Politics

‘America’s war on drugs’: Inside new mini-series exposing hypocrisy of U.S. drug policy

“America is more addicted to drug money than they are addicted to drugs.” -former DEA agent named Celerino Castillo “We have a [current] administration … promising to bring back the War on Drugs’ most draconian policies, including mandatory sentencing laws,” Lappé says. “Policies that most experts on all ends of the spectrum agree do little…

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Politics

Local authorities profit from ‘drug war’

Government policies are clear, and they encourage local police to allow drugs to flow on the streets. Here’s why: If the police seize drugs, they have to destroy them. If the police seize cash they get to keep it. This is a huge incentive for cash-strapped police departments to allow drugs to be “liquidated” –…

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Politics

Punitive drug policies fuel human rights abuses

*Operation Michoacán The right to health is also undermined significantly by punitive drug policies. Nowhere is this more evident than in Russia, where, as a result of tough drug laws and a lack of sufficient healthcare, one in 100 adults is HIV positive. This has been directly attributed to the prohibition of opiate substitute prescribing,…

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Politics

Congress set to revive CARERS act

CARERS stands for Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States. The original version of the bill would have ended the drug war, at least with regard to cannabis. This latest version is softer.​ ​ First, CARERS would change the Controlled Substances Act to allow states to make their own medical cannabis laws. States already do…

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Politics

US officials are starting to treat opioid companies like Big Tobacco — and suing them

This year, multiple lawsuits have been launched against opioid manufacturers and distributors. With the opioid crisis now having resulted in more than 300,000 deadly opioid overdoses since 1999 (greater than the population of Cincinnati), there’s a push to hold accountable the people and companies behind the products that spawned the epidemic. Original Article (Vox):US officials…

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Politics

Senators ask… to curb cops’ authority to confiscate money

“You need not wait for Supreme Court censure before reforming these practices, and, in any event, the Department of Justice should err on the side of protecting constitutional rights” Suspicion of the confiscations has created unusual alliances among liberals, libertarians, and conservatives, which is reflected in the list of senators on the letter. The ACLU…

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