Race

Dr. Carl Hart went from the mean streets of Miami to the halls of academe. His new book, High Price, tells his story -- and delivers a blistering critique of drug policy, drug science and how it's understood, and race and class bias along the way. It's a gripping read, too.

In a decision that should cut back on prison time for some drug offenders, the Supreme Court has held that facts used to impose mandatory minimum sentences must be proven before a jury -- not a judge with a lower standard of proof.

A Chicago man with a drug record who fled a traffic stop in an area of "drug activity" was shot and killed by police Sunday. Police said he was armed. His family said he wasn't, and that police shot him in the back.

In New Jersey, the Senate Judiciary Committee is where marijuana decriminalization bills get stalled. A new poll may help prod legislators to move on them.

The war on marijuana is disproportionately waged against Black America, the ACLU finds in a new report based on federal statistics. And it costs a whole lot of money and isn't achieving much.

A panel of the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati has held that the Fair Sentencing Act's reduction in sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine offenses should be extended to all federal crack prisoners, regardless of when their offense took place.

In what could be the opening shot in the 2014 California gubernatorial race, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom came out strong for marijuana legalization and against the war on drugs Saturday.

As politicians dither, New Yorkers hoping to end New York City's reign as marijuana arrest capital of the world will have to wait. In the meantime, another thousand people are getting popped for pot in the Big Apple every week.

New York City and the NYPD are under fire this week for both their stop-and-frisk policing program and their massive number of marijuana possession busts in a state where it is supposed to be decriminalized.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced that police will no longer hold people arrested for small-time marijuana busts, but will instead merely have them make a desk appearance and then be released.