Nixon’s Drug War Was (and Still Is) a Racist Policy Tool to Disrupt and Neutralize Black Communities

Earlier this week, the drug policy field was set ablaze with a Harper’s front-page story titled, “Legalize It All: How to win the war on drugs,” a narration of U.S. drug policies, past and present, and a call for reform to legalize drugs.

Front and center was a previously overlooked quotation from former top Nixon adviser John D. Ehrlichman, who died in 1999, but admitted in an interview in 1994 that the administration’s war on drugs was actually a reprehensible scheme to target antiwar protesters and African Americans....
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/nixons-drug-war-was-and-still-racist-policy-tool-disrupt-and-neutralize-black-communities

Michigan Republicans Are Trying To Change Election Law To Stop Liberal Ballot Initiatives | ThinkProgress

“They are trying to stop [us] cold,” said LuAnne Kozma of the Committee to Ban Fracking In Michigan. “They are trying to cut us off and force us into court.”
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/03/24/3762667/michigan-republicans-fracking-ban-legal-marijuana/

If Addiction is a Disease, Why is It Criminal? Maia Szalavitz Envisions a Compassionate Drug Policy

http://democracynow.org - President Obama has unveiled a series of steps aimed at addressing the epidemic of opioid addiction in the United States. We speak with journalist Maia Szalavitz about her new book, "Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction," and about her own experience of overcoming addiction. "We need to create a more compassionate and loving drug policy," Szalavitz says. "Nobody is going to believe that addiction is a disease as long as the behavior is criminal." Szalavitz is one of the leading journalists covering addiction in the United States...
https://youtu.be/D11C8ciFQ9A

Real Time with Bill Maher: New Rule – The Empathy Gap (HBO)

In his editorial New Rule, Bill Maher calls out Republicans for refusing to get on the humane side of an issue unless they have been personally affected by it. Original air date: March 4, 2016.
Interview:
https://youtu.be/BVwFmdipfZg

Former Attorney General Eric Holder Comes Out In Favor Of Marijuana Rescheduling

“I certainly think it ought to be rescheduled,” Holder says. “You know, we treat marijuana in the same way that we treat heroin now, and that clearly is not appropriate.”
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/02/25/3753451/holder-marijuana-reschedule/

10 Fascinating Ways Our Ancestors Got High

As long as we've been around, we've been finding ways to alter consciousness.
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/10-fascinating-ways-our-ancestors-got-high

Big Pharma Shaking in Their Boots as 80% of Cannabis Users Give Up Prescriptions Pills for Pot

A survey of 473 adult therapeutic cannabis users found that 87% of respondents gave up prescription medications, alcohol, or other drugs in favor of cannabis...
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/big-pharma-shaking-their-boots-80-cannabis-users-give-prescriptions-pills-pot

The Big Lie in the War Against Drugs

Since the beginning, the War on Drugs has been about controlling political power--by breaking up Black communities and the dissident left...
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/big-lie-war-against-drugs

WATCH: Colbert Pushes Kasich On Legalizing Marijuana

“We don’t want to tell our kids don’t do drugs, but by the way this drug is okay,” Kasich said.

“Isn’t that what alcohol is?” Colbert said to loud applause from the audience.
https://youtu.be/mu2tMTkz4Bk

Mexico’s Drug Policy in Flux, with Sylvia Longmire (Point of Inquiry)

s smoking pot a fundamental human right? On Wednesday, November 4th Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that four individuals involved in a private cannabis club have the constitutional right to grow, sell, and smoke cannabis based on “the right to the free development of one’s personality.” The ruling was limited to the specific individuals who brought the suit, but it introduces a host of questions about what might happen if the trend toward broader marijuana legalization continues in Mexico.

Here to talk about the current political climate as it relates to drugs in Mexico is journalist and intelligence analyst Sylvia Longmire. Longmire specializes in Mexico’s drug war, and provides valuable insight not only into this latest development, but also the particular quirks of the Mexican legal system, and the potential repercussions of Mexican drug legalization on cartels, the illegal drug trade, and drug policies in the U.S.
Interview:
http://www.pointofinquiry.org/mexicos_drug_policy_in_flux_with_sylvia_longmire/

Should College Students be Allowed to Take Smart Drugs? (John Donvan, Intelligence Squared U.S.)

If you could take a pill that would help you study and get better grades, would you? Off-label use of “smart drugs” – pharmaceuticals meant to treat disorders like ADHD, narcolepsy, and Alzheimer’s – are becoming increasingly popular among college students hoping to get ahead, by helping them to stay focused and alert for longer periods of time. But is this cheating? Should their use as cognitive enhancers be approved by the FDA, the medical community, and society at large? Do the benefits outweigh the risks?
Interview:
http://intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/upcoming-debates/item/1407-college-students-should-be-allowed-to-take-smart-drugs

Overdosing on Weed & Marijuana Addiction

--Kevin Hill, MD, MHS, addiction psychiatrist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and author of "Marijuana: The Unbiased Truth about the World’s Most Popular Weed,” joins David to discuss marijuana addiction, medical applications of marijuana, and legalization.
https://youtu.be/F0aXR3qGwiQ

Overdosing on Weed & Marijuana Addiction

--Kevin Hill, MD, MHS, addiction psychiatrist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and author of "Marijuana: The Unbiased Truth about the World’s Most Popular Weed,” joins David to discuss marijuana addiction, medical applications of marijuana, and legalization
Interview:
https://youtu.be/F0aXR3qGwiQ

Mexico’s Supreme Court rules that smoking pot is a fundamental human right

...Essentially, it amounts to something like a right to self-determination: The state can't prevent you from say, eating junk lots of junk food, even if it's not great for your health. As long as you're not harming other people, you have the right to autonomy. And in this instance, the Supreme Court ruled that possessing and consuming marijuana falls under this category...Read more

Marijuana is literally the least of the nation’s drug worries, the police have announced

...The findings indicate a statement by law enforcement of a fact that drug policy experts and researchers have known for a long time: compared to other recreational substances, including alcohol, marijuana doesn't cause that much harm. It's probably even safer than many people think. And whether you're worried about potential harms to individuals or to communities, marijuana is very low on the list of recreational substances...
Read more

RWW News: Kevin Swanson Declares That Liberals Are 'By Definition, Tyrants'

Kevin Swanson declares that efforts to legalize marijuana are tyranny.
https://youtu.be/8mLSnwtebTs

I Don't Want Heroin to Kill My Son. So I Taught My 8-Year-Old to Give the Antidote

If a child is mature enough and wants to learn to administer naloxone, why not let them?
...  Read more

4 of the Dumbest Things Republicans Ever Said About Marijuana

Even though some Republicans are seeing the light on medical marijuana and even legalization, old Reefer Madness tropes die hard.
...  Read more

Ireland plans to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of drugs, including heroin, cocaine and cannabis

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin says Misuse of Drugs Bill set to unblock legislative obstacles
Read more
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/injection-rooms-for-addicts-to-open-next-year-in-drug-law-change-says-minister-1.2413509

Colorado Schools Could Lose Out On $40 Million In Pot Revenue Today, All Thanks To Grover Norquist

It's not short-term memory loss, Colorado. Yes, you already told lawmakers how to spend pot revenue. Yes, you have to do it ... Read more