South Dakota Voters Legalize Medical and Recreational Marijuana
It is the first state to do both at the same time.
War on Drugs
Oregon Becomes the First State to Decriminalize Use of All Drugs
The initiative makes noncommercial possession of controlled substances a citable offense punishable by a $100 fine.
Oregon Becomes the First State to Legalize Psilocybin
The ballot initiative allows adults to use the promising psychedelic at state-licensed "psilocybin service centers."
Arizona Voters Approve Marijuana Legalization
The initiative makes Arizona the 13th state to allow recreational use.
Mississippi Voters Approve Medical Use of Cannabis
Mississippi is the 35th state, and the second in the Deep South, to recognize marijuana as a medicine.
D.C. Voters Tell Cops and Prosecutors to Leave Psychedelic Users Alone
The ballot measure applies to noncommercial production, distribution, and possession of "entheogenic plants and fungi."
New Jersey Voters Overwhelmingly Approve Marijuana Legalization
The constitutional amendment charges state legislators and regulators with writing specific rules.
12 Good Things That Might Happen Today, None of Which Involve Trump or Biden
American voters have the chance to usher in a few libertarian policies this election, courtesy of these state ballot measures.
Meet Brock Pierce, the Drug-Legalizing Cryptocurrency Entrepreneur on the Presidential Ballot in 16 States
"I obviously identify with and resonate with and connect with my libertarian brothers and sisters on so many levels," says the controversial former child actor.
News Outlets Are Increasingly Skeptical of Warnings About Marijuana Edibles in Trick-or-Treat Bags
Although the Halloween scare stories continue, journalists are starting to recognize the lack of evidence to support this mythical menace.
These DUI Laws Are an Irrational Hangover From Pot Prohibition
States should stop treating sober cannabis consumers as public menaces.
Shrooms Are on the D.C. Ballot
The reformers who canvassed for signatures for the initiative say they're optimistic it will pass despite objections from Congress, which controls D.C. spending.
Joe Biden Envisions a Kinder, Gentler Drug War. We Should Demand Its End.
Drug courts and mandatory treatment models often lead right back to incarceration.
Debate's Best Moment: Trump and Biden Bragging on Prison Reform
The U.S. incarceration rate peaked in 2008, but it's good to see two "law and order" candidates talking about clemency.
Trump Grants Clemency to 5 More Federal Prisoners
All five cases were recommended to the White House by commutation recipient Alice Marie Johnson.
Clobbering Purdue Pharma Makes Drug Warriors Feel Good, but It Won't Reduce Opioid-Related Deaths
The $8.3 billion DOJ settlement is part of a crackdown that has perversely pushed drug users toward more dangerous substitutes.
Freed To Speak, Grand Juror Says Charges in Breonna Taylor's Death Were Never Considered, Let Alone Rejected
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said "the grand jury agreed" that indicting the two officers who shot Taylor was inappropriate.
$465 Million Judgment Against Johnson & Johnson Threatens Freedom of Speech
A brief supporting the company's appeal argues that its discussion of pain treatment was constitutionally protected.
Biden Tries To Gloss Over His Long History of Supporting the Drug War and Draconian Criminal Penalties
The Democratic presidential nominee cannot escape one of his major legacies.
The Long, Dark History of Family Separations
How politicians used the drug war and the welfare state to break up black and Native American families
A Month Before Louisville Drug Warriors Killed Breonna Taylor, They Knew the 'Suspicious Packages' She Supposedly Was Receiving Came From Amazon
The detective who obtained the search warrant cited the deliveries to falsely implicate Taylor in drug trafficking.
Kamala Harris Promises To Decriminalize Marijuana and Expunge Records
The position is likely the strongest any major-party candidate for president or vice president has taken on the issue in such a prominent venue.
Nearly 2 Years After Houston Drug Warriors Killed Rhogena Nicholas, Her Family May Get a Chance To Find Out What Happened
Despite the city's stubborn resistance, a judge will finally consider the family's request to depose police supervisors.
Cop Who Fired 16 Rounds at Breonna Taylor Said He Only Surmised That He Had Used His Gun
Drug warriors gratuitously created the chaotic situation that state prosecutors say justified the use of deadly force.
The Case Against Biden: Joe Biden's Politics of Panic
The former vice president has a long history of reckless responses to the menaces du jour.
After Climbing 3 Years in a Row, U.S. Pot Busts Fell by 18% Last Year
The odds of getting arrested for consuming cannabis are getting smaller.
Here's Where Marijuana Is on the Ballot in November
Two states are voting to permit medical marijuana. Four are voting for legalization.
Federal Prosecutors Argue COVID-19 Is Just 'One More Way to Perish in Prison'
Atilano Dominguez was serving a life sentence for marijuana offenses, and federal prosecutors tried to ensure he died behind bars.
Marijuana Federalism
How do we resolve the cannabis conflict between state legalization and federal prohibition?
The Legal Response to Breonna Taylor's Death Shows How Drug Prohibition Transforms Murder Into Self-Defense
The hail of bullets that killed her can be justified only in a country that uses violence to enforce politicians' pharmacological prejudices.
Grand Jury Charges 1 Louisville Police Officer Involved in Breonna Taylor Shooting With 'Wanton Endangerment'
The charges are not for killing Taylor, but rather endangering her neighbors with wild shots.
End the War on Drugs
Drug prohibition turns police officers into enemies to be feared rather than allies to be welcomed.
Democrats Scuttle Marijuana Decriminalization Vote Over Fears of Not Being Deferential Enough to Cop Lobbyists
If Congress is too afraid to vote on marijuana reform, how the hell are they ever going to pass policing reform?
Is COVID-19 Causing a New Wave of Opioid-Related Deaths?
As of March 2020, combined fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses were nearly 20 percent higher than through the same month in 2019.
Federal Proposal Would Expand Hair Testing of Job Applicants and Employees To Make Sure They Are Obeying Drug Prohibition
The method, which can detect drug metabolites for up to a year, does not measure impairment or recent use.
Louisville Will Pay $12 Million to Settle Lawsuit by Breonna Taylor's Family
The agreement also includes several reforms aimed at preventing reckless drug raids based on dubious evidence.
A New Bill Would Stop the Feds From Tossing Drug Defendants in Prison Before They're Convicted
A proposed bipartisan change in pretrial detention rules could free thousands annually.
The FIRST STEP Act Has Reduced Prison Terms for More Than 7,000 People
While that's nothing to sneeze at, it is a modest accomplishment in the context of a federal prison system that keeps more than 150,000 Americans behind bars.
Be Skeptical of Stories About TikTok 'Benadryl Challenge' Overdoses
One very sketchy story about an Oklahoma City teen’s tragic death has gone viral.
Trump's Vague Commitment to Criminal Justice Reform
The president's daughter says "we’re just getting started." Some details would be nice.
After the DEA Robbed Her of $43,000 at an Airport, She Joined a Class Action Challenging the Agency's Cash Grabs
The lawsuit argues that the DEA is violating the Fourth Amendment by seizing money from travelers without evidence of criminal activity.
The Feds Who Made America's Fentanyl Freakout Worse
Leaked police documents show how U.S. counterterrorism agencies spread myths and panic about fentanyl.
President Donald Trump Pardons Alice Marie Johnson
Two years after commuting her life sentence, the president has pardoned Alice Marie Johnson.
More Than a Year Before Breonna Taylor's Death, Some of the Same Cops Were Involved in Another Home Invasion Based on Dubious Evidence
The overlap suggests a pattern of shoddy investigation and reckless paramilitary tactics in Louisville.
The Shaky Foundation of Trump's Pose As a Criminal Justice Reformer
The president's case rests on two accomplishments, while his plans for a second term echo the mindless toughness he intermittently condemns.
Oregon Ballot Initiative Would Decriminalize Low-Level Possession of All Drugs
Measure 110 would reduce felony convictions for drug possession by an estimated 95 percent.
The Cops Took This Guy's $15,000 Jeep Because His Girlfriend Allegedly Used It for a $25 Marijuana Sale
Kevin McBride argues that Arizona's civil forfeiture law is unconstitutional.
Breaking the Bloody Mexican Drug Cartels
Support for legalizing recreational drugs is sweeping Latin America.
