Seattle and Detroit Move Toward Decriminalizing Psychedelics
Though state laws in both places have not yet adapted, consumers of "entheogenic" plants and fungi are now less likely to be arrested and prosecuted in the two cities.
War on Drugs
Kansas and California Cops Used Civil Forfeiture to Stage Armored Car Heists, Stealing Money Earned by Licensed Marijuana Businesses
The Institute for Justice argues that the seizures violated state law, federal law, and the U.S. Constitution.
Gun Control Is Just as Racist as Drug Control
Both public safety strategies are rooted in bigotry and disproportionately harm African Americans.
Her Husband Died After Police Hogtied Him for 90 Minutes. Could She Ever Hold Them Accountable?
Kelli Goode's civil suit is a case study in how difficult it can be to get state actors to take responsibility when they allegedly infringe on someone's rights.
Michael Shellenberger: How Progressives Ruined American Cities
The San Fransicko author on fighting homelessness and mental illnesses without shredding civil liberties.
California Escalates Its War on the Marijuana Black Market
A new 2022 law will punish anybody “aiding and abetting” unlicensed dealers. It will most certainly harm low-level workers.
Colorado Gov. Polis Commutes 110-Year Sentence for Trucker in Deadly Crash, Pardons Hundreds of Marijuana Convictions
Rogel Aguilera-Mederos faced harsh punishment under the state’s mandatory minimum sentences for insisting on the right to a trial.
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.
In 2021, Qualified Immunity Reform Died a Slow, Painful Death
Despite bipartisan momentum at the federal level, Congress still couldn't get anything over the finish line.
Why the Pandemic Will End Only When We Demand It's Over
Ronald Bailey and Jacob Sullum on the future of COVID-19, the politicization of science, the failure of mandates, and how to talk with anti-vaxxers.
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.
Tennessee Governor Announces Fast-Track Clemency Process for People Serving Outdated Drug-Free School Zone Sentences
Following a 2017 Reason investigation, Tennessee reformed its harsh drug-free school zone laws. But hundreds were left in prison.
The FDA Still Hasn't Approved 2 New Drugs That Could Help End the Pandemic
Bureaucratic foot-dragging is costing lives.
Would an Independent Commission Solve the Clemency Backlog?
A new bill would transfer the review of petitions from the Justice Department to a presidentially appointed board.
A Judge Has Ordered Him Released From Prison—Twice. The Government Still Won't Set Him Free.
Bobby Sneed's story highlights how far some government agents will go to keep people locked up, flouting the same legal standards they are charged with upholding.
Florida's Civil Asset Forfeiture Reforms Haven't Stopped the Shakedowns
Despite civil asset forfeiture reforms in Florida, police are still finding ways to take people's stuff.
The Great Libertarian Gift Guide of 2021
It's time to spread cheer. Reason is here to help.
A Scientific Life on the Edge
Stanton Peele's memoir of his "lonely quest to change how we see addiction" contradicts the prejudices that still dominate the drug policy debate.
Federal Drug Laws Force Pot Shops To Carry Lots of Cash and No Insurance. Now They're Getting Robbed.
Despite state legalization, federal prohibition makes break-ins harder on marijuana shops and manufacturers.
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?
Vaping Regulation Threatens a Lifesaving Smoking Alternative
Policy makers are acting as if saving the lives of smokers via harm-reducing alternatives counts for nothing.
Police Tase Man in His Home After Relative Calls Fire and Rescue for a Drug-Related Emergency
The victim denied police permission to search his home. Cop shouted, "I don't need your permission!"
After Avoiding a Government Shutdown, What Will Congress Do With the Waning Days of 2021?
Plus: Formerly imprisoned NSA contractor Reality Winner gets interviewed by 60 Minutes, San Francisco tries the novel approach of not taxing businesses to death, and more...
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.
Judge Orders Massachusetts Prisons To Stop Using 'Highly Unreliable' Drug Field Tests To Punish Inmates
Although the tests are used by prison systems and police departments across the country, a judge found they have an error rate "only marginally better than a coin-flip."
Watch Nevada Highway Patrol Officers Seize a Veteran's Life Savings Through Asset Forfeiture
The officers admit there's nothing illegal about carrying large amounts of cash, then take almost $90,000 from him anyway.
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.
South Dakota's Governor Succeeds in Blocking Voter-Approved Marijuana Legalization
The South Dakota Supreme Court ruled that the ballot initiative violated the "single subject" rule for constitutional amendments.
Every Year, Police Pull People Over To Give Out Turkeys Instead of Tickets. That Could Be Illegal.
There are better ways to build trust in the community than by violating the Fourth Amendment.
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.
Thousands Beg President Joe Biden for Mercy as He Pardons a Couple of Turkeys
The annual photo op takes on cruel undertones as drug offenders continue to suffer under harsh federal prison sentences.
Is Fentanyl-Tainted Marijuana 'Something Real' or 'Just an Urban Legend'?
The meager evidence cited by Connecticut officials makes their warnings seem overwrought.
Man Faces 30-Year Sentence in the Self-Defense Case Everyone Ignored Last Week
Some are using Kyle Rittenhouse's acquittal to argue for harsher laws and punishments. Andrew Coffee IV's case is a study in why that's an awful idea.
The TSA's 20th Birthday Should Be Its Last
Plus: A dispatch from the National Conservatism Conference, a progressive FCC nominee gets a surprising backer, and more...
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.
Cops Thought Sand From Her Stress Ball Was Cocaine. She Spent Nearly 6 Months in Jail.
And now an appeals court has ruled the cops who arrested her aren't entitled to qualified immunity from her lawsuit.
This Republican's Marijuana Legalization Bill Aims To Build Bipartisan Support for Repealing Federal Prohibition
Rep. Nancy Mace is touting "a framework which allows states to make their own decisions on cannabis."
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.
Videos Are Making It Hard To Trust the Cops
It’s difficult to avoid the suspicion that the powers-that-be habitually lie about their conduct.
A Cop Was Indicted for Homicide After Shooting a Fleeing Driver. He Still Got Qualified Immunity.
Bau Tran might go to jail for his conduct, but he will be insulated from having to face a jury in civil court.
