Reason Nominated for 17 Southern California Journalism Awards
Nominees include stories on inflation breaking brains, America's first drug war, Afghans the U.S. left behind, Javier Milei, and much more.
War on Drugs
What Did We Learn From DOGE?
Plus: A listener asks which domestic policy changes could realistically boost U.S. manufacturing without raising costs for consumers.
Mothers Are Losing Custody Over Sketchy Drug Tests
Some hospitals are even reporting women for testing positive for drugs that were given to them during labor.
A New Survey Suggests Illicit Opioid Use Is Much More Common Than the Government's Numbers Indicate
The survey estimates that 7.5 percent of America adults use illegally produced fentanyl each year, 25 times the rate indicated by a government-sponsored survey.
Trump Administration Makes Damaging Admissions on Alien Enemies Act and Deportations
Trump admits he could return migrant illegally deported to El Salvador. And an intelligence community report concludes the Tren de Aragua drug gang isn't controlled by the Venezuelan government.
The Bad Data Backing Josh Hawley's Attack on Abortion Pills
A new study being used to call for mifepristone restrictions relies on vague and dubious definitions of drug-related complications.
Pam Bondi's Absurd Claim About Fentanyl Overdoses Epitomizes the Illogic of the War on Drugs
Even when they are less patently ridiculous, the metrics of success favored by government officials make little sense.
Pam Bondi Says Trump's Fentanyl Seizures Have Saved Over 250 Million Lives
Bondi said the president's drug policy prevented the deaths of 75 percent of Americans, in just his first 100 days.
Trump's Tattoo Fantasy Raises the Question: If He Were Senile, How Would We Know?
The president's bizarre insistence that Kilmar Abrego Garcia "had MS-13 tattooed" on "his knuckles" makes him seem like a confused old man.
The Government's Wars on Poverty and Drugs Had Good Intentions—but Bad Results
"All these government programs that regulate and control, they institutionalize mediocrity at best," argues Yaron Brook, head of the Ayn Rand Institute.
Federal District Court Rules Against Trump in Alien Enemies Act Case
The court ruled that Trump invoked the AEA illegally, blocks deportation of Venezuelan migrants who filed the case, and sets out standards for notifying them of their rights to challenge their deportation.
Cops Denied Qualified Immunity After Arresting Sober Teenager for DUI
"I blew a zero, so now you're trying to think I smoked weed?” Tayvin Galanakis asked the officer who arrested him in 2022. “That's what's going on. You can't do that, man.”
How Far Will the Trump Administration Go Against Mexican Drug Cartels?
Using the military to wage the drug war in Mexico raises practical and constitutional issues.
Postnatal Drug Tests Turn Mothers Into Felons
A Mississippi mom was charged with a felony years after she gave birth for drug use early in her pregnancy.
Mississippi Says Medical Marijuana Is Legal—Just Don't Talk About It
The state legalized medical marijuana but banned dispensary owners from advertising. Now, one owner is taking the fight to the Supreme Court.
Ghiblifying the Fent Trafficker Deportation
Plus: New York state cut off from federal funding, Phil Magness on tariffs for JAQ, and more...
DC Circuit Upholds District Court Order Blocking Deportations Under The Alien Enemies Act
The 2-1 ruling is procedural, but strongly suggests the majority judges also reject the Trump administration's position on the merits.
James Fadiman and Jordan Gruber: Psychedelics Legalization Will Continue No Matter Who Is President
Authors James Fadiman and Jordan Gruber discuss their new book Microdosing for Health, Healing, and Enhanced Performance.
A New Study Adds to the Evidence That Drug Busts Result in More Overdose Deaths
The researchers found that drug seizures in San Francisco were associated with a substantial increase in fatal opioid overdoses.
How Trump's Alien Enemies Act Deportations Violate the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment
The people deported are incarcerated in Salvadoran prisons without any due process whatsoever.
A Federal Judge in Utah Orders Local Officials To Return a Religious Group's Psychedelic Sacrament
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Jill Parrish emphasizes that religious freedom must protect "unpopular or unfamiliar religious groups" as well as "popular or familiar ones."
Trump Invokes Alien Enemies Act as Tool for Deportation - Federal Court Issues Temporary Restraining Order Against it [Updated]
If courts allow Trump to get away with using the Act in peacetime, it would set a dangerous precedent.
Trump May Soon Try to Use the Alien Enemies Act as a Tool for Deportation
His apparent plan to do so is illegal and would set a dangerous precedent if allowed to stand.
New York's Weed Nightmare
How pot bureaucrats used legal weed to push their social justice agenda
Mexico Aims To Reshape the U.S. Firearm Industry by Suing Gun Makers
The Supreme Court will decide whether this threat to the Second Amendment is legally viable.
Trump Loves Tariffs. Fentanyl Is Just an Excuse.
If tariffs are a poor method of collecting revenue or strengthening trade, they're even less effective at stopping the flow of illegal drugs.
The Case Against Ross Ulbricht Was About Government Power
President Donald Trump's pardon of the Silk Road creator is a rare moment of reprieve in an era of relentless government expansion.
The Media Love Negative Trends, but America Keeps Moving in the Right Direction
Remember the bee apocalypse? The U.S. reversed that trend. What other trends can we reverse?
Argentina To Revoke All Medical Marijuana Cultivation Permits
As part of a broader policy shift, the government plans to "start from scratch" regarding the permits.
Marc Fogel, Who Was Imprisoned in Russia for Having Medical Marijuana, Is Freed
Fogel's story closely mirrored that of Brittney Griner's. But he did not receive the same urgency from the Biden administration, even though he was arrested six months prior.
5 of the Worst USAID Scandals in History
The agency's low points, from working with child sex abusers to enabling drug trafficking
Is the HALT Fentanyl Act Delusional or Just Performance Art?
The bill would permanently schedule fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs—and impede therapeutic research.
The Strange Case of The Immortality Key
Many people depicted in a supposedly "groundbreaking" book on psychedelics and religion are now speaking out against it.
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?
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.
Trump Praised His A.G. Pick for Reducing Opioid Overdoses. In Reality, Drug Deaths Surged Under Her Watch.
Pam Bondi cracked down on "pill mills" in Florida. The result was increased consumption of black-market alternatives.
Challenge Trump's Tariffs Under the Nondelegation and Major Questions Doctrines
Recent Supreme Court precedent suggests such challenges might prevail, though success is not guaranteed.
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.
A Small Minnesota County Pumps Out 40 Percent of the State's Drug-Free Zone Sentences
Local news reports detail how Polk County, Minnesota, charges drivers and petty offenders with drug-free zone violations like no other county in the state.
Trump's Orders Feature Nonexistent Emergencies, Illegal Power Grabs, and Blatant Inconsistencies
But at least he restored respect for a tariff-loving predecessor by renaming a mountain.
Study Finds Almost No Good Evidence on Gender Dysphoria Drugs for Young People
Two new meta-analyses make a case for individualistic approaches to puberty blockers and hormone treatments, driven by patients, parents, and doctors rather than the state.
Steven Soderbergh's Presence Is a Stylish, Experimental Ghost Story
In this POV haunted house film from the Ocean's 11 director, the camera plays the ghost.
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.
President Donald Trump Pardons Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht
Fulfilling a campaign promise to libertarians and the bitcoin community, the Silk Road founder's life sentence without parole is now over.
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.
