Transform Drug Policy Foundation

Transform Drug Policy Foundation
Formation 1997[1]
Type NGO
Legal status Charity
Purpose Drug policy reform
Headquarters Bristol, UK
Location
  • Bristol, London, Mexico City
Region served
international
Chief Executive
Nicky Saunter[2]
Main organ
Board of Trustees
Staff
11
Website http://www.tdpf.org.uk/

The Transform Drug Policy Foundation (Transform)[3] is a registered non-profit charity based in the United Kingdom working in the field of drug policy and law reform.

Transform began as an independent campaign group called Transform Drugs Campaign Ltd, and was set up in 1997 by its current Head of External Affairs, Danny Kushlick.[4] The organisation achieved charitable status in 2003[5] and was renamed 'Transform Drug Policy Foundation' in 2004. In 2007 Transform became the first UK based non-governmental organization (NGO) actively calling for drug law reform, including the legal regulation of drug production supply and use, to be granted special consultative status at the United Nations.

Policies

Transform's mission statement is:[6]

"An end to the war on drugs and the establishment of effective and humane systems of drug regulation."

and

"We will play a key role in bringing together a coalition of countries calling for drug law reform on the international stage by 2015."

Transform describes its activities as to:

Transform's Vision:

"An end to the war on drugs and the establishment of effective and humane systems of drug regulation."

The organization believes that the current UK drug policies are not only failing but have themselves become the cause of many social problems. As an independent drug policy think tank, Transform is consulted regularly by its key audiences in policy making, the NGO sector and the media.[7]

Transform develops, and advocates for, new policies to bring currently illegal drugs under effective legal control and regulation, based on evidence of effectiveness, claiming that current policy is outdated and demonstrably counter-productive, being based on populist law and order politics and a misplaced 'drug war' ideologies. Transform argues that moves towards legal regulation and control of currently illegal drugs would produce dramatically improved policy outcomes as measured by key performance indicators in crime, public health and well being, social nuisance, environmental damage, international corruption and conflict, and public expenditure.

Public impact

Transform has been steadily gaining support from professionals and public figures; whose fields include policy making, academia, business, church, judiciary, police, media, public health and medicine.[8] Transform regularly appear in mainstream media debating, advising and responding to current issues within the drug policy field.

Other activities

Transform has a blog[9] which covers current media coverage often highlighting the myths, moral panic and misuse of statistics.

Transform has published the following books:

See also

References

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