Six Marijuana Legalization Lessons
What have policy makers learned since Colorado became the first state to allow recreational use in 2012?
Drug Legalization
Oregon Decriminalized All Drugs To Stop Overdoses. Will It Work?
Small-scale drug possession is now a $100 infraction that can be dismissed with a call to a drug abuse assessment hotline.
State Governments Are Creating Their Own Drug Cartels
Much of what government does is tax people to try to fix problems that government caused.
Chuck Schumer Says He Wants To Legalize Marijuana. His Bill Suggests Otherwise.
The Senate majority leader's racial rhetoric and overly prescriptive approach make an already iffy effort even more quixotic.
Psychonautical Journalist Michael Pollan Is Finally Ready To End the War on Drugs
The evolution of Pollan's thinking reflects the confusion caused by arbitrary pharmacological distinctions.
An Unbeatable Sprinter Is Defeated by an Irrational Prejudice
Sha’Carri Richardson’s suspension for marijuana use highlights an arbitrary distinction that makes less sense than ever before.
Losing Patience With Legislators, Mexico's Supreme Court Orders Permits Allowing Consumers To Grow and Possess Marijuana
Six years after the court ruled that pot prohibition was unconstitutional, the Mexican Congress is still dithering about how to license and regulate commercial suppliers.
Although 44% of Americans Live in States That Have Legalized Pot, Federal Prohibition Is Not Likely to End Anytime Soon
The president supports the ban, and his fellow Democrats do not seem serious about attracting Republican support for repealing it.
A Study Finds That Crash Injuries in 5 States Rose After They Legalized Marijuana Use but Not After They Allowed Marijuana Sales
Adding to the puzzle, another study from the same organization found "no increased crash risk" associated with cannabis consumption.
50 Years Into the War on Drugs, Drugs Are Winning
Plus: The federal government gets a jump-start on celebrating Juneteenth, the masks come off in California, and more...
The 9th Circuit Considers Whether the DEA's Classification of Marijuana Violates Federalism and the Separation of Powers
The puzzle of marijuana's Schedule I status invites a reconsideration of the agency's vast discretion to decide which substances should be prohibited.
On Pot Legalization, Biden Offers Only Inaction
The new administration does not appear to be interested in addressing the conflict between state and federal marijuana laws.
Do Democrats Realize They Need Republican Support To Legalize Marijuana?
The MORE Act, which was reintroduced today, is full of contentious provisions that go far beyond repealing federal prohibition.
Biden Hedges on His Promise To Free Pot Prisoners
The president still has not caught up with most Americans on marijuana policy.
This 87-Year-Old Republican's Bill Would Restore the Second Amendment Rights of Cannabis Consumers in States That Have Legalized Marijuana
Under current law, marijuana users who possess firearms are committing a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The Biden Administration's Obfuscation on Using Clemency To Free Pot Prisoners Is Not a Hopeful Sign
Press Secretary Jen Psaki repeatedly tried to muddy the issue by changing the subject to reclassifying marijuana.
How To Talk to Your Young Kids About Weed
Hint: The exact same way you should talk to them about booze, swearing, and scary movies.
Florida Supreme Court Nixes Pot Legalization Initiative, Worrying That Voters Might Think It Repeals Federal Prohibition
By the court's logic, the ballot summaries for many successful legalization initiatives were "affirmatively misleading."
How an Anti-Pot Governor Blocked Voter-Approved Legalization in South Dakota
Kristi Noem is determined to defy the will of her constituents. The South Dakota Supreme Court will decide whether she can.
Arbitrary THC Limits Could Wipe Out Much of the Cannabis Industry
If states generally don't limit the potency of distilled spirits, why is such a safeguard necessary for a much less hazardous product?
Coming Out of the Chemical Closet
Neuropsychopharmacologist Carl Hart says most of what the public knows about drugs is both scary and wrong.
6 Marijuana Legalization Lessons
Three recently approved plans show what politicians have learned (or failed to learn) since Colorado became the first state to allow recreational use.
New Mexico Joins New York and 15 Other States in Legalizing Marijuana
Joe Biden, meanwhile, supports continued national prohibition, maintaining an untenable conflict between state and federal laws.
New York Becomes the 16th State To Approve Marijuana Legalization
The law is surprisingly permissive in some ways, but it includes high taxes and other provisions that hurt consumers.
New York Finally—After Three Years—on Verge of Legalizing Marijuana
A compromise is now circulating that would establish a market but also allow growing at home.
Marijuana News in 3 States Shows Stark Differences As Prohibition Crumbles
New Mexico could be the 16th state to legalize pot, while Texas considers tinkering with its onerous penalties and Pennsylvania continues to arrest cannabis consumers.
Mexico and Israel Slowly Race To Legalize Pot
Uruguay legalized recreational marijuana in 2013, followed by Canada five years later. Two more countries will soon join their ranks.
Legal Pot Doesn't Seem To Increase Teen Use or Addiction
Two studies published in November found that legalization has not been associated with increases in adolescent marijuana use or addiction.
Biden Says Drug Users Shouldn't Be Jailed but Won't Do Anything To Stop It
Plus: "Cancel culture" confusion, Biden rejects student loan forgiveness, Stossel and Snowden on internet privacy, and more...
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem Fights Voters and Lawmakers Who Want To End the War on Weed
After getting a ballot initiative voided, she says she’ll also resist legislators attempting to legalize marijuana.
Judge Tosses Out South Dakota Ballot Initiative Legalizing Recreational Marijuana
Voters approved it, but the governor resisted. A court came down on her side.
'I Use Heroin to Be a Better Person': Columbia University Neuroscientist Carl Hart
His new book, Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear, is a provocative manifesto for legalizing all drugs.
Virginia's on the Verge of Legalizing Marijuana
If passed, the bill would allow for legal possession by July 1.
Cuomo Seems Intent on Screwing up New York's Marijuana Legalization
No home cultivation? Increased criminal penalties? This is not the way to end a drug war.
For the First Time Ever, the House Votes To Repeal the Federal Ban on Marijuana
The bill is unlikely to make headway in the Senate, but it could nudge President-elect Joe Biden toward more ambitious reforms.
Medical Marijuana Gets the Green Light From the United Nations
Plus: Trump says he'll veto defense bill if it doesn't destroy the internet, House moves to free federal court records, and more...
Will a Historic House Vote on Marijuana Legalization Nudge Biden Toward More Ambitious Reforms?
The MORE Act, which would repeal federal prohibition, is scheduled for a vote this week.
The Israeli Government Plans to Legalize Marijuana
Depending on how soon Mexico acts, Israel could be the third country in the world to allow recreational use.
Biden's Drug Policies Are Still Oppressive
The reformed drug warrior opposes marijuana legalization and supports "mandatory rehabilitation" for people who violate the government’s pharmacological decrees.
America Wants Legal Marijuana More Than Ever Before. Catch Up, Joe Biden.
Gallup shows 68 percent supporting legalization.
Yesterday's Clean Sweep for Drug Policy Reform Suggests That Prohibition May Collapse Sooner Than Expected
Ballot initiatives continue to reverse marijuana prohibition while making the treatment of other drugs less oppressive and more tolerant.
On Election Night, the Real Winner Was Drugs
Plus: Presidential results still unclear (but Trump declares victory in a few states anyway), California approves Proposition 22, and more...
Montana Becomes the 15th State to Legalize Marijuana
The ballot initiative allows recreational consumers to grow their own or buy cannabis from state-licensed stores.
South Dakota Voters Legalize Medical and Recreational Marijuana
It is the first state to do both at the same time.
Oregon Becomes the First State to Legalize Psilocybin
The ballot initiative allows adults to use the promising psychedelic at state-licensed "psilocybin service centers."
Arizona Voters Approve Marijuana Legalization
The initiative makes Arizona the 13th state to allow recreational use.
Mississippi Voters Approve Medical Use of Cannabis
Mississippi is the 35th state, and the second in the Deep South, to recognize marijuana as a medicine.
D.C. Voters Tell Cops and Prosecutors to Leave Psychedelic Users Alone
The ballot measure applies to noncommercial production, distribution, and possession of "entheogenic plants and fungi."
