New Directions for New York:

A Public Health and Safety Approach to Drug Policy

A State and City-focused Conference hosted by:

The New York Academy of Medicine and the Drug Policy Alliance

The New York Academy of Medicine and the Drug Policy Alliance have come together to

convene a conference to develop new policy solutions that take advantage of existing, effective

public health and safety tools in our city and state. The New Directions for New York conference

will encourage participants to develop concrete intervention and policy proposals for New

Yorkers affected by substance use and misuse.

This conference follows the historic hearings convened by the New York State Assembly last

May to examine a public health approach to drug policy. In a rare occurrence, the hearings were

conducted jointly by six Assembly Committees -- three from the field of criminal justice (Codes,

Corrections, and Judiciary), and three from public health (Health, Alcoholism and Drug

Addiction, and Social Services). The hearings brought together a wide array of stakeholders to

discuss and explore what a coordinated public health approach to drug policy would look like.

Together we can develop public health-oriented approaches to our drug policies that save lives,

reduce the harms associated with drug misuse, enhance public safety, and conserve our scarce

tax dollars.

New Directions for New York:

A Public Health and Safety Approach to Drug Policy

Date: Thursday evening, January 22 & Friday, all day, January 23, 2009

Location: The New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029

Conference Co-Hosts: The New York Academy of Medicine and the Drug Policy Alliance

Co-Sponsors and Partners: List in Formation

For more information, please visit www.newdirectionsnewyork.org,

or contact Gabriel Sayegh at (212) 613-8048; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

or Simone-Marie Meeks at NYAM at 212.822.7372; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it