Release’s 50th anniversary: the Museum of Drug Policy

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Release’s 50th anniversary: the Museum of Drug Policy

22 November 2017

Release - the UK’s centre of expertise on drugs and drugs law - has been providing free and confidential specialist advice to the public, and campaigning for the reform of drug policy, for 50 years. To celebrate our 50th anniversary, we hosted the Museum of Drug Policy in London from November 3rd-5th.

The Museum’s exhibitions depicted the human suffering caused by the drug war, and highlighted how drug policy and drugs policing intersect with issues of social control, especially in relation to class and race. Alongside the Museum, we also celebrated the work that Release has undertaken over the past five decades. For more information on Release's history, click through our interactive timeline.

The Museum of Drug Policy

The Museum of Drug Policy is a pop-up arts and cultural hub featuring live programming and art from around the world that highlight how drug policies impact and shape our communities. It provides a powerful, emotional experience that illustrates the harms caused by current prohibitionist drug policies and advocates for new approaches rooted in dignity, health, and human rights. The Museum transports audiences across the globe, pushing visitors to think and act outside the box through interactive installations, powerful documentary photos, multimedia displays and more.

The Museum of Drug Policy is supported by the Open Society Foundations and was first launched in New York City in April 2016.

Panels & Workshops

Release teamed up with partner organisations to design and present numerous panels and interactive workshops alongside the exhibition. Partners included drug policy and harm reduction organisations, sex workers organisations, LGBTI groups, and movements working on issues of race.

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Thumbnail: Nigel Brundson.