No Crystal Ball Needed: Ending The Drug War Is Field Tested

 Posted by at 6:42 AM on May 22, 2013  Ending Marijuana Prohibition, Global Drug War  1 Response »
May 222013
 
No Crystal Ball Needed: Ending The Drug War Is Field Tested

By Doug Fine The key law of physics that keeps all pundits employed is “no one can time travel.” In a classic Bloom County cartoon from the ’80s, one economist exclaims, “The key, of course, is the deficit,” to which the other forcefully retorts, “The deficit, my fanny.” It’s one or the other, but both fellows get paid. The drug policy arena, into which I’ve been drawn as a pundit whenever a television producer Googles “Ending the Drug War,” would seem to be no exception. The last few taxpayer-funded Drug [Continue Reading]

Patients And Doctors Go On Hunger Strike In Israel Over New Medical Marijuana Restrictions

 Posted by at 9:00 PM on May 18, 2013  Global Drug War, Medical Marijuana Policy  4 Responses »
May 182013
 
Patients And Doctors Go On Hunger Strike In Israel Over New Medical Marijuana Restrictions

The Israel Government has recently introduced new regulations on the medical marijuana program in the country, including limitations on what patients and conditions qualify for treatment. Now, doctors and patients are protesting the new restrictions. One of their methods; a hunger strike outside the home of Health Minister Yael German. The new list of qualifying conditions is short, and many illnesses, such as Parkinson’s disease, glaucoma and psychiatric disorders are left off. In addition to the hunger strike, Dr. Ilya Reznick of the Reut Hospital in Tel Aviv (Forum Chairman), Dr. Jonathan [Continue Reading]

World Anti-Doping Agency Proposes Easing Marijuana Restrictions For Athletes

 Posted by at 7:08 AM on May 17, 2013  Ending Marijuana Prohibition, Global Drug War  No Responses »
May 172013
 
World Anti-Doping Agency Proposes Easing Marijuana Restrictions For Athletes

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) raised the threshold for a positive test for marijuana from 15 nanograms per milliliter to 150 nanograms per milliliter, significantly reducing the likelihood of detection for athletes who use the drug. “We wanted to focus on the athletes that abuse the substance in competition,” said Julie Masse, WADA’s director of communications. “This should exclude cases where marijuana is not used in competition.” Although marijuana is not considered a performance-enhancing drug, WADA included it on its initial list of prohibited substances in 2003 after caving in to pressure [Continue Reading]

Nation’s Leading Drug Policy Group Launches Exit Strategy Guide

 Posted by at 7:00 AM on May 16, 2013  Ending Marijuana Prohibition, Global Drug War  2 Responses »
May 162013
 
Nation's Leading Drug Policy Group Launches Exit Strategy Guide

Comprehensive Report Features 75 Legislative Recommendations to Wind Down the Failed War on Drugs; Calls on Obama Administration to Match Rhetoric With Reality Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) to Co-Sponsor and Speak at Capitol Hill Event WASHINGTON, DC – On Thursday, the Drug Policy Alliance will release An Exit Strategy for the Failed War on Drugs, the group’s first-ever federal legislative guide. This comprehensive report contains 75 broad and incremental recommendations for legislative reforms related to civil rights, deficit reduction, law enforcement, foreign policy, sentencing and re-entry, effective drug [Continue Reading]

Mother’s Day: A Day of Action for Moms Working To End The War On Drugs

 Posted by at 5:55 PM on May 12, 2013  Ending Marijuana Prohibition, Global Drug War  1 Response »
May 122013
 
Mother's Day: A Day of Action for Moms Working To End The War On Drugs

Moms From Around Country Share Personal Experiences of Drug War Damage with Video Messages Moms From California, New York, Florida and Texas Available to Discuss Personal Experience with Drug War and Moms United Campaign Plans Mothers from around the country are telling their personal stories of drug war damage with video stories, articles and interviews in honor of Mother’s Day. By sharing these powerful stories of losing loved ones to drug-prohibition-related violence, incarceration, overdose and addiction, they are bringing focus to a real need to reform our nation’s drug policies.  [Continue Reading]

Republic Of Georgia Could Legalize Marijuana

 Posted by at 5:51 PM on May 12, 2013  Ending Marijuana Prohibition, Global Drug War  1 Response »
May 122013
 
Republic Of Georgia Could Legalize Marijuana

By Phillip Smith The government of the former Soviet republic of Georgia is considering legalizing marijuana, the country’s Labor, Health, and Social Affairs minister said Friday. “As far as drugs are concerned, ban-related mechanisms very often entail a ricochet effect, which means strengthening and development of other directions and etc.,” David Sergeyenko told the local Novosti-Georgia news agency. Dealing with drugs requires “a well-considered strategy” and “the legalization of marijuana could be a part of it,” he said. But don’t start torching up in Tbilisi just yet, Segeyenko said. “The fact [Continue Reading]

Supreme Court Rules Against Automatic Deportation For Marijuana Possession

 Posted by at 6:22 AM on April 24, 2013  Ending Marijuana Prohibition, Global Drug War  3 Responses »
Apr 242013
 
Supreme Court Rules Against Automatic Deportation For Marijuana Possession

In a 7-2 vote on Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled that deportation is not mandatory if a legal immigrant is convicted of possessing a small amount of marijuana. The ruling was in response to Moncrieffe v. Holder. Immigration officials automatically deported Adrian Moncrieffe, a Jamaican citizen who has lived in the United States since he was three years old, after he was convicted under Georgia law for possession and intent to distribute 1.3 grams of marijuana. “Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote on behalf of the majority that a conviction for marijuana possession [Continue Reading]

Cameron Douglas’ Drug Related Sentence Is Upheld In NY Court

 Posted by at 7:30 AM on April 16, 2013  Global Drug War  1 Response »
Apr 162013
 
Cameron Douglas' Drug Related Sentence Is Upheld In NY Court

Douglas Received Longest-Ever Sentence of 5 Extra Years in Prison for Relapse Ruling Flies in Face of Nation’s Leading Medical and Substance Abuse Experts Who Signed Amicus Brief That Adequate Treatment, Not More Jail Time, is a Better Solution for Both the Individual and Society as a Whole A federal appeals court in New York has upheld a judge’s decision to nearly double the five-year prison sentence given to the son of actor Michael Douglas. Cameron Douglas was sentenced in 2010 to five years in prison after pleading guilty to [Continue Reading]

White House Budget: Failed Drug War Tactics Prioritized Over Prevention And Treatment

 Posted by at 7:15 AM on April 12, 2013  Ending Marijuana Prohibition, Global Drug War  4 Responses »
Apr 122013
 
White House Budget: Failed Drug War Tactics Prioritized Over Prevention And Treatment

By Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Director The Obama Administration has released its National Drug Control Budget for the FY 2014 and despite their claims that “the war on drugs is over” and that they have “bigger fish to fry” the Office National Drug Control Policy is still prioritizing failed drug war tactics over prevention and treatment. The new budget calls for 9.6 billion dollars to be spent on domestic law enforcement, 3.7 billion for interdiction, and 1.4 billion for international drug control efforts. Prevention, in the form of education and [Continue Reading]

War on Drugs: A Policeman’s Perspective

 Posted by at 7:27 AM on April 1, 2013  Ending Marijuana Prohibition, Global Drug War  2 Responses »
Apr 012013
 
War on Drugs: A Policeman's Perspective

This is a recording of our event with Mr Tom Lloyd, Cambridgeshire’s former Police Chief Constable on the 7th of March 2013. Last year in Britain, the costs of drug enforcement to the tax payer stood at £16 billion, or one and a half times more than the cost of hosting the Olympic Games 2012. In just the space of a decade, total expenditure on drug enforcement surpassed £110 billion. Only £3 billion of that total went towards funding schemes to tackle addiction. So what effect has our enforcement policies [Continue Reading]

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