United Nations Civil Society Participation – Activities

Welcome to the United Nations. It's your world.

English
French

NGO Branch
About us
Contact us
ECOSOC Status
Introduction
Applying for Status
Committee on NGOs
NGO Response System
NGO Participation
UN Grounds Pass
Functional Commissions
High Level Segment
Calendar of Events
Conference Registration
Quadrennial Reports

Quadrennial Reports
Quadrennial report due? Read more on our updated page. Click here »

DRCNet Foundation, Inc.

View Activities

Geographic scope:	National
Country of activity:	United States of America
Millennium Development Goals:	Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Mission statement:	StoptheDrugWar.org (DRCNet Foundation and Drug Reform Coordination Network) works for an end to drug prohibition worldwide, and an end to the "drug war" in its current form. We believe that much of the harm commonly attributed to "drugs" is really the result of placing drugs in a criminal environment. We believe the global drug war has fueled violence, civil instability, and public health crises; and that the currently prevalent arrest- and punishment-based policies toward drugs are unjust. Consistent with our goal of ending prohibition (e.g. some form of "legalization"), StoptheDrugWar.org also works toward partial reforms of drug policy that are politically feasible in the present, including: marijuana legalization; criminal justice and policing reform; harm reduction practices such as needle exchange; demilitarization of US-driven drug policy in Latin America and other regions, and on the US borders; and availability of substances for medical use; among others. Our primary but not exclusive emphasis is on US policies. StoptheDrugWar.org pursues these objectives through the following strategies: Publication of extensive, journalistic-level materials, mostly online, an area in which we are the acknowledged leader; * Long-term organizing of coalitions advocating specific policy reforms for which mainstream support can be mobilized for political change in the near term; * Grassroots activation and mobilization of drug policy reform supporters; and * Incorporating practices in all of our programs that support and grow the drug policy reform movement, and the many organizations that make it up.
Year established:	1993
Year of registration:	1997
Organizational structure:	Our organization has a structure that is typical of advocacy groups in the United States, and which exists because of specific aspects of the US tax structure. We consist of two related nonprofit corporations that work closely together and which share staff and most expenses. One of those organizations is Drug Reform Coordination Network, which is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(4) public welfare organization. This entity is primarily devoted to legislative advocacy. The other entity is DRCNet Foundation, an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit, primarily devoted to public education. The reason that US advocacy groups often adopt this structure is that donors to a 501(c)(3) can deduct the contributions on their income tax returns, but the organizations are limited in how much legislative advocacy they can do.
Number and type of members:	We have about 6,500 members. We don't have different membership types; the only qualification for being considered a member is to make a financial contribution to the organization, which can be of any size. We do have different membership levels, depending on the amount that one donates. However, those levels exist only for verbal recognition; they do not confer any additional privileges or roles as a member, except that some contribution sizes at times allow one to request a gift item.
Affiliation with NGO networks:	network member of International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC)
Funding structure:	Membership fees or dues Fundraising campaigns Other sources Donations and grants from domestic sources
Funding structure other:	advertising or sponsorship on our web site and email list

Previous

Next

Contact NGO Branch
Questions on applications, reports, or other inquiries Click here »

Online Application
Applying for ECOSOC Consultative Status? Click here »

UN Grounds Pass
Obtaining a UN Grounds Pass Click here »

Conference Registration
Registering for a UN Conference? Click here »