It’s the 12 Days of Ballotpedia! Your gift powers the trusted, unbiased information voters need heading into 2026. Donate now!
Drug Policy Alliance
| Drug Policy Alliance | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | New York, New York |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) |
| Affiliation: | Nonpartisan |
| Top official: | Kassandra Frederique, executive director |
| Founder(s): | Ethan Nadelmann |
| Year founded: | 2000 |
| Website: | Official website |
The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in New York, New York that promotes "[d]rug policy grounded in evidence, health, equity, and human rights."[1] According to its website, DPA "addresses the harms of drug use and drug criminalization through policy solutions, organizing, and public education."[1]
Background
The Drug Policy Alliance was formed when The Lindesmith Center, a drug policy think-tank, and the Drug Policy Foundation, a drug policy organization, merged on July 1, 2000. Princeton University Professor Ethan Nadelmann founded The Lindesmith Center in 1994, while American University Professor Arnold Trebach and attorney Kevin Zeese founded the Drug Policy Foundation in 1987. According to DPA's website, "[T]he two organizations merged to create the Drug Policy Alliance with the objective of becoming a powerful advocacy organization nationally and internationally."[2] As of December 2025, DPA also had an affiliated 501(c)(4) organization called Drug Policy Action.[2]
Leadership
As of December 2025, the following individuals held leadership positions at Drug Policy Alliance:[3]
- Kassandra Frederique, executive director
- Melissa Garcia, COO
Work and activities
Legislative and policy work
As of December 2025, DPA sponsored a number of drug reform campaigns. The campaigns used petitions or templated messages directed to members of Congress to influence legislation on a federal level. The campaigns included: calls to sponsor the MORE Act, increasing access to methadone, funding overdose prevention services, supporting a health approach to drugs, making addiction treatment available on-demand, establishing more overdose prevention centers, reforming how drug testing affects the child welfare system, and opposing drug-induced homicide laws.[4]
Electoral activities and influence
The following table details Drug Policy Alliance's ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Affiliations
As of December 2025, Drug Policy Alliance had a separate 501(c)(4) affiliated program, Drug Policy Action, to support its work. According to its website, the group was "the advocacy and political partner of the Drug Policy Alliance," and its mission consisted of the following:[8]
| “ | Drug Policy Action works to pass new drug laws and policies grounded in evidence, health, equity, and human rights — and undertakes a wide range of activities including political advocacy and electoral work to support these principles.[9] | ” |
Finances
The following is a breakdown of Drug Policy Alliance's revenues and expenses from 2015 to 2023. The information comes from the Internal Revenue Service.
| Year | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $14.3 million | $12.5 million |
| 2016 | $10.4 million | $13.7 million |
| 2017 | $12.8 million | $14.6 million |
| 2018 | $9.7 million | $15.6 million |
| 2019 | $25.9 million | $14.4 million |
| 2020 | $15.6 million | $13.0 million |
| 2021 | $16.5 million | $10.9 million |
| 2022 | $12.6 million | $11.1 million |
| 2023 | $10.6 million | $10.6 million |
See also
- What is an influencer?
- Marijuana laws ballot measures
- Marijuana Policy Project
- National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
- Drug Policy Action
External links
- Drug Policy Alliance website
- Drug Policy Alliance on X
- Drug Policy Alliance on Facebook
- Drug Policy Alliance on LinkedIn
- Drug Policy Alliance on YouTube
- Drug Policy Alliance on Instagram
- Drug Policy Alliance on TikTok
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Drug Policy Alliance, "Home," accessed December 9, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Drug Policy Alliance, "History," accessed January 22, 2016
- ↑ Drug Policy Alliance, "Our Team," accessed December 9, 2025
- ↑ Drug Policy Alliance, "Campaigns," accessed December 9, 2025
- ↑ Insurance Journal, "Florida Becomes 26th State to Approve Medical Marijuana," November 14, 2016
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Prop. 47 puts state at center of a national push for sentencing reform," November 1, 2014
- ↑ Morning Sentinel, "Pot-legalization backers fund Question 5 effort," October 14, 2009
- ↑ Drug Policy Action, "About Drug Policy Action," accessed December 9, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| |||||||
