...interestingly, the arguments that really move public opinion here are those that are almost conservative in nature: legalization saves money; legalization can forestall the need for property or income taxes (on middle Americans, implicitly); legalization frees up police resources for violent criminals. --Sean Trende
Category: Controversies
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Another study finds no benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy and contingency management with opiate replacement treatment. [CORRECTED: See below] Background and aims The Controlled Substances Act requires physicians in the United States to provide or refer to behavioral treatment when treating opioid-dependent individuals with buprenorphine; however no research has examined the combination of buprenorphine with … Continue reading Not available?
Black-lash
Points has a post on the history of black support for the war on drugs. When I began researching grassroots responses to crack-cocaine I found myself—albeit naively—both surprised and confused by heavy-handed, aggressive calls for more policing and harsher sentencing from working and middle class black urbanites. Was this unique to the period? Did this … Continue reading Black-lash
“Yes, we are Big Marijuana”
The Stranger covers the launch of the first national marijuana brand and stock promotion. It even included a former Mexican President! Flanked by lawyers, a state lawmaker, and former Mexico president Vicente Fox, Shively said he is a "couple weeks" from an initial $10 million milestone, and within three years, he fully expects to … Continue reading “Yes, we are Big Marijuana”
Rights, morality and drug policy
Mark Kleiman recently wrote a great post on morality in drug policy: Jonathan Rauch, who heads the Brookings side of the project, found that line of argument troubling. He asked me whether the interests of the responsible 80% should really have to yield to the interests of the irresponsible 20%. (Since the two … Continue reading Rights, morality and drug policy
How to Legalize Pot
The NY Times recently had an Op-Ed based on an interview with Mark Kleiman about his plan for implementing Washington's new pot policy. (They voted to legalize it last fall.): If you read the proposal Kleiman’s team submitted to Washington State, you may be a little boggled by the complexities of turning an illicit herb … Continue reading How to Legalize Pot
Sentences to ponder
...when you try to balance the damage caused by pain against the damage caused by drug abuse, nobody wins. Barry Meier on Fresh Air
Sentences to ponder
"I had a doctor who I greatly respect who said, 'We thought the great problem with these drugs [opioids] is addiction. What we didn't realize [was] that the people who take them would opt out of life.' And you see it across the spectrum: One of the more startling things is in the area of … Continue reading Sentences to ponder
Sentences to ponder
Room for debate: How to safely sell marijuana
The News York Times recently had a "Room for Debate" section on how to safely sell marijuana. To my mind, only one contribution really addressed that question, Mark Kleiman's. Check it out.
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