The Countdown

In the last few days leading up to Election 2004, watch this space for the latest on what the candidates are saying about drug policy issues.

11/03/04 (the day after)
Bush Wins

With the presidential race over, how will four more years of the Bush administration affect drug policy reform in the United States? We have our own ideas: 

• Eight Reforms for Our Next President 

11/01/04 (1 day remaining)
National Review on Kerry on Drugs

The National Review takes Sen. John Kerry to task for hiring advisers and supporting policies that would continue the "war on drugs." Read more at D'Alliance.

10/29/04 ( 4 days remaining)
Nader Calls Bush to Task on Drug War

Ralph Nader has written a letter to George W. Bush calling on the president to grant clemency to nonviolent drug offenders, DRCNet reports. And while he gets his facts wrong in the letter - referring to the late drug war victim Jonathan Magbie as "Jonathan Scott" - the spirit of Nader's letter is right on target. Read Nader's letter here .

10/28/04 (5 days remaining)
Candidates on Syringe Exchange

Both President Bush and Sen. Kerry make reference to the sharing of contaminated needles as a major factor in the spread of HIV and AIDS. They propose different solutions, however.

Bush:
This is one more aspect -- in other words, the spread of AIDS through sharing needles is one more aspect of the terrible grief and destruction that drug abuse causes across America. I proposed to Congress increased funding for substance abuse treatment by $150 million next year.

Kerry:
John Kerry will also end the federal ban on syringe exchange and harm reduction programs to prevent the spread of HIV.

10/27/04 (6 days remaining)
Kerry on Reagan's Drug War Duality

Salon has recently published a complex piece that describes Kerry's efforts in the 1980s to take on the Reagan administration's drug war duality: leading the drug war while also supporting Nicaragua's Contras, who were actively involved in the drug trade. Most interesting is the mainstream press's decision to virtually shun the story. Read more coverage from the Alliance at our blog, The D'Alliance.

10/26/04 (7 days remaining)
Candidates on HEA Reform

President George W. Bush, Sen. John Kerry and independent candidate Ralph Nader all support revising the federal Higher Education Act so students with prior drug convictions can get financial aid for college. Right now, drugs are the only offense that can cost college students their loans. More from NORML.

10/25/04 (8 days remaining)
Kerry on Medical Marijuana

Sen. John Kerry says the federal government shouldn't interfere with state medical marijuana laws. He made his comments in an interview with an Oregon television station. Good news? Perhaps. But remember George W. Bush said essentially the same thing in 2000.

10/22/04 (11 days remaining)
Marijuana Initiatives Across the Country

The presidential race isn't the only election we're watching this November. Voters in several states and municipalities will face marijuana questions on their ballots. From medical marijuana in Detroit to personal use in Alaska, NORML has assembled a guide to this year's initiatives.

10/21/04 (12 days remaining)
Voter Registration and Marijuana Legalization

College students in two swing states are complaining about signing what they thought was a petition to legalize marijuana, only to find out later that they were actually registering to vote as Republicans. Read about it at D'Alliance.

10/20/04 (13 days remaining)
Cobb's Position Paper on Marijuana

Green Party candidate David Cobb has released a new position paper on marijuana and the drug war. Cobb's platform supports the cultivation of hemp, decriminalization of marijuana and an end to the "war on drugs," which the candidate calls "a war on urban ghettos, supplier nations and civil liberties." 

10/19/04 (14 days remaining)
Candidates Compared on Drug Issues

Pete Guither at DrugWarRant.com has in-depth analysis of the presidential race this week, including the records and statements of Bush, Kerry, Badnarik, Cobb and Nader.

10/18/04 (15 days remaining)
MTV Goes Where the Candidates Don't

The music network notes that the drug war has been a key election issue for the last nine presidential elections, but has been pushed aside this time because of the war on terror. Watch MTV's "Choose or Lose" special tonight at 11 (Eastern).

10/15/04 (18 days remaining)
Kerry to Go Easier on Medical Marijuana Patients?

The San Francisco Chronicle has examined Sen. John Kerry's record and campaign statements on medical marijuana. Kerry's campaign didn't respond to an interview request, but the paper concludes that patients and caregivers would be better off under the Democrat.

10/14/04 (19 days remaining)
RNC Takes Up Kerry On Drugs

In what could be the first instance of the drug issue entering the discourse between the two major parties, the Republican National Committee has challenged Sen. John Kerry's record on drugs. More from D'Alliance.

10/13/04 (20 days remaining)
Edwards Calls for Meth Crackdown