John Walsh
Director for Drug Policy and the Andes
Issues of Expertise
Drug Policy
Climate
Peace & Security
Bolivia
Peru
Ecuador
ColombiaEducation
- B.A. Georgetown University, Theology
- M.A. Johns Hopkins University, Public Policy
Social
Contact John Walsh
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Since 2003, John Walsh has led WOLA’s efforts to promote more humane and effective drug policies, documenting the damage caused by punitive policies and promoting alternatives to the U.S. ‘war on drugs.’ John’s research and advocacy encompass developments within U.S. domestic and foreign policy, countries throughout the Americas, and the UN global drug control system.
In recent years, John has focused on reform opportunities around legal regulation of cannabis and the coca leaf. With partner organizations, he explores strategies to ensure that cannabis and coca regulation modernize the prohibitionist global drug treaty regime and that begin to repair historical harms. He also leads WOLA’s efforts to confront the challenges posed by the rise of potent synthetic drugs such as illicitly-manufactured fentanyl, the growth of global cocaine markets, the expansion of transnational criminal organizations, and climate-threatening deforestation driven by illicit drug trafficking and other extractive industries that are heavily financed by the drug trade. These problems all stem from the perverse incentives created by the global drug prohibition; they will require solutions that stretch beyond prohibition’s abject failures and constraints.
Prior to joining WOLA, John served as director of research at Drug Strategies and worked at the Center of Concern on the “Rethinking Bretton Woods Project,” an effort to forge consensus on ideas for reform of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and international trade arrangements.
Recent Work
