Throughout 2020 and 2021—in the midst of the pandemic—like many of us, I finally had some time to think. I began calling scores of drug policy leaders to ask them a question: do you think our field needs a new, prevention and recovery-oriented organization that can address all facets of drug policy? Across the board, the answer was a resounding yes.

During the period in which I made those calls, the drug policy landscape was rapidly changing. In 2020, Oregon had voted to enact Measure 110, an initiative that decriminalized all drugs statewide. In 2021, our country’s drug crisis transformed into a national nightmare with over 100,000 Americans dying from an overdose. Discussions about the goals and philosophical underpinnings of drug policy reached a new intensity, with many questioning whether abstinence should even be the goal of recovery. Drug policy debates over legalization, supervised injection sites, “safe supply,” compulsory treatment, fentanyl as a WMD, and other controversial issues were entering the national spotlight.

At that time, there was no existing public health-centered organization whose mission was to tackle these vexing drug policy issues and more.

In September 2022, I gathered many of the same leaders I spoke to the year prior and officially launched the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions (FDPS) at the University Club in Manhattan. Our mission, while simple, is challenging: to scale up drug policy solutions by educating decision-makers and the public about ways to harness science to prevent drug use, treat addiction, and forge pathways to recovery.

The Blueprint for Effective Drug Policy is the embodiment of that mission. It is the product of more than two years of hard work completed by nearly 100 experts across all areas of drug policy.

A follow-up meeting with select experts at the Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport refined and cemented the document, hence The Hyannis Consensus.

The Blueprint serves as a policy guide for decision makers, Congressional and Executive Branch staff, grassroots organizers, non-profit organizations, and anyone who wants to change the course of the drug crisis.We knew that putting forward effective solutions required creating a comprehensive plan of action, not one in which issues are siloed. That’s why we created the Blueprint’s Five Pillars: Prevention, Intervention and Treatment, Recovery Support, Criminal Justice, and International Cooperation. Working groups containing experts on each pillar collaborated with each other to ensure that the Blueprint’s policy recommendations were practical and cohesive. The result is a final product that we know will change our approach to drug policy for the better.

In the Blueprint, you will read about a wide range of important drug policy issues and recommendations. What underlies it all, though, is a bold vision: we should strive to create a world in which children and families thrive, substance use is prevented, and there is rapid access to quality treatment and meaningful pathways to recovery for individuals with substance use disorders. We hope the Blueprint for Effective Drug Policy will provide the building blocks leaders need to realize that vision.

I sincerely thank the FDPS team, and members of the working groups for their steadfast commitment to this Blueprint and our mission. This would not have been possible without you all.