On AlterNet: drug laws

Stories, blog posts, and videos tagged as "drug laws"

How Many Mexican Drug War Deaths Can We Attribute to U.S. Pot Laws?

Paul Armentano, AlterNet. March 18, 2010.

It's time to remove the production and distribution of marijuana out of the hands of violent criminal enterprises and into the hands of licensed businesses.

This Is Your Country on Drugs: How the DARE Generation Got High

Ryan Grim, Wiley Press. July 6, 2009.

Exclusive from new book shares the '80s generation's encounter with illicit drugs, and how they really caught on.

Obama Administration Tells Congress to End Crack/Powder Cocaine Disparity

DRCNetMay 1, 2009.

In a break with the Bush administration, Justice Department called Congress to pass legislation to undo our vast sentencing disparities.

Rockefeller Drug Laws Are a Crime

Anthony Papa, Gabriel Sayegh, AlterNet. March 5, 2009.

Drug addiction shouldn't be a crime -- the real crime would be if reform of New York's draconian drug laws were stymied yet again.

Obama Admininistration to Put a Stop to Medical Marijuana Raids

Steve Benen, Washington Monthly AlterNet: Rights and Liberties. February 26, 2009.

Some welcome news from Attorney General Eric Holder.

America's Shame: Can Jim Webb Fix the Prison Gulag?

Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation. February 16, 2009.

An unlikely senator takes on the cause of reforming America's overloaded and barbaric jails.

A New Approach to Drugs Would Save New York Hundreds of Millions of Dollars

Gabriel Sayegh, AlterNet. December 2, 2008.

Let's stop spending over $500 million every year on ineffective and wasteful policies like the Rockefeller Drug Laws.

27 Years in Prison for a Nonviolent Offense: Hamedah Hasan Tells Her Story

Hamedah Hasan, DELETED. November 26, 2008.

I'm a prisoner of America's Drug War, serving a 27-year sentence for a non-violent crime.

Busted: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters

Flex Your RightsNovember 7, 2008.

A video guide for how to exercise your constitutional rights during encounters with police.

Dramatic Progressive Reforms and Evil Schemes on the California Ballot

AlterNetNovember 1, 2008.

This election, California voters have a huge chance -- and a special responsibility -- to vote on dramatic progressive reforms.

Feds Bring an Ounce of Sanity to Our Drug Laws with the Second Chance Act

Malakkar Vohryzek, AlterNet. April 22, 2008.

Why are we still incarcerating people who use controlled substances, when we have ample evidence that this "cure" is worse than the "disease"?

Caught with a Bag of Weed? It Could Cost You More Than You Think

Paul Armentano, AlterNet. January 26, 2008.

U.S. arrests for pot possession were up to 739,000 in 2006. And the cost to tax payers? $1 billion a year.

Crack Users Do More Time Than People Convicted of Manslaughter

Jessica Pupovac, AlterNet. October 17, 2007.

When crack cocaine possession means 24 years in prison and manslaughter means only 3, you know something is seriously wrong with the U.S. criminal justice system.

New York Must Reform Its Racist Drug Laws

Gabriel Sayegh, AlterNet. May 5, 2007.

With 91 percent of people incarcerated under New York States' drug laws being black and Latino, it's time for Gov. Eliot Spitzer to make good on his election promise to deliver real reform.