Criminal Justice

Rand Paul has a campaign theme he hopes will resonate, Californians will be meeting to plot a legalization initiative next year, a Maryland pot paraphernalia decrim bill heads to the governor, the British Labor Party is hinting at a softening of its hard-line drug policy, and more.

Drug reform journalist Dean Becker has an impassioned new book out, and this week, he's in Washington, DC, to deliver copies to elected officials for their "summer reading assignment." What better time to take a look?

Years in prison for growing weed in Missouri, life in prison for drug smuggling in Singapore -- we still have a long way to go. There's more drug policy-related news as well today.

Remember when we used to say "You don't have to make a federal case out of it?" Well, we did. Now, we have more than 4,500 federal criminal laws, and some members of Congress are ready to do something about it.

The White House released the FY 2014 drug budget Wednesday. Its "21st Century drug policy" still has some 20th Century priorities.

Senate Republicans have blocked an amendment that would have passed Sen. Jim Webb's National Criminal Justice Commission Act, warning hyperbolically that it would violate states' rights.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia had a few choice words about the reach of federal drug laws this week.

Every day that passes without criminal justice reform is a day that thousands who don't need to be in prison, and may have never deserved to go there, languish needlessly. Please ask your US Representative and your two US Senators to pass the National Criminal Justice Commission Act.