An International Symposium

London, September 5, 1998

Regent's College

Academics, lawyers, policy makers, scientists, public health officials, drug

professionals, criminologists, politicians, policy institutes, law enforcement

agencies, journalists, social scientists, researchers.

The Lindesmith Center and Release invite individuals and organisations, with a

policy or professional interest, to attend a symposium on options for the

regulation and decriminalisation of cannabis. This symposium will bring

together leading experts from Europe, Australia and North America in the fields

of science, jurisprudence, sociology and government to examine recent

experiences and possible options for regulating the world's most popular illicit

drug. This interactive conference aims to shed light on optimal cannabis

controls and bring a new maturity and clarity to public debate. Particular

attention will be devoted to exploring pragmatic opportunities for reform within

the context of prohibition and examining recent constitutional and judicial

developments in the regulation of cannabis.

THE ORGANISERS

This is a collaborative event organised by The Lindesmith Center and Release.

The Lindesmith Center is a drug policy research institute founded in 1994 as a

project of the Open Society Institute, a private foundation that encourages

public debate and policy alternatives in complex and often controversial fields.

With offices in New York and San Francisco, The Lindesmith Center undertakes and

supports innovative projects relevant to drugs, drug users, and drug policies

that are often overlooked or ignored in public discussion and government-funded

research.

Release is the UK based drugs and legal advice charity which was founded in 1967

when it established the world's first ever 24-hour drugs and legal advice

helpline. The organisation's range of innovative services, pioneering work with

young people as well as its commitment to the civil rights of drug users, has

contributed to its unique credibility in the drugs and legal advice field.

COST

The cost of attendance, including refreshments, lunch and conference pack, is

75 (sterling). A discount rate of 37 for research students is available upon

request. Delegates are responsible for their own accommodations but the

symposium office at Release is pleased to assist with details of hotels

available at a range of prices.

VENUE

The symposium will be held on September 5 at The Regent's College Conference

Centre, situated within the formal gardens of London's Regent's Park. The

venue offers a quiet and idyllic setting for the symposium and is only a half

mile away from the arts, entertainment and heritage of London's West End.

PROGRAM

Regulating Cannabis will explore various models of cannabis control, both actual

and proposed, address legal developments concerning production, possession and

sale, and examine UN international conventions. The meeting is intended not as a

platform for advocating any one solution but rather a forum for considering a

range of effective cannabis control schemes.

Speakers and contributors include*

Daniel Abrahamson, Director of Legal Affairs, The Lindesmith Center

Robert Ali, Chair of the Australian National Illicit Drugs Expert Committee.

Martin Barriuso, President of Kalamudia Association, Spain

Professor Lorenz Bollinger, University of Bremen,

Professor Peter Cohen, University of Amsterdam.

Dr. Patricia Erickson, Senior Scientist, Addiction Research Foundation, Toronto.

Benedikt Fischer, Scientist and Coordinator, Addiction Research Foundation,

Toronto.

Mike Goodman, Director of Release, London.

Steve James, Manager, Victoria Police Cannabis Cautioning Program.

Professor Adriaan Jansen, University of Amsterdam.

Professor Krysztof Krajewski, University of Krakow.

Professor Harry Levine, Queens College.

Professor David MacDonald, The Australian National University.

Ueli Minder, Swiss Federal Office of Public Health.

Dr. John P. Morgan, City College of New York.

Ethan Nadelmann, Director of The Lindesmith Center.

Professor Craig Reinarman, University of California.

Professor Christian Nils Robert, Universite de Geneve.

Susanne Schardt, Director Coordination Bureau - European Cities on Drug Policy.

Professor Eric Single, University of Toronto.

Professor Lynn Zimmer, Queens College.

* The majority of these speakers have confirmed attendance and will be joined by

others not mentioned.

For more information regarding the agenda or supporting literature for the

symposium, please contact Mireille Jacobson at the Lindesmith Center at (212)

548-0603, ext. 1469 or send an e-mail to mjacobson@sorosny.org. On these

matters as well as for registration information, please contact Vicki Charles at

Release at (44/171) 729-5255, fax (44/171) 729-2599 or send an e-mail to

info@release.org.uk. Background information can also be found on The

Lindesmith Center website, www.lindesmith.org. Registration will be available

on Release's website, www.release.org.uk, as of August 12, 1998.