Transform Drug Policy Foundation

The Transform Drug Policy Foundation (TDPF)^[1] is a registered non-profit charity based in the United Kingdom working in the field of drug policy and law reform. TDPF began as an independent campaign group called 'Transform, the campaign for a just and effective drug policy', and was set up in 1996 by its current Director, Danny Kushlick. The organisation achieved charitable status 2003 and was renamed 'Transform Drug Policy Foundation' in 2004. In 2007 Transform became the first UK based non-governmental organization (NGO) to be granted special consultative status at the United Nations.

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The TDPF mission statement is:

"to reduce harm and promote sustainable health and well-being by bringing about a just, effective and humane system to regulate and control drugs at local, national and international levels."

TDPF describe their activities as: To

• Carry out research, policy analysis and innovative policy development
• Challenge government to demonstrate rational, fact-based evidence to support its policies and expenditure
• Promote alternative, evidence-based policies to parliamentarians, government and government agencies
• Advise non-governmental organisations whose work is affected by drugs in developing drug policies appropriate to their own mission and objectives
• Provide an informed, rational and clear voice in the public and media debate on UK and international drug policy

The organization believes that the current UK drug policies are not only failing but have themselves become the cause of many social problems. TDPF's reports [1]and policy documents [2] have gained wide credibility. As an independent drug policy think tank TDPF is consulted regularly by its key audiences in policy making, the NGO sector and the media[3].

TDPF develops, and advocates for, new policies to bring currently illegal drugs under effective legal control control and regulation, based on evidence of effectiveness, claiming that current policy is outdated and demonstrably counter-productive, being based on populist law and order politics and a misplaced 'drug war' ideologies. TDPF argue 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, social nuisance, public health and well being, environmental damage, international corruption and conflict, and public expenditure.

TDPF 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.

Other activities

TDPF have a media blog^[2] which covers current media coverage often highlighting the myths, moral panic and misuse of statistics. In April 2007 the blog topped over 10,000 page views and 6,000 unique visits.^[3]

See also

• Arguments for and against drug prohibition
• Drug policy reform
• Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
• Prohibition (drugs)