Drug War News: Don't Miss Archive 2008

(Go to: 2008 Archive - 2007 Archive - 2006 Archive - 2005 Archive - 2004 Archive - 2003 Archive)

Audio Interview: Robert Field, President of Common Sense for Drug Policy; from DrugTruth Network / Century of Lies, celebrating 8 Years On The Air, 10/11/09 (mP3)

The latest issue of The Razor Wire, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Autumn 2009), is now online

New Local Scenes: Drug War Propaganda Project, Spring 2009, Colville, WA

After the War on Drugs: Blueprint for Regulation; from Transform Drug Policy Foundation (UK), Nov 2009
AMA Report Recognizes Medical Benefits of Marijuana, Urges Further Research; from Americans for Safe Access (US). 11/10/09
Veterans Incarcerated and Ignored When They Could Be Getting Help, Report Finds; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 11/6/09 -- More Studies and Reports

Informants: Walking Thin Line In Village Of Attica; from Buffalo News (NY), 11/8/09
Immigration Agents Mishandle Informants; from ABC News (US), 10/26/09
Snitch Blog: A Comprehensive Resource On Criminal Informants, hosted by Layola Law Professor Alexandra Natapoff
Tools For Lawyers: Resources For Tackling Informants In Court; from The ACLU Informant Project -- More Snitch News

Jailhouse Blues: Inmates Stacked To The Walls; from Arkansas Times (AR), 11/5/09
LAPD Officers Charged With Lying Under Oath; from Los Angeles Times (CA), 10/7/09
Americans For SWAT Reform, a project of DRCNet. Sign the Petition for Responsible Use of SWAT -- Watch the Video: SWAT Raids: No One Is Safe. May 2009 -- More Abuse News

Going Underground; from Pacific Northwest Inlander (WA), 10/30/09
Needing A (Funding) Fix; from Pacific NW Inlander (WA), 10/14/09
Wash. Medical Marijuana Law Sparks Confusion; from Associated Press (US), 9/20/09 -- More WA State News &Activism

Recession Raises The Bar On Inmate Work Release; from MSNBC (US), 10/27/09
Study Could Ease Concerns Over Hiring Ex-Offenders; from USA Today (US), 6/24/09
The Released: What Happens To Mentally Ill Offenders After Prison? from PBS Frontline (US), 4/28/09 -- More ReEntry News

New Crack Cocaine Bill Leaves Thousands Behind Bars; from New America Media (US), 10/21/09
Bill Targets Sentencing Rules For Crack And Powder Cocaine; from Washington Post (DC), 10/16/09
Crack/Powder Cocaine Sentencing Disparity Bill Passes Key House Subcommittee, Heads for Floor Vote; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 7/31/09 -- More on Crack/Powder Cocaine

Wabash Valley Woman Didn't Realize Second Cold Medicine Purchase Violated Drug Laws; from Tribune-Star (IN), 9/3/09
New Meth Formula Avoids Anti-Drug Laws; from ABC News (US), 8/24/09
Methland vs. Mythland; from New York Times Blog (NY), 7/20/09 -- More Meth News

7th Circuit Chief Judge Calls for Loosening of Sentencing Guidelines; from National Law Review (US), 9/14/09
Two Judges Target Cocaine Penalties; from Washington Post (DC), 6/29/09
OpEd: Retired Judge Says It Is Time To End War On Marijuana; from Bellingham Herald (WA), 3/21/09
Judge Quest To Decriminalize Minor Drug Use Gets Support; from Houston Chronicle (TX), 1/15/09 -- More Dissenting Opinions

Attorney General Holderís Remarks From "Rethinking Federal Sentencing Policy 25th Anniversary of the Sentencing Reform Act" Symposium; from USDOJ (US), 6/24/09
2nd Circuit Clarifies Consecutive Mandatory Minimum Sentencing; from Law.com (US), 3/11/09
US Supreme Court: Guidelines Are Really, Truly Advisory; from Sentencing Law and Policy, 1/29/09 - More Sentencing News

CNN's IReports: Prison And Your Family. Share your stories of Drug War Injustice here! from CNN, May 2009

Visit The Thousand Kites Project Today! -- Video: About The Thousand Kites Project; from YouTube, 9/26/07

Latest News: Posted November 2009

Fired Up in Albuquerque -- The 2009 International Drug Policy Reform Conference; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 11/20/09

California's Medical Marijuana Law -- Just a Smokescreen? from TruthOut (US), 11/18/09

Mexico's Juarez On Path To Anarchy; from BBC News (UK), 11/17/09

Mexico Under Siege: Marching The Police Off To Jail; from Los Angeles Times (CA), 11/17/09

The State of Play -- Federal Drug Reform Legislation in the Congress; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 11/13/09

Society in Jail (Or How I Came to Love The Warrant); from Ludwig von Mises Institute (US), 4/10/09

Businessman Looks For Needle-Exchange Program Sponsor; from Lancaster New Era (PA), 11/13/09

Ease State Budget Woes By Closing More Prisons; from Newsday (NY), 11/12/09

U.S. Commission To Assess Mandatory Sentences; from Wall Street Journal (US), 11/12/09

Accept The Facts -- And End This Futile 'War On Drugs'; from Independent (UK), 11/11/09

Feds Rumored Close To Indicting America's Sheriff [Arpaio]; from Examiner.com (WA), 11/10/09

Mistrust Linked To Racial Disparities In Justice System; from Tri-State Defender (TN), 11/6/09

Drug Legalization: Senator Pushes Amendment to Censor Any Talk of That; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 11/6/09

Speaker Calls For End To Country's Drug War At CCSU; from New Britain Herald (CT), 10/20/09

Can Our Shameful Prisons Be Reformed? from New York Review Of Books (NY), Nov 2009

Backing For Drug Expert's Revolt; from Western Mail (UK), 11/3/09

On The Quiet, The US Is Legalising Marijuana; from Sunday Times (UK), 11/1/09

Court Slams LAPD For Illegally Seizing Medical Marijuana Profits; from Orange County Weekly (CA), 10/20/09

Latest News: October 2009

• Pot Is More Mainstream Than Ever, So Why Is Legalization Still Taboo? from AlterNet (US), 10/29/09
• Case Spurs Pharmacies' Fears Of Lawsuits Over Drug Abuse; from Wall Street Journal (US), 10/28/09
• Arizona May Put State Prisons, Death Row in Private Hands; from New York Times (NY), 10/23/09
• OpEd: If It's On The Shelves, It's Off The Streets; from Washington Post (DC), 10/25/09
• Column: Legal Pot Has Surprising Allies; from Spokesman-Review (WA), 10/22/09
• UK: Study Touts Treating Heroin Addicts With Heroin; from CNN.com (US), 10/20/09
• We're All Felons, Now; from Reason Magazine (US), 10/19/09
• OpEd: Crime Down, Prison Boom Looms; from Toronto Star (CN ON), 10/17/09
• The Pro-Drug Czar; from Newsweek (US), 10/15/09
• Feds To Issue New Medical Marijuana Policy; from Associated Press (US), 10/19/09
• Pardoned By Bush, Iowan Returns To Freedom; from Des Moines Register (IA), 10/18/09
• The California Fix: Cuts Dim Inmates' Hope For New Lives; from Los Angeles Times (CA), 10/17/09
• Welcome to Potopia: How Oakland Is Leading Marijuana Legalization; from Newsweek (US), 10/15/09
• Justices Weigh Rules On Recovering Seized Assets; from Wall Street Journal (US), 10/14/09
• OpEd: Drugs, Morality, & Epic Finger-Wagging; from The Peak (Edu CN BC), 10/13/09
• Farmers Arrested Planting Hemp On DEA Headquarters Lawn; from Huffington Post (US), 10/13/09
• Behind Montana Jail Fiasco: How Private Prison Developers Prey On Desperate Towns; from Talking Points Memo (US), 10/12/09
• American Police Force Pulls Out Of Hardin Jail Project; from The Missoulian (MT), 10/10/09
• Investigative Research re American Private Police Force Organization (APF); from Prison Legal News (US), 10/1/09
• Hardin Jail Signs Contract With Private Security Force To House Prisoners, Homeless, Unwanted Pets; from The Missoulian (MT), 9/10/09
• Opinion: Sending Children To Prison For Life; from Los Angeles Times (CA), 10/7/09
• Marijuana Licensing Fails to Chase the Shadows; from New York Times (NY), 10/10/09
• New York's Rockefeller Drug Law Reforms Now in Effect; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 10/9/09
• Activists Hope To Get Pot Legalized In 2010; from Orange County Register (CA), 10/9/0/
• Homegrown Pot Threatens Mexican Cartels; from CBS News (US), 10/7/09
• Vaccines To Combat Drug Addiction Showing Promise; from Los Angeles Times (CA), 10/6/09
• Drug Court Program Needs Serious Reforms, Defense Attorneys Say; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 10/2/09
• Stiletto Stoners; from Marie Claire (US), 10/1/09
• OpEd: Get Serious About Decriminalizing Drugs; Others Are; from San Jose Mercury News (CA), 10/1/09
• Alternatives To Drug War Championed At Conference; from San Diego Union Tribune (CA), 9/28/09

Latest News: September 2009

• Our Top 10 Drug Policy Goals; from Daily Pilot (CA), 9/26/09
• [Video] DoJ Official Blows Cover Off PATRIOT Act; from Huffington Post (US), 9/24/09
• [Video] When Cops Play Doctor; from Reason.TV (US), Sep 2009
• How Pot Became Legal; from Fortune Magazine (US), Sep 2009
• Is War On Drugs Worth It? Maybe Not, New FBI Data Suggest; from Christian Science Monitor (US), 9/15/09
• The Case For Legalising All Drugs Is Unanswerable; from Observer (UK), 9/13/09
• Militarizing Latin America, By Noam Chomsky; from In These Times (US), 9/9/09
• Will Foster Back in Prison in Oklahoma, Supporters Mount Campaign to Free Him; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 9/11/09
• Better World: Legalise Drugs; from New Scientist (UK), 9/10/09
• Drug Control Becomes Speech Control; from Reason Magazine (US), 9/9/09
• Ex-Judges Indicted In Kids-For-Cash Prison Scheme; from MSNBC.com (US), 9/10/09
• Column: America's Longest War; from Bugle-Observer (CN NK), 9/8/09
• Opinion: The Recession Behind Bars; from New York Times (NY), 9/5/09
• Is America Ready To Admit Defeat In Its 40-Year War On Drugs? from The Guardian (UK), 9/6/09
• OpEd: The War On Drugs Has Failed. Now We Need A More Humane Strategy; from The Observer (UK), 9/6/09
• Mexico Misses the Point; from Scoop44.com (US), 9/5/09
• Mexico Under Siege: Gunmen Kill 18 at a Rehab Clinic; from Los Angeles Times (CA), 9/4/09
• U.N. Sees Afghan Drug Cartels Emerging; from New York Times (NY), 9/2/09
• Sgt. Northcutt's Post-Iraq Nightmare: Getting Arrested for Growing Pot; from AlterNet (US), 9/1/09
• A Radical Solution to End the Drug War: Legalize Everything; from Esquire.com (US), 9/1/09
• Tainted Cocaine Kills 3, Sickens Dozens; from Washington Post (DC), 8/31/09

Latest News: August 2009

• The New High Life; from Los Angeles Times (CA), 8/30/09
• Mexico and Argentina Enact Drug Decriminalization, US Drug Policy Increasingly Out of Step; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 8/28/09
• Fixing California's Prisons? from Truthout (US), 8/25/09
• Drug War: The Bushie Obama Can't Fire; from The Daily Beast (US), 8/25/09
• Mexican Drug Cartels Now Recruiting Hit Men From U.S. Military; from Examiner.com (US), 8/20/09
• Mexico Decriminalizes Small-Scale Drug Possession; from Associated Press (US), 8/20/09
• Cocaine on Money: Drug Found on 90% of U.S. Bills; from National Geographic (US), 8/16/09
• Column: Priority Test: Health Care or Prisons? from New York Times (NY), 8/19/09
• Essay: The Drug Laws Don't Work; from The Philosophers' Magazine (UK), 7/20/09
• Mints Believed To Be Crack Land Man In Jail; from WFTV News (FL), 8/17/09
• California Might Act To Jail More Drug Offenders; from Los Angeles Times (CA), 8/18/09
• Bolivia Plants Coca, And Cocaine Follows; from Wall Street Journal (US), 8/18/09
• OpEd: It's Time to Legalize Drugs; from Washington Post (DC), 8/17/09
• Column: Prison Spending Hits A Brick Wall; from Denver Post (CO), 8/16/09
• Burning Questions for the Authors of 'Marijuana Is Safer'; from AlterNet (US), 8/15/09
• Commentary: War On Drugs Is Over. What's Next? from CNN (US), 8/13/09
• US Targets 50 Taliban-Linked Drug Traffickers to Capture or Kill; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 8/13/09
• Rethinking US Penal Policy; from Truthout (US), 8/13/09
• Charles Bowden on Mexico's Dirty War Against Drugs; from Democracy Now! (US), 8/11/09
• The War On Drugs Needs A Timeout; from Christian Science Monitor (US), 8/11/09
• The Epidemic Of Pot Arrests In New York City; from AlterNet (US), 8/10/09
• The Five Stages of Grief over Obama's Drug Policies; from Huffington Post (US), 8/8/09
• OpEd: Is It Now a Crime to Be Poor? from New York Times (NY), 8/9/09
• Busts Of Corrupt US Border Police Rise; from AZCentral (AZ), 8/9/09
• Opium Addiction Ravages Afghan Families; from MSNBC (US), 8/9/09
• The Last Drug Czar; from American Prospect (US), Jul/Aug 2009
• Latin America's Legalization Push; from American Prospect (US), Jul/Aug 2009
• Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People To Drink? from AlterNet (US), 8/6/09
• A U.S. War with Mexican Consequences; from Cato Unbound (US), 8/5/09
• NBC, CBS, ABC, & FOX Happy To Profit From Marijuana, As Long As Nobody Talks About Legalizing It; from AlterNet (US), 8/4/09
• Ruling Blasts California Prisons; from Spokesman Review (WA), 8/5/09
• Device Offers A Roadside Dope Test; from MIT Technology Review (MA), 8/4/09
• Editorial: Tough On Corrections; from Los Angeles Times (CA), 8/3/09
• Congress May Ease Law on College Aid for Drug Offenders; from McClatchy Newspapers (US), 8/3/09
• Column: Why It's Time To End The War On Drugs; from Financial Times Weekend Magazine (UK), 8/1/09
• Opinion: The Bloody Results Of Drug Prohibition; from Baltimore Sun (MD), 7/29/09

Latest News: July 2009

• California's Prop. 36 Drug Treatment Cut 83 Percent; from Oakland Tribune (CA), 7/30/09
• New Strategy Urged In Mexico; from Washington Post (DC), 7/28/09
• Winds of Change Are Blowing in Washington: Drug Reforms Finally Move in Congress; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 7/24/09
• New Rule: Not Everything in America Has to Make a Profit; from HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher (US), 7/23/09
• The Drug Czar's High Math; from Reason Magazine (US), Aug/Sep 09
• Number of Life Terms Hits Record; from New York Times (NY), 7/23/09
• Critics Try To Soften Souder Law; from Journal Gazette (IN), 7/22/09
• Oakland Voters Approve A Tax On Medical Marijuana; from Los Angeles Times (CA), 7/22/09
• Is Marijuana the Answer to California's Budget Woes? from Time Magazine (US), 7/22/09
• US Debating Payoffs To Afghan Poppy Growers; from Associated Press (US), 7/21/09
• Walter Cronkite on the Drug War; from Drug War Chronicle Blog (US), 7/18/09
• Doing Borrowed Time: The High Cost Of Back-Door Prison Finance; from Justice Strategies (NY), 1/1/07
• Meet Congress' New Teeny Tiny Anti-Marijuana Caucus; from NORML Blog (US), 7/19/09
• Why We Say Yes To Drugs; from Salon.com (US) 7/20/09
• Walter Cronkite Knew a Failed War When He Saw One: Vietnam and the War on Drugs; from AlterNet (US), 7/18/09
• An Open Letter To Congress: Come To Your Senses And End This Insane Drug War; The Telegraph (NH), 7/19/09
• Lab Analyst Decision Complicates Prosecutions; from Washington Post (DC), 7/15/09
• America's Jail Crisis; from Forbes Magazine (US), 7/13/09
• Editorial: Prescription For Abuse; from Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL), 7/12/09
• Just Say Now; from Willamette Week (OR), 7/9/09
• Pain Clinics Test Patients for Marijuana Use; from NORML Blog (US) , 7/7/09
• How The Dare Generation Got High; from AlterNet (US), 7/6/09
• Structuring Sentences; from Washington Post (DC), 7/6/09
• Latin America's Legalization Push; from American Prospect (US), 7/6/09
• The Patriot's Guide To Legalization; from Mother Jones (US), 7/1/09
• Police Crackdowns May Encourage Drug Use; from New Scientist (US), 7/3/09
• Progressives Push Against Drug War: Will Dems Listen? from Huffington Post (US), 7/2/09
• This Is Your War On Drugs; from Mother Jones (US), 7/1/09
• Column: Drug Control Begets Gun Control; from Reason Magazine (US), 7/1/09
• Column: Reality Bites In Drug Debate; from Canberra Times (AUS), 6/30/09

Latest News: June 2009

• US Announces Shift In Afghanistan Drug Policy; from Huffington Post (US), 6/28/09
• Coalition Pushes For Alternatives To More Prisons; from Bradenton Herald (FL), 6/24/09
• American Nightmare -- Will Foster and Justice, Oklahoma Style; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 6/26/09
• Ending the Death Penalty for Drug Offenses -- Now Is the Time, Say Human Rights, Harm Reduction Groups; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 6/26/09
• Our Real Prison Problem: Why Are We So Worried About Gitmo? from Newsweek (US), 6/15/09
• UN World Drug Report Preface Majors On Legalisation; from Transform Drug Policy Foundation (UK), 6/24/09
• UN Backs Drug Decriminalization In World Drug Report; from Huffington Post (US), 6/24/09
• Top Court Rules Drug Strip Search Of Teen Was Illegal; from Associated Press (US), 6/25/09
• The War Against the 'War on Drugs'; from The Nation (US), July 2009
• Mexico Moves Quietly To Decriminalize Minor Drug Use; from Los Angeles Times (US), 6/21/09
• OpEd: Nation Must Recast The War On Drugs; from Times Union (NY), 6/20/09
• Wounds of War: Drug Problems Among Iraq, Afghan Vets Could Dwarf Vietnam; from Join Together (US), 6/15/09
• The Marijuana Question; from Boston Phoenix (MA), 6/16/09
• Momentum Builds For Broad Debate On Legalizing Marijuana; from Associated Press (US), 6/16/09
• 25 Years in Prison for Pot? Drug Warrior Congressman's Idea Is Way Obsolete; from AlterNet (US), 6/15/09
• Column: Drugs Won The War On Drugs: It's Time To Try Something New; from New York Times (NY), 6/15/09
• California Inmate Plan Draws Ire; from Wall Street Journal (US), 6/13/09
• No One Deserves To Die By Overdose; from AlterNet (US), 6/12/09
• Debate: Ethan Nadlemann, Director of Drug Policy Alliance and William Bennett, Drug Czar Under Pres. H.W. Bush; from CNN (US), 6/12/09
• Why We Must Reform Our Criminal Justice System; from Huffington Post (US), 6/11/09
• 366-Day Sentence For Pot Dispensary Owner Charles Lynch; from San Francisco Chronicle (CA), 6/12/09
• Marc Emery: Why I Will Plead Guilty In A US Court To Distributing Marijuana; from Georgia Straight (CN BC), 6/11/09
• Senate Passes Bill to Let FDA Regulate Tobacco; from Washington Post (DC), 6/12/09
• Supreme Court Won't Hear Case Of Naples Doctor Convicted Of Illegally Prescribing Pain Killers; from Naples Daily News (FL), 6/9/09
• How a Former Prisoner Took On and Took Down Corrections Corporation of America's General Counsel (and Cheney Pal); from CounterPunch (US), 6/8/09
• OpEd: Lawyers, Guns And Money: Three Reasons To End The Drug War; from Los Angeles Times (CA), 6/7/09
• Michigan Shuts 8 Prisons To Save $120M; from CNNMoney.com, 6/5/09
• Marc Emery Will Serve Time On Pot Charge; from The Province (CN BC), 6/5/09
• Canada: Mandatory Jail For Drug Crimes Nears Passage; from Edmonton Journal (CN AB), 6/4/09
• Why Do We Tolerate a Massive Prison System That Produces 70% Recidivism Rates? from UC Berkeley News (CA), 6/3/09
• Why Parole Does Not Work In California; from UC Berkeley News (CA), 5/6/09
• Redeem The Prison Generation; from Christian Science Monitor (US), 6/3/09
• Man Serving Three Life Terms for Drug Deal Pins Hopes on Clemency from Obama; from Fox News (US), 6/2/09
• Will Obama End "War on Drugs"? from Consortium News (US), 5/31/09
• Don't Blame Pot -- There's No Such Thing as a "Gateway Drug"; from AlterNet (US), 5/29/09

Latest News: May 2009

• Marijuana And Cocaine Should Be Legalised, Says Latin American Drugs Commission; from The Guardian (UK), 5/28/09
• The Border Violence Myth; from The Nation (US), 5/27/09
• Tim Cole Act, Raising Compensation For Wrongful Convictions, Is Signed Into Law; from Star-Telegram (TX), 5/27/09
• CA: Governor's Budget Ends Incarceration for Nonviolent Drug Offenses, Focuses on Greater Public Safety Priorities; from Drug Policy Alliance (US), 5/14/09
• U.S. Drug Habit Keeps Mexican War Boiling; from MSNBC (US), 5/26/09
• Under The Radar: US Democrats Overseas Pass Marijuana Resolution; from Raw Story (US), 5/26/09
• Allegations of Impropriety Surround Parole Commission; from Washington Post (DC), 5/26/09
• Bondsmen Upset By Policies That Free More People; from Associated Press (US), 5/25/09
• Netherlands To Close Prisons For Lack Of Criminals; from NRC Handelsblad (NL), 5/25/09
• Suspects in Terror Bombing Plot: Drug Arrests and Prison Conversions; from New York Times (NY), 5/22/09
• New Drug Czar Ready To Corral Forces; from USA Today (US), 5/21/09
• Supreme Court Upholds California Medical Pot Law; from Los Angeles Times (CA), 5/19/09
• U.S. Military: Heavily Armed And Medicated; from MSNBC.com (US), 5/19/09
• Legalization? Now For The Hard Question; from New York Times (NY), 5/17/09
• Ending The War On Drugs: The Moment Is Now; from Huffington Post (US), 5/15/09
• Free Speech: ACLU Backs Pain Activist's Effort to Quash Subpoena Issued in Kansas Case; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 5/15/09
• Q&A With the New Drug Czar; from Wall Street Journal (US), 5/14/09
• White House Czar Calls for End to 'War on Drugs'; from Wall Street Journal (US), 5/14/09
• "The War On Drugs" -- More Than Just A Metaphor; from Jack-Booted Liberal (US), 5/13/09
• On Sen. Webb's Bill Studying Criminal Justice Reform; from Talk Left (US), 4/30/09
• Obama Disappoints Needle-Exchange Advocates; from San Francisco Chronicle (CA), 5/11/09
• Is the U.S. Finally Going to Get Pragmatic About Drug Policy? from Dissident Voice (US), 5/9/09
• War on Drugs = War On Us All; from Open Salon (US), 5/9/09
• A Marijuana Tax As The Next New Revenue Stream? from Christian Science Monitor (US), 5/8/09
• Open Letter to the New "Drug Czar" from Another Top Cop: End the Drug War; from Huffington Post (US), 5/8/09
• Mexico Decriminalization Bill Passes -- One Step Forward, Two Steps Back? from Drug War Chronicle (US), 5/8/09
• Murder Charges for Man Who Defended His Home; from Total Criminal Defense (US), May 2009
• Mexico: "They Kill Our Trees So We'll Grow Their Drugs." from Truthout (US), 5/5/09
• Drugs, Elephants And American Prisons; from Reuters Blogs (US), 4/30/09
• Big Hearing at the Tenth Circuit Today on Painkiller Issue; from The Agitator (US), 5/6/09
• Governor Schwarzenegger Says He's Open To Debate On Legal Pot; from San Francisco Chronicle (CA), 5/6/09
• "Tools For Ending The Drug War" Conference; from New Haven Independent (CT), 5/4/09
• 9th Circuit Upholds 10-Year Mandatory Minimum for Prop 215 Defendant Bryan Epis; from CA NORML (CA), 5/3/09
• Column: More Than A Silly Strip Search; from San Francisco Chronicle (CA), 5/2/09
• Marijuana At The Tipping Point; from AlterNet (US), 5/1/09

Latest News: Posted April 2009

• Should We Blame Bad Apples Or A Bad Culture For Federal Prosecutors Gone Wild? from Sentencing Law and Policy Blog of Doug Berman, 4/8/09
• The Fall of the Presidential Pardon; from Truthout (US), 4/2/09
• Youth and the Myth of Post-Racial Society Under Barack Obama; from Truthout (US), 4/27/09
• Column: A Sensible Halfway Stop To Decriminalizing Drugs? from Washington Post (DC), 4/26/09
• Drugs: To Legalize or Not; from Wall Street Journal (US), 4/25/09
• American Exception: Inmate Count in U.S. Dwarfs Other Nations'; from New York Times, 4/23/09
• Criminal Justice Tour of Virginia Underscores Need for Reform; from Sen. Jim Webb's Website (US), 4/23/09
• OpEd: Prohibition Spawns Drug Violence; from Creators Syndicate (US), 4/24/09
• Pot Legalization Favored By Some To Stem Violence; from The Hill (DC), 4/20/09
• Chronic City: The Sad Case of Charlie Lynch; from San Francisco Weekly (CA), 4/23/09
• Pot vs. Booze: A Former Police Chief's Take; from Alternet (US), 4/22/09
• Supreme Court Cuts Back Officers' Searches Of Vehicles; from New York Times (NY), 4/22/09
• US Wants 5-Year Term For Medical Pot Seller; from San Francisco Chronicle (CA), 4/21/09
• Portugal's Experience Shows Drug Decriminalization Can Work; from Vancouver Sun (BC CA), 4/18/09
• Wasted: The American Prohibition On Thinking Smart In The Drug War; from Foreign Policy (US), May 2009
• Is It Possible The War On Pot Is On Its Last Legs? from AlterNet (US Web), 4/20/09
• Obama's Demented Drug Policy; from The Daily Beast (US), 4/16/09
• An Interview With Jeffrey Miron On How To End Drug Violence; from Asheville Citizen-Times (NC), 4/18/09
• Strip Searches At School: Discipline Gone Too Far? from USA Today (US), 4/16/09
• FBI And States Vastly Expand DNA Databases; from New York Times (NY), 4/19/09
• Medical Marijuana Requests Climb Sky High; from MSNBC.com (US), 4/15/09
• A Criminally Stupid War On Drugs In The US; from Financial Times (UK), 4/13/09
• Mexican Ambassador: US Should Take Marijuana Legalization Seriously; from Raw Story (US), 4/12/09
• OpEd: We Tried A War Like This Once Before; from Washington Post (DC), 4/12/09
• Obama's Crossover Dribble On Marijuana Policy; from CounterPunch (US), 4/10/09
• Column: You Can't Tell Us Drug Legalization Is Impossible; from Ottawa Citizen (CN ON), 4/10/09
• Professor Noam Chomsky On The Drug War; from Citizen Radio (US), 4/1/09
• Can Senator Webb Lead America Out of the Drug War Quagmire? from OpEd News (US), 4/10/09
• Justice Department Unit Is Again the Focus of Scrutiny; from Wall Street Journal (US), 4/9/09
• Obama: (Reefer) Madness to Tackle Legalization? from Huffington Post (US), 4/6/09
• Mexican Drug Lord Officially Thanks American Lawmakers for Keeping Drugs Illegal; from Huffington Post (US), 3/29/09
• States Pull Back After Decades Of Get-Tough Laws; from Associated Press (US), 4/4/09
• The War On Drugs Is A War On You; from CounterCurrents.org, 4/3/09
• A Nation Of Jailbirds; from The Economist (UK), 4/2/09
• Editorial: Formula For Failure; from Herald-Tribune (FL), 4/2/09
• Column: Maybe We Should Legalize Drugs; from Miami Herald (FL), 4/1/09
• Column: Obama Gets Hazy On Reefer Economics; from Chicago Tribune (IL), 4/1/09
• Kids Do The Darndest Things: Joe Biden's Cocaine Dilemma; from AlterNet (US Web), 3/31/09

Latest News: March 2009

• The Beginning of the End of the Rockefeller Drug Laws; from Drop The Rock (NY), 3/30/09
• Jim Webb's Courage v. The "Pragmatism" Excuse For Politicians; from Salon.com (US), 3/28/09
• OpEd: Zero-Tolerance Policies Wreak Havoc On Children's Education; from Providence Journal (RI), 3/29/09
• The American Gulag; from The Republic (CN BC), 3/26/09
• Sen. Webb Takes On Next Challenge: Nation's Prison System; from Virginian-Pilot (VA), 3/26/09
• Clinton Says U.S. Feeds Mexico Drug Trade; from New York Times (NY), 3/25/09
• A Fresh Approach In American War On Drugs; from TheStar.com (ON, CAN), 3/21/09
• Ending Drug War Abuse; from Freedom's Phoenix (AZ), 3/22/09
• Anti-Drug Effort at Border Is Readied; from Washington Post (DC), 3/22/09
• The Shame Of The Prisons; from TIME Magazine (US), 1/18/71
• Medical Marijuana: Attorney General Holder: No DEA Busts Unless You Violate State Law; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 3/20/09
• Mexico's Drug War Bloodbath: Guns from the U.S. Are Destabilizing the Country; from AlterNet DrugReporter (US), 3/18/09
• The Criminal Injustice System; from CounterPunch (US), 3/11/09
• Column: The Drug War Body Count; from San Francisco Chronicle (CA), 3/16/09
• The Success Of Drug Decriminalization In Portugal; from Salon.com (US), 3/14/09
• Why We Can't Legalize Drugs; from Stanton Peele's Website (US), 3/12/09
• Meeting in Vienna, UN Commission on Narcotics Drugs Prepares to Head Further Down Same Prohibitionist Path, But Dissenting Voices Grow Louder; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 3/13/09
• The Making Of A Narco State; from Rolling Stone (US), Mar 2009
• Column: We Can't Go On Prohibiting Drugs! from Independent (UK), 3/9/09
• How Much Prison Time Is Enough? from Herald-Palladium (MI), 3/8/09
• Column: How To Get Me To Shut Up About Drugs; from Ottawa Citizen (CN ON), 3/6/09
• Researchers Call for Moratorium on Field Drug Test Kit Testing; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 3/6/09
• No Rockefeller Drug Law Reform In New York Would Be A Real Crime; from The Post Standard (NY), 3/5/09
• Failed States and Failed Policies: How To Stop The Drug Wars; from The Economist (UK), 3/5/09
• This Revolting Trade In Human Lives Is An Incentive To Lock People Up; from The Guardian (UK), 3/3/09
• Ending The War On Drugs; from In These Times (US), 3/2/09
• Editorial: The War On What? from Daily Sound (CA), 3/3/09
• In The Heart Of A Drug War; from Ottawa Citizen (CN ON), 3/2/09
• Legislation to Overhaul Rockefeller Drug Laws Moves Ahead Swiftly; from New York Times (NY), 3/1/09
• Police Welcome New Dogs; from Yale Daily News (CT), 2/23/09
• Elderly Offender Home Detention Pilot Program; from US Bureau of Prisons, 2/5/09 (pdf)
• News Release: United States Sentencing Commission to Conduct Regional Public Hearings on Federal Sentencing Policy; from USSC, 1/14/09
• Criminal Justice Recommendations For New Administration And Congress; from The Criminal Justice Transition Coalition, 11/6/08

Latest News: February 2009

• Justice Department Will Stop Medical Marijuana Raids, Attorney General Says; from Raw Story (US), 2/26/09
• U.S. Is Arms Bazaar For Mexican Cartels; from New York Times (NY), 2/26/09
• Business Lobby: Don't Build Prisons, Release Inmates Instead; from Miami Herald (FL), 2/19/09
• Taxing Pot Could Become A Political Toking Point; from Los Angeles Times (CA), 2/24/09
• Opposing The Drug Laws They Enforce; from MSNBC (US), 2/23/09
• The War On Drugs Is A Failure; from Wall Street Journal (US), 2/23/09
• Documents Reveal Details In Kathryn Johnston Slaying, Cover-Up; from Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA), 2/22/09
• Column: Obama's Take On The Drug War; from Denver Post (CO), 2/22/09
• Pot Shots: Obama's Mixed Messages on Marijuana; from CounterPunch (US), 2/4/09
• INCB Calls for More of the Same on Global Drug Policy -- Critics Call for No More INCB; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 2/20/09
• Editorial: Violent Valentine's Days -- There And Here, Then And Now; from Vancouver Sun (CN BC), 2/18/09
• Drug Violence Spins Mexico Toward 'Civil War'; from CNN (US), 2/19/09
• Jailing Kids for Cash; from TruthOut (US), 2/17/09
• The Drug War Wall Begins to Fall; from Narco News Bulletin (America), 2/11/09
• Golden Girls Behind Bars; from New America Media (US), 2/9/09
• Marchers Block Mexico-US Border; from BBC News (UK), 2/18/09
• Explosion Of Outrage Over Phelps And Marijuana Says A Lot About America's Idiotic Drug Policies; from Seattle Times (WA), 2/17/09
• Editorial: Reality Intrudes On The Drug War; from Chicago Tribune (IL), 2/15/09
• Prisons Director Demands Reforms; from Columbus Dispatch (OH), 2/13/09
• Eight Arrested In Michael Phelps Case; from WISTV (SC), 2/9/09
• Judges Tentatively Order Calif. Inmate Release; from Sacramento Bee (CA),2/10/09
• Phelps Story Shows We Should Say No To Drug War; from St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO), 2/9/09
• A Silver Lining to the Economic Crisis: Less Money for Prisons; from AlterNet (US), 1/22/09
• Bush Holdovers At DEA Continue Pot Raids; from Washington Times (DC), 2/5/09
• Michael Phelps: Big Bong Theory; from Washington Post (DC), 2/3/09
• Drug Dealers: Always on My Mind; from Newsweek (US), 1/31/09
• Judges to Serve More Than Seven Years in Prison After Pleading Guilty in Prison Kickbacks Probe; from Law.com (US), 1/28/09
• Incarceration Policy Strikes Out; from ABA Journal (US), 2/2/09
• PBS To Air Documentary: 'Tulia, Texas'; from Plainview Daily Herald (TX), 2/2/09
• Column: American Government Losing The 'War On Drugs'; from Daily Reveille (LA Edu), 2/2/09

Latest News: January 2009

• Prisons Under Pressure -- Corrections Budgets in the Age of Austerity; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 1/30/09
• Legal System Struggles With How To React When Police Officers Lie; from Wall Street Journal (US), 1/29/09
• Rockefeller Drugs Laws: Ripe for Reform; from The Nation (US), 1/26/09
• Editorial: Drugs Are Bad, But They're Good Enough; from Odessa American (TX), 1/26/09
• American Kidnapped, Business Torched -- DEA Blamed; from San Antonio Express-News (TX), 1/25/09
• Column: "Change" You Say? from Somerville News (MA), 1/21/09
• Update on the Ryan Frederick Trial; from The Agitator (US), 1/22/09
• Mexican Drug War Violence Is Going Off The Charts; from AlterNet (US), 1/21/09
• Bongs Away! from Reason Magazine (US), Feb 2009
• Bush Commutes Ex-Border Agents' Sentences; from MSNBC(US), 1/19/09
• The Plight Of The Innocent; from Helium.com (US), 1/19/09
• War on Drugs: The Collateral Damage; from Culture 11 (US), 1/14/09
• Editorial: The Fourth Amendment Diluted; from New York Times (NY), 1/16/09
• Column: Why Legalizing Drugs Looks Like A Solution To Some In El Paso; from Dallas Morning News (TX), 1/15/09
• Five Key Areas For Reforming America's Idiotic War On Drugs; from AlterNet (US), 1/12/09
• States Ponder Early Release For Some Prisoners; from MSNBC (US), 1/10/09
• Column: U.S.-Mexico Drug War: We're Clucking Like Chickens; from El Paso Times (TX), 1/11/09
• Arsenic Levels Too High in Kern Valley State Prison's Drinking Water; from TruthOut (US), 12/29/09
• Mayor Vetoes Resolution Asking For Debate On Legalizing Drugs; from El Paso Times (TX), 1/6/09
• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly -- The Top 10 Drug Policy Stories of 2008; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 1/3/09
• Sen. Webb Sets His Sights On Prison Reform; from Washington Post (DC), 12/29/08
• Voices From Home; from Courier-Journal (KY), 12/29/08
• TV Show Latest Offbeat Tactic For Sheriff Arpaio; from Arizona Central (AZ), 12/25/08
• Locked Up for Life: The Case of Clarence Aaron; from Fox News (US), Dec 2008

Latest News: December 2008

• Little Blue Pills Among The Ways CIA Wins Friends In Afghanistan; from Washington Post (DC), 12/26/08
• 101 and Losing Her Home; from Post-Standard (NY), 12/25/08
• OpEd: Pardons Can Right System's Wrongs; from Mountain View Telegraph (NM), 12/25/08
• Ohio Bill Seeks To Ease Prison Crowding; from Akron Beacon Journal (OH), 12/18/08
• Could Obama's Pro-Marijuana Commerce Secretary Spell a Golden Era for Pot Reform? from AlterNet (US), 12/18/08
• Children Forced Into Cell-Like School Seclusion Rooms; from CNN (US), 12/17/08
• Black Women Struggle in Criminal Justice System; from TruthOut (US), 12/13/08
• Girl Handing Out Cough Drops Accused Of Selling Drugs At School; from News4Jax.com (FL), 12/16/08
• Federal Law Does Not Trump State Laws On Medical Marijuana; from DrugSense Weekly (US), 12/12/08
• Woman Charged With Killing FBI Agent in Drug Raid; from Drug War Chronicle (US), 12/12/08
• CIA Helped Shoot Down 15 Civilian Planes; from TruthOut (US), 12/11/08
• OpEd: Arrests Can't Win Nation's Drug War; from Arizona Republic (AZ), 12/5/08
• The Price Of Justice; from The Monitor (TX), 12/7/08
• Column: Waging War Against Drug Laws; from Spokesman Review (WA), 12/5/08
• OpEd: Let's End Drug Prohibition; from Wall Street Journal (US), 12/5/08
• State Universities vs. State Prisons; and Marijuana Legalization as a Solution; from Informed Comment (US), 12/4/08
• US Mulls Unusual Drug War Tactic as Blackwater Charges Loom; from TruthOut (US), 12/4/08
• Mexico Drug Cartels Send A Message Of Chaos, Death; from Washington Post (DC), 12/4/08
• FBI Agents Stage Sting To Snare Corrupt Ill. Cops; from Associated Press (US), 12/3/08
• Repeal Day Serves as Reminder of the Folly of Our Drug Laws; from FOX News (US), 12/1/08
• Column: Losing The War; from Minnesota Daily (MN), 11/30/08
• 27 Years In Prison For A Nonviolent Offense; from AlterNet (US), 11/26/08
• Obama's Drug Czar Pick: Will We Ever Get Past Having a War on Drugs? from AlterNet (US), 11/25/08
• OpEd: From My Cell I Scent The Reeking Soul Of US Justice; from Sunday Times (UK), 11/23/08

(Go to: 2008 Archive - 2007 Archive - 2006 Archive - 2005 Archive - 2004 Archive - 2003 Archive)

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