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Drug Policy Alliance Blog
05/23/13
The Organization of American States (OAS) released an unprecedented report last Friday that presents the most high-level discussion of alternatives to drug prohibition in history.
This report is a big deal. It’s the first time that any multilateral institution anywhere in the world has critically analyzed the war on...
05/17/13
If you've read the news lately, you might think the 'war on drugs' is coming to an end. Recently, Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie signed a bill that would allow people who have overdosed and their friends to call 911 without fear of punishment. A few weeks ago, Deputy Director of the National Drug Control...
05/13/13
You might be familiar with Reefer Madness, the drug war film from the 1930s that has become a cult classic because of its over-the-top scare tactics about marijuana. Generations have laughed at the film's cartoonish hysteria, with young students portrayed committing acts of violent lunacy after smoking a joint with...
05/02/13
Mike Gray, who passed this week, was a prolific writer, producing screenplays, books, and documentaries.
Right from the beginning of our movement, Mike was a major player in drug policy reform. His 1998 book, Drug Crazy: How We Got into this Mess and How We Can Get Out, which was among the first to parallel alcohol and...
05/01/13
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) released its 2013 National Drug Control Strategy last week. While the rhetoric focused on a public health approach, when you dig to the heart of the matter you still find a criminal justice approach to dealing with drugs. Where there were some...
04/30/13
President Obama made a joke about his marijuana use at last week's White House Correspondents' Dinner. It was just one joke, and it was actually pretty funny. But should President Obama, arguably history's toughest president on marijuana, really be making jokes about marijuana when he knows our laws are...
04/29/13
It’s your turn for your weekly Weight Watchers weigh in. You’re dreading it, remembering your kid’s birthday party and those other times when you busted your diet. You step on the scale. You’ve gained four pounds.
Suddenly the security guard takes you into custody, and the counselor says you’...
03/15/13
In this week's "hypocrisy news," the federal government continues to deny the medical value of cannabis even in light of contrary claims by its own agency, the National Institute of Health.
According to an article on NBC News.com, the Advocates for the Disabled and Seriously Ill (ADSI) took issue with the...
02/28/13
For more than 15 years, I’ve been volunteering with the local syringe access program here in San Francisco. I stand behind a grocery store for a couple of hours on Tuesday nights with some other volunteers, collecting used syringes in a biohazard bucket, and giving out new ones, along with supplies, advice, and...
02/27/13
I think it’s safe to say most people were horrified upon hearing about Emily Baer’s close encounter with death after smoking synthetic cannabis. Some state governments, such as NJ, have recently adopted a ban on synthetic marijuana. Despite first impression, this is the approach to drug policy we...
