Recent Media Coverage
Why conservatives should favor legalizing marijuana 21 October 2010 [CNN] - As the vote approaches, a clear division in political support for Proposition 19 has emerged, with a recent Reuters-Ipsos poll showing that 54 percent of Democrats support legalization as Republican support sits at 33 percent. This division is curious, given that cannabis prohibition takes its biggest toll on the traditional conservative wish list of fiscal discipline, low crime rates and strong families...
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] Experts see sense in regulating marijuana in Canada 21 October 2010 [The Georgia Strait] - In a phone interview, Wood, a UBC medical professor, noted that the California experiment with Proposition 19 has enormous potential. “If they prove that you can successfully tax and regulate cannabis and the world does not come to an end, I think it’s going to generate interest throughout North America,” Wood told the Straight. According to Wood, measures like Bill S-10 speak to the “discordance between what we know from a scientific perspective of what we should be doing about the drug problem and what the average citizen thinks”.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] The failure of cannabis prohibition 18 October 2010 [ABC Radio National] - On 2 November 2010 Californians will vote on The Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 otherwise known as Proposition 19. Hoping to influence the debate is a body called the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy. Evan Wood and Carl Hart explain why they believe cannabis prohibition and the war on drugs in general has been a monumental policy failure.
[CLICK FOR AUDIO] Cut through misinformation on Prop. 19 15 October 2010 [San Angelo Standard Times] - Dickerson brings up usage and potency as reasons to not pass Proposition 19. The facts support the conclusion of Dr. Evan Wood, founder of the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy (www.icsdp.org): “No scientific evidence demonstrates an association between the amount of money governments spend on drug law enforcement and rates of drug use. And some nations like the U.S., which spend the most have among the highest rates of drug use.” Though costs of drug law enforcement have gone up by 600 percent in the past 30 years, marijuana usage among 12th-graders has increased from 27 percent in 1990 to 32 percent in 2008. Scientific evidence indicates marijuana potency has increased one and a half times since 1981; that makes regulation of potency or labeling of products an area that local government could control under the new laws.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] The promise of legalization 16 October 2010 [LA Times] - People on both sides of the marijuana legalization debate have strong feelings about Proposition 19, the California ballot initiative that promises to regulate, control and tax cannabis. But science and empirical research have been given short shrift in the discussion. That's unfortunate, because the U.S. government has actually funded excellent research on the subject, and it suggests that several widely held assumptions about cannabis legalization actually may be inaccurate. When the total body of knowledge is considered, it's hard to conclude that we should stick with the current system.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] How to profit by expanding freedom 10 October 2010 [Chichago Tribune] - Spending huge sums of money and getting no results to justify the expense: That's the relentless, and accurate, Republican critique of President Barack Obama's efforts to revive the U.S. economy. But it also describes a policy staunchly supported by Republicans as well as Democrats decade after decade: the war on drugs.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] Study suggests US should decriminalize cannabis 8 October 2010 [Financial Times] - No text available online.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] Countries should consider legalising cannabis in light of futility of bans 7 October 2010 [British Medical Journal] - A report from the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy, a global network of scientists and academic doctors committed to reducing the harmful effects of illicit drugs, says that despite “aggressive criminal justice measures” in the US cannabis is widespread and readily available.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] Cannabis: Should it be legalized? 7 October 2010 [France 24] - On November 2nd, Californians will vote on a proposition to allow anyone over 21 to possess and grow small amounts of marijuana for personal use.
[CLICK FOR VIDEO] Report: Money put into anti-drug efforts stateside a waste 7 October 2010 [News 1130] - A new report suggests the money the U.S. government has spent on trying to stop people from smoking weed has pretty much been a waste. Dr. Evan Wood is the founder of the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy, and also one of the report's authors. He says, "Since about 1981, over $200 billion have been spent on [the American] anti-drug efforts." But has that money done any good?
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] The case for legalizing marijuana 7 October 2010 [The Globe and Mail] - All eyes will be on California next month when voters, in addition to electing a new governor, will be asked to decide on a number of initiatives. One stands out for the political and economic reverberations it would set off if approved: Proposition 19 – the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 – would legalize marijuana for recreational use and allow its sale to be taxed. Not surprisingly, the ballot question has sparked a rancorous debate.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] Prop 19 analysis: Will marijuana legalization increase use? 7 October 2010 [TIME.com] - As California moves toward the legalization of marijuana — next month, voters will decide on Proposition 19, the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 — a key question remains: could the new law produce a whole generation of stoners? Opponents of legalization say, yes, fearing it will lead to a massive increase in pot smoking among youth. But some supporters suggest the opposite: legalizing cannabis could de-glamorize it and ultimately prompt reductions in toking. Who's right?
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] More reasons to legalize the sale of marijuana 7 October 2010 [Vancouver Sun] - It goes without saying that a regulated marijuana market would provide enormous tax revenues, and substantially reduce law enforcement expenditures. That would leave governments with a lot of extra money, which could be used to further efforts in developing and implementing evidence-based drug policy.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] 'War on drugs' behind endless misery 3 June 2010 [PUBLICATION] - "Americans themselves are suffering deeply from these misguided policies. It's time to just say no to the war on drugs and to implement science-based alternative policy models that are proving effective in other parts of the world." Writes ICSDP Founder, Dr. Evan Wood in a CNN Op-Ed published today.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] "Drug War" Policies Need a Stint in Rehab 29 April 2010 [IPS] - "The war on drugs does not work, period," said Dr. Julio Montaner, president of the International AIDS Society. "We must take an evidence-based approach to dealing with the drug market, because current strategies are not working and people are paying for ill-considered policies with their lives," Montaner said in a release.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] Efforts to enforce drug laws lead to more crime, report says 28 April 2010 [British Medical Journal News] - Attempts to cut back on drug suppliers to reduce availability of illicit drugs only lead to more crime and violence, a study published on 27 April claims. An international review that examined existing studies over the past 21 years found a strong connection between drug law enforcement efforts and increased drug related crime, killings, and gun violence.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] Experts question tough-on-drugs approach 28 April 2010 [The World Today] - Drug reform advocates have released a survey that calls into question the tough approach to the illegal drug trade practiced by several governments around the world. The survey suggests that the various government "wars on drugs" have actually made the battle for control of illicit substances more violent. The study was put together by a new international network of doctors and drug treatment professionals, who say the politicians making decisions on drug policy should re-think their 'get tough' approach.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] Editorial: Policing approach to drug trade has failed 28 April 2010 [The Province] - A new study is providing fresh ammunition for those, including this newspaper, who have argued that policy-makers should be giving more serious consideration to ending the war on drugs.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] Obama, American guns and Mexican mayhem 27 April 2010 [Reuters] - During a visit to Mexico a year ago, President Barack Obama promised he would urge the U.S. Senate to ratify an international treaty designed to curb the flow of weapons to Latin American drug cartels. It remains just that - a promise. Prospects for ratification are virtually zero.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] Study links drug enforcement to more violence 27 April 2010 [Associated Press] - The surge of gunbattles, beheadings and kidnappings that has accompanied Mexico's war on drug cartels is an entirely predictable escalation in violence based on decades of scientific literature, a new study contends.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] Crackdowns on drug dealers led to rise in violent crime, study finds 27 April 2010 [The Independent] - Police crackdowns to cut the supply of illegal drugs by removing dealers and criminal overlords actually lead to rises in drug-related violence, gun crime and murder, according to an international study. A review of 20 years of research into drug enforcement has found that attempts to snuff out the trade in illegal substances have the opposite effect to that intended, by creating a power vacuum when drugs barons are imprisoned which is rapidly filled by competitors eager to fight each other for the newly-vacated territory.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] Tough stance on drugs 'increases crime' 27 April 2010 [ITN] - Tough controls on illegal drugs drive up violent crime, gun offences and murders, according to a new report. The newly created International Centre for Science in Drug Policy (ICSDP), made up of experts from around the world, released the study in Liverpool.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] Prohibition, drug law enforcement drive violence and homicides 27 April 2010 [Africa Science News Service] - A comprehensive study released Tuesday by the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy (ICSDP) exposes a deep connection between drug law enforcement.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE] Conservatives should get weak on drugs 26 April 2010 [National Post] - Citizens from across the political spectrum have largely considered illicit drugs such as cocaine and marijuana a grave threat to Canadian society. Accordingly, promises to get tough on drugs are proven vote-spinners for politicians coast-to-coast.
[CLICK FOR ARTICLE]