikowske. He was a Schedule C employee in the Administration of Barack Obama (2009–2011) and he also served as a political appointee for a short time in the Administration of George W. Bush (2003–2004) - making him the only political appointee at ONDCP to serve in both Administrations. He also worked as a policy researcher at ONDCP during the Administration of Bill Clinton. He is an outspoken opponent of drug legalization, and has spoken on behalf of the Obama Administration on the subject.

Currently, he is a consultant through kevinsabet.com and a regular columnist for TheFix.com and blogger for the Huffington Post.

Sabet grew up in Anaheim, California and received his Doctorate and Masters degrees in Social Policy as a Marshall Scholar at Oxford University in 2007. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a B.A. in Political Science in 2001.

Sabet first received notice in California when at age 15, he publicly blasted the conservative-libertarian wing of the Orange County school board for refusing to accept federal dollars for after school anti-drug programs aimed at underprivileged students. Soon, Sabet drew national attention for his anti-drug work. By age 19 had worked with NIDA Director Alan Leshner on MDMA education efforts, and by age 20 he had testimony entered on the official House record.

William "Bill" Maher, Jr. ( /ˈmɑːr/; born January 20, 1956) is an American stand-up comedian, television host, political commentator, author, and actor. Before his current role as the host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher hosted a similar late-night talk show called Politically Incorrect originally on Comedy Central and later on ABC.

Maher is known for his political satire and sociopolitical commentary, which targets a wide swath of topics including religion, politics, bureaucracies of many kinds, political correctness, the mass media, greed among people and persons in positions of high political and social power, and the lack of intellectual curiosity in the electorate. He supports the legalization of marijuana and same-sex marriage, and serves on the board of PETA. He is also a critic of religion and is an advisory board member of Project Reason, a foundation to promote scientific knowledge and secular values within society. In 2005, Maher ranked at number 38 on Comedy Central's 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time. Bill Maher received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star on September 14, 2010.