Stories by Phillip Smith
Phillip Smith is an editor at DRCNet.
Posted on Jul 20, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
A bipartisan effort has reintroduced the Truth in Trials Act again -- but will unprecedented federal crackdowns help push it through the House?
Posted on Jul 20, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
These states are not undertaking a radical rethinking of the rote resort to incarceration, but they are nibbling at the edges, particularly when it comes to drug offenders.
Posted on Jul 16, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
The Oregon Marijuana Policy Initiative (OMPI) has filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Kate Brown over her office's invalidation of tens of thousands of signatures.
Posted on Jul 12, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Here are some good reads about one of our favorite subjects.
Posted on Jul 10, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Because basement and garage chemists can tweak the formulas to create similar, legal drugs, we may be entering an endless loop of prohibition.
Posted on Jun 27, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
The Global Commission on Drugs has released a report explaining how drug war enforcement raises barriers to HIV treatment -- and what we can do to stop it.
Posted on Jun 25, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
By selling marijuana to registered users, the Uruguayan government hopes to take profits away from drug dealers and weaken crime in the country.
Posted on Jun 19, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Groups concerned with the border, immigrant rights, human rights, racial justice, and labor are all coming on board to end the war on drugs.
Posted on Jun 18, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Cedars-Sinai hospital told medical marijuana users they must test negative for six months to re-qualify for the wait list, and also take drug abuse counseling for the same period.
Posted on Jun 18, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
With the backing of Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D), Chicago's council will vote later this month on an ordinance that would decriminalize the possession of up to 15 grams of marijuana.
Posted on Jun 12, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Pot advocates called Holder out for being a liar when he said the Justice Department only busts people or organizations violating state laws.
Posted on Jun 6, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
If numbers are to be trusted and the will of the legislature is to be respected, Governor Chafee has an easy call of signing Rhode Island's decriminalization bill into law.
Posted on Jun 6, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
If numbers are to be trusted and the will of the legislature is to be respected, Governor Chafee has an easy call of signing Rhode Island's decriminalization bill into law.
Posted on May 25, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
2012 could be the year that legalization actually wins, and voters in at least two states -- Colorado and Washington -- will have the chance to make that happen.
Posted on May 23, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
May 11th, Honduran police and DEA agents engaged in a disastrous series of heavy-handed tactics, mistakenly killing four innocent Hondurans before inspiring a machete-yielding mob.
Posted on May 22, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Doctors and organizers say it is unfair to give Douglas, who already did five years on a drug charge, additional time instead of a chance at treatment.
Posted on May 7, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Drivers found with a certain amount of THC in their blood are automatically presumed to be driving under the influence of drugs, even if they can show they were not impaired.
Posted on May 6, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Governor Malloy will sign the medical marijuana bill that would carefully regulate and monitor pot use to avoid problems encountered in other medical marijuana states.
Posted on May 2, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Dutch cannabis coffee shop owners aren't banning foreigners or going "members only" without a fight.
Posted on Apr 27, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
The bills are finally being recognized as targeting the most downtrodden and disadvantaged -- the poor, the sick, the jobless -- in the guise of helping them.
Posted on Apr 21, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Demonstrators in Oakland Friday put the campaign on notice that the administration is losing friends in California with its attacks on medical marijuana.
Posted on Apr 12, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Obama's heading to Colombia for a summit with Latin American leaders--and for the first time, alternatives to drug prohibition are on the agenda.
Posted on Apr 7, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Those federal dollars are better spent on programs that actually help people, and people are concerned about this having a deleterious impact on the state's economy.
Posted on Apr 2, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
The country's first "cannabis college" is raided and taped off by federal marshalls; the DEA and IRS continue their "ongoing investigation" as marijuana supporters mobilize.
Posted on Mar 31, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
The United States have spent billions on coca plant busts; if passed, the bill would eliminate the threat of prison for illicit crop production in Colombia.
Posted on Mar 30, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Medical marijuana is about to become a reality in the shadow of Congress and the White House, but advocates worry patients may be left in the lurch.
Posted on Mar 25, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Delegates to the UN Commission on Narcotics Drugs unanimously approved a resolution promoting measures to prevent drug overdose death.
Posted on Mar 23, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
In Antigua, Guatemala, Guatemalan President Perez Molina suggested overhauling Central America's drug policy, but no consensus was reached.
Posted on Mar 22, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his government would end the War on Drugs, and instead concentrate on creating jobs and fighting corruption.
Posted on Mar 14, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
The move comes amid growing pressure in the region to discuss legalization and its alternatives, and weeks before Santos will discuss legalization at the Summit of the Americas.
Posted on Mar 7, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Only two of the four seem to have any chance of success this year, but if one or both makes the ballot, the Pacific Northwest could soon be a hot spot for marijuana law reform.
Posted on Mar 6, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Antoine Jones won in court but the feds are making him sit in jail until they can try him once again.
Posted on Feb 24, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
This week, prescription-only bills were killed in Oklahoma and withdrawn in Kentucky, and unhappy police and prosecutors are blaming the over-the-counter industry.
Posted on Feb 19, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
As part of a deal to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits through 2012, Congress will allow states to drug test people applying for those benefits.
Posted on Feb 17, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
The proposed budget is remarkable for how closely it hews to previous years, especially in regard to the allocation of resources for treatment and law enforcement.
Posted on Feb 14, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
State legislatures have convened or are convening all around the country, and once again this year, marijuana decriminalization or legalization are hot topics at the statehouse.
Posted on Feb 13, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
If the bill passes, Washington will be the first state to legalize the possession and commerce of marijuana, sending the state on a collision course with the federal government.
Posted on Feb 6, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
The campaign was found to have an unusually high number of invalid signatures, and now has 15 days to collect enough valid signatures to cover the shortfall.
Posted on Feb 3, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
Provoked by federal raids and Republican attempts to eradicate medical pot, activists are rolling out a campaign for a constitutional amendment to legalize pot in Big Sky County.
Posted on Feb 2, 2012, Source: Drug War Chronicle
The popular image of street gang violence in the US as being "drug-related" is largely mistaken, a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a new report.
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