It was a really big week in Washington, DC for drug policy reform, with medical marijuana becoming legal here, with a bill to do a big review of the criminal justice system passing the House, and with some long-awaited though partial reform to the infamous crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity passed and heading to the president's desk. 0 comments 
"Officials with the DEA were not available to comment Tuesday," reports The Washington Post. I guess that pretty much sums it up. No scolding, vague threats or dire predictions. Just silence. 5 comments 
A new Rasmussen poll finds 43% of American in favor of legalizing marijuana, with 42% opposed. But what really got my attention was this stat on attitudes about whether legalization is likely to happen: 1 comments 
As you can see, we've made some changes around here, which we hope will make the site more enjoyable for everyone. We're still getting used to some of the new functionality, so please be patient if you see any little screw ups and let us know if... 6 comments 
The opposition to Prop. 19 in California would like you to believe that marijuana rots your brain. So it's just a bit ironic that the people writing their slogans couldn't pass a 3rd grade English class. 7 comments 
More big drug policy news from Congress in this last week before the recess: The House has at long last passed legislation, already adopted by the Senate, which will reduce crack cocaine sentences 0 comments 
Big news from Washington today -- Senator Jim Webb's has just passed the US House of Representatives, by unanimous consent -- an important milestone that brings this important reevaluation of o 3 comments 
Here's Columbia, MO Police Chief Ken Burton talking about how he uses the new Flex Your Rights video, 10 Rules for Dealing with Police, to teach people about their rights during police encounters: 0 comments 
There's something very seductive about police officers speaking out against the drug war and explaining how their experiences led them to oppose prohibition. Maybe that's why government officials don't want LEAP represented at an upcoming... 2 comments 
Three new videos from the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, filmed at the Vienna AIDS 2010 conference this month. In one of them, former US President Bill Clinton calls for harm reduction, an approach to substance misuse and other social issues of... 1 comments 
Hey, watch this unbelievable video of firedoglake's Jane Hamsher hurling marijuana legalization like a hand grenade into the middle of the immigration debate:
…and everyone just nods in stunned agreement. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I sure... 12 comments 
Paul Armentano calls out California Senator Diane Feinstein for opposing marijuana legalization and points out the flagrant dishonesty of her attack against Prop. 19.
[image:1 align:left caption:true] Valerie Vande Panne has an excellent piece... 6 comments 
[image:1 align:right caption:true]If you'd like to get arrested for marijuana, just tell a police officer that you have some in your car:
The officer pulled Vento over at entrance 13 to Interstate 95. While talking to Vento, he appeared nervous,... 3 comments 
At about 11:15 Pacific time Tuesday night, the Oakland City Council passed an ordinance that would allow for four permitted industrial-scale medical marijuana cultivation facilities. In response to widespread concerns among the medical marijuana... 3 comments 
MPP's Mike Meno nails it in this piece at Huffington Post. It's almost as if he's been reading my mind (or my blog). He's got some more great examples of how the surging marijuana policy debate is shaking up party politics this election season.... 1 comments 
StoptheDrugWar.org has completed the first stage of a major upgrade and expansion of our web site. This article explains some of what we've done so far, and also where some sections of the site that you've been used to from before can still be found. 0 comments 
In the latest round of the battle of the California pot polls, Prop 19 comes out well ahead. 1 comments 
A bill that would create a blue-ribbon National Criminal Justice Commission to explore mass incarceration, the drug war, and related topics has passed the House. The Senate version awaits a floor vote. 0 comments 
Veterans in states where medical marijuana is legal may use it without getting thrown out of Veterans Administration pain treatment programs, the VA has announced in a clarification of its policies. The move responds to years of patient VA patients' efforts. Those advocates point out that VA physicians still are bound by an agency gag rule preventing them from recommending the substance until federal law changes. 0 comments 
Oh, my goodness! Charles Bowden has written a mind-blowing book on the prohibition-fueled violence in Ciudad Juarez. Prepare for existential dread. 1 comments 
It seems like there's a new atrocity every week in Mexico's unending prohibition-related violence. How about guards letting prisoners out of their cells so they can go murder people, then go back to the safety of prison? 4 comments 
The House of Representatives Wednesday approved a bill that would reduce, but not eliminate, the sentencing disparity for federal crack and powder cocaine offenses. The measure had already passed the Senate, and it has the support of the White House, which means the bill will soon be a law. 3 comments Criminal JusticeAsset Forfeiture, Collateral Sanctions (College Aid), Court Rulings, Drug Courts, Due Process, Felony Disenfranchisement, Incarceration, Policing (Arrests, Eradication, Informants, Interdiction, Lowest Priority Policies, Police Corruption, Police Raids, Profiling, Search and Seizure, SWAT/Paramilitarization, Task Forces, Undercover Work), Probation or Parole, Prosecution, Reentry/Rehabilitation, Sentencing (Alternatives to Incarceration, Clemency, Crack/Powder Cocaine Disparity, Death Penalty, Decriminalization, Drug Free Zones, Mandatory Minimums, Rockefeller Drug Laws, Sentencing Guidelines)CultureArt, Celebrities, Counter-Culture, Music, Poetry/Literature, TelevisionDrug UseParaphernalia, ViolenceIntersecting IssuesCollateral Sanctions (College Aid), Violence, Border, Budgets/Economics, Business, Civil Rights, Driving, Education (College Aid), Environment, Families, Free Speech, Human Rights, Immigration, Militarization, Pregnancy, Privacy (Search and Seizure, Drug Testing), Race, Religion, Sports, Women's IssuesMarijuana PolicyHemp, Marijuana -- Personal Use, Medical MarijuanaMedicineMedical Marijuana, Under-treatment of PainPublic HealthAddiction, Addiction Treatment, Drug Education, Drug Prevention, Drug-Related AIDS/HIV or Hepatitis C, Harm Reduction (Methadone & Other Opiate Maintenance, Needle Exchange, Overdose Prevention, Safe Injection Sites)Source and Transit CountriesAndean Drug War, Coca, Hashish, Mexican Drug War, Opium ProductionSpecific DrugsAlcohol, Ayahuasca, Cocaine (Crack Cocaine), Ecstasy, Fentanyl, Heroin, Ibogaine, Khat, Marijuana (Marijuana -- Personal Use, Medical Marijuana, Hashish), Methamphetamine, Nicotine, Psychedelics (LSD, Mescaline, Peyote, Salvia Divinorum), Synthetic cannabinoidsYouthGrade School, Post-Secondary School, Raves, Secondary School
CorruptionFinancial Corruption, Glamorization of Criminality, Government CorruptionCrime & ViolenceCivil Conflict, Drug Trade Funding Terrorists, Increased Illegal Gun Prevalence, Police/Suspect Altercations, Property Crime, Turf WarsDisorderDrug Trade in Schools, Open Air Markets, Police-Community Tensions, Political InstabilityEnvironmental HarmDeforestation, Meth LabsFutile PursuitsBusts & SeizuresHarm IntensificationDisease, Increased Drug Potency, Overdoses, Poisoned Drug Supply, Popularization of Worse Drugs
AcademicsElectoral PoliticsBallot Measures, Candidates/RacesFederal GovernmentCongress, Executive Branch (DEA, ONDCP), Federal CourtsOur SideOrganizations (Changing Minds 2009, Changing Minds 2010), Political LeadersPolitics Outside USCanada, United NationsState & Local GovernmentState & Local Executive Branches, State & Local Legislatures, State CourtsThe Drug DebateDecriminalization, Legalization, Media, Medicalization, Moderates, Prohibition, Public Opinion, Spending Priorities, Tax and Regulate, Treatment Not JailThe Other SideBarry McCaffrey, Jim Sensenbrenner, John Walters, Mark Souder
