Conservatives, Libertarians and Drug Policy Reform
Year
2011 - Los Angeles, CA
Speakers
Stacie Rumenap, Co-chair, Public Safety Task Force, American Legislative Exchange Council, Washington, DC
Jerry Madden, Chairman, Texas House Corrections Committee; Co-Chair, Public Safety Task Force, American Legislative Exchange Council, Plano, TX
Jim Gray, former Superior Court Judge, Orange County, CA
Richard Feldman, President, Independent Firearm Owners Association, Rindge, New Hampshire
Craig DeRoche, Former Speaker, Michigan House of Representatives, Detroit, MI
Facilitator: Jill Harris, Acting Deputy Director, Drug Policy Alliance, New York, NY
Jacob Sullum, Senior Editor, Reason, Dallas, TX
The growing momentum for criminal justice and drug policy reform in the United States has been given a boost by not just libertarians, but also conservatives and other Republicans. Some of these groups have been instrumental in winning major sentencing reform measures in a number of states. What are the differences between traditional conservatives, fiscal conservatives, and libertarians? What are the best ways to message to each on drug policy reform issues? Will they ever support harm reduction programs, even if they are cost neutral? What is the significance of the Right on Crime initiative? And how do we build stronger, more diverse coalitions to support drug policy reform?