The 26th Annual SALIS Conference was hosted by Andrea Mitchell, Research Librarian for the Alcohol Research Group and a founding member of SALIS. From the warm ambiance of the historic Berkeley City Club, to the impressive agenda of speakers, and with a full-court tackling of an especially urgent issue (the threatened demise of ETOH), the 24th Annual SALIS Conference was a resounding succcess. The conference theme of "Making Waves for Change" turned out to be a prophetic call for SALIS to sail against the cold winds ands rough seas that were beginning to loom in the world of drug and alcohol information. Nonetheless, the conference offered many saving graces and "sweet memories."

Among the excellent speakers:

• Cynthia Hallett, MPH, Executive Director, Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights and & American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, on "Tobacco Prevention: Policies, Research, and Tobacco Industry Interference"
• Geoffrey Hunt, PhD, Senior Scientist, Institute for Scientific Analysis, on "Dancing and Drugs: A Cross-National Perspective"
• Judy Appel, JD, Deputy Director, Legal Affairs, Drug Policy Alliance, on "School Drug Testing"
• Craig Reinarman, PhD, Professor of Sociology and Legal Studies, UC Santa Cruz & Visiting Scholar, Center for Drug Research, Univ. of Amsterdam, on "Librarians as Subversives: Truth is the First Casualty of Drug Wars, Too"
• James Mosher, JD, Director, Center for the Study of Law & Enforcement Policy, Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation, on "Underage Drinking and the Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS)."

Other highlights included the piano stylings of SALIS member Eric Helmuth during the opening Reception, with a reprise performance by the "SALIS Swingers," singing SALIS' own version of "Memories Are Made of This." The meeting was capped (corked?) on Saturday afternoon with a tour of the Napa Wine Country -- educational and fun!

View the final Program.

[Click here for information about the upcoming 2009 SALIS Conference or other past SALIS conferences.]