Samuel Alito Thinks It's Obviously Absurd To Suggest That Drug Prohibition Violates the Constitution
The justice overlooks the long American tradition of pharmacological freedom and the dubious constitutional basis for federal bans.
Drug Policy
The FDA's Menthol Cigarette Ban Is a 'Racial Justice' Issue, but Not in the Way Its Supporters Mean
The proposed rule, which targets the cigarettes that black smokers overwhelmingly prefer, will harm the community it is supposed to help.
Congress Won't Legalize Pot Anytime Soon, but It Could Protect Marijuana Businesses by Passing Banking Reform
Chuck Schumer seems less interested in achieving cannabis reform than in making political hay from his inevitable failure.
Congress Should Not Legalize Marijuana, Marco Rubio Says, Because Black-Market Weed Is 'Laced With Fentanyl'
The Florida senator has a long history of defending prohibition, but it has not improved his arguments.
Carl Hart: Legalize All Drugs Now!
The controversial Columbia neuroscientist, Air Force vet, and author of Drug Use for Grown-Ups believes deeply in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Dr. Carl Hart: 'I Am Better for My Drug Use'
The maverick Columbia neuroscientist explains why America should embrace drug legalization for all.
When Will Democrats Get Serious About Repealing Pot Prohibition?
Instead of building on Republican support for federalism, they seem determined to alienate potential allies.
Under Oregon's Proposed Rules, Legal Psilocybin Will Be All-Natural, Organic, and GMO-Free
The state's regulators plan to start accepting applications from manufacturers and "service centers" on January 2.
Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy
The new documentary revisits the draconian political response to the crack cocaine "epidemic" of the 1980s.
Deadly Pot Shop Robberies Underline the Need for Marijuana Banking Reform While the Senate Dithers
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer worries that approving the SAFE Banking Act would make broader changes less likely.
Man With No Criminal History Gets 5-Year Sentence for Selling Weed
The federal mandatory minimum didn't leave many options.
Missouri Marijuana Legalization Bill Aims High but Expectations Remain Low
Previous efforts languished in committees.
No, California Shouldn't Keep Crazy High Marijuana Taxes 'For the Children'
Child care workers benefit from state subsidies. They’re fighting against possible cuts by encouraging regressive taxes that fuel a new drug war.
Pot Won't Be Advertised at Super Bowl, Though Players Will Probably Use It After
A proposed commercial by dispensary-locator company Weedmaps was sacked by NFL and NBC suits.
West Virginia Mulls New Criminal Penalties for Imaginary Threat of Police Fentanyl Exposure
A medical myth that responders can overdose by touching or inhaling synthetic opioids may lead to harsher jail sentences.
Michael Shellenberger: How Progressives Ruined American Cities
The San Fransicko author on fighting homelessness and mental illnesses without shredding civil liberties.
If Chuck Schumer Supports Marijuana Legalization, Why Did He Nix a Bill That Would Have Helped Pot Businesses Use Banks?
Stranger still, the leading drug policy reform organization supported Schumer's obstruction.
The Year's Highlights in Blame Shifting
Politicians and cops found creative ways to dodge responsibility in 2021.
Californians Learn That Raising Taxes on Marijuana Fuels Black Markets for Drugs
If only they would apply that lesson to other goods and services.
Biden Doubles Down on a Lethal Anti-Drug Strategy
Prohibition has driven opioid-related deaths to record levels.
Mail-Order Abortion Pills, Now Officially Authorized by the FDA, Pose an Insoluble Problem for Legislators Who Want To Ban the Procedure
Federal regulators have permanently lifted a requirement that mifepristone be dispensed in person.
Feds Pledge $30 Million To Fund Drug Harm Reduction Programs
Less punitive responses to drug addiction are good, but what about people still stuck in federal prison?
234 Million Reason TV Fans Can't Be Wrong! Support Our Video Journalism!
Our videos make the case for "Free Minds and Free Markets" to millions of people a year.
New York City Is Funding America's First Official Safe Injection Site for Drug Users
As the U.S. reaches new terrible milestones in overdose deaths, a harm reduction system that has proven itself elsewhere finally launches where it’s needed most.
Should We Blame Pharmacies or the Government for Opioid-Related Deaths?
Restrictions on pain medication have undermined patient care while making drug use more lethal.
Is Fentanyl-Tainted Marijuana 'Something Real' or 'Just an Urban Legend'?
The meager evidence cited by Connecticut officials makes their warnings seem overwrought.
Dopesick Reinforces These Pernicious Misconceptions About Opioids, Addiction, and Pain Treatment
The Hulu miniseries portrays opioid pain medication as unacceptably dangerous in nearly every context.
Two Courts Debunk Widely Accepted Opioid Myths
Undertreatment of pain is a real problem, and bona fide patients rarely become addicted to their medication.
Oklahoma Supreme Court Overturns a Landmark Decision Blaming Johnson & Johnson for the State's Opioid Problems
The justices rejected a broad definition of "public nuisance" that would cover the manufacture of pain medication.
A Shuttered West Virginia Pharmacy Shows the DEA's Role in Escalating America's Overdose Crisis
A drug that treats opioid addiction may also be abused. That’s not a good reason to restrict access.
Detroit Becomes the Second-Largest U.S. City To Urge Tolerance of Psychedelic Use
Voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative that makes "entheogenic plant" possession the city's "lowest law-enforcement priority."
A Scathing Rejection of the Case Against Four Drug Companies Highlights Misconceptions About the 'Opioid Crisis'
A California judge said the four jurisdictions that filed the lawsuit failed to prove a "public nuisance" or "false advertising."
Ethan Nadelmann: How To End the Drug War (and What Comes Next)
The Drug Policy Alliance founder and Psychoactive podcast host on how to build a post-prohibitionist America.
Seattle Just Became the Largest U.S. City To Approve Quasi-Decriminalization of Natural Psychedelics
The resolution urges police to refrain from arresting people for noncommercial production and distribution as well as possession.
Undoing Drugs
Harm reduction invites a radical reconsideration of the way the government deals with politically disfavored intoxicants.
Opium Suppression in Afghanistan Was a US-led Failure
The basics of supply and demand still applied.
How Drug Warriors Made the 'Opioid Epidemic' Deadlier
Restricting access to pain medication drove nonmedical users toward black-market substitutes.
A Record Number of Drug-Related Deaths Illustrates the Lethal Consequences of Prohibition
The war on drugs is not just ineffective; it exacerbates the problems it is supposed to alleviate.
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.
Clarence Thomas Blasts the 'Contradictory and Unstable' Federal Marijuana Ban
Sixteen years after Gonzales v. Raich, Thomas is back with another opinion criticizing the federal government’s marijuana ban.
America Loves Gay Marriage (and Weed)
A new poll shows even a majority of Republicans now support same-sex marriage.
This 38-Year-Old Man Will Spend Life in Prison Over 1.5 Ounces of Marijuana
Plus: The gas crisis, it's time to free Reality Winner, and more...
The Surge in Drug-Related Fatalities During the Pandemic Highlights the Root Causes of Addiction
The crackdown on pain medication made drug use more dangerous and did nothing to address the factors driving "deaths of despair."
Marijuana and Pregnancy: What Does the Science Say?
The best available evidence suggests fears about fetal risk, while not totally unwarranted, are often overblown.
Coming Out of the Chemical Closet
Neuropsychopharmacologist Carl Hart says most of what the public knows about drugs is both scary and wrong.
Philadelphia Safe Injection Site Hits Another Legal Roadblock
An appeals court panel rules the Controlled Substance Act's "crackhouse" provision forbids Safehouse from creating the facility.
Violent Crime in Baltimore Plunges After City Ditches Prosecution of Prostitution, Drug Possession, Other Minor Offenses
Plus: The "infrastructure plan" that isn't, the Institute for Justice challenges cash seizures at airports, and more...
