On September 18, the Richard Nixon Foundation hosted a luncheon symposium, Policy with Purpose: President Nixon’s Drug Strategy in a 21st Century Context, Facts From the Front Lines and Treatment Triumphs. The program explored how President Nixon’s effective drug policy provides a roadmap for addressing today’s crisis.
The symposium opened with a panel of three nationally recognized experts in drug and alcohol addiction and human trafficking, representing more than 150 years of combined experience. Moderator Maureen Nunn explained the panel’s goal: “to provide solutions and offer lifesaving hope.” Panelists offered candid insights, practical advice for supporting loved ones struggling with addiction, and ways to strengthen organizations fighting human trafficking.
Panelists included:
Bill Woodbury – Author and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor with nearly four decades of experience in the field of Substance Abuse Disorder.
James Morrow – Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor, whose international work with the Children of the Night Organization helped the group rescue more than 17,000 children from child prostitution and human trafficking since 1979.
Ed Storti – Author, international intervention specialist and developer of The Storti Model of Intervention.
Maureen Nunn (moderator)- Author and Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor, former host of a nationally syndicated television show, and member of the Richard Nixon Foundation Board of Directors
The keynote address was delivered by Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes, who emphasized the enduring relevance of President Nixon’s supply and demand approach to drug control. Reflecting on Nixon’s foresight, Sheriff Barnes remarked, “He’s very innovative and almost omniscient in how we have seen this progression over time.” Barnes also dispelled the myth that President Nixon launched a “war on drugs,” clarifying that Nixon never used the phrase and that the term itself is misleading. “Enforcing the nation’s laws against drugs, drug trafficking, and other issues is not a war—it is a strategy to address, curb, and mitigate the risks of narcotics,” Barnes explained. He went on to describe how his department is applying Nixon’s strategy to today’s fentanyl-driven epidemic, emphasizing that both enforcement and prevention remain essential components.
This symposium built upon the Nixon Foundation’s 2023 conference, A Nation of Narcotics: Drug Control Policies from Nixon’s DEA to the Fentanyl Crisis, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the DEA.
Watch here:
