Personally, I'd like to see McLellan get the job.I'm also concerned about some of Ramstad's positions on the war on drugs, but what I find noteworthy about the article is the high profile that the Drug Policy Alliance has established. They've been successful in shifting their identity from radical outlier (They do favor a blanket … Continue reading Ramstad for Drug Czar

Findings like this are piling up.

In case you were wondering, "it's all good" in India.Seriously, I thought you might be interested in a peek at drug policy in other countries.[hat tip: Andrew Sullivan]

...everything looks like a nail.Oy vey.It also brings to mind this quote from H.L. Mencken: "For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong."

An important question in the new issue of Psychiatric Times:A diagnosis of MDD is warranted, according to DSM, when a patient has at least 5 of 9 specified symptoms for at least 2 weeks, and the 5 symptoms include either depressed mood or an inability to derive pleasure from life. The sole exception is that … Continue reading Major Depressive Disorder or Normal Sadness?

From a column in the Washington Post:There is a simple strategy that Obama and his congressional colleagues could take that would save about $6 billion a year: Cut supply-side spending by the Office of National Drug Control Policy and require that two-thirds of its funding be spent on demand-side programs. While that is simple, it … Continue reading Drug war wisdom

Regarding the next drug czar:Our goal is to get someone who supports treatment, not incarceration; science, not religious moralizing; and civil liberties, not punitive policies. We're also going to do some legislative Judo, flip the agency's budget on its head, and refocus it on health and human rights. Imagine a Drug Czar that is required … Continue reading Drug Policy Alliance’s Plan

Wired in has another great post that makes the case for addiction as a disease.

A new online community has been launched in the U.K.It's got content for addicts (both in and out of recovery), families and practitioners.They've got a great post about low expectations, bias against residential treatment and recovery capital. If the comments are any indication of what's to come in this community, I'm excited. One thought about … Continue reading Wired in to recovery

AlterNet reviews the prospects for drug policy reform under Obama.