The drug policy reform movement descended upon Denver last week for the 2013 International Drug Policy Reform Conference.
More than 1,000 activists, students, elected officials, formerly incarcerated advocates, parents, professors, law enforcement, international leaders and many more took part in the leading conference of people who believe that the war on drugs is doing more harm than good.
This year, in partnership with Luceo Images, the Reform Conference featured an interactive photography project that encouraged attendees to create powerful statements and use social media to challenge the war on drugs. The #NoMoreDrugWar photo booth attracted the young reformer and seasoned activist alike.
Attendees were excited to be able to share their opinions and broadcast their commitment to drug policy reform by customizing messages that focused on three themes: criminal justice, marijuana legalization, and health & harm reduction.
Reform attendees flooded Facebook with hundreds of diverse and compelling photographs that catapulted the dialogue online around drug use and people who use drugs in an effort to reduce stigma and pair up the voices with the faces of the drug policy reform movement. Attendees were encouraged to tag and share their photos thereby amplifying the call to action.
Messages ranged from the funny and pragmatic to the serious and heart wrenching. Some of the most moving images included a mother who lost her son to an overdose, hip hop artist Jasiri Xcalling the war on drugs a war on people of color, a young woman declaring her sovereignty in both English and Spanish, a youth activist calling for an end to marijuana prohibition, Dr. Jane Kennedy, who practices harm reduction by prescribing naloxone to active drug users, and many, many more.
Go here to see more photos from the #NoMoreDrugWar photo booth project.
Melissa Franqui, a communications associate for the Drug Policy Alliance, is the #NoMoreDrugWar photo project manager.