Author Archives: Pete Guither

A contradiction in terms? Normally. But if anyone can accomplish both at the same time, it’s John Walters. Marijuana Policy Project’s Steve Fox ran into the former drug czar on the subway. Here’s his report.

AP The Obama administration is developing plans to seek up to 1,500 National Guard volunteers to step up the military’s counter-drug efforts along the Mexican border, senior administration officials said Monday. […] Senior administration officials said the Guard program will … Continue reading →

This is Your War on Drugs is a Mother Jones editorial by Monika Bauerlein and Clara Jeffery, that makes it appear that some of the things we’ve been talking about are getting traction. AMONG OUR LEADERS in Washington, who’s been … Continue reading →

In a recent interview with Reuters, U.S. special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan: The Western policies against the opium crop, the poppy crop, have been a failure. They did not result in any damage to the Taliban, but they put … Continue reading →

“bullet” A Misguided ‘War on Drugs by Manfred Nowak and Anand Grove in the New York Times. Anything goes in the ‹war on drugs,Š or so it seems. Governments around the world have used it as an excuse for unchecked … Continue reading →

Acting DEA Head Michele Leonhart on the UNODC World Drug Report: “Today’s newly-released United Nation’s World Drug Report confirms DEA’s global enforcement strategy successes targeting the major drug trafficking organizations, particularly their leadership, financial infrastructure and transportation facilitators ,” said … Continue reading →

Link The Supreme Court ruled today that school officials’ strip search of a then-13-year-old Arizona teen suspected of possessing a painkiller violated the girl’s constitutional rights, despite the school district’s zero-tolerance policy for drugs. The court said, however, that school … Continue reading →

I’ve been interested to see what how the media will characterize this report, and what they notice within it, since this one has some significantly differences (the attack on legalizers and the acknowledgement of certain prohibition flaws). A lot of … Continue reading →

At today’s Press Conference…

I just finished reading the Executive Summary (pdf) written by Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa, of the UNODC World Drug Report 2009 that is being released today. For the first time, the UNODC has acknowledged the legalization movement and is … Continue reading →