War on Drugs
Tennessee May Allow Resentencing for Drug-Free School Zone Offenders After Reason Investigation
A 2018 Reason investigation showed that the zones covered wide swaths of cities and turned minor drug crimes into prison sentences that rivaled those for murder or rape.
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.
The Feds Will Return More Than $1 Million in Marijuana Money That California Cops Stole From Armored Cars
Empyreal Logistics agreed to drop its claims against the Justice Department, but it is still suing San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus.
Why Do Legalizers Keep Blocking Pot Banking?
Chuck Schumer claims to favor repealing the federal ban on marijuana. So why did he sink legislation that would have removed federal obstacles to banking services for pot businesses?
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.
Faulty Police Field Tests Said This Trucker Was Carrying 700 Gallons of Meth. It Was Diesel.
Juan Guzman spent nearly six weeks in jail based on unreliable field tests that have resulted in hundreds of other wrongful arrests.
Cops Seized $8,000 From Her and Never Charged Her With a Crime
After Rochester police took her cash, Cristal Starling found out just how hard it is to challenge civil asset forfeiture in court.
D.C. City Council Narrowly Fails To Destroy the Country's Freest Marijuana Market
An emergency measure proposed by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson would have given city officials the power to fine and close the city's unregulated cannabis "gifting shops."
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.
Did Ketanji Brown Jackson Flout the Law When She Reduced a Drug Dealer's Sentence?
The Supreme Court nominee's critics say she clearly did, but several federal appeals courts disagree.
Alabama Bill Would Require Negative Pregnancy Test To Buy Medical Marijuana
Plus: Colorado cyberbullying law ruled unconstitutional, the new nicotine prohibitionists, and more...
Police Seized Almost $10,000 From Him. A Court Ruled He Had No Right to an Attorney.
Terry Abbott couldn't afford representation, because the state took the cash he'd use to pay for it.
The House Just Approved Marijuana Legalization Again, but GOP Support Remains Nearly Nonexistent
Just three Republicans voted for the MORE Act, two fewer than in 2020.
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.
South Dakota's Governor Blocks Voters on Legal Pot
Though voters simultaneously approved initiatives aimed at legalizing both recreational and medical use of marijuana, Amendment A got quickly tied up in court.
Tom Cotton's Absurd Question About Contacting a Heroin Dealer's Victims Reveals a Drug Warrior's Demagoguery
The mindlessly punitive senator grilled Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson about her resentencing of a drug offender.
Tom Sachs: Taking NFTs Where No Man Has Gone Before
The artist's Rocket Factory project, which lets users build and own their own virtual spacecraft, is changing how we think about reality.
Artist Tom Sachs: 'Apple Could Never Make Anything as Shitty as the Things I Make'
The Rocket Factory NFT project stands at the intersection of crypto, the metaverse, and persistent human longing for the new frontier.
50 Years After Nixon's Commission Said Cops Should Stop Busting Pot Users, the Federal Ban Remains Unchanged
But 37 states allow medical or recreational use, and arrests are falling.
This Jail Won't Provide Drug Addicts With Essential Meds
Inmates with opioid addiction suffered severe withdrawal after the Jefferson County Correctional Facility stripped them of their medication.
Who Will Be the First Person To Go to Prison for Selling Flavored Tobacco or E-Cigarettes?
It’s likely to happen any day now.
Tackling Mass Incarceration Requires More Than Freeing Nonviolent Drug Offenders
A new report emphasizes that the U.S. would still have a very high incarceration rate even if all drug war prisoners were released.
Snitches Get Riches From the FBI
Turning in your innocent friends and neighbors for having large amounts of cash is touted as a new source of income by the FBI.
Corruption and Crackdowns in California's Marijuana Market
Black markets thrive under mismanaged legalization.
Compassionate Releases of Federal Prisoners Surged During the Pandemic
The record number of reduced sentences still represented a tiny share of the federal prison population.
Enforcing Abortion Bans Is Much Harder Than Passing Them
The experience in Texas shows that workarounds pose daunting obstacles to such laws.
Man With No Criminal History Gets 5-Year Sentence for Selling Weed
The federal mandatory minimum didn't leave many options.
Prosecutor Extorts $300,000 Out of Alleged Drug Dealer by Threatening His Entire Family With Charges
Patrick Card's story is a case study in how the state uses civil forfeiture to try to coerce plea bargains.
A Jury Concludes That Blindly Firing 10 Rounds Into Breonna Taylor's Apartment Was Not 'Wanton Endangerment'
Brett Hankison's acquittal shows how difficult it is to hold cops accountable for abusing their power.
Several Justices Seem Dismayed at the Idea That Doctors Can Be Accidentally Guilty of Drug Trafficking
The Supreme Court is considering what standard should apply to prescribers accused of violating the Controlled Substances Act.
The Stossel State of the Union
"If I do my job right, you should barely know I'm here."
SCOTUS Needs to Clarify the Line Between Doctors and Drug Dealers
Patients suffer when physicians who prescribe opioids in good faith can face decades in prison.
Criminal Justice Campaign Promises Absent From Biden's State of the Union Speech
More than a year into the Biden administration, promises to expand clemency, decriminalize marijuana, and end solitary confinement and the federal death penalty remain unfulfilled.
All But 2 Utah Legislators Just Voted to Investigate the Psychotherapeutic Potential of Psychedelics
The bill is the latest sign of strange new respect for drugs that were once routinely depicted as menaces to body and soul.
Dopesick
The new Hulu miniseries promotes pernicious misconceptions about opioids, addiction, and pain treatment.
Brett Hankison Is Not the Only Cop Who Acted Recklessly the Night Breonna Taylor Was Killed
The former detective's trial should not obscure the responsibility of the drug warriors who authorized, planned, and executed the deadly raid.
Missouri Marijuana Legalization Bill Aims High but Expectations Remain Low
Previous efforts languished in committees.
Dallas Police Seized an Airline Passenger's Cash. New Information Only Makes Their Case Weaker.
Police seized more than $100,000 in cash from a 25-year-old Chicago woman for not correctly describing what her suitcase looked like.
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.
