Author Archives: Pete

In today’s Village Voice: The DEA’s War on Pain Doctors by Frank Owen Some in the medical community call it “a war on pain doctors,” others “a government jihad” or “state-sponsored terrorism.” However you describe the current campaign, which according … Continue reading →

New Bedford, Massachusetts: Mayor, White House discuss solutions. Mayor Frederick M. Kalisz Jr. has really gotten in bed with the Drug Czar, including developing a plan for volunteer drug testing of all middle and high school students. (Of course, the … Continue reading →

Now that the UK is looking to downgrade cannabis, the loonies are coming out. No, not potheads — but drug warriors grasping at straws to scare people. The Sunday Telegraph ran CANNABIS USE CAUSES ‘HUNDREDS OF DEATHS A YEAR’, CORONER … Continue reading →

BUSH TO TEENS: RELIGION HELPED MEND MY WAYS President Bush, speaking Wednesday at a youth center in Oak Cliff, gave an unusually candid assessment of religion’s role in leading him from his wayward youth. “Sometimes, and a lot of times, … Continue reading →

Helping Justice Overcome a Flawed Policy – a nice little piece on Senator Durbin’s efforts to introduce the Truth in Trials bill. Sen. Durbin’s bill is in line with the history and purpose of the American criminal jury system, which … Continue reading →

An excellent article in the American Prospect: “Drugstore Cowboys – How America’s wrongheaded war on drugs brought down Bolivia’s president” by Christopher Hayes …imagine, for a moment, how Paris would have reacted if, during Prohibition, Calvin Coolidge had begun paying … Continue reading →

Wednesday release from the Drug Czar’s office: White House Drug Czar, Surgeon General, and Partner Organizations to Address Drug Use Among Hispanic Youth “Marijuana use is a serious problem for all young people, but we are particularly concerned about the … Continue reading →

I realized today that I missed something from the government’s most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Of course, they distributed the results they wanted known widely through … Continue reading →

In my in-box today from the Drug Policy Alliance: If you could slash the amount of your tax money being spent on absurd TV ads comparing marijuana smokers to terrorists, would you act right now? Is the pope catholic? Does … Continue reading →

Again, via TalkLeft (as always on top of everything and incredibly prolific), the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that nervousness alone cannot support a vehicle search when police stop the car for a traffic violation. The court invalidated … Continue reading →