The 'Whack Jobs' Were Right
Plus: A listener asks the editors to weigh in on a hypothetical executive order to establish an American Climate Corps.
Drug Policy
On Guns, Drugs, and National Security, Dianne Feinstein Was Consistently Authoritarian
The late California senator always seemed to err on the side of more government power and less individual freedom.
The Truth About Ron DeSantis' Fentanyl Horror Story
The culprit is prohibition, not lax border policing.
Punishment Is Not the Point: Puzzle #9
"Gavin Newsom eating at French Laundry during a COVID-19 surge, for example"
Ban Teenagers From Social Media, Vivek Ramaswamy Says, Because Fentanyl
The Republican presidential candidate ignores the lethal impact of the drug policies he avidly supports.
A Study Finds 'No Evidence' That Decriminalization Boosted Drug-Related Deaths in Oregon
The researchers reached a similar conclusion about overdose trends in Washington, where penalties for simple possession were reduced in 2021.
Oregon's Drug Problems Were Not Caused by Decriminalization
Prohibition is at the root of the hazards that have led to record numbers of opioid-related deaths.
Erika Dyck: Are We Living in a Psychedelic Renaissance?
Historian Erika Dyck contextualizes the deep roots of and battles over LSD, psilocybin, and other psychoactive substances.
Hunter Biden Gets Caught in America's Double War on Drugs and Guns
Plus: A listener asks for the editors’ advice on how to spend his money.
Fake Sudafed Is Bullshit, Just As You Suspected
Legal restrictions on pseudoephedrine have not reduced meth use, but they have driven people with colds or allergies toward substitutes that seem to be completely ineffective.
The Secret History of Psychedelics
Historian Erika Dyck wants to document the deep roots of and battles over LSD, psilocybin, and other psychoactive substances.
Depressed by the War on Drugs? Magic Mushrooms May Help.
Research is promising, but drug warriors stand in the way.
DEA Finally Relaxes Prescription Transfer Rules
The change, while welcome, is modest and won't get rid of patients' headaches as they try to fill their prescriptions.
Rick Doblin: The Man Behind the 'Psychedelic '20s'
The founder of MAPS talks about FDA approval for MDMA-assisted therapy and the "psychedelic renaissance" he has helped create.
35 Years Ago, a Judge Said Marijuana Did Not Belong in Schedule I. HHS Finally Agrees.
The 1988 case highlighted the DEA's stubborn insistence that marijuana has no "accepted medical use."
Rescheduling Marijuana Would Leave Federal Prohibition Essentially Untouched
Although the HHS-recommended change would benefit researchers and the cannabis industry, it would not resolve the conflict between state and federal marijuana laws.
Definitely Evil Agency: October 2023 Puzzle
"Airport purchase that could make you suspicious to the DEA"
What Rescheduling Marijuana Would and Wouldn't Do
Although it would leave federal prohibition essentially untouched, the change would facilitate medical research and dramatically reduce taxes on state-licensed suppliers.
HHS Asks DEA To Reclassify Cannabis as Equivalent to Testosterone and Codeine Tylenol
Plus: Tennessee prosecutor threatens to use drag law that was declared unconstitutional, ACLU asks FTC to investigate Mastercard's adult content policy, and more...
A GOP Consensus Emerges: Militarize the Border
In last night's Republican presidential debate, candidates floated various forms of military action against drug cartels.
A Netflix Drama Reinforces Pernicious Misconceptions About Pain Treatment
Painkiller reflects an indiscriminate anti-opioid bias that has caused needless suffering.
Donald Trump Has a Wild New Immigration Plan
A report reveals new draconian restrictions the 2024 frontrunner wants to implement, such as sea blockades in Latin America and "ideological screening" for migrants.
In November, Ohio Could Become the 24th State To Legalize Marijuana
The cannabis initiative will appear alongside a measure aimed at protecting abortion rights, which could boost its chances.
5th Circuit Says Prosecuting a Cannabis Consumer for Possessing Guns Violated the Second Amendment
The decision casts further doubt on the constitutionality of a federal law that makes it a felony for illegal drug users to own firearms.
Did Drug Decriminalization Cause a 'Catastrophe' in Oregon?
Many of the problems the state is experiencing are caused by the continuing impact of prohibition.
Should Donald Trump and Hunter Biden Both Be Prosecuted?
Plus: A listener question concerning drug decriminalization and social well-being
A Professor Criticized a Public Official. Then Her University Suspended Her.
Texas A&M placed a professor on paid leave for criticizing Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in a lecture on the opioid crisis.
Hunter Biden Shouldn't Go to Prison for Violating an Arbitrary Gun Law
A judge's questions about his plea deal should not obscure the point that the law he broke is unjust and arguably unconstitutional.
Methanol-Tainted Liquor and Xylazine-Tainted Fentanyl Illustrate the Same Prohibitionist Peril
While the lethal effects of Iran’s booze ban are widely recognized, politicians ignore similar consequences from U.S. drug laws.
Florida Bans Medical Marijuana in All State-Licensed Rehabs and Sober Living Houses
Some patients, especially those with opioid addictions, could actually benefit from access to medical marijuana.
Trump Can't Decide Whether To Free Drug Dealers or Kill Them
His bloody rhetoric undermines his defense of the sentencing reforms he proudly embraced as president.
Bombing Mexican Cartels Won't Stop Fentanyl
A Republican-sponsored resolution would authorize the president to "use all necessary and appropriate force" against foreigners involved in fentanyl trafficking.
The Biden Administration Still Insists That Cannabis Consumers Have No Right to Arms
As pot prohibition collapses across the country, that policy is increasingly untenable.
One Reason for New York's Pitiful Rollout of Legal Pot: License Preferences for Victims of Prohibition
More than two years after legalizing recreational use, the state has just a dozen licensed retailers.
Stop Piling Charges on Mom of 6-Year-Old Shooter
Plus: Michigan Supreme Court takes up case on warrantless drone spying, Obamacare legal battles continue, and more...
Hunter Biden, Second Amendment Warrior?
Plus: Flaws in studies linking teen social media use to depression, debt ceiling deal passes Senate, and more...
The Economics of Prohibition Doom Plans To Reduce Drug Use by Busting Online Dealers
A study suggests that "selectively targeting large-scale drug vendors" on the dark web can succeed where all previous enforcement efforts have failed.
Senators Want To Declare Fentanyl a National Security Threat
Plus: SCOTUS won't hear Reddit sex trafficking case, debt deal would increase spending on SNAP benefits, and more...
Panicked by Fentanyl Analogs, Biden Embraces the Mandatory Minimums He Claims To Oppose
A House-approved bill that the president supports would expand the draconian penalties he supposedly wants to abolish.
Even After Legalization, Maryland Cops Wanted to Search People Based on the Odor of Pot. Legislators Said No.
Police have a long history of using the real or imagined smell of marijuana to justify outrageous invasions.
The Two Faces of Ron DeSantis
Sometimes he calls for freedom, and sometimes he preaches something darker.
Minnesota Will Be the 23rd State To Legalize Recreational Marijuana
Possession and home cultivation will be legal as of August 1, and licensed sales could begin in late 2024.
Desperate To Avoid Decriminalization, Washington Legislators Lovingly Threaten Drug Users With Jail
The imminent expiration of a law that recriminalized drug possession triggered a bipartisan panic.
Homelessness Isn't an Unfixable Problem
Start by looking at the government policies that have made it worse.
Pot Legalization Is a 'Big Mistake' Only If You Ignore the Value of Freedom and the Injustice of Prohibition
The harm caused by marijuana abuse does not justify reverting to an oppressive policy that criminalized peaceful conduct.
D.C. Smoke Shop Owner: 'I Know I'm Doing the Right Thing.'
Thanks to the city's Initiative 71, Lit City Smoke Shop is part of D.C.'s thriving weed-gifting industry.
New York Legalized Marijuana, but a Legal Typo Is Hindering Implementation
Correcting the error will require new legislation.
