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A Losing Game: Sports and the War on Drugs

The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy and the Open Society Foundations host Dave Ungrady, author of Born Ready: The Mixed Legacy of Len Bias, and Gregory Jordan, author of Willie Mays Aikens: Safe at Home, for a conversation moderated by Darryl Fears, reporter for the Washington Post, about the unsuccessful “war on drugs.”

A discussion on these books may reveal that no one, not even our most celebrated professional athletes, win in the war on drugs. Drug and sentencing policies, which have resulted in the world’s highest incarceration rate and the substantial disenfranchisement of certain populations, have failed us all.

Lite fare will be served at 5:30 p.m., with books also available for purchase at that time. The conversation will begin at 6:00 p.m., with opening remarks from Nkechi Taifa, Open Society Foundations senior policy analyst, and Caroline Fredrickson, American Constitution Society president.

This discussion will be followed by a book signing and dessert reception from 7:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

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Inside Open Society

Reimagining Drug Policy with Compassion and Justice

Outreach works handout Narcan to an unhoused woman.

Drug policy should be rooted in principles of public health, human rights, and uphold human dignity. Open Society strives to promote humane, evidence-based approaches to drugs and drug use worldwide.

August 7, 2025 | Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch

Harm Reduction

Every Overdose Death Is a Policy Failure

A group of people stand in front of a government

The U.S. state of Maine has seen tremendous reductions in overdose deaths, exceeding the national average. This reduction in overdose deaths is the direct result of decades of advocacy and strong policy reforms.

July 8, 2025 | Courtney Gary-Allen

Harm Reduction for All

A Lifesaving Loan: A New Investment to Help Curb the U.S. Overdose Crisis

A volunteer hands out naloxone.

For over a decade, the small Remedy Alliance nonprofit has revolutionized providing lifesaving healthcare for people who use drugs. Our new investment will help the group increase access to the overdose antidote naloxone.

December 12, 2023 | Sarah Evans & Georgia Levenson Keohane

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