African-American group prepares to issue drug policy document.

A coalition of about two dozen African-American professional organizations that was formed to push for alternatives to punitive drug policies soon will conclude public hearings designed to inform its recommendations for drug policy reform.

The executive director of the National African-American Drug Policy Coalition (NAADPC) told ADAW that he expects a report from the coalition's advisory commission on drug policy to be issued in early April. Based on the testimony he's heard at the public hearings so far, Judge Arthur L. Burnett expects that the report's recommendations will discuss both misguided drug policies and broader issues that harm African-Americans and other minorities, such as limited access to comprehensive health care coverage.

NAADPC's advisory commission has …