Author Archives: Pete

No surprise: Obama Says Exactly Zero Words About Pot, Drug Policy Or Criminal Justice Reform in SOTU Drugs vs. the drug war: A response to Michael Gerson. Radley Balko hits it out of the park in this piece that starts … Continue reading →

One of the recurring themes I enjoyed on “The West Wing” was the big block of cheese day – an annual event where White House staff would hear concerns and ideas from citizens that normally would not get the government’s … Continue reading →

Demaryius Thomas was 11 when his mother and grandmother were taken from him and sent to prison for 20 years and life respectively as part of our unending drug war. He’s certainly done well — better than most others who … Continue reading →

Nick Gillespie has an absolutely scathing OpEd in Time: Obama’s Unfathomable, Bottomless, Contemptible Cowardice on Pot What does it say about our elected representatives when even a president who grants that marijuana is no “more dangerous than alcohol,” jokes about … Continue reading →

Attorney General Eric Holder: Feds to let banks handle pot money at Politico The Obama administration will soon announce regulations that allow banks to do business with legal marijuana sellers, Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday. “You don’t want just … Continue reading →

Jacob Sullum nails it: Chris Christie Will End The War On Drugs – Just Like Obama Did It turns out that Christie, who first called the war on a drugs a “failure” in 2012 (eight years after Barack Obama did), … Continue reading →

Of course, the two big stories in the news right now are the Superbowl and the President’s comments on marijuana. Go to Google News and type in Obama and marijuana and you’ll get a ton of articles. Great opportunities for … Continue reading →

Here’s the section on marijuana, alcohol, and other drugs in the extensive New Yorker interview by David Remnick with President Obama: When I asked Obama about another area of shifting public opinion—the legalization of marijuana—he seemed even less eager to … Continue reading →

One of the things we have slammed Kevin Sabet and S.A.M. for repeatedly is claiming to have a policy when they won’t even address the largest part of it – what to do with all those marijuana users who don’t … Continue reading →

This New York Times article from 1997 (thanks, Erowid), is a hoot. Seductive Drug Culture Flourishes on the Internet Even as parents, teachers and government officials urge adolescents to say no to drugs, the Internet is burgeoning as an alluring … Continue reading →