What Would Clay Do?

The War on Drugs is some #shamefulshit. #stopallwar @PoliceForReform @MAPS @DrugPolicyOrg pic.twitter.com/VDS2ByB5IN

— Thomas Hill (@thomasbhill) May 21, 2017

 

Police arrest more people for marijuana use than for all violent crimes — combined – The Washington Post

A new report tallies the staggering toll of the drug war.

On any given day in the United States, at least 137,000 people sit behind bars on simple drug-possession charges, according to a report released Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch.

Nearly two-thirds of them are in local jails. The report says that most of these jailed inmates have not been convicted of any crime: They’re sitting in a cell, awaiting a day in court, an appearance that may be months or even years off, because they can’t afford to post bail.

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Source: Police arrest more people for marijuana use than for all violent crimes — combined – The Washington Post

Libertarian Johnson: Drug war ‘root cause’ of police shootings

Gary Johnson believes the tensions between police and minorities that led to two high-profile police shootings and the deaths of five Dallas police officers has a root cause: The long-running war on drugs.

The libertarian nominee for president did not directly tie the drug war to the shooting deaths in Minnesota and Louisiana by police or the sniper killings of five officers in Texas this week. But poor relations between police and African-Americans stems from the criminalization of drug use, he said.

Read more: – Source: Libertarian Johnson: Drug war ‘root cause’ of police shootings – POLITICO

Why I Came Out Of the Psychedelic Closet – Daniel Miller

Just as with gay rights, the psychedelic movement requires person-to-person advocacy. This can take the form of education, of explaining these substances from a cultural, historical, or scientific perspective. But in my opinion, the most effective way to change someone’s mind, or at least get them to reconsider their original position, isn’t through intellectual discourse; it’s through emotional connection. And this requires that we share our personal experiences.

Source: Why I Came Out Of the Psychedelic Closet – Reality Sandwich

Over $1 Trillion Spent Since Nixon Began The War On Drugs – Kit O’Connell

WASHINGTON — The “war on drugs” costs Americans a staggering amount of money every year that it persists. Despite the billions they receive, federal, state and local law enforcement have a proven inability to stem the flow of drugs on the nation’s streets.

Since Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs in June 1971, the cost of that “war” had soared to over $1 trillion by 2010. Over $51 billion is spent annually to fight the drug war in the United States, according to Drug Policy Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting more humane drug policies.

It’s also taken a massive toll on human lives. In 2013, at least 2.2 million people were incarcerated in the U.S., with some estimates reaching 2.4 million, making the U.S. home to the world’s largest prison population. A vast number of those prisoners are victims of the war on drugs, reported Alejandro Crawford in U.S. News and World Report in March:

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Source: Over $1 Trillion Spent Since Nixon Began The War On Drugs