Coming Out of the Chemical Closet
Neuropsychopharmacologist Carl Hart says most of what the public knows about drugs is both scary and wrong.
Heroin
Philadelphia Safe Injection Site Hits Another Legal Roadblock
An appeals court panel rules the Controlled Substance Act's "crackhouse" provision forbids Safehouse from creating the facility.
'I Use Heroin to Be a Better Person': Columbia University Neuroscientist Carl Hart
His new book, Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear, is a provocative manifesto for legalizing all drugs.
Carl Hart: Drug Use for Grown-Ups
The Columbia neuroscientist talks frankly about using heroin responsibly and "chasing liberty in the land of fear."
Philadelphia Safe Injection Site Opening Delayed
Blame angry neighbors, not the feds.
Philadelphia Poised To Open America's First Public Safe Injection Site in Just a Week
Federal judge confirms ruling that it doesn’t violate federal “crack house” law.
Federal Indictment Says Deadly Houston Drug Raid Was Based on Lies From Start to Finish
The Justice Department says Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas were killed in an operation based on a fraudulent warrant triggered by a false report to police.
Massachusetts Study Confirms That People Rarely Die After Using Opioids Prescribed for Them
Illicit fentanyl and heroin accounted for the vast majority of opioid-related deaths, while only 1 percent of cases involved drugs for which people had prescriptions.
Democratic Presidential Candidates Promote Dangerous Opioid Myths
The discussion during last night's debate grossly exaggerated the role of prescription pain pills in opioid-related deaths.
Federal Judge Rules Philly Injection Site Wouldn't Violate Drug Laws
A safe place meant to help prevent overdose deaths is not the same as a crackhouse.
Naloxone Can Prevent Opioid Overdose Deaths. Why Isn't the FDA Allowing Over-the-Counter Sales?
Federal drug prohibition played a big role in creating the opioid crisis. Unfortunately, the government is also slowing the spread of one possible solution to it.
Houston's Police Chief Insists That Cops Who Executed a Deadly Drug Raid Based on Lies 'Had Probable Cause to Be There'
Although the warrant was based on a heroin purchase that never happened, Art Acevedo says, there was other, unmentioned evidence that would have justified a search.
The False Premises of the Ruling Against Johnson & Johnson
Blaming opioid makers for the "opioid crisis" may be emotionally satisfying, but the reality is more complicated.
Americans Spend Nearly As Much on Illegal Drugs As They Do on Booze, Which Shows What a Ripoff Prohibition Is
A new RAND report puts spending on marijuana, heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine at $146 billion in 2016.
The State Can't Keep Drugs Out of Prisons. How Was It Ever Going to Keep Them Out of America?
This is the nature of government. It can't stop the flow of illicit substances in a sealed and militarized building that's under its total control.
Philadelphia Finds Potential Home for a Safe Injection Facility
But Justice Department officials want to stop them.
Justice Department Sues To Block Philadelphia Supervised Injection Site
Just last night the president said he wants to stop the spread of HIV. This move won't help.
Florida Man Jailed 41 Days Over 92 Grams of…Laundry Detergent
Spoiler alert: It wasn't heroin.
Are You More Likely to Be Killed by Opioids Than a Car Crash?
Only if you are using heroin, fentanyl, or dangerous drug mixtures
Why Drug Traffickers Laugh at Trump's Border Wall
The profit incentives created by prohibition doom any effort to block the drug "pipeline."
Philadelphia Pushing Forward with Safe Injection Site Plans
Former Gov. Ed Rendell says he's willing to defy the feds and risk arrest to reduce overdose deaths.
Gov. Jerry Brown's Addiction to the Nanny State Kills Off Safe Injection Site Bill
His argument: If San Francisco lets people shoot up, they won't be able to order them into drug treatment through the courts.
New CDC Numbers Show the Drug War Continues to Make Opioids Deadlier
Deaths involving pain pills and heroin are falling, while deaths involving fentanyl and its analogs continue to rise.
Up Close and Personal With Philadelphia's Heroin Crisis
Journalist Christopher Moraff talks about a better way to report on drug culture in America.
Thank Drug Warriors for the Escalating Death Toll From Superpotent Synthetic Opioids
New data show the share of opioid-related fatalities involving fentanyl analogs is rising.
Sessions' Escalating Drug War Causing Cold Feet Over Safe Injection Centers
San Francisco was supposed to have sites up and running this month. It does not.
This Vermont Prosecutor Is Pushing Back Against the DOJ's Drug Warriors
Chittenden County State's Attorney Sarah George will no longer prosecute misdemeanor buprenorphine cases.
The Government's Cure for the Opioid Epidemic May Be Worse Than the Disease
When the cure for the "epidemic" proves worse than the disease, it's time to try something new.
America's War on Pain Pills Is Killing Addicts and Leaving Patients in Agony
The government's efforts to get between people and the drugs they want have not prevented drug use, but they have made it more dangerous.
San Francisco to Open Safe Drug Injection Sites by Summer
They will be privately funded and operated by nonprofits.
Philadelphia's Government 'Expresses Interest' in Safe Injection Sites
The city's new district attorney also supports the idea.
We've Known for 40 Years How to Help Heroin Users
In the 1970s, New York City and Hong Kong figured out how to help heroin users without red tape or an abundance of experts.
Treating Drug Overdoses As Homicides May Be Deadly
The Drug Policy Alliance documents an unjust prosecution trend that makes opioid fatalities more likely.
Opioid Commission Mistakenly Blames Pain Treatment for Drug Deaths
The panel wants to make prescription analgesics even harder to obtain.
Trump's Weak Response to Opioid Overdoses
More innovative remedies will be needed to actually turn back the relentless onslaught of overdose fatalities.
Why Are Local Officials Shutting Down Needle Exchange Programs During a Crisis?
Moral judgment of drug users overrules solutions that fight overdoses and halt the spread of disease.
The Pros and Cons of a Heroin Shortage
The former head of the CDC wants to drive up the price of heroin. Here's what we might see if that happens.
America Set an Awful New Record in 2016
Preliminary data from the CDC suggest an unprecedented number of Americans died of a drug overdose last year.
Philly D.A. Frontrunner Backs Safe Injection Sites for Drug Users
The mayor's task force has also recommended the idea.
Will California Beat Seattle in Building a Safe Drug Injection Facility?
Lawmakers consider bill that lets eight counties experiment with safe spaces to use illegal drugs.
Seattle Ballot Initiative Would Block Safe Drug Injection Centers
Some would rather have overdoses than risk "destigmatizing" addiction.
New Study Finds Heroin Users Less Likely to Overdose If They Know What Drugs They're Actually Taking
Heroin user take smaller doses if they know they're also taking fentanyl.
Heroin Death Rate Among Teenagers Rises As Heroin Use Falls
The CDC supplies more evidence that the war on drugs is making heroin more lethal.
Trump's Opioid Emergency Response
He can continue pursuing lethal supply-side policies, or he can focus on saving lives through harm reduction.
Researchers Highlight the Government's Complicity in Heroin Deaths
The more drug warriors crack down on opioids, the more dangerous they become.