Stories by Kristen Gwynne

Kristen Gwynne is an associate editor and drug policy reporter at AlterNet.  Follow her on Twitter: @KristenGwynne subscribe to Kristen Gwynne's feed

Stop Shaming Drug-Using Moms Like Teen Mom 2's Jenelle Evans

Posted on: Apr 25, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Just as increased access to contraception reduces teen pregnancies, making drug treatment more available would reduce problems with addiction.

Pot Is Safer Than Booze: So Why Is Celebrating 4/20 a Crime, While It's OK to Get Wasted on St. Paddy's Day?

Posted on: Apr 19, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Happy 4/20. Don't get arrested.

5 Disturbing Revelations from the NYPD Stop-and-Frisk Trial About Aggressive, Racist Policing

Posted on: Apr 18, 2013, Source: AlterNet

The landmark class-action suit has revealed a lot about the NYPD, and it's not pretty.

Highest-Ranking NYPD Cop: 'I Never Discussed Racial Profiling'

Posted on: Apr 9, 2013, Source: AlterNet

The former NYPD chief testified in federal court that he never felt the need to mention the issue to officers accused of racial profiling.

Mayor Bloomberg Has Gall to Defend Stop-and-Frisk

Posted on: Apr 5, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Bloomberg credited stop-and-frisk with NYC's drop in teen gun carrying.

Middle School Forces Hungry Students to Throw Out Their Lunches When They Couldn't Pay

Posted on: Apr 5, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Just five cents of “debt” on a pre-paid card led cafeteria employees at Coehio Middle School to tell their pre-teen debtors to go hungry.

Poll: Most Americans Not Buying Feds' Drug War Propaganda

Posted on: Apr 4, 2013, Source: AlterNet

As our views about marijuana's harm potential change, an historic majority of Americans say pot should be legal.

Sen. Eric Adams: NYPD Commissioner Told Me Cops Use Stop-and-Frisk to Instill Fear in Youths of Color

Posted on: Apr 1, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Adams said policing must move away from quotas and terrorizing young people, and toward preventing harm.

Survey: 48% of US Christians Believe Jesus Is Coming Back in Next 40 Years

Posted on: Mar 29, 2013, Source: AlterNet

A Pew Research Center survey reveals that almost half of Christians in the US believe Jesus will be back soon.

Meet the College Racists Trying to Get Armed to 'Defend' Whites from Blacks on Campus

Posted on: Mar 29, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Some seriously bigoted students at Towson University have formed a despicable ‘White Student Union’.

NYPD on Trial: Police Say They Are Forced to Harass Kids in Order to Meet Quotas

Posted on: Mar 27, 2013, Source: AlterNet

NYPD whistleblowers say quotas are forcing them to make bogus, racist stops, summonses and arrests.

1 Million Hours on Pot Arrests? How Quotas and Illegal Stops Waste NYPD Resources

Posted on: Mar 19, 2013, Source: AlterNet

In 11 years, NYPD has made more than 400,000 arrests for low-level pot possession when it could have been fighting real crime.

Elizabeth Warren Slams Republicans and NRA

Posted on: Mar 15, 2013, Source: AlterNet

All she did was evoke common sense.

"LOL, She Couldn't Even Move" Awful Texts Revealed at Steubenville Rape Trial

Posted on: Mar 15, 2013, Source: AlterNet

The alleged victim had no memory her assault, but the defense says that doesn't matter.

Report: High School Kids Twice As Likely to Smoke Pot As to Smoke Cigarettes -- Alcohol Consumption Also Down

Posted on: Mar 15, 2013, Source: AlterNet

That's a good thing.

GOP Senator Comes Out In Support of Marriage Equality After Learning Son Is Gay

Posted on: Mar 15, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman explains in an op-ed how his love for his son changed his position on gay marriage.

'It's God's Plan!' Baptist Pastor Told 17 Year Old Girl Jesus Wanted Them to Have Sex

Posted on: Mar 15, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Indiana pastor Jack Schaap exploited an underage girl's' belief in God to coerce her into sleeping with him.

NYPD Pulls 5 Millionth Stop-and-Frisk: Will There Be Justice for Harassed Youths of Color?

Posted on: Mar 15, 2013, Source: AlterNet

A class action lawsuit raises hopes.

Why Is the U.S. Funding International Drug Rehabs Known for Torture and Abuse?

Posted on: Mar 14, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Despite calls to close the centers, the U.S. government continues to fund them.

O'Keefe to Pay $100,000 to ACORN Employee He Smeared

Posted on: Mar 8, 2013, Source: AlterNet

O'Keefe may be paying up, but his ACORN legacy lives on and on.

Silicon Valley Reportedly Full of Stoners

Posted on: Mar 4, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Businessweek says tech geeks are heavy medical marijuana consumers.

Colorado Task Force: Let Tourists Use Legal Pot

Posted on: Feb 20, 2013, Source: AlterNet

If lawmakers agree with the task force recommendation, tourists will be free to get stoned in Colorado.

Severe Stroke Leaves Teenager Blind and Brain-Damaged: Is Synthetic Marijuana to Blame?

Posted on: Feb 11, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Despite media focus on her use of synthetic weed, there is no hard evidence that smoking it caused Emily Bauer's stroke.

Bogus Child Abuse Charges for Pregnant, Drug-Using Women (Hard Times USA)

Posted on: Feb 11, 2013, Source: AlterNet

A woman who uses drugs can be punished just for the assumption that using drugs has harmed her fetus.

How 'Stop and Frisk' Is Too Often a Sexual Assault by Cops on Teenagers in Targeted NYC Neighborhoods

Posted on: Jan 21, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Teenagers are harassed and violated in ways you can't imagine.

Jon Stewart Slams Armstrong Doping 'Confession'

Posted on: Jan 16, 2013, Source: AlterNet

"Of course he was doping!" says Stewart.

Hoax Encourages Cutting Over Beiber Pot Smoking

Posted on: Jan 16, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Pranksters launched the trending hashtag #Cut4Beiber, which, accompanied by graphic images of cutting, was supposedly aimed at urging Beiber to stop smoking marijuana.

Are We On the Verge of An American Hemp Renaissance?

Posted on: Jan 11, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Advocates for hemp legalization are building pressure, with the biggest push in Kentucky.

Judge to NYPD: Stop Arresting People for Trespassing in Their Own Homes

Posted on: Jan 8, 2013, Source: AlterNet

A federal judge has dealt a blow to the department's controversial stop-and-frisk program.

How Anonymous Hacking Exposed Steubenville High School Rape Case

Posted on: Jan 4, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Social media has leaked horrific details of the case, inspiring a call for increased accountability and a protest this Saturday.

What Getting Carded for Sudafed Says About the Drug War

Posted on: Jan 4, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Tight regulation on pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in cold medication and methamphetamine, fails to deter meth manufacturing in America.

5 Senior Citizens Serving Life Without Parole for Pot

Posted on: Dec 23, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Should five non-violent offenders die behind bars for a crime Americans increasingly believe should not even be a crime?

Girls Get Stoned, Too: Why We Need More Pot-Smoking Female Stars Like Rihanna and Lady Gaga

Posted on: Dec 19, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Female stoners face additional stigma for the choices they make with their bodies.

David Frum Shares His Shocking Marijuana Ignorance With Newsweek/Daily Beast Audience

Posted on: Dec 18, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Relying on a variety of well-worn drug myths, Frum argues that legalizing marijuana would exacerbate inequality and problems affecting youths.

Patrick Leahy Demands to Know How Feds Will React to Legal Pot in States

Posted on: Dec 13, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Reporters and policy makers are scrambling to figure out how the federal government will respond to drug legalization in some states.

Why Critics Shouldn't Be So Quick to Shame Katy Perry

Posted on: Dec 10, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Critics of Perry's disavowal of the "feminist" label missed a crucial opportunity.

Should a 7-Year-Old Use Medical Marijuana?

Posted on: Nov 30, 2012, Source: AlterNet

One of Oregon's youngest medical marijuana patients, who suffers from leukemia, stirs controversy.

Argentinian Politician in Hot Water After Tweeting Photo of Pot Plant in Her Home

Posted on: Nov 23, 2012, Source: AlterNet

The center-left New Encounter official for Buenos Aires may have employed the stunt for more serious reasons than you think.

Israeli Troops Kill 1 Palestinian, Wound 19 in First Violence Since Cease-Fire

Posted on: Nov 23, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Violence has returned to Gaza, but hopefully only briefly.

How to Cook With Cannabis This Thanksgiving

Posted on: Nov 20, 2012, Source: AlterNet

For those of you spending this Thursday with weed-friendly friends and family, here's a quick guide to cooking with cannabis.

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