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Drug Policy Alliance

Fear Mongers Attack a NYC Harm Reduction Pamphlet that Saves Lives

Anthony Papa | Posted 01.05.2010 | New York

Read More: Harm Reduction, Drug Policy Alliance, Department of Health and Human Services, Heroin, Ondcp, Drug War, Drug Enforcement Administration, New York News
Anthony Papa

The brochure under attack is directed toward the city's residents who inject drugs, and it serves the critical purpose of reducing disease transmission, preventing overdoses and saving lives.

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Repealing Federal Strictures Against Needle Exchange Programs: A Much-needed Shot in the Arm

Gabor Maté | Posted 12.21.2009 | Politics

Read More: Drug Policy Alliance, Needle Exchange Programs, Hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, Congress Needle Exchange Programs, Drug Addition Policies, Politics News
Gabor Maté

News that Congress is on the verge of repealing federal strictures against needle exchange programs serves well, as a much-needed shot in the arm for humane, science-based drug addiction policies.

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2009 Marked The Beginning Of The End Of Failed Drug War: Top 10 Stories Of The Year

Tony Newman | Posted 12.05.2009 | Politics

Read More: Rockefeller Drug Laws, Drug Policy Alliance, Mexico Drug War, Gil Kerlikowske Drug Czar, Governor Paterson, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, President Obama Administration, Drugs, War on Drugs, Portugal, Legalize Marijuana, Michael Phelps Marijuana, Politics News
Tony Newman

2009 will go down as the beginning of the end of the United States drug war. There was more debate and movement toward sensible drug policies this year than in the last nine years combined.

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Medical Marijuana In New Mexico: Patients Getting Acess To State-Licensed Pot Without The Political Turmoil

AP | DEBORAH BAKER | Posted 11.16.2009 | Denver

Read More: Drug Wars, Drug Policy Alliance, New Mexico Marijuana, War on Drugs, Colorado Marijuana, Medical Marijuana, Denver News

SANTA FE, N.M. — Businessman Len Goodman owns a company that makes hand-painted art tiles, but these days his office desk is strewn with the raw...

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Montel Williams to Receive Award for Medical Marijuana Advocacy

Tony Newman | Posted 10.30.2009 | Media

Read More: Medical Marijuana, Drug Policy Alliance, War on Drugs, Montel Williams, Drug Policy Reform, Media News
Tony Newman

Montel Williams, who hosts the nationally syndicated daily radio show Montel Across America, is being recognized for sharing his own story as a medical marijuana patient and advocate.

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Obama and Paterson Get Love For Recent Drug Policy Reforms

Tony Newman | Posted 10.22.2009 | New York

Read More: Rockefeller Drug Laws, Drug Policy Alliance, Governor David Paterson, Marijuana, President Obama, Medical Marijuana, War on Drugs, Criminal Justice, New York News
Tony Newman

For as long as I can remember, the conventional political wisdom had been that elected officials, especially Democrats, can't touch drug policy reform with a ten foot pole.

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Matt Damon, Your Buddy Mayor Bloomberg Is a Hypocritical Drug Warrior

Tony Newman | Posted 10.05.2009 | New York

Read More: Legalizing Marijuana, Drug Policy Alliance, Marijauna, Mayor Bloomberg, Drug War, New York Mayoral Election, War on Drugs, Matt Damon, Racial Profiling, Hypocrite, Weed, New York News
Tony Newman

What may not be clear to Matt Damon, an admitted marijuana user, is that despite the mayor's "moderate" reputation Bloomberg is a full-fledged, drug warrior.

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Marijuana in America: More Mainstream Than Ever, More Arrests Than Ever!

Tony Newman | Posted 11.30.2009 | Living

Read More: Tony Newman, Drug Policy Alliance, The Today Show, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Drug War, Marijuana, Alcohol, Legalize Marijuana, Marie Claire, Racial Profiling, Prohibition, Living News
Tony Newman

Need more evidence that marijuana has gone mainstream in America? This morning on The Today Show, Matt Lauer chatted up a piece on so-called "Stiletto Stoners:" educated, professional women who favor marijuana as their intoxicant of choice -- and are increasingly comfortable admitting it.

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Criminalizing Smoking Is Not the Answer: Bans on Cloves and Outdoor Smoking Will Backfire!

Tony Newman | Posted 11.24.2009 | Living

Read More: Drug Prohibition, Drug Policy Alliance, Mayor Bloomberg, Cigarettes, Drug War, Banning Menthol Cigarettes, Marijuana, Cloves, Smoking-Banned-in-Public-Places, Fda, New York City, Living News
Tony Newman

While I support many restrictions on public smoking, such as at restaurants and workplaces, I believe the outdoor smoking ban and prohibition of cloves will lead to harmful and unintended consequences.

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Candidates Drug Use Not A Deal Breaker, But Hypocrisy On Issue Should Be!

Tony Newman | Posted 10.19.2009 | New York

Read More: Cy Vance Jr., Rockefeller Drug Laws, Drug Policy Alliance, District Attorney, Marijauna, David Paterson, Richard Aborn, President Obama, Hypocrisy, Treatment, Marijuana Arrests, Cocaine, Manhattan District Attorney, New York City, New York News
Tony Newman

We have two candidates running for District Attorney of Manhattan, one the of the most powerful law enforcement jobs in the country, admitting to cocaine use.

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Mexico and Argentina Move to Decriminalize Marijuana and Other Drugs

Tony Newman | Posted 09.26.2009 | World

Read More: Drug Policy Alliance, Latin America, Mexico Drug War, Ethan Nadelmann, Marijuana, Argentina, Drugs, Marijuana Legalization, Heroin, Legalization, Mexico Drug Wars, Cocaine, World News
Tony Newman

In the last week both Mexico and Argentina made international news by passing a law and making a major Supreme Court ruling calling for low-level drug offenders to receive treatment instead of jail.

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Is It Okay to Fire People Who Smoke or Are Obese?

Tony Newman | Posted 09.18.2009 | Living

Read More: Fat Tax, Drug Policy Alliance, Obese, Smokers, Health Insurance, Health Care, Weyco, Living News
Tony Newman

By firing workers for smoking or being overweight -- and penalizing them when it comes to their health care -- we will be demonizing and marginalizing those to whom we should be reaching out.

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Denied: Access to Brooklyn Drug Treatment Court

Dan Holton-Roth | Posted 08.22.2009 | New York

Read More: Joseph Madonia, Drug Policy Alliance, Law, Drug Courts, Dade County, Holton-Roth, Dan Holton-Roth, New York News
Dan Holton-Roth

Drug courts were invented in the late 1980s in Dade County, Florida in an attempt to divert drug offenders from the criminal courts and offer individuals treatment instead of incarceration.

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Supervised Drug Injection Facilities in NY? Yes We Should (and Can)!

Tony Newman | Posted 06.25.2009 | Politics

Read More: HIV/AIDS, Overdose Deaths, Drug Policy Alliance, Safe Injection Facilities, Vancouver, Drug War, Insite, War on Drugs, New York, Health, Politics News
Tony Newman

A Vancouver injection site reduced public drug use, cut down on the spread of HIV/AIDS and overdose deaths, and helped people get into treatment.

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Yankee Pitcher's Mom Arrested for Meth: Should She Get Treatment or Prison?

Tony Newman | Posted 06.05.2009 | Politics

Read More: Joba Chamberlain's Mother Jailed, Addiction Treatment, Joba-Chamberlain, Drug Policy Alliance, Prison, Drug War, Jacqueline-Standley-Selling-Meth, Politics News
Tony Newman

We need to educate people about the possible harm from drug use, offer compassion and treatment and leave in peace the people who are causing harm to no one.

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New Campaign Should Blame Prohibition, Not Pot Smokers for Violence in Mexico

Tony Newman | Posted 05.15.2009 | World

Read More: Drug Czar, Drug Policy Alliance, Drug-Prohibition, Legalize Marijuana, Mexico Drug Violence, Drug War, Al Capone, Mexico, Mexico Drug Wars, Pot, World News
Tony Newman

It is disingenuous to connect the average American's marijuana consumption to the horrific violence that is resulting from Mexico's drug war.

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Obama Nominating Seattle Police Chief as Drug Czar

Ethan Nadelmann | Posted 04.11.2009 | Politics

Read More: Drug Policy Alliance, Gil Kerlikowske Drug Czar, Barack-Obama-War-on-Drugs, Ethan Nadelmann, Drug Czar, Medical Marijuana, Drugs, War on Drugs, Drug War, Obama Drug Czar, Gil Kerlikowske, Kerlikowske, Obama Drug Policy, Politics News
Ethan Nadelmann

What gives me hope is the fact that Seattle has been at the cutting edge of harm reduction and other drug policy reform developments in the U.S. over the last decade.

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International Narcotics Control Board Reaffirms its Shameful Commitment to Politics over Science

Ethan Nadelmann | Posted 03.22.2009 | Politics

Read More: Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy, Latin American Commission on Drugs, Drug Policy Alliance, International Narcotics Control Board, Drug War, Ethan Nadelmann, United Nations, Drug Prohibition, Drug Trade, Drug Trafficking, Drug Reform, Narco-Trafficking, Incb, Politics News
Ethan Nadelmann

The INCB boldly reaffirmed its shameful commitment to politics over science as well as its shocking indifference to the failures and harmful consequences of the global drug prohibition regime.

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Group Pressures Obama To Halt Medical Marijuana Raids

ContraCostaTimes | Posted 03.07.2009 | Politics

Read More: Barack Obama Medical Marijuana, Drug Policy Alliance, Obama Policy on Medical Marijuana, Dea, Medical Marijuana, Americans for Safe Access, Obama Marijuana, Politics News

Drug reform advocates are challenging the Obama Administration to deliver on a campaign promise to halt federal interference with California and other...

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Drug Czar of My Dreams

Matt Elrod | Posted 01.18.2009 | Politics

Read More: Judge Jim P. Gray, Non-Violent Crime, Drug Policy Alliance, Prison System, Marijuana, Czar of My Dreams, Ron Paul, Medical Marijuana, President Elect Obama Drug Policy, Office of National Drug Control Policy, The Drug War, Dr. Ethan Nadelmann, Us Prison System, Jim P. Gray, Low-Level Drug Offenders, Prison, Dennis Kucinich, Drug Offenders, Drug Czar, Christian Science Moniter, Drug Policy, Legalize Marijuana, Alternative Treatment Drug Offenders, Politics News
Matt Elrod

A significant reallocation of scarce resources from criminal justice to public health solutions is long overdue, but drug policy is multi-disciplinary and international in scope.

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Obama's Smoking Drama

Tony Newman | Posted 01.09.2009 | Politics

Read More: Drug Policy Alliance, Meet the Press, Cigarettes, Smoking, Relapse, Addiction, Obama, Drugs, Drug War, Barack Obama, Obama Smoking, Politics News
Tony Newman

Thankfully, we don't arrest cigarette smokers who relapse.

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Warring Philosophies Regarding Drug Treatment: To Jail or Not Jail for Relapse

Tony Newman | Posted 11.20.2008 | Living

Read More: Drug Addiction, Drugs, Drug Policy Alliance, Prison, Drug War, In Treatment, Drug Court, ARRIVE Drug Treatment, Exponents, Voluntary Drug Treatment, ARRIVE, Howard Josepher, Living News
Tony Newman

Let's help drug addicts where they're at and not let perfection be the enemy of good. Let's make sure that we offer compassion and empowerment, not judgment and a jail cell.

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

Tony Newman | Posted 11.02.2008 | 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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Heath Ledger's Tragic Overdose Death And What Can be Done To Prevent Others

Tony Newman | Posted 07.26.2008 | Entertainment

Read More: Overdose Deaths, Drugs, Drug Policy Alliance, Heath Ledger, Governor Richardson, Keith Ledger Dies, The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger Oscar Chances, Heath Ledger Dark Knight, Heath Ledger Died, Heath LEdger Dead, Keith Ledger, Keith Ledger Dead, Heath Ledger Death, Entertainment News
Tony Newman

There is nothing we can do to bring back the life of Heath Ledger. But we can learn from the tragedy and pass compassionate and sensible legislation to save thousands of others like him.

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Just Say No to Federal Funding For Drug War

Bill Piper | Posted 06.26.2008 | Politics

Read More: Brennan Center, Aclu, National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, Drug Policy Alliance, National African-American Drug Policy Coalition, National Council of La Raza, Drugs, National Black Police Association, Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program, Rick Perry, Politics News
Bill Piper

Congress has yet again renewed the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program, a federal law enforcement grant program that is feeding the war on drugs and fueling racial disparities, police corruption, and civil rights abuses.

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