Drug Policy

Obama Drug Czar Pick: No Recovery from War on Drugs?

Maia Szalavitz | Posted 11.21.2008 | Politics

Read More: Ramstad, Health, Drug War, Obama Transition, Drugs, Drug Policy, Barack Obama, Drug Czar, Drug Addiction, Obama Medical Marijuana, Obama Drug Czar, Obama Drugs, Addiction, Medical Marijuana, Obama Needle Exchange, Obama Drug Policy, Barry McCaffrey, Jim Ramstad, Clinton Needle Exchange, Needle Exchange, Obama Drug War, Ramstad Drug Czar, Politics News
Maia Szalavitz

Obama shouldn't make the mistake that Bill Clinton did and install a drug czar who will ignore science and push dogma.

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How Will the Economic Crisis Impact Drug Use and Drug Policy?

Tony Newman | Posted 10.02.2008 | Living

Read More: Drug Use, Drugs, Drug Policy Alliance, War on Drugs, Wall Street Crisis, Drug Policy, Economic Crisis, New York Times Style Section, Numbing Pain, Economic Crisis Drug Use, Escapism Drugs, Living News
Tony Newman

I have to believe that the fear and anxiety being felt by so many because of the economic crisis will lead to increased use of alcohol and other drugs to calm fears or numb pain.

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The Death of DC Suburban Mayor's Dogs Should Matter to Every American

Robert Creamer | Posted 08.08.2008 | Politics

Read More: George Bush, Labrador Retrievers, Civil Liberties, John McCain, Mayor Calvo, Civil Rights, Breaking News, Drug Policy, Politics News
Robert Creamer

The Prince George's Sheriff's Office SWAT team raided the home of Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo and without apparent provocation, they shot and killed the couples' two Labrador retrievers.

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The Public Health Consequences Of Thailand's War on Drugs

Jennifer Winstanley | Posted 07.10.2008 | Living

Read More: Human Rights, The Giving Life, Prison, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Public Health, War on Drugs, Drug Policy, Living News
Jennifer Winstanley

In 1997, the Thai government criminalized yaabaa in the same way as heroine. As a result, the prison population doubled within four years. There are a number of public health consequences of a policy that encourages and overuses incarceration.

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Americans Can't Allow McCain to Continue Bush's Failed Policies in the "War on Drugs"

Robert Creamer | Posted 07.02.2008 | Politics

Read More: Sentencing Policy, Cocain Use, Presidential Election, War on Terror, Latin America, Prison, Mccain, Coca Eradication, War on Drugs, Breaking News, Columbia, Drug Policy, Drug War, Bush War on Drugs, Jan Schakowsky, Politics News
Robert Creamer

Though the failures of the "War on Drugs" are more silent and insidious than the president's dramatic failures in the Middle East, the two have much in common.

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What Your Government Knows About Cannabis And Cancer -- And Isn't Telling You

Paul Armentano | Posted 06.24.2008 | Politics

Read More: Cannabinoids, Politics, Medical Cannabis, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Norml, Drug Enforcement Administration, Dea, Glioma, Thc, Pot, Cancer, Drug Policy, Ted Kennedy, Marijuana, Nida, Politics News
Paul Armentano

What possible advances in the treatment of cancer could have been achieved had U.S. government officials chosen to advance, not suppress, research into the anti-cancer effects of cannabis?

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Don't Buy The 'Potent Pot' Hype

Paul Armentano | Posted 06.16.2008 | Politics

Read More: Medical Cannabis, Marijuana, Drug Enforcement Administration, Thc, Propaganda, Pot, Dea, Drug Policy, Politics News
Paul Armentano

While the feds' latest "reefer rhetoric" may sound alarming, there's little substance behind the hype. The average THC in domestically grown marijuana has remained unchanged for nearly a decade.

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I Was Wrong About The War On Drugs -- It's A Failure

Bob Barr | Posted 06.10.2008 | Politics

Read More: Chris Benoit, Drug Enforcement, Kane WWE, Bob Barr, Bob Barr Libertarian, War on Drugs, WWE, Libertarian Party, Drug Policy, Politics News
Bob Barr

When government attempts to solve problems, it creates even more of them, often increasing the size and depth of the original problem. A perfect example of this is the federal War on Drugs.

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Barney Frank Ignites Congress for Common Sense

Tom Gregory | Posted 06.09.2008 | Politics

Read More: Medical Marijuana, Drug Policy, Barney Frank, Politics News
Tom Gregory

In the second part of my interview with Barney Frank, he talks bluntly with me about his views on drug policy and the legalization of medical marijuana.

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Obama Not Completely Silent on the Drug War

Kurt Schmoke | Posted 05.22.2008 | Politics

Read More: Drug War, Clyde Bailey, Addiction, NAADPC, War on Drugs, Barack Obama, Drug Policy, Politics News
Kurt Schmoke

Obama's remarks notwithstanding, the relative silence by presidential candidates about the War on Drugs has been disappointing but not surprising.

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Anti-Drug Task Force Funding Leads to Police Corruption and Destruction of Lives

Anthony Papa | Posted 04.29.2008 | Politics

Read More: Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program, Drug Policy, Politics News
Anthony Papa

The original intent of the Byrne program was to provide financial support to combat the drug trade. But instead, it has a history of corruption and the destruction of lives.

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Being Mean to Richard Quest and Tom Friedman: Can We Have a Little Humanity and Class on the Blogosphere, Please?

Harold Pollack | Posted 04.26.2008 | Media

Read More: Blogosphere, Thomas Friedman, Larry Craig, Drug Policy, Richard Quest, Civility, Media News
Harold Pollack

There is something ugly about the mob mentality a personal scandal or even a pie in the face can unleash. We can do better.

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The Wire V. the Baltimore Sun: Which Covers Addiction Better?

Maia Szalavitz | Posted 01.16.2008 | Living

Read More: Addiction, The Wire, Heroin, Drug Policy, Oxycontin, Baltimore Sun, Buprenorphine, Living News
Maia Szalavitz

HBO's The Wire does a far better job of examining the complexities of addiction than The Baltimore Sun. One must wonder about the kind of news judgment that regards 167 deaths as more important than 3,500 lives saved.

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Push-Polls: What is Common Sense?

Matt Simon | Posted 12.20.2007 | Home

Read More: Mike Huckabee, Marijuana, 2008 Election, Offthebus, Push-Polling, Drug Policy, Drug War, Home News
Matt Simon

I run a NH Common Sense, which somebody recently mistook for Common Sense Issues, the group allegedly behind recent NH push-polls. It made me wonder: which of our groups actually lives up to its name?

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Smartest Drug Story of the Year?

Maia Szalavitz | Posted 12.06.2007 | Politics

Read More: Drugs, Drug War, Media, Rolling Stone, Drug Policy, Slate, Crack, Dea, Crystal Meth, War on Drugs, Lee Brown, Meth, Drug Enforcement Administration, Crack Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Quaaludes, Cocaine, Politics News
Maia Szalavitz

America lost the drug war not by making tactical errors-- but by picking the wrong enemy. Rolling Stone deserves credit for making a strong case for just how wrong that went.

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Cover Story in Foreign Policy Magazine: Making the Case for Ending Drug War

Tony Newman | Posted 09.19.2007 | Politics

Read More: Drug Legalization, Drug War, Drug Policy, Politics News
Tony Newman

The current cover of the influential magazine Foreign Policy provocatively asserts, "Legalize It; Why It's Time to Just Say No to Prohibition." The a...

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