Hundreds of law enforcement professionals including Denver’s U.S. District Judge John Kane have come together on a curious quest: Saying the drug war has failed, they want to legalize drugs.
Mike’s reported on the White House’s shift away from a “war on drugs” mentality toward an increased focus on prevention and treatment. Today, National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske emphasized that shift in testimony to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s subpanel on domestic policy.
From a More…
Former George W. Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson is about the furthest thing from a bleeding-heart apologist for criminal behavior. But in his column in today’s Washington Post, Gerson makes a good case in support of needle exchange programs to combat HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne diseases among illegal drug More…
This morning’s Senate panel hearing on the wide discrepancy between sentencing for crack and powder cocaine-related crimes offered the Obama administration its first official opportunity to weigh in on the contentious issue. And while the White House announced its support for closing the gap, it also appears to be leaving More…
Well, you might have a bit more if Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Ron Paul (R-Texas) get their way. The two lawmakers have plans to reintroduce legislation to legalize the domestic farming of industrial hemp, a genetic but non-psychoactive relative of marijuana.
Hemp advocates (yes, there are hemp advocates out More…
In Vienna, United Nations members today signed off on the United Nations political declaration recommending global drug policy for the decade to come. Despite a strong push by Europe and others to include “harm reduction” language — a reference to health-focused policies for dealing with drug abuse — opposition from More…
The Obama administration’s opposition to controversial drug treatment programs has helped kill a prominent global effort to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases among drug users.
Gathered in Vienna, members of the United Nations are drafting a nonbinding framework to guide the next decade’s international drug policy. The More…
Bush-era envoys to the United Nations are trying to block global efforts to promote HIV/AIDS-prevention programs such as needle exchanges, according to health and human rights advocates who supplied documents of the negotiations. The envoys’ opposition runs directly counter to the stated position of President Obama, who supports lifting a More…
Politico reports that a coalition of advocacy organizations, including the National Black Police Association, has sent a letter to President-elect Barack Obama opposing the appointment of Rep. James Ramstad (R-Minn.) to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Ramstad, who is a recovering alcoholic, has been More…
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