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.
War on Drugs
This Florida Inmate Is Serving an Outdated Drug Sentence.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.
Tennessee Passes Drug-Free School Zone Reforms Following Reason Investigation
The harsh laws covered large swaths of Tennessee's cities in enhanced sentencing zones and locked away minor drug offenders for years.
New Louisiana Law Will Let Doctors Decide When Marijuana Is Right for Their Patients
While there are still numerous barriers to access in Louisiana's medical marijuana system, a specific list of "qualifying conditions" will no longer be one of them.
Adler v. Larkin on Marijuana Federalism
A podcast debate and discussion about the virtues and vices of Marijuana Federalism.
The Libertarian Roots of Police Reform: Q&A with Radley Balko
How to stop police killings and enact real, lasting reforms.
'It's Not Easy Doing Time in Here': Michael Thompson Shouldn't Die in Jail for Pot Crimes
Michael Thompson is serving a 40- to 60-year sentence for a pot crime in a state where both recreational and medicinal marijuana are currently legal
Treating Mental Illness With Care, Not Punishment, Goes Beyond Defunding Police
We need to remove all the ways that government deters people from seeking treatment.
Houston Police Chief's Record Belies His Reformist Rhetoric After George Floyd's Death
If Art Acevedo had any shame, he would be engaging in less grandstanding and more introspection.
3 Libertarian Tips for the #DefundPolice Movement
Reducing law enforcement requires more than merely cutting and shifting a budget.
Hydroxychloroquine 'Is Not a Treatment for COVID-19. It Doesn't Work.'
The antimalarial drug is being removed from United Kingdom's RECOVERY trial evaluating COVID-19 therapies.
The Lancet's Hydroxychloroquine Study Is Retracted by Its Authors
The observational dataset on which it was based could not be properly audited.
Does That Malaria Medicine Work on COVID-19 After All?
A major study in The Lancet said it doesn't—but it may have relied on fabricated data.
As COVID-19 Spread, the Department of Justice Cracked Down on Immigration and Drugs
It was business as usual for federal prosecutors.
The FDA Is Stunting the Growth of America's Nascent Legal Hemp Industry
The hemp boom has failed to materialize, and regulatory uncertainty is to blame.
At Angola, Coronavirus Turns Life Without Parole for Selling Weed Into a Potential Death Sentence
Fate Vincent Winslow, who has never committed a violent crime, fears catching coronavirus in prison.
Prosecutors Back Dismissal of 91 More Cases Involving the Houston Cop Who Lied to Justify a Deadly Drug Raid
The announcement brings the total number of suspect cases initiated by Gerald Goines to 164 over 11 years.
Joe Biden's 'Bold' Thinking Shredded Civil Liberties and Destroyed Lives
On crime, drugs, immigration, and foreign policy, his 44-year policy record is a cautionary tale of bipartisanship in response to perceived crises.
Kentucky Police Chief Retires in Wake of Breonna Taylor's Death
The federal government is reviewing the department's investigation into the botched drug raid.
The Breonna Taylor Shooting Shows How Reckless Drug War Tactics Lead to Senseless Deaths
At this point, police can hardly be surprised when they are mistaken for armed criminals.
Feds To Investigate Death of Breonna Taylor After Botched Kentucky Narcotics Raid
Louisville Metro Police Department said officers identified themselves in a no-knock raid. Neighbors said that's not true.
Tennessee May Finally Reform Draconian Drug-Free School Zone Laws
Too often, minor drug crimes turn into mandatory minimum offenses with lengthy sentences despite the fact these types of cases rarely involve drug dealing to minors.
Have a Good Trip Explores Psychedelic Celebrities
New documentary features Sting, Sarah Silverman, Anthony Bourdain, Carrie Fisher, and others discussing the good, bad, and ugly of LSD.
A New Synthetic Opioid Is Killing American Drug Users
But we can't ban our way out of the research chemical problem.
Weed Warriors Who Mistook Tea for Marijuana Will Pay Their Victims $150,000
After seven years of litigation, a Kansas couple finally obtains some compensation for a comically inept drug raid.
A Formerly Secret Memo Explains the DEA's Long Delay in Approving New Producers of Marijuana for Research
The Justice Department concluded in 2018 that an anti-drug treaty requires stricter controls than the DEA originally planned.
Federal Judge Rules Forced Catheterization by South Dakota Police Violates Fourth Amendment
Suspected low-level drug crimes don't "justify subjecting the plaintiffs to involuntary catheterization, a highly invasive—and in these cases—degrading medical procedure."
Celebrity Criminals Are Leaving Prison Early Because of COVID-19. What About the Drug Offenders?
If officials want to ease the burden of the pandemic behind bars, there are hundreds of thousands of inmates who can help them do it.
The First Federal Female Inmate To Die of COVID-19
Andrea Circle Bear was serving a 2-year sentence for a nonviolent drug crime.
Despite COVID-19 Lockdowns, Licensed Marijuana Sales Continue in the Vast Majority of States With Legal Pot
Massachusetts is the only state that has closed recreational outlets while allowing medical sales to continue.
Hydroxychloroquine Trial for Treating COVID-19 Disappoints
"The best available evidence does not support the use of hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19."
Marijuana Federalism Web Events
Your opportunity to learn more about Uncle Sam and Mary Jane.
