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?
War on Drugs
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.
The Democrats Should Not Be Presenting Houston's Police Chief As an Avatar of Reform
Trying to distract attention from the deadly corruption in his own department, Art Acevedo demands "action at the national level."
Democratic Party Platform Calls for End to Drug War, But Not Really
Substituting drug courts for prosecution unfortunately still often leads to incarceration.
Florida Inmates Serving Outdated Drug Sentences Released Early Following Reason Investigation
A Florida prosecutor's office reviewed the cases and agreed to resentencing for nearly two dozen inmates, calling it "a matter of fundamental fairness."
Red-Pilled? Actually Most U.S. Drug Ingredients Are Made Here, Not in China
The Trump administration is spending big money to make sure America's drug supply chains aren't dependent on China. But that's not really necessary.
Former Drug Warrior Kamala Harris Wants To Legalize Pot. Can She Flip Joe Biden?
Once a staunch prohibitionist, the Democratic vice-presidential pick is arguably the most libertarian senator on marijuana.
Mike Pence Comes Out Against Marijuana Banking Bill That Would Actually Save Taxpayers Money
The SAFE Banking Act is not a pork-barrel spending bill. Is that why it’s struggling?
Kamala Harris Is So 'Radical,' Trump's Campaign Says, That She Criticized Joe Biden's Criminal Justice Record. So Does Trump.
Harris and Trump are both right that the Democratic nominee has a long record of championing draconian penalties.
Kamala Harris: Drug Warrior, Vice Cop, Draconian Prosecutor
Biden picked a V.P. candidate whose record on police and criminal justice reform is as terrible as his own.
The Cops Took This Guy's Car Because He Unwittingly Rented It to an Alleged Drug Dealer
Like other innocent owners, Manni Munir finds that fighting a civil forfeiture can cost more than the property is worth.
Grand Jury Indictments Paint a Picture of Deadly Deceit in Houston Narcotics Division
The charges, which grew out of a lethal 2019 raid based on a fraudulent search warrant affidavit, suggest that cops routinely built their cases on lies.
The Weed Warriors Who Mistook Tea for Marijuana
The Hartes were the victims of a comically inept publicity stunt executed by cops who did not realize that hydroponic equipment could be used to grow tomatoes and did not know what loose-leaf tea looked like.
Detroit Police Department Settles Another Dog Shooting Lawsuit After Video Contradicts Cop's Account
A 2016 Reason investigation found Detroit police have a nasty habit of shooting dogs during drug raids.
Democrats Wimp Out on Federal Marijuana Legalization. Thanks, Joe Biden!
The party rejects a position shared by two-thirds of the country (but not its presidential nominee).
RIP Arnold Trebach, Who Helped Make Opposition to the Drug War Respectable
The American University professor called for "drug peace" at a time when both major parties were committed to ever-escalating violence.
Sen. Brian Schatz Says 'Libertarians Should Be Freaking Out About Portland.' Where Has He Been?
The Hawaii senator fails to fully consider the causes of bad policing.
Tennessee Reformed Its Harsh Drug-Free School Zone Laws. What About the Hundreds Still in Prison?
Inmates serving mandatory minimum sentences have been left behind.
This Florida Inmate Is Serving an Outdated Drug Sentence. Now He Has Coronavirus
Reason profiled William Forrester's 15-year mandatory minimum sentence in a 2017 investigation into Florida's draconian opioid trafficking laws.
Washington, D.C., Might Decriminalize Magic Mushrooms
The Decriminalize Nature D.C. initiative has gathered enough signatures to land on the ballot this November.
Phony Overtime, Fictional Drug Buys, and Mysterious C.I. Payments Offer a Glimpse of Houston Police Corruption
The charges against six narcotics officers reveal a culture of shady practices that led to a deadly drug raid.
New Charges and Audit Results Reveal Widespread Laxness and Corruption in the Houston Narcotics Division That Killed an Innocent Couple
Contrary to what Police Chief Art Acevedo seems to think, his department has a systemic problem.
Touching Your Phone While Driving Is Now Illegal in Idaho, Illinois, and Indiana
Plus: More (bad, weird, and occasionally good) new state laws that start taking effect today.
Want to Reform the Criminal Justice System? End the Drug War.
Drug prohibition increases conflict between citizens and the police.
Drugs and Ammo
A look at war through the lens of the performance enhancers that help make it possible
RIP Lester Grinspoon, Who Encouraged Americans To Reconsider Demonized Drugs
For half a century, Grinspoon tirelessly advocated a more rational and tolerant approach to marijuana and other psychoactive substances.
Glenn Loury: 'We're Being Swept Along by Hysteria' About Racism in America
The Brown University economist and outspoken critic of Black Lives Matter discusses George Floyd, social progress, and the state of political discourse.
Breonna Taylor and the Moral Bankruptcy of Drug Prohibition
She would still be alive if politicians did not insist on using violence to enforce their pharmacological prejudices.
Was the Search Warrant for the Drug Raid That Killed Breonna Taylor Illegal?
The information in the no-knock warrant application was based purely on guilt by association.
'People Should Have the Fundamental Right To Change Their Consciousness'
Rick Doblin, a leading force in America's psychedelic renaissance, imagines a world of "mass mental health" facilitated by formerly demonized drugs.
7 Race-Neutral Solutions to Racially Skewed Law Enforcement
These reforms would protect all Americans while reducing racial disparities in policing.
Louisville Moves to Fire Police Officer Involved in Breonna Taylor Shooting
The department says the officer "displayed an extreme indifference to the value of human life" when he "blindly fired 10 rounds" into Taylor's apartment.
Armed Agents of the State Shouldn't Be Enforcing Traffic Laws
Interactions between the public and the police should be kept to a minimum.
The War on Drugs Drug Spurred America's Current Policing Crisis
Police strategies have changed dramatically in the past few decades—and not because of soaring crime. America's War on Drugs is a prime culprit.
