Drug War

What I Want For Christmas: Mass Clemency

Jacob M. Appel | Posted 12.24.2009 | Politics

Read More: Rockefeller Drug Laws, Pardons, Law, Capital Punishment, George W. Bush, War on Drugs, Media, Politics, Liberty, Christmas, Freedom, Ethics, Jail, Constitution, Justice, Illinois, Mercy, Crime, Drug War, Amnesty, Toney Anaya, Massachusetts, Forgiveness, Barack Obama, Compassion, George Ryan, New York, Clemency, Pardon-Power, Religion, Prison, Michigan, Jack Johnson, Governors, Politics News
Jacob M. Appel

A mass, collective pardon of nonviolent offenders would reunite hundreds of thousands of families, save billions of dollars in incarceration costs, and might foster a national spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation.

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Chase Bank says Screw You to Students at Holiday Time

Anthony Papa | Posted 12.23.2009 | Business

Read More: College Students, JPMorgan Chase, War on Drugs, Drug War, Marijuana, Business News
Anthony Papa

As reported by the New York Times, Chase Bank asked millions of Facebook users to "decide what matters" by voting for their favorite organizations, but they appeared to rig their own contest.

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Melquisedet Angulo: Gunmen Kill Family Of Mexican Drug War Hero

AP | E. EDUARDO CASTILLO | Posted 12.23.2009 | World

Read More: Us Mexico Drug Wars, Felipe Calderon, Arturo-Beltran-Leyva, Arturo Beltran Leyva, Melquisedet Angulo, Drug War, President Felipe Calderon, Mexico, Mexico Drug Wars, World News

MEXICO CITY — Assailants on Tuesday gunned down the mother, aunt and siblings of a marine killed in a raid that took out one of Mexico's most po...

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Exile Nation: Drugs, Prisons, Politics & Spirituality

Charles Shaw | Posted 12.18.2009 | Chicago

Read More: Politics, Criminal Justice System, Prison, Drug War, Spirituality, Chicago News
Charles Shaw

Cook County Jail is so awful that for many of its detainees a quick guilty plea and a trip to the penitentiary, even for twice as long, is preferable to staying in the County.

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Mexican Army Accused Of Torture By Amnesty International

AP | Posted 12.10.2009 | World

Read More: Mexico, Army, Mexican Army, Torture, Drug, Drug War, Amnesty International, Drug Cartels, Mexico Drug Carters, World News

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — Gunmen killed a university student in the deadly Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, prosecutors said Wednesday. Chih...

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Let's Eliminate Welfare for Terrorists

Mike Gray | Posted 11.19.2009 | World

Read More: Poppy, Afghanistan, Drug War, Terrorism, Drugs, Marijuana Legalization, War on Drugs, Legalize Marijuana, Drug Policy, World News
Mike Gray

International drug prohibition, headed by the United States, has, in effect, created a global mechanism that is in the process of eating our civilization alive. Fortunately, we can reverse it with a pen stroke.

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What Really Scares Me This Halloween

Adam Hanft | Posted 10.31.2009 | Living

Read More: Blackberry, Credit Cards, Twitter, Facebook, Drug War, Great Recession, Michael Bloomberg, Living News
Adam Hanft

The fact that 80% of the recent jobs lost were held by men; people who have volunteered for Bloomberg's third term bid; getting Facebook invitations from people who campaigned for Eugene McCarthy.

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Lance Armstrong, Michael Phelps -- and What They Say About Our Idiotic Drug Policies

David Sirota | Posted 10.23.2009 | Politics

Read More: Marijuana, Lance Armstrong, Michael Phelps, Sports, Endorsements, Drug War, Medical Marijuana, Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, Politics News
David Sirota

Why do we as a country encourage the consumption of drugs that are far more harmful than some of the drugs, like marijuana, we outright criminalize?

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DEA 'Cartel' Claims Lack Facts, Again

Erin Rosa | Posted 10.21.2009 | Denver

Read More: Drug War, Marijuana, Dea, Cannabis, Obama Medical Marijuana, Medical Marijuana, Pot, Drug Legalization, Eric-Holder-Marijuana, Weed, Denver News
Erin Rosa

DEA agents in Denver have a sordid history when it comes to backing up their claims, and their most recent allegation that medical marijuana dispensaries are being supplied by 'cartels' is no different.

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Holder's Baby Step On Medical Marijuana

Chris Weigant | Posted 10.25.2009 | Politics

Read More: 2835, Necessity, Medical Necessity, President Obama, Glaucoma, Marijuana, Barney Frank, Dea, Doj, Raid, Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative, Medical, Medical Marijuana, Obama, War on Drugs, Injustice, Drug, Eric Holder, California, Drug Enforcement Agency, Gonzales v Raich, Federal Prosecutor, Schedule I, Schedule, Ed Rosenthal, Marinol, Schedule II, Medical Use, US v Rosenthal, Drug War, Department of Justice, Justice, Federal Attorney, Oakland, Gag Rule, Federal, Attorney General, Necessity Defense, US v OCBC, Justice Department, Barack Obama, Holder, Controlled Substances Act, Ag, Cannabis, Chris Weigant, Ashcroft v Raich, hr2835, Drug Policy, Medical Necessity Defense, Raich, Ocbc, Rosenthal, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Obama's plan is good news for medical marijuana advocates, but although this is a historic shift in the War on Drugs, it does not go far enough because it does not resolve the illogic of the underlying legal issue.

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Turning the Corner on Drug Law Reform

Norm Stamper | Posted 10.07.2009 | Politics

Read More: Ecuador, The Netherlands, Law Enforement Against Prohibition, Argentina, Mexico, Carol Ruth Silver, Drug War, Colombia, Brazil, Drug Laws, Leap, Drug Policy, Politics News
Norm Stamper

Australians are acutely aware that the U.S. is and has been since 1971 the chest-thumping, fist-banging four-star general in the global war on drugs. Their willingness to stand up to our bullying ways is growing.

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David Paterson Does the Right Thing and Drops the Rock

Anthony Papa | Posted 10.07.2009 | New York

Read More: Breaking Politics News, Rockefeller Drug Laws, Governor David Paterson, Prison, Cocaine, Drug Reform, Drug War, Criminal Justice, New York News
Anthony Papa

Having felt the sting of the Rockefeller laws firsthand -- serving 12 years under a 15-years-to-life sentence -- I understand the full meaning of the reforms that went into effect today.

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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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Here Is Your Chance to Help End the Failed War on Drugs

Anthony Papa | Posted 12.02.2009 | Politics

Read More: Prison Reform, New Mexico, Marijuana, Drug War, Medical Marijuana, Treatment, War on Drugs, Marijuana Legalization, Ondcp, Cocaine, Politics News
Anthony Papa

Our nation's drug policy should be based on reason, compassion, health and human rights, but to do so will take a great deal of strategizing and organizing.

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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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Honduras: Who's The Real Drug Trafficker?

Nikolas Kozloff | Posted 11.16.2009 | World

Read More: Honduras Coup, Drug War, Manuel Zelaya, Chile, Drug Trafficking, Honduran, Barack Obama, Operation Thunder, Cape Horn, Intervention, Argentina, Honduras, Inter-American Court on Human Rights, Gangs, Drug Laws, World News
Nikolas Kozloff

In December 2008, just months before Manuel Zelaya was ousted from power by the Honduran military, he wrote Barack Obama and complained of U.S. "interventionism."

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Marijuana Use By The Numbers

Paul Armentano | Posted 11.10.2009 | Politics

Read More: Incarceration, Norml, Marijuana, Dea, Obama, Heroin, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Prohibition, Cannabis, Drug Enforcement Administration, Surveys, Alcohol, Drug Use, Samhsa, Thc, Drug War, Substance Abuse, Drug Policy, Cocaine, Politics News
Paul Armentano

By age 25, 54 percent of the population has admittedly used marijuana. Does anyone still believe that marijuana prohibition is working -- or that all of these people deserve to be behind bars?

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Iraq, Afghanistan: Lessons From the Pros

Martin Varsavsky | Posted 10.21.2009 | World

Read More: Queen Rania, Jordan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, King Abdullah II, Drug War, Aghan Poppy Crop, Afghanistan Opium, Israel, World News
Martin Varsavsky

Failed policies in the Middle East could be reshaped by learning from those who have managed to do surprisingly well for themselves: the Israelis, the Iranians and the Afghan drug lords.

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Blind, Diabetic, Double-Amputee Dies After Being Evicted for Medical Marijuana Use

Anthony Papa | Posted 10.17.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Cannabis, Medical Marijuana, Pot, Drug War, Marijuana, Politics News
Anthony Papa

Marijuana is an indispensable medicine that helps mitigate chronic pain and stimulates appetite. Patients suffering from cancer, AIDS and other forms of disease greatly benefit from access to marijuana.

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"This Comment Has Been Removed"

Norm Stamper | Posted 10.17.2009 | Politics

Read More: Abortion, Barney Frank, Gun Control, Professor Gates, Obama, White Male Privilege, Cambridge Police, Teddy Kennedy, Dr. Tiller, Socrates, Sai Baba, Sexism, Homophobia, Sotomayor, Racism, Drug War, Death Penalty, Health Care, Censorship, Nazi-Baiter, Politics News
Norm Stamper

How long will it be before one of those pistol-packing town-hallers, driven to the brink by publicly aired hate-talk, pulls his gun, and then its trigger?

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A Former Police Chief on New Marijuana Book

Norm Stamper | Posted 09.19.2009 | Politics

Read More: Drug Prohibition, Law Enforcement, Marijuana, Alcohol, Violence, Drug War, Marijuana Abuse, Alcohol Abuse, Drug Policy Reform, Politics News
Norm Stamper

I do not believe drug policy reform should end with the legalization of marijuana. Yet, when asked to contribute a foreword to the new book Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink, I eagerly accepted.

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Drug Wars: Brazil's Amazon The New Rio Grande

Eric Ehrmann | Posted 09.08.2009 | World

Read More: Bill Clinton, Council on Foreign Relations, Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, Latin America, Lula, Farc, Mexico, Dea, Obama, Brazil, Plan Colombia, Kgb, France Iran, Hip Hop, Colombia, Michele Bachelet, Alvaro Uribe, Vladimir Putin, Hillary Clinton, Drug War, Celso Amorim, Cuba, Amazon, Sivam, World News
Eric Ehrmann

The last thing president Lula and Brazilian democracy need is the United States on its northern border using the drug war to interfere in internal politics like it has done in the past with Mexico.

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Crystal Meth Goes International And Industrial

GlobalPost | Posted 08.31.2009 | World

Read More: Mexico's Drug Wars, Mexico Drug War, Mexico Crystal Meth, Mexico City, Mexico, Mexico Drugs, Crystal Meth, Drugs, Drug War, Ice, Meth Trade, World News

Ioan Grillo | GlobalPost CULIACAN, Mexico -- The colossal water cistern set in a clearing in a hilly, heavily forested area can hold 25,000 liters ...

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Drug War: Brazilian Female Police Commanders On The Rise

Guardian | Posted 08.29.2009 | World

Read More: Brazil Women Police, Women Police, Rio De Janeiro, Foreign Affairs, Brazil, Drug War, Brazil Drug War, Feminism, Brazil Feminism, Advocacy, World News

A police helicopter rattles through the skies over Rio, black-clad snipers poised at either side. Below, in the Morro da Mineira shanty town, locals ...

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