Editorial: Do We Really Want to Help Kids Find the Drug Dealers?
Drug offender registries are a hare-brained idea that is more likely to help young people find drug dealers than prevent them.
State & Local Legislatures
First Amendment: New Michigan Law Bans Methamphetamine Recipes on Internet
Little noticed among the package of anti-methamphetamine bills signed last week by Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm was one that bans publication of recipes for cooking meth and provides civil sanctions for violating it.
Harm Reduction: San Diego Reinstates Needle Exchange Program
The city of San Diego Wednesday rejoined the ranks of cities offering needle exchange programs as a public health service when the city council voted to reinstate the privately-funded program.
Sentencing: California Governor Signs Bill Amending Proposition 36, Is Immediately Sued
Gov. Schwarzenegger Wednesday signed a bill to substantially alter the state's voter-approved "treatment not jail" ballot measure. One of the authors of the measure immediately filed suit to block the new law from going into effect.
Feature: Methamphetamine as Child Abuse Laws Gain Ground, But Do They Help or Hurt?
When Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) signed a package of anti-methamphetamine measures into law last Thursday, Michigan became at least the sixth state to define either the use or the production
Feature: Judge Throws Out Part of Alaska Marijuana Recriminalization Law, Up to An Ounce is Now Legal At Home
Gov. Frank Murkowski's two-year effort to recriminalize marijuana in Alaska hit another roadblock Monday when a Superior Court judge struck down the part of the law he pushed through the legislature earlier this year.
Appeal/Book Offer: Race to Incarcerate, by Marc Mauer
Support DRCNet with a much-needed donation and get your copy of this important book about the unprecedented rise in the use of imprisonment in the United States over the last 25 years.
Editorial: Not Playing by the Rules, Not Making Sense
Legislators and law enforcers should not disrespect the constitutional frameworks intended to limit their power.
Marijuana: West Hollywood Passes "Lowest Priority" Resolution
West Hollywood became the first Southern California city to adopt a "lowest law enforcement priority" measure toward marijuana when the City Council approved a resolution (albeit nonbinding) similar to Oakland's "Measure Z" on Monday night. Similar measures will go to voters in Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Santa Monica in November.
Marijuana Policy Project: Join us to explore a Massachusetts decriminalization initiative
The Marijuana Policy Project will be working with other groups in Massachusetts to explore the possibility of placing a "decriminalization" initiative on the November 2008 ballot. To kick everything off, MPP executive director Rob Kampia will be meeting with supportive groups and individuals at a fundraising party in Boston on Thursday, February 22.