Another Needless Drug War Tragedy
The death of a Georgia teen underscores the need for drug policy reform.
On the Newsstand:War on Drugs
Progressives Shouldn’t Vote for Ron Paul
Disappointed progressives should rethink their new passion for Paul
Give Paul a Chance
Ron Paul's unique and genuinely interesting candidacy deserves all the sympathy it can get from both sides of the aisle – especially during a primary season light on dissent, ideological diversity, and intellectual rigor.
The Fierce Urgency of Whatever
In a culture that often values boldness above all else, American politics is surprisingly allergic to big ideas. Despite the clamor over President Obama's health-care reform plan, it is important to remember that it proposes fairly incremental changes.
Fog of War: America’s Drug Policy
Critics have long derided America’s “War on Drugs” as a mistaken moniker. Anti-drug policy, they argue, has no defined mission, no coordinated enemy, and no path to victory. In the Clinton administration, drug czar Gen. Barry McCaffrey attempted to jettison the phrase, in part because of the public’s impression that the government had lost the war. John Walters, Bush’s drug ... Read More
Fights over Federalism
States gaining voice on drug laws When Richard Nixon declared a “War on Drugs” in June 1971, he had little idea that he was also engaging Washington in a war with the states. In the decades since, the federal government has frequently asserted its primacy over the states on drug laws, despite the opposition of states-rights proponents. California began ... Read More
The Taboo Solution
The silenced economics of legalization In 1998, the satirical newspaper The Onion boldly declared “Drugs Win Drug War.” Satire aside, the headline embodied the increasingly prevalent view that America’s War on Drugs is unwinnable, and that it has been ineffective at best, and counterproductive at worst. Still, the dominant view in American politics is that prohibited drugs are dangerous and ought ... Read More
Bursting At the Seams
Drug incarcerations, prison overcrowding, and community corrections America’s prisons are overflowing. According to the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2007 over 1.5 million people were imprisoned in state and federal jails, up from 320,000 in 1980. Twenty-five percent of current prisoners were convicted of drug crimes – possession and distribution – compared to just six percent in 1980. ... Read More
Justin Cosby, Victim of America’s Misguided Drug Policy
This past Monday Justin Cosby, 21, was shot in the basement of Kirkland House, one of Harvard’s twelve residences for upperclassmen. The tragic events were a huge surprise to a campus neck deep in finals, papers, and graduation preparations. Basic facts such as why Cosby was in a Harvard residence, how he gained entrance, and the identities of the assailants ... Read More
Costs and Benefits
I couldn’t help but wryly note that the New York Times published a time-pegged article on the state of play in marijuana politics for April 20th. “420″ is a common slang term for marijuana, and April 20th (4/20) is, according to the article, often accordingly known as the “High Holiday”. I don’t actually think that the relatively stodgy Times is ... Read More
