Legal scholars, activists, academics and law enforcement have all questioned the impact of the drug war on civil liberties. Many argue that like the prohibition of alcohol, the drug war has damaged civil liberties, particularly in the areas of search… Continue Reading
Following the death of a Colorado prison official, two Texas prosecutors, and the killing of an intruder at the home of a Colorado prosecutor, speculation about the nature of the attacks has been rampant. There have been three general theories… Continue Reading
Baker Institute drug policy fellow Nathan Jones has won the Western Political Science Association (WPSA) Best Dissertation Award for 2012. His dissertation, “The State Reaction: A Theory of Illicit Network Resilience,” is “a testament the high quality of [Jones’] scholarly… Continue Reading
The legalization of cannabis — marijuana — in Colorado and Washington has shifted the marijuana debate away from whether or not marijuana policy should change toward what that change should be. Our goal is not to increase marijuana use, but to take control of the supply away from criminals. Prohibition has failed to end marijuana use and has enriched organized crime, along with a host of other negative social consequences. We can imagine a government monopoly in which state-controlled stores would dispense marijuana in a tightly regulated system that would likely curtail marijuana use through the control of advertising, taxation and other regulations. While attractive to some, this arrangement is rarely discussed and is out of sync with the country’s general political tendency toward private enterprise. Continue Reading
The best manner by which to deal with the issue of legal marijuana is to provide context to the meaning of “legal.” The “legality” of marijuana must be addressed in terms that define the movement of the drug from the source to the street, or in this case, from the land to the lip. Continue Reading
In a three-part installment of Baker Institute Viewpoints that starts today, experts examine possible regulatory frameworks for legalized marijuana. Leading off for Viewpoints is guest writer Tom Heddleston, Ph.D., whose dissertation examined the formation and development of the medical marijuana movement in California.
Colorado and Washington are preparing to embark on a bold new approach to cannabis by deviating from the hallowed path of prohibition. In light of the erratic approach that federal law enforcement has taken to medical cannabis over the past three years, this is a daunting task. Luckily, both laws are very specific in spelling out what legislatures, governors and state agencies are required to do. Past lessons from the regulation of alcohol and medical cannabis also serve to light the way. Continue Reading
In a recent Small Wars Journal op-ed, Nathan Jones, the Baker Institute’s Alfred C. Glassell III Postdoctoral Fellow in Drug Policy, presents an overview of Mexico’s drug policies as the country transitions to new leadership under President Enrique Peña Nieto. While the new administration is touting proposed security reforms to combat violent drug cartels, Jones notes that there are more similarities than differences with the policies of former President Felipe Calderon. Continue Reading