| AlterNet

The Prospects for Drug Reform in Obama's Washington

Phillip S. Smith, Drug War Chronicle. November 18, 2008.
After eight years of drug war status quo under the GOP, drug reformers are now hoping for positive changes in federal drug policies.

From the blogs

Who's Getting Rich Off Prohibition? Just Look Who Opposes CA's Prop. 5

by Paul Armentano, NORML

You can learn a lot about the merits of a proposal by taking a good, hard look at who's lobbying against it.

CA's Prop 5, Rehab vs. Lockup: Voters' Chance to Become a More Advanced Society

by Jan Frel, AlterNet

Instead of just locking people up for harmless offenses like drug possession, Prop 5 pushes for rehabilitation.

Former Warden of San Quentin Prison Supports Dramatic Justice Reform Initiative in CA

by Jan Frel, AlterNet

Jeanne Woodford supports overhaul reform for CA's Prop 5 that would radically alter how non-violent offenders are treated.

Global Cannabis Commission: No Justification for Jailing for Pot Possession

by Bruce Mirken, Marijuana Policy Project

If something is not legal, you can't regulate it very effectively.

Let Them Eat Dirt Pancakes: The Republicans Who Voted Against Extending Unemployment Benefits

by Staff, Down With Tyranny!

Who would oppose extending unemployment benefits in the face of a one-month loss of 159,000 jobs?

The Sad Essence of Drug Prohibition: The War on Fun

by Jan Frel, AlterNet

What kind of society has a war on fun? Ours.

California Cops: Here's Your Pot Back, 3 Years Later

by Jan Frel

Is it too old to vaporize?

What Will the Candidates Do to End the War on Drugs?

by Johann Hari, Huffington Post

People thought it would require "a political revolution" to legalize alcohol in the US in 1924. Within a decade, it was done.

Pot Can Ease Pain for Some HIV Patients

by Paul Armentano, NORML

Marijuana helps relieve neuropathic pain in people with HIV, says a University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine study.

Feds Storm Medical Marijuana Operation on Day Court Rules DC Can't Undermine State's Law

by Auguste, Pandagon

And was Blackwater involved?

Vancouver's Radical Approach to Drugs: Let Junkies Be Junkies

Vince Beiser, Miller-McCune Magazine. November 18, 2008.
Welcome to North America's only officially sanctioned "supervised injection site."

A Smarter Way to Deal with Pot Than Arresting 20 Million People

Paul Armentano, NORML. November 17, 2008.
If lawmakers really wanted to address marijuana use, they would regulate and tax pot like they do tobacco.

Pot Policy at the Federal Level: Time To Get To Work!

Paul Armentano, NORML. November 7, 2008.
Three suggestions for how Obama can take immediate, practical steps to reform America's antiquated and punitive pot laws

Opportunities for Drug Reform in the Obama Era

Ethan Nadelmann, Drug Policy Alliance. November 7, 2008.
We have an opportunity to re-shape drug policy for a generation.

Busted: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters

Flex Your Rights. November 7, 2008.
A video guide for how to exercise your constitutional rights during encounters with police.

Pot Wins in a Landslide: A Thundering Rejection of America's Longest War

Rob Kampia, AlterNet. November 5, 2008.
Voters dealt what may be a fatal blow to America's longest-running and least-discussed war -- the war on marijuana.

Voters Say Yes to Marijuana in Massachusetts and Michigan

Paul Armentano, NORML. November 5, 2008.
Voters have rejected the Bush doctrine on drugs.

California's Prop. 5 Could Change the Course of America's Drug War

Silja J.A. Talvi, AlterNet. November 1, 2008.
Californians have chance with the NORA initiative to reject decades of fear mongering and try alternatives to jail for drug abuse.

CA's Prop 5: Treatment for Drug Addicts Works and Jail Time Doesn't -- Here Are the Stories to Prove It

Matthew Palevsky, AlterNet. October 30, 2008.
Treatment graduates ask CA voters to give others the opportunity they had, to get treatment and turn their lives around.

Prop 5: California Has a Chance to Treat Young People Struggling with Drug Problems the Right Way

Marsha Rosenbaum, AlterNet. October 29, 2008.
The NORA initiative would invest $65 million annually into developingdrug treatment programs for at-risk California youth under 18.

California's Big Chance to Stop Locking up Harmless Drug Offenders

AlterNet. October 25, 2008.
Supporters of California's Prop 5 argue it would dramatically improve the way non-violent offenders are treated.

To Jail or Not Jail for Drug Relapse?

Tony Newman, AlterNet. October 21, 2008.
There is a raging battle in the treatment community over how much carrot vs. stick we should use to help people who need treatment.

Stoners Before the Stone Age: Getting High Is as Old as Dirt

Jonathan Wynne-Jones, The Telegraph (UK). October 20, 2008.
Scientists have discovered evidence suggesting Stone Age peoples used herbal mixtures to get high.

The War on Pot Is a War on Young People

Paul Armentano, AlterNet. October 17, 2008.
74% of all Americans busted for pot are under 30 -- it's long past time for young people to join ranks and help end this drug war.

Sacred Intentions: Inside the Johns Hopkins Psilocybin Studies

Michael M. Hughes, Baltimore City Paper. October 16, 2008.
"Working with these drugs was like the third rail. You don't touch that without damaging your career."

As the Violence Soars, Mexico Signals It's Had Enough of America's Stupid War on Drugs

Silja J.A. Talvi, AlterNet. October 14, 2008.
The U.S.-financed War on Drugs has had savage results in Mexico, and now its president wants to decriminalize pot, cocaine and heroin possession.

Obama vs. McCain: Progressive Voter Guide to Drug Issues

AlterNet. October 10, 2008.
Find out how Obama and McCain compare on everything from drug sentencing laws to drug use in politicians' personal lives.

LSD Cured My Headache

Arran Frood, Independent UK. October 10, 2008.
Cluster headaches cause such severe pain that some sufferers are driven to suicide. Now one man believes he's found a surprising cure.

Find out If Drug Reform Is on a Ballot Near You -- Voter Guide

Phillip S. Smith, Drug War Chronicle. October 9, 2008.
Not only are there a number of state-level initiatives, there are also a handful of initiatives at the county or municipal level.

Drug Czar Fails Spectacularly at Cutting Marijuana Consumption

Bruce Mirken, AlterNet. October 8, 2008.
This is your government on drugs.

Marijuana Is Real Medicine

Paul Krassner, Huffington Post. October 2, 2008.
The stories of the medicinal properties of pot will blow you away.

How Will the Economic Crisis Impact Drug Use?

Tony Newman, AlterNet. October 2, 2008.
Drug consumption probably won't go anywhere -- just our patterns of how we use them.

Want To Know Why Pot Is Still Illegal? Ask Your Governor

Paul Armentano, NORML. October 2, 2008.
I'd like to give you seven specific reasons why the use of cannabis by adults remains a crime in America.

What Happens When You Put 300 Experts on Psychedelics in the Same Room?

Steven Wishnia, AlterNet. September 25, 2008.
The "Horizons: Perspectives on Psychedelics" conference in New York presented an older and wiser psychedelic movement.

It's Time for the Federal Government to Abandon the Drug War

Bob Barr, Huffington Post. September 18, 2008.
The federal government must turn the decision on drug policy back to the states and the citizens themselves.

Enouraging Signs That the Government Is Rethinking Sending Drug Offenders Straight to Prison

Phillip S. Smith, Drug War Chronicle. September 18, 2008.
The powerful Sentencing Commission has signaled that it intends to focus next year on developing alternatives to imprisonment.

The Drug War's Latest Tally: 872,721 Pot Arrests, an All-Time High

Paul Armentano, AlterNet. September 16, 2008.
Cannabis arrests now comprise nearly 47.5 percent of all drug arrests in the United States, 89% of them for mere possession.

Marijuana Could Be a Gusher of Cash If We Treated It Like a Crop, Not a Crime

Steven Wishnia, AlterNet. September 11, 2008.
Economists estimate tens of billions for governments if we taxed pot like tobacco and stopped wasting money on the drug war.

Whether It's Sex or Drugs, Abstinence-Only Education Simply Doesn't Work

Marsha Rosenbaum, Jennifer Kern, AlterNet. September 10, 2008.
Abstinence-only education simply doesn't work, no matter how much Sarah Palin or George Bush dream it will.

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DPA

The Drug Policy Alliance Network is the nation's leading organization promoting policy alternatives to the drug war that are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights.

NORML

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws aims to achieve the repeal of marijuana prohibition so that the responsible use of cannabis by adults is no longer subject to penalty.

MPP

Marijuana Policy Project is a nonprofit working to minimize the harm associated with the use and prohibition of marijuana.

DRC Net

Drug Reform Coordination Network is a national network of activists and concerned citizens working for drug policy reform.

MAPS

The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) assists scientists to design, fund, obtain approval for and report on studies into the risks and benefits of MDMA, psychedelic drugs and marijuana.

Erowid

A comprehensive drug information resource providing access to reliable, non-judgmental information about psychoactive plants and chemicals and related issues.