ITHACA, N.Y. -- Drug policy reform advocate and former Princeton University professor Ethan Nadelmann will present a University Lecture titled "Building a Political Movement to End the War on Drugs," Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 4:30 p.m. in 165 McGraw Hall on the Cornell University campus. The talk is free and open to the public.

Nadelmann, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Drug Policy Alliance, based in New York City, is widely regarded as one of the outstanding proponents of drug policy reform, both in the United States and abroad. The Drug Policy Alliance works to broaden the public debate on drug policy and to promote realistic alternatives to the war on drugs.

"Ethan Nadelmann is one of the rare individuals who has been able to bridge academia and activism," said Mary Katzenstein, Cornell professor of government. "His knowledge of both the international and domestic dimensions of the drug war is informed by careful, rigorous study. At the same time, his commitment to and irrepressible energy in building an organization that draws diverse groups of activists into a movement that calls for a reassessment of the drug war has been remarkable."

While on campus, Nadelmann will speak to students in two different government classes about the international drug trade and race, and the drug war.

Nadelmann was born in New York City and received his B.A., J.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University and a master's degree in international relations from the London School of Economics. He taught politics and public affairs at Princeton from 1987 to 1994, where his lectures and writings on drug policy, appearing in publications ranging fromScience andForeign Affairs toAmerican Heritage andNational Review, attracted international attention. He also is the author ofCops Across Borders , the first scholarly study of the internationalization of U.S. criminal law enforcement. In 1994, Nadelmann founded the Lindesmith Center, a drug policy institute created with the support of American philanthropist George Soros. In 2000 the center merged with another organization to form the Drug Policy Alliance.

Nadelmann's visit is sponsored at Cornell by the University Lectures Committee, the Peace Studies Program, the American Studies Program, the Department of Government and the Cornell Program for the Study of Contentious Politics.

The designation of university lecturer at Cornell is given to speakers whose subjects have wide-ranging appeal. Guest speakers are selected by a University Lectures Committee, composed of faculty members and students.

Related World Wide Web sites: The following sites provide additional information on this news release. Some might not be part of the Cornell University community, and Cornell has no control over their content or availability.

o http://www.drugpolicy.org

o http://conference.drugpolicy.org