Alejandro Hope: Mexican political scientist, specialist in surveys, consulting partner at Associated Economists (GEA). Director of the MC2 Project, “Less Crime, Less Punishment,” a joint initiative in public security that is part of the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO) and Mexico Evaluates. http://www.imco.org.mx

Alejandro Madrazo: Ph.D. in Law, Yale University, Mexican researcher (Level I) with the National System of Researchers. Currently a professor and researcher at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE). He has conducted in depth research of telecommunications law, tobacco control and, more recently, in drug policy. http://www.cide.mx

Alex Wodak: Australian physician, Director of Alcohol and Drug Service at St. Vincent Hospital in Sidney since 1982. He established the National Administration of Medication and the National Drug and Alcohol Research Center in 1987. He has published over 200 scientific articles and is currently President of both the Drug Law Reform Foundation and of the International Harm Reduction Association in Australia. http://www.stvincents.com.au

Andres Lajous: Mexican political activist, holds a bachelors in Political Science and International Relations from the Center for Economic Research and Training (CIDE) and a masters in Urban Planning and International Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He has participated in civic movements such as Voto Nulo (“Blank Vote”), Internet Necessario (“Necessary Internet”), Ya Bájenle (“Lower It Now”) and Aventón Ciudadano (“Citizen Ride”). He produced a report on the legalization of drugs for Nexos. http://andreslajous.blogs.com

Antonio Mazzitelli: Italian, holds a bachelors degree from the University of Bologna, Italy. He is a Regional Representative to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. http://www.unodc.org/mexico

Arturo Valenzuela: Chilean-American political scientist and academic. He served as Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, one of the highest posts held by a Latin American in the history of the United States. He is a Professor of Government and founding Director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University. http://www.georgetown.edu

Bernardo González-Aréchiga: PhD in Economics, Mexico. He has served as Independent Voice of the Government Board for the Institute of Protection of Bank Savings (IPAB) and Public Policy Coordinator in the Presidential Office of Mexico. He has specialized in the study of public policies on security, policing models, the drug market and the reform of justice. http://www.itesm.edu/wps/portal/egap

Carlos Heredia: Mexican economist, researcher and director of International Studies division at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE). For over thirty years, he has actively participated in civil organizations in Mexico, the United States and Canada. He is a founder, former vice-president and current member of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (Comexi). http://http://www.cide.edu

Cesar Gaviria: Colombian economist and politician, President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994, Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1994 to 2004, and Director of National Liberal Party from 2005 to 2009. During his presidential administration, he enacted the Colombian Constitution of 1991. He is currently a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. http://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org

Donald Macpherson: Canadian attorney and advocate for a new approach to addressing drug problems based on principles of public health, human rights, social inclusion, belonging and scientific evidence. He is the founder of the “Four Pillars” program and Drug Policy Coordinator for the City of Vancouver. He spearheaded the creation of the Supervised Injection Facility (InSite). http://drugpolicy.ca/

Eduardo Guerrero Gutiérrez: Ph.D. in Political Science and Mexican expert on issues related to security, access to information and professionalization of the public sector. He has developed a high profile as a political analyst. He currently works on doctoral research on organized crime and violence in Mexico. http://www.lantiaconsultores.com

Ernest Drucker: U.S. physician, Director of the Public Health Division, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. His research in clinical psychology focus on social problems, drug law reform and human rights. Conducts research on drug use and drug policy in the U.S. and abroad. http://www.plagueofprisons.com

Ernesto López Portillo: Mexican professor, founder and Executive Director of Institute for Security and Democracy, better known as Insyde in Mexico. He also serves as Council Member on the Human Rights Commission in Mexico City. Over the past two decades he has analyzed police operations across the world and has spoken with hundreds of lawmakers on security matters. http://www.insyde.org.mx

Ethan Nadelmann: U.S. scientist, founder and Executive Director of Drug Policy Alliance, the leading organization in the U.S. for the promotion of alternatives to the war on drugs. Described by Rolling Stone as “the point man” behind drug reform efforts, he is widely considered to be the most prominent voice for drug reform. http://www.drugpolicy.org

Fernando Henrique Cardoso: Brazilian politician, sociologist and intellectual. He is internationally recognized for his ideas and policies as a Social Democrat in Latin America and for serving as President of Brazil during two consecutive periods (1995-2003). One of the most important contemporary thinkers in Latin America, he is also a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. http://www.ifhc.org.br

George Will: U.S. journalist, commentator and writer, winner of the Pulitzer Prize. He has been a columnist at The Washington Post and Newsweek for over thirty years and is a regular contributor to other U.S. publications. He is an opinion leader in the United States. He studied at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and holds a masters from Oxford and a Ph.D. from Princeton. http://www.washingtonpost.com

Héctor Aguilar Camín: Mexican journalist, historian and writer. He serves as Director of the magazine Nexos and is a member of the call to a “new realism.” His sharp political observations and social critiques have formed a part of his novels, including To Die in the Gulf (1985) and Adriano’s Women (2002), among others. In 1986, he received the National Prize for Cultural Journalism in the category of editorial articles, and in 1992 he won the Medal of Merit from his home state for his journalistic and literary career.http://www.nexos.com.mx

Jack Cole: U.S., retired police officer for New York City. For 26 years, he worked for 26 years as an undercover narcotics agent, through which he developed a street-level understanding of drug trade dynamics. Currently, he is a Board Member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), an organization comprised of 15,000 police officers, judges, supporters and prison officers across the world. LEAP’s purpose is to promote the legalization and regulation of drugs as a solution to the violence caused by a century of drug prohibition. http://www.leap.cc

James Gierach: U.S. attorney, former prosecutor for Cook County (Chicago). He has spent more than twenty years fighting drug prohibition. He was a candidate for Cook County State’s Attorney and Illinois governor in primary elections, and he is an author and public speaker. He has discussed and debated drug-policy issues on television, the radio and before hundreds of audiences. He is a Board Member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). http://www.leap.cc

James P. Gray: U.S judge, cited on numerous occasions for his work in the areas of social reform and civic philanthropy. He currently presides over the civil trial calendar for the Superior Court of Orange County, California. His most notable cause has been to combat illegal drugs in the United States, working to mobilize civic leaders, government officials, corporations, non-profit organizations, the media and the public throughout the country to explore alternative solutions to this problem.http://www.judgejimgray.com

Jorge Castañeda: Mexican politician, intellectual, historian and commentator. He served as Secretary of Foreign Relations from 2000 to 2003. He holds a Bachelors in Economics from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Economic History from the University of Paris. He is a visiting professor at several universities, including the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Princeton University, New York University and University of California, Berkeley. He has authored over a dozen books, including Narco: The Failed War. He is a frequent editorialist at such newspapers as Reforma (Mexico), El Pais (Spain), the Los Angeles Times (United States) and at Newsweek (United States). http://www.jorgecastaneda.org

Jorge Hernández Tinajero: Mexican political scientist and internationalist, professor at the School of Political and Social Sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He has specialized in drug policy for over ten years. He is coauthor of the political platform on drug issues for the Democracia Social and México Posible parties. He was an advisor to the “Conde Legislative Initiatives” on cannabis, and is a member of the Mexican Association for Cannabis Studies and the Mexican Association for Risk and Harm Reduction. He is currently President of the Collective for a Holistic Policy Towards Drugs (CUPIHD). http://jorgecalamar.blogspot.com/

Jorge Valdez: Mexican medical graduate of the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM). He has a Master in Medical Sciences from Boston University and also has a subspecialty in Cornea and Refractive Surgery. Currently he leads a multidisciplinary medical team studying a new regulation of psychoactive substances emphasizing damage reduction. http://www.itesm.edu

Juan E. Pardinas: Mexican researcher and analyst. Ph.D. in Government and Public Policy from the London School of Economics (LSE), has a Master in Economics from the University of Sofia in Tokyo, Japan and has a BA in Political Science from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Prior to his incorporation into the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO) he served as an Analyst at the Center for Development Research (CIDAC). www.imco.org.mx

Larry Campbell: Former mayor of Vancouver, Canada. Currently a member of the Canadian Senate. Since 1969 Campbell has been a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Vancouver, joining the drug force in 1973. A proponent of the Four Pillars, in 1999 he spearheaded the introduction of this program into the Canadian government. The program’s core principles are prevention, treatment, police action and harm reduction. Campbell was also a proponent of a safe injection site that opened its doors in 2003. http://www.larrycampbell.ca

Luis Astorga: Mexican, Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Paris, I Pantheon Sorbonne. He is a member of the Social Studies Institute at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and of the National Researchers System, as well as Chairman of the UNESCO program, Economic and Social Transformations Related to International Drugs. He is the author of Security, Traffickers and the Military, The Power of the Shadow (2007), The Drug Century, Drug Trafficking: From the Porfiriato to the New Millenium (2005), Drugs
Without Borders (2003) and Mythology of the Drug Trafficker in Mexico (1995). http://www.drogasmexico.org

Luis de la Calle:Mexican economist. He was the Assistant Secretary of International Commercial Negotiations in the Ministry of Economy in Mexico, he was the Minister of Commercial Affairs for the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C. and he was an economist at the World Bank. He currently works in the private sector and is a lecturer at the Autonomous Technology Institute Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology (ITAM). He is also a frequent speaker at conferences worldwide on international business issues and a columnist for El Universal. http://www.cmmsc.com.mx

Mark Kleiman: U.S. professor for the School of Public Affairs at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is renowned in the United States for his research on drug policy. He is the author of Marijuana: Costs of Abuse, and also of Costs of Control and Against Excess: Drug Policy for Results. He most recent book, When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment, argues that police forces should view every drug arrest as a loss, not a victory. http://publicaffairs.ucla.edu/

Mariana Mora Bayo: Mexican researcher, specialized in the field of Human Rights and Security at Fundar, an Analysis and Research Center. She holds a degree in Studies of Conservation of Natural Resources from the University of California at Berkeley, MA in Latin American Studies from Stanford University and a PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of Austin, Texas. www.fundar.org.mx/

María Elena Medina Mora: Mexican psychologist, holds both a Bachelors Degree and Masters in Psychology from the Iberamerican University (UIA) and a Doctorate in Social Psychology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She is an expert on drug abuse and mental health and a faculty member at the School of Medicine and Psychology at UNAM, as well as a member of its governing board since 2003. She is also the General Director of the Ramon de la Fuente Muniz Institute of National Psychiatry, and served as Director of its Department of Epidemiology and Psychosocial Studies until 2008. http://www.colegionacional.org.mx

Mike Trace: British, named by Tony Blair to coordinate anti-drug efforts within the British government from 1997 through 2001. He is the Executive Director of Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust (RAPT), one of the largest service providers for chemically-dependent prisoners, and serves as President of the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC ), a global network of non-governmental organizations that promote humane and efficient drug policies. His work spans detoxification and rehabilitation programs for addicts to the design of public policy to combat crime. He represents the British government in the
international debate on drug policy. http://idpc.net/

Mirko Giulietti: Diplomat, deputy head of the Swiss Embassy in Mexico. Studied social sciences at the University of Geneva and has a master’s degree in international law of human rights at the University of Louvain-la-Neuve. He has Diplomatic and Humanitarian experience (International Committee of the Red Cross) in Colombia, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, United Nations (New York and Geneva), Belgium and Mexico.

Nuno Capaz: Portuguese, member of the Dissuasion Committee created by the Portuguese government to apply decriminalization laws passed in 2000. He is a member of the interdisciplinary team that evaluates drug addiction. He also works as an intermediary international delegations interested in sharing research and providing information regarding Portugal’s drug policy. http://www.idt.min-saude.pt

Óscar Vázquez Marín: Mexican judge, his work has encompassed every aspect of the judicial branch as a magistrate, judge, secretary and clerk. Specializing in criminal law, he has presided over cases on matters of Organized Crime against Public Health. He is currently a member of the Implementation Unit on Criminal Law Reform, Juicio de Amparo (akin to habeas corpus petitions), and Human Rights within the Council of the Judiciary..

Sergio Ferragut: Over the past several decades, Mr. Ferragut has held executive positions in the banking, business and computer industries in Mexico, the United States and Argentina. Most recently he collaborated with the Office of the Attorney General in Mexico (Procuradura General de la República, or PGR). His concern for the damages caused by failed drug policies led him to author the book, A Silent Nightmare: The Bottom Line and the Challenge of Illicit Drugs, originally published in English in the United States in 2007.

Sylvia Aguilera García: Mexican Psychologist with a Master’s degree in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford, England. Acting Director of the Centro de Colaboración Cívica. She has participated in organizations like the Misión Civil por la Paz y la Comisión de Derechos Humanos of Mexico City and since 2010, has been in charge of coordination and facilitation of the process of Dialogue on Public Safety with a focus on Human Rights. www.colaboracioncivica.org

Steve Rolles: British researcher, he joined Transform Drug Policy Foundation (TDPF) as coordinator of campaigns in 1998 and is now Director of Research. He studied Human Geography at the University of Bristol and earned a Master´s degree in Development Studies at the University of Manchester. Prior to joining TPDF he worked for a year in India for the Medical Research Council managing large-scale studies on rural health, working with Oxfam seeking to stop the arms trafficking and to promote free trade. http://transform-drugs.blogspot.com/

Walter M. Mckay: United States police officer. He created and served as the Director of the Center for Professional Certification for Police Agencies (Certipol) for the Institute on Security and Democracy (Insyde) in Mexico. He has worked with several police agencies in Mexico, which has provided him with a unique perspective on the problems Mexican police face in combatting cartels. He is currently working on a project to map deaths directly related to the war on drug trafficking.http://www.policereform.org