Ethan Nadelmann

Founder of Drug Policy Alliance

Described by Rolling Stone as "the point man" for drug policy reform efforts and “the real drug czar,” Ethan Nadelmann is widely regarded as the outstanding proponent of drug policy reform both in the United States and abroad. 

He was born in New York City, received his BA, MA, JD and PhD in Political Science at Harvard, taught at Princeton University (from 1987 to 1994) and then founded and directed first The Lindesmith Center (1994-2000) and then the Drug Policy Alliance (2000-2017), the world’s leading drug policy reform organization. He also co-founded the Open Society Institute’s International Harm Reduction Development program.  Ethan has authored two books on the internationalization of criminal law enforcement (Cops Across Borders and (with Peter Andreas) Policing The Globe), published extensively, and spoken publicly in roughly forty states and forty countries.  His TED Talk on ending the drug war has over two million views, with translations into 28 languages.  

Ethan and his colleagues were at the forefront of dozens of successful campaigns to legalize marijuana, reduce the incarceration of drug law offenders, treat drug use and addiction as health, not criminal, issues, and otherwise promote alternatives to the war on drugs.  He played a key role as drug policy advisor to George Soros and other prominent philanthropists as well as elected officials ranging from mayors, governors and state and federal legislators in the U.S. to presidents and cabinet ministers outside the United States.

He recently started a podcast about all things drugs called PSYCHOACTIVE.  And he has become increasingly engaged in the debate over tobacco harm reduction.