The Most Controversial Paper in the History of Psychedelic Research May Never See the Light of Day
Researchers gave psilocybin to two dozen religious clergy. Was it guided by science, religion, or some awkward combination?
Drug Policy
Trump's Tariff Threats Can't Win the Unwinnable War on Drugs
After promising to stop the flow of drugs during his first term, the president blames foreign officials for his failure.
Here Is How Trump Can Falsely Claim His Tariff Threats Helped Win the Drug War
The president can cite meaningless "adequate steps," ambiguous drug seizure numbers, and a decline in drug deaths that began before he took office.
An Unprecedented 22 Percent Drop in Drug Deaths Does Not Mean Prohibition Is Finally Working
Drug warriors deserve blame rather than credit for their role in recent overdose trends.
The Country's Largest Police Union, Which Repeatedly Endorsed Trump, Is Dismayed by His Capitol Riot Pardons
The Fraternal Order of Police mistakenly thought that the president "supports our law enforcement officers" and "has our backs."
Biden and Trump Show Presidents How To Abuse Clemency
Biden’s preemptive pardons and Trump’s blanket relief for Capitol rioters both set dangerous precedents.
Trump Goes After Mexico by Designating Drug Cartels Terrorist Organizations
Designating cartels as terrorist organizations could allow the feds to prosecute people who pay protection money—and might pave the way for undeclared war.
Why Trump Should Keep His Promise To Free Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht
A life sentence for facilitating peaceful transactions among consenting adults is hard to fathom, let alone justify.
Biden Has Now Issued Far More Commutations Than Any of His Predecessors
The president's record-shattering clemency actions help ameliorate the damage caused by the draconian drug policies he supported for most of his political career.
Why Donald Trump Made a Deal To Free Ross Ulbricht
A second chance for the creator of the dark web drug site the Silk Road might be coming…from an unlikely savior.
The FDA Proposes a De Facto Cigarette Ban, Which Would Expand the Disastrous War on Drugs
Mandating negligible nicotine levels in tobacco products would create a big black market and criminalize currently legal transactions.
Christina Dent: The Evangelical Christian Fighting To End the Drug War
The evangelical Christian argues that drug legalization is the conservative thing to do.
The Law That Disarmed Trump Is Unfair, Illogical, and Constitutionally Dubious
The president-elect lost his Second Amendment rights thanks to a nonsensical gun ban.
Reminder: Donald Trump Promised To Free Ross Ulbricht on 'Day One'
Will he follow through on the promise he made at the Libertarian National Convention—and to his crypto fans?
5th Circuit Reaffirms That Prosecuting a Marijuana User for Illegal Gun Possession Was Unconstitutional
Patrick Darnell Daniels Jr. was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for violating a federal law that bars drug users from owning firearms.
Medical Marijuana Legalization Takes Effect in Nebraska After Lawsuit Dismissal
Voters overwhelmingly favored the new policy, which a former state legislator unsuccessfully tried to block.
Jimmy Carter Supported Federal Pot Decriminalization for Half a Century. It Still Has Not Happened.
Although marijuana prohibition has collapsed in one state after another, Congress has yet to take even the modest step that Carter recommended back in 1977.
Shooting the Messenger and Blaming the Victim
How cops, politicians, and bureaucrats tried to dodge responsibility in 2024
Even Without the Sex and Drug Allegations, Matt Gaetz's Nomination Should Have Been Doomed
The House Ethics Committee's findings, combined with Gaetz's lack of relevant experience, again raise the question of why Donald Trump picked him for attorney general.
Don't Credit Drug Warriors for Reducing Overdoses
While a federal crackdown reduced opioid prescriptions, the number of opioid-related deaths soared.
5 Years After Giving Birth, a Mississippi Mother Was Arrested for a Felony Based on a Postnatal Drug Test
Brandy Moore, who stopped using meth midway through her pregnancy, was charged with "aggravated domestic violence" because she decided not to have an abortion.
Trump's Plan To Fight Illegal Drugs With Punitive Tariffs Makes No Sense
If stopping drugs from entering the country is as straightforward as the president-elect implies, why didn't he do it during his first term?
Bye, Joe: Evaluating the Biden Presidency
From the war in Afghanistan to the war on drugs, Reason writers offer performance reviews of Joe Biden's single term as president.
FDA Policy Worsens Homelessness by Limiting Access to Antipsychotics
Clozapine is the only drug approved for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. So why does the FDA make it so hard to prescribe?
A Change in Administrations Underlines the Stakes of an E-Cigarette Case SCOTUS Heard This Week
An e-liquid manufacturer is challenging the FDA's "arbitrary and capricious" rejection of flavored vaping products.
The President Still Has Time To Show His Mercy Extends Beyond His Own Son
The draconian penalties that Hunter Biden escaped affect many people whose fathers cannot save them.
Hunter Biden's Pardon Features Several Shades of Hypocrisy, Including the Gun Policy Implications
Joe Biden says his son did not deserve prison for violating firearm laws that the president vigorously defends and has made more severe.
Florida Drug Deaths Rose Dramatically as Pam Bondi Did Her 'Incredible Job' of Reducing Them
The attorney general nominee's record as a drug warrior epitomizes the predictably perverse consequences of prohibition.
Matt Gaetz's Personality Irked His GOP Colleagues. There Are Better Reasons To Oppose His Nomination.
The nominee for attorney general passes the Trump loyalty test, but he lacks relevant experience and has repeatedly demonstrated poor judgment.
This Week's Election Results Are a Discouraging Sign for Drug Policy Reformers
Despite a few bright spots, the disappointing returns suggest that the road to pharmacological freedom will be rockier than activists hoped.
Voters Reject Marijuana Legalization in North Dakota and South Dakota
Residents of the two deep-red states have approved medical use of cannabis but remain leery of going further.
Massachusetts Voters Reject Decriminalization of 5 Natural Psychedelics
The initiative also would have authorized state-licensed "psychedelic therapy centers."
Nebraska Voters Overwhelmingly Approve Medical Marijuana
Whether the policy will actually be implemented depends on the outcome of a legal challenge.
To Get Through This Election, Take an Edible
Whether you're facing existential dread about this election's outcome or just hoping that we at least know the outcome before the week is over, cannabis can be a welcome stress reliever.
Weed Shops Deserve Due Process, Says Judge
Plus: Andrew Cuomo's potential prosecution, Texas death blamed on abortion ban, and more...
Voters in 5 States Will Decide Whether To Legalize Marijuana or Psychedelics Next Week
The ballot initiatives would allow recreational marijuana use in Florida and the Dakotas, authorize medical marijuana in Nebraska, and decriminalize five natural psychedelics in Massachusetts.
SCOTUS Case Involving Cannabis Fraud Highlights the Illogic of Federal Drug Testing Mandates
A trucker lost his job because he tested positive for marijuana after consuming a supposedly THC-free CBD tincture.
The Best of Reason: Big Pot vs. Big Government in Florida
Mom-and-pop marijuana operations do not exist in Florida. That's by design.
Big Pot vs. Big Government in Florida
Mom-and-pop marijuana operations do not exist in Florida. That's by design.
Kamala Harris Promotes Federal Pot Legalization As a Boon to Black Men
Although the framing is a transparent political ploy, it is reassuring to see that the vice president has not abandoned her opposition to the federal ban.
Both Trump and Harris Would Crack Down on Fentanyl as President
Each party's candidate is jockeying to be more aggressive on fentanyl, whose use has proliferated as a direct result of government aggression.
A Houston Drug Cop's Murder Conviction Highlights the Potentially Deadly Consequences of 'Testilying'
Similar scandals across the country suggest the problem is widespread.
The Best of Reason: Can This Psychedelic Help Cure Opioid Addiction?
This Kentucky Republican won't stop until he finds a state willing to make legal room for ibogaine, a drug he calls "God's medicine."
Recent Overdose Trends Underline the Folly of the War on Drugs
Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris support supply-side tactics that are worse than ineffective.
Seattle's 'Stay Out' Zones Will Curb Civil Liberties, Not Crime
The city plans to ban people accused of some drug and prostitution crimes from visiting designated areas.
Drug Deaths Are Finally Declining. Nobody Really Knows Why.
One thing seems clear: Drug warriors do not deserve credit for the turnaround, although they deserve blame for the previous explosion in fatal overdoses.
Prohibition Killed Matthew Perry
Three people have pled guilty and two will go to trial over the actor's death.
Can This Psychedelic Help Cure Opioid Addiction?
This Kentucky Republican won't stop until he finds a state willing to make legal room for ibogaine, a drug he calls "God's medicine."
