Author Archives: Pete

I’m playing the piano for a production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Assassins” this weekend, and have a number of visitors in town, so I’m just trying to keep my head above water, but there’s a lot going on in drug policy … Continue reading →

So it looks like Michele Leonhart is finally going to be leaving the DEA. Michele Leonhard, Head of D.E.A., to Retire Over Handling of Sex Scandal Ms. Leonhart’s impending departure after eight years in the top job follows a hearing … Continue reading →

Supreme Court Says Police Violated 4th Amendment When Use of Drug-Sniffing Dog Prolonged Routine Traffic Stop In a 6-3 decision issued today in the case of Rodriguez v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court held that Nebraska police violated the … Continue reading →

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDK6QXZP-yU

Forget expressing no confidence in Michele Leonhardt, or even firing her. The entire agency is corrupt, out of control, and destructive to our society. DEA’s Leonhart Doomed? Committee Declares ‘No Confidence’ Amid Sex Party Scandal — USA Today Nearly two … Continue reading →

Smoking Marijuana for 50 Years, and Turning Out Just Fine Not the kind of person that prohibitionists like to admit even exists. Awkward joke by the author about marijuana being a gateway to writing a book, but otherwise, nice little … Continue reading →

Of course, throughout history, our government has coopted all kinds of cultural icons to help promote its destructive war on drugs (and I’m sure some participated in good faith because they themselves had been blinded by the years of propaganda). … Continue reading →

I’ve been busy today and haven’t had a chance to watch/listen to this, but I thought you might want to know that there’s a Bloggingheads.tv video featuring Mark Kleiman debating “Chasing the Scream’s” Johann Hari.

This isn’t a real surprise, but it’s still a big story. U.S. secretly tracked billions of calls for decades WASHINGTON — The U.S. government started keeping secret records of Americans’ international telephone calls nearly a decade before the Sept. 11 … Continue reading →

From a scientific, public health, and public policy perspective, needle exchange programs aren’t even controversial. They save lives, reduce disease, and don’t result in increased drug abuse. Yet politically, there are still flat-earthers out there somehow concerned about the message … Continue reading →