Watch Marilyn’s closing address below, or view the entire closing plenary.
Closing Plenary, 2011 International Drug Policy Reform Conference from Drug Policy Alliance on Vimeo.
On November 5, 2011, Honor Thy Daughter author Marilyn Howell was given the honor of speaking at the closing plenary at the 2011 International Drug Policy Reform Conference. Howell was one of a handful of presenters chosen to address the entire conference audience, owing to the dramatic impact their earlier presentations had on attendees.
Ethan Nadelmann, Ph.D., the founder and executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, explained why Marilyn’s story about how psychedelic therapy helped ease her daughter’s suffering at the end of her life is so important for the drug policy reform community. “We are about trying to reduce the cumulative pain associated both with drugs and the drug war in our society and around the world,” said Nadelmann. “One of the people who spoke beautifully to this issue…was Marilyn Howell.”
As Marilyn wrote to MAPS after the conference (where Honor Thy Daughter sold out): “I’ve always been a bit of an outsider. As a student of multiple mind/body systems, I selectively chose and integrated a variety of useful principles and tools, but I was never drawn to earn certification in a particular discipline or to join an organization of practitioners. Although I facilitated strong communities in the classroom, I was the guide and gatekeeper, not a peer. I never felt as though I belonged to a community. At 69, I’ve finally found my tribe in MAPS.”
