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Searching Black People for No Reason Isn't Police Work, It's Discrimination

If you don't think racial profiling is a real problem, I'd like to introduce you to some young men who beg to differ. Anyone in the black community who opposes marijuana legalization should see this video:

If We Legalize Marijuana, We'll Bankrupt Canada's Pot Economy

It's an open secret that the Canadian economy has long been propped up by substantial marijuana exports to the U.S. market.

Drug Legalization Debate Erupts in Mexico

You can't call it a fringe idea when heads of state are bringing it up. Following Mexican President Felipe Calderon's call for a debate about legalizing drugs, his predecessor Vicente Fox is going a step further and calling for outright legalization.

Is it Illegal to Legalize Marijuana?

It may sound like a dumb question, but opponents of marijuana reform have been arguing for years that federal law somehow prevents states from enacting their own marijuana policies.

Five Ways the Drug War Hurts Kids

This Reason.tv interview with LEAP Executive Director Neill Franklin makes a number of strong points:

If You Think Marijuana Legalization Helps Drug Cartels, Think Again

One of the most enduring disconnects in the legalization debate is the question of what will become of those nasty drug cartels when we end marijuana prohibition. Here's how Tim Rosales of the No on Prop 19 campaign framed it in a debate with Jane Hamsher on CNN:

Mexican President Calls for Drug Legalization Debate

After presiding for years over the bloodiest drug war escalation in history, Mexican President Felipe Calderon is finally ready to discuss legalization.

Crazy Man Leads Opposition to Marijuana Legalization in California

Bishop Ron Allen has been one of the loudest opponents of Prop 19. As this interview shows, he's also a raving paranoid nutjob who knows next to nothing about drug policy:

If Lowering Penalties for Crack Isn't Controversial, What Is?

Earl Ofari Hutchinson at New America Media notes that last week's major reform of crack cocaine sentencing guidelines failed to meet with much opposition from the right. It's another powerful sign that drug war politics are changing before our eyes.

Just Say Now: It's Time to Legalize Marijuana

FireDogLake and Students for Sensible Drug Policy are officially launching the Just Say Now campaign this week. It's an exciting new effort to amplify the marijuana legalization debate and bring out the vote leading up to California's Prop 19 in November, as well as future initiatives in 2012.

If You Like Cartoons and Hate Marijuana Prohibition, You'll Love This

Pete Guither at Drug War Rant calls it an "absolutely brilliant video." Jon Berry at MPP says it's "a must-watch for marijuana policy reform activists." And I think it's pretty good, too. This is called The Flower by Haik Hoisington and it deserves all the viral traffic it's been getting:

How Can We Prevent Pot Growing in Our National Forests?

There is some seriously messed up stuff going down in the woods:

Big Week in Washington

We are publishing a lot of stuff on our new web site -- read about it here -- but it was a really big week for drug policy reform in Washington, and we want to make sure that the very latest big news does not drive the really really big news too far down on the screen for people to notice. And so, a brief wrap-up of the biggest news of the week:

How Does the DEA Feel about Medical Marijuana in DC?

"Officials with the DEA were not available to comment Tuesday," reports The Washington Post. I guess that pretty much sums it up. No scolding, vague threats or dire predictions. Just silence.

Strong Majority Believes Marijuana Could Become Legal Soon

A new Rasmussen poll finds 43% of American in favor of legalizing marijuana, with 42% opposed. But what really got my attention was this stat on attitudes about whether legalization is likely to happen:

Welcome to Our New Site

As you can see, we've made some changes around here, which we hope will make the site more enjoyable for everyone. We're still getting used to some of the new functionality, so please be patient if you see any little screw ups and let us know if you spot anything crazy.