Medical Marijuana at the Statehouse: Prospects for 2008
Efforts to legalize medical marijuana via the legislative process are underway in several states. We take a look at where those efforts stand and where they're likely headed.
News Feature
Human Rights in the Drug War: NGOs Slam UN Drug Bureaucracies, Demand Compliance With UN Charter
As the UN's Commission on Narcotic Drugs met this week in Vienna, it and its brother UN anti-drug agencies came under fierce attack for sacrificing human rights on the altar of the drug war.
The New British National Drug Strategy -- A Little Tougher, Maybe a Little Smarter, But Essentially More of the Same
The British government unveiled its new 10-year national drug strategy last week. For critics, it looks like more of the same old failed policies, with a step forward on treatment and prevention and a few steps back on policing.
Not So Fast -- Funny Numbers in the Same Old 2008 US National Drug Strategy Report
President Bush and ONDCP head John Walters released the 2008 National Drug Control Strategy over the weekend. They are claiming some important victories, but some critics say not so fast.
Crack Sentencing Gets a Hearing on Capitol Hill While Advocates Mobilize
With pressure mounting on Congress to do something about the disparities in sentencing for federal crack and powder cocaine offenses, a House committee held a hearing Tuesday, and activists took to the Hill to lobby for change.
Bush Drug Treatment, Prevention, and Recovery Budget Cuts Raise Chorus of Criticism
The Bush administration's proposed 2009 budget includes some significant cuts in drug treatment, prevention, and recovery spending. A chorus of critics, including some former federal drug fighters, say there has to be a better way.
Stop Filling Prisons, California -- Advocates to Take Sentencing Reform Case to Voters
California's prison system is the nation's second largest, behind only the federal prison system. Now, an initiative that would dramatically expand Proposition 36-style "treatment not jail" programs, as well as other systemic reforms, is headed for the November ballot.
Top Doctors Association Says "YES" to Medical Marijuana in Historic Endorsement
The nation's second largest doctors' organization endorsed the medicinal use of marijuana in a major policy statement released last week.
No Relief in Sight: Reynosa, Mexico, Military Occupation Yields No Let-Up in Drug War Violence
Mexican soldiers poured into Reynosa and other border towns in the state of Tamaulipas last month in response to a wave of drug prohibition-related violence. They haven't stopped the violence, but they have put the screws to some sectors of the local economy and committed some human rights violations. Few observers there or across the river think the answer lies in Washington's proposed massive anti-drug aid package.
Feature: Vancouver Conference Sends a Message to the UN
As part of a series of regional forums in advance of next month's meeting of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, Vancouver this week hosted a forum where participants sent a clear signal that prohibition is not working.