Sign Up For More InfoThe New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) and Drug Policy Alliance’s (DPA) groundbreaking conference "New Directions for New York: A Public Health and Safety Approach to Drug Policy" started last Thursday with a rousing assertion by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver that 2009 would be the year that the New York State Assembly would enact real, comprehensive, common-sense drug law
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| Last night's kick off to the groundbreaking conference "New Directions for New York: A Public Health and Safety Approach to Drug Policy" was met with applause. |
"Certainly, there has never been any question in our minds that ... the Rockefeller Drug Laws are and always have been a huge catastrophe for this state and absolutely must be reformed," said Speaker Silver. "We will be looking to The New York Academy of Medicine, to the Drug Policy Alliance and to all advocacy groups, to help us reverse 35 years of racism, inhumanity and ignorance."
Since its inception in 1973, the Rockefeller Drug Laws required judges to impose harsh mandatory minimum prison sentences on drug offenders. More than
"We should gauge success by improvements in the health of individuals, families and communities," said Dr Ruth Finkelstein, Vice President for Health Policy at NYAM. "These should be the metrics by which we judge the effectiveness of our policies, not incarceration rates."
The conference, which goes on today with panel discussions and a closing plenary session, brings together at The New York Academy of Medicine, representatives from the State Assembly, the Senate, the Governor’s Office, the New York City Council, the New York City Department of Corrections, academic researchers, advocacy groups, health professionals, former prisoners and their families, community organizations and hospitals to talk about real change from a criminal approach to drug abuse to a public health one. Never have so many disparate groups been brought together to discuss these options that could change the lives of many, including the 13,000 drug offenders in prison today.
Slide Show of NYAM's Drug Policy Historical Archive
What is a Public Health approach to drug policy?
NYAM has been advancing the health of people in cities since 1847. An independent organization, NYAM addresses the health challenges facing the world’s urban populations through interdisciplinary approaches to innovative research, education, community engagement and policy leadership. Drawing on the expertise of diverse partners worldwide and more than 2,000 elected Fellows from across the professions, our current priorities are to create environments in cities that support healthy aging; to strengthen systems that prevent disease and promote the public’s health; and to implement interventions that eliminate health disparities.
For more information on the Division of Health Policy, please click here.
To receive information on the conference, email newdirections@nyam.org
Posted on 01/23/2009
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