At least I hope so: it seems to happen too often that Obama takes a conservative position. Mike Lillis of the Washington Independent has the latest: Official negotiations among United Nations members begin today in Vienna over a U.N. declaration to guide global drug policy for the next decade. As we...

The US is the Prison Nation, and keeps more of its citizens in prison than any other country in the world. Why? Because the US has made prisons a business, and businesses work hard to maximize profit. Take a look at this NY Times article by Solomon Moore: One in every 31 adults, or 7.3 million Ameri...

Very good post at The Agitator, which begins: Tearful Atlanta Cops Express Remorse for Shooting 92-Year-Old Kathryn Johnston, Leaving Her To Bleed to Death in Her Own Home While They Planted Drugs in Her Basement, Then Threatening an Informant So He Would Lie To Cover It All Up Sorry, but I’m havi...

You may recall that Nevada voters recently had a chance to legalize the sale of cannabis (with lots of provisos: state stores, adults only, strict prohibitions against smoking in public, etc.), and now the California Assembly, desperate to raise state revenues, have a measure to consider. From the L...

In New York, sometimes the City (as in New York City) get's all the attention. But those of us who care about drug law reform in NY--especially getting rid of the draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws-- ignore Upstate NY at our peril. Luckily, Nicky Eyle and the good folks at ReconsiDer are hard at work. ...

David Sirota points out a weird reaction. At one time (I’m ashamed to admit) I would get angry at trivial matters. I would stoke up my own anger for reasons I still don’t fully understand—maybe being angry felt good, maybe it was better than looking at what was really happening in ...

When I was in college, I got a summer job working in Olympic National Park. During that time I became acquainted with one of the dumbest men on the planet. He was a ranger, who had gotten his job through hackism—his father was some kind of big political contributor, Anyway, there had been a late S...

What Phelps should have said!......

Joe Conason has an excellent column at Salon.com. It begins: The brutal exposure and possible arrest of alleged pothead Michael Phelps, probably the best athlete on earth, demands fresh attention to old questions: Why is marijuana still illegal in the United States? And why do we prosecute people fo...

From the Drug Policy Alliance: Today marks an historic turning point for all Americans. Less than a generation ago, African Americans were denied the right to vote in some states. Now the White House, built by slave labor in the 18th century, will be home to America’s first Black president. ...