Obama Plans to Grant Clemency to ‘Hundreds, Perhaps Thousands,’ of Nonviolent Drug Offenders Obama Plans to Grant Clemency to ‘Hundreds, Perhaps Thousands,’ of Nonviolent Drug Offenders
Obama has so far granted fewer pardons than any modern US president.
Apr 21, 2014 / Blog / Steven Hsieh
Will the Supreme Court Let Florida Drug-Test All Its Government Employees? Will the Supreme Court Let Florida Drug-Test All Its Government Employees?
What does a positive test mean when your economic fate hinges on the result? What kind of “discipline” is maintained by subjugating bodily privacy in the name of “public safety”?
Apr 18, 2014 / Blog / Michelle Chen
Eric Holder Pushes for Reduced Drug Sentences Eric Holder Pushes for Reduced Drug Sentences
The proposal would reduce sentences for nonviolent drug traffickers by about a year.
Mar 13, 2014 / Blog / Steven Hsieh
What Happens When Mexico’s Drug Kingpin Falls? What Happens When Mexico’s Drug Kingpin Falls?
US officials claim the capture of Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán is a major drug war victory. They're wrong.
Mar 7, 2014 / Foreign Policy In Focus / Laura Carlsen and Foreign Policy In Focus
Rand Paul and Eric Holder Might Actually Get Something Important Done in Washington by Working Together Rand Paul and Eric Holder Might Actually Get Something Important Done in Washington by Working Together
The unlikely allies are leading a push to reform sentencing guidelines for nonviolent drug offenders.
Mar 4, 2014 / Blog / Steven Hsieh
US Border Agents Intentionally Stepped in Front of Moving Vehicles to Justify Shooting at Them US Border Agents Intentionally Stepped in Front of Moving Vehicles to Justify Shooting at Them
An internal review of the US Border Patrol raises serious questions about the agency’s use-of-force policy.
Feb 28, 2014 / Blog / Steven Hsieh
How the Myth of the ‘Negro Cocaine Fiend’ Helped Shape American Drug Policy How the Myth of the ‘Negro Cocaine Fiend’ Helped Shape American Drug Policy
In 1914, a racist fiction helped sell one of the nation’s first drug laws; 100 years later, it’s still with us.
Jan 29, 2014 / Editorial / Carl L. Hart
Justice Department Could Ease Regulations for Legal Weed Businesses ‘Very Soon’ Justice Department Could Ease Regulations for Legal Weed Businesses ‘Very Soon’
Currently commercial marijuana retailers have virtually no access to banks--but Attorney General Eric Holder says that might be about to change.
Jan 24, 2014 / Blog / George Zornick
On Mass Incarceration, Does Chris Christie Agree With Mumia Abu-Jamal? On Mass Incarceration, Does Chris Christie Agree With Mumia Abu-Jamal?
One of the country’s most visible conservative politicians has provided an opening to talk about one of the most pressing social justice issues of our time.
Jan 22, 2014 / Blog / Mychal Denzel Smith
The Unexamined Privilege of David Brooks The Unexamined Privilege of David Brooks
The New York Times columnist fails to understand how the war on drugs disproportionately affects minorities and the poor.
Jan 14, 2014 / Blog / Tom Tomorrow