War on Drugs

June 2011 marked the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon's declaration of a "war on drugs" — a war which has cost $1 trillion but produced little to no effect on the supply of or demand for drugs. The war on drugs has been a war on communities of color. The racial disparities are staggering: despite the fact that whites engage in drug offenses at a higher rate than African-Americans, African-Americans are incarcerated for drug offenses at a rate that is 10 times greater than that of whites. The ACLU is advocating for a more responsible drug policy in America. It’s time to end the unjust and unsuccessful war on drugs.

04/26/2012
Drug Law Reform

Hundreds of Economists: Marijuana Prohibition Costs Billions, Legalization Would Earn Billions

By Ezekiel Edwards, ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project & Rebecca McCray, ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project at 4:29pm

Over 300 economists, including three Nobel Laureates, recently signed a petition that encourages the president, Congress, governors and state legislatures to carefully consider marijuana legalization in America. The petition draws attention to an article by Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron, whose findings highlight the substantial cost-savings our government could incur if it were to tax and regulate marijuana, rather than needlessly spending billions of dollars enforcing its prohibition.

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04/26/2012
War on Drugs

Victory! Federal Judge Rules Against Drug Testing of Florida's State Workers

By Baylor Johnson, ACLU of Florida at 4:09pm

Two months ago, I was sitting in a federal courtroom in Miami watching as our staff attorney, Shalini Goel  Agarwal, argued for the rights of Florida state workers against invasive, suspicionless mandatory bodily-fluid searches. The ACLU of Florida, on behalf of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), was challenging an executive order issued by Gov. Rick Scott requiring random drug testing for state employees.

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04/19/2012
McCleskey v. Kemp

Fighting for "Too Much Justice"

By Vanita Gupta, Center for Justice at 4:22pm

In the last 40 years, this country's "tough on crime" policymaking has sacrificed the lives and rights of people of color at the altar of politics.

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04/18/2012
Drug-Testing Welfare Recipients

Just as We Suspected: Florida Saved Nothing by Drug Testing Welfare Applicants

By Rachel Bloom, ACLU at 1:52pm

Over 25 states introduced welfare drug testing legislation similar to Florida's this year.

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03/16/2012
Overincarceration

Breaking the Addiction to Incarceration: Weekly Highlights

By Alex Stamm, ACLU Center for Justice at 4:04pm

Today, the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world. With over 2.3 million men and women living behind bars, our imprisonment rate is the highest it's ever been in U.S. history. And yet, our criminal justice system has failed on every count: public safety, fairness and cost-effectiveness. Across the country, the criminal justice reform conversation is heating up. Each week, we feature our some of the most exciting and relevant news in overincarceration discourse that we've spotted from the previous week. Check back weekly for our top picks.

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03/15/2012
Medical Marijuana

Should We Deny Ill People on Probation Access to Medicine?

By Ezekiel Edwards, ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project & Emma Andersson, Criminal Law Reform Project at 4:58pm

In 2000, Colorado voters approved an amendment to their state constitution that allows patients suffering from conditions like cancer, glaucoma and HIV/AIDS to use medical marijuana when a doctor has advised them to do so. The amendment to the Colorado constitution provides that these patients "may engage in the medical use of marijuana" and that they will have an affirmative defense against state criminal charges relating to their use of medical marijuana.

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03/12/2012
Overincarceration

States' Top Jurists Call for Criminal Justice Reform

By Alex Stamm, ACLU Center for Justice at 4:45pm

Skyrocketing corrections budgets have fixed state lawmakers' attention on the problem of mass incarceration, and smart reform — reducing prison populations and spending while keeping communities safe — is starting to happen. Nonetheless, some states have been slow to respond. In the early months of 2012, a number of states' chief justices told their legislators to wake up to the growing problem and suggested reforms that would be good for both budgets and public safety.

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03/09/2012
War on Drugs

Is Ending Mass Incarceration a Christian Imperative?

By Inimai Chettiar, ACLU at 11:02am

Christians such as Pat Robertson believe it is a moral imperative to address mass incarceration, especially in the face of stark racial disparities.

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03/02/2012
Drug-Testing Welfare Recipients

Drug-Testing Welfare Recipients: A Trend with No Traction

By Rachel Bloom, ACLU at 4:26pm

Two months into the state legislative session, not a single welfare drug testing bill has passed into law.

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09/14/2011
War on Drugs

Got Urine? ACLU Sues College Over Mandatory Drug Testing

By Rachel Bloom, ACLU at 5:12pm

Today the ACLU filed suit in federal court to stop Linn State Technical College, a public college in Missouri, from drug testing all of their incoming students with no suspicion of wrongdoing. Six brave students have stood up to administrators to demand that their Fourth Amendment rights not be violated, and that this senseless intrusion must end.

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