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Drug Policy Alliance
Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, a group that advocates for drug policy reform, based in New York, and an advisor to the Global Commission on Drug Policy
PROFILE
Ethan Nadelmann
Guest
FROM Ethan Nadelmann
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Lawmakers Want to Legalize Marijuana on Federal Level Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York joined New Jersey’s Cory Booker and Kentucky’s Rand Paul to propose a bill, today, that would end the federal prohibition on medical marijuana. If passed, people in the 23 states and the District of Columbia where medical pot is legal, would no longer have to fear federal prosecution. Pot businesses would also be able to use the banking system, and research institutions that get federal funds could study the effects of pot. We discuss the bill’s chances and what it would do.
To the Point
Is Obama 'Evolving' on Recreational Marijuana Use? Federal law prohibits the use of marijuana, even as medicine. In his first term, President Obama suggested that states might legalize it without federal interference but, then, the Justice Department cracked down in California and elsewhere. Last month, voters in Colorado and Washington State legalized all uses of marijuana. The President's made no secret that he, himself, used marijuana as a young man. Last night in an interview for ABC's 20/20, Barbara Walters asked if he thinks marijuana should be legalized. Ethan Nadelmann is Director of the Drug Policy Alliance , a New York group advocating reform.
Which Way, L.A.?
Is the War on Drugs a Failure? Is It Time to Legalize? The global "War on Drugs" began 50 years ago at the United Nations. Richard Nixon made it US policy 10 years later. Since then it has "failed to cut drug usage, but has filled our jails, cost millions in taxpayer dollars, fuelled organized crime and caused thousands of deaths." That's according to the Global Commission on Drug Policy , which includes former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, three former South American presidents, former Secretary of State George Shultz, ex-Federal Reserve Chair Paul Volcker, and British entrepreneur Richard Branson. We look at possible new strategies and their political viability in Washington.
To the Point
Illegal Drugs: Public Health and Public Safety The global "War on Drugs" began in 50 years ago at the United Nations. Richard Nixon made it US policy 10 years later. Since then it has "failed to cut drug usage, but has filled our jails, cost millions in taxpayer dollars, fuelled organized crime and caused thousands of deaths." That's according to the Global Commission on Drug Policy , which includes former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, three former South American presidents, former Secretary of State George Shultz, ex-Federal Reserve Chair Paul Volcker, and British entrepreneur Richard Branson. The Obama Administration says legalization would not take the money away from violent drug cartels and that drug use might increase more than ever. In any case, the panel has focused global attention on a crisis that's not going away. Does the political will exist to make any changes in strategy?
To the Point
US to Fund Colombia-Style Counter-Narcotics Program in Mexico Contract shootings, mass executions—even videotaped beheadings—are the latest tactics of Mexico's drug cartels. The formerly safe northern city of Monterrey has been terrorized by rival gangsters with backgrounds in the military and law-enforcement. The violence is spreading north into Texas and Arizona, which has US officials calling it a "national security issue." President Bush has been working with Mexico's President Felipe Calderón on what is informally called "Plan Mexico," a reference to " Plan Colombia " of the 1990's. Mexicans resist the comparison and fear that US dollars could lead to a repeat of past interventions from north of the border. Can Mexico control corruption? Can the US control demand? Can the so-called "war on drugs" succeed against a $25 billion industry?
Recommended
To the Point
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
To the Point
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
To the Point
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?