Monthly Archives: April 2012

Rafael Lemaitre, the communications director at ONDCP has started adding #Reform to a lot of his tweets, as though calling what they’re doing “reform” makes it so (sort of like saying they’ve ended the “war on drugs” makes that true). … Continue reading →

Two articles that help emphasize the importance of the recent Summit of the Americas in Cartagena. Douglas Haddow’s OpEd in the Guardian is a must-read: Did Cartagena mark the beginning of the end of the war on drugs? But while … Continue reading →

Considering the Drug Czar famously said: “Legalization is not in the president’s vocabulary, and it is not in mine,” both of them seem to be using it an awful lot lately. As Scott Morgan notes: We’re Winning Any Time the … Continue reading →

ONDCP calls new drug control strategy a “revolutionary shift” in policy. The 2012 National Drug Control Strategy (pdf) A Drug Policy for the 21st Century by R. Gil Kerlikowse at Huffington Post. Guest Blogger Kevin Sabet says “Wake Up and … Continue reading →

If you’re in my area (central Illinois), stop by on Friday for the 10th annual HempFest, sponsored by the Illinois State University chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. I’ll be speaking at 6 pm. Should be a great time. … Continue reading →

Hardball with Chris Matthews. Chris did a nice job of putting President Obama on the spot regarding the drug war in questioning down in Cartagena. He shows that exchange, and then has a discussion with Ethan Nadelmann and Kevin Sabet. … Continue reading →

Is it a sea change? Certainly we don’t expect reform to come from the top down — it’ll take an overwhelming revolt by the population to overcome the governmental self-interest. And the U.S. is firm in its resolve to keep … Continue reading →

Apparently President Obama told the other nations of this hemisphere that legalization is not a “silver bullet.” I’m sure it made the translators wonder if the President of the United States actually understands the English language. When something is not … Continue reading →

So, Obama had to convince the other countries in the hemisphere that he knows what’s best for them when it comes to international policy related to drugs. I’m guessing this wasn’t part of his strategy… Secret service agents sent home … Continue reading →

… including George Will. I noted in my discussion of George Will’s latest column that he seemed to be all over the place. My friend from Seattle even called me to ask “what the heck George Will was trying to … Continue reading →