Politics + Legalization

Federal Bill Aims to Tax Vapes as Much as Cigarettes

On April 22, high-ranking Democratic legislators introduced a bicameral bill that would create the country’s first federal vaping tax. Senate…

April 27, 2021

“Devastating” West Virginia Law Could Practically End Syringe Provision

Over 1,200 West Virginians died of overdose in 2020, new data show—a 45 percent increase from 2019. This coincides with…

April 26, 2021

Future Uncertain for Washington State Drug Possession Bill

As Washington State’s legislative session drew to a close this weekend, lawmakers approved a bill that for the next two…

April 26, 2021

Drug Decriminalization in Oregon: How’s It Going So Far?

Tanesia DeMacon is no stranger to jail. She estimates she was arrested no fewer than 15 times, starting at the…

April 22, 2021

A 4/20 Call for Feds to Pursue Equitable Cannabis Legalization

On 4/20, the Federal Cannabis Regulations Working Group—consisting of cannabis regulators, public health experts and criminal justice reform advocates convened…

April 20, 2021

Legalizing Opioids: Three Proposed Models for Non-Medical Use

A rarity among academic papers, a new piece of research proposes models for legalizing opioids for non-medical use. A glut of…

April 19, 2021

Advocates Call on Feds to End Fentanyl Analogs’ Schedule I Classification

On April 8, the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) spearheaded a coalition—including the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the…

April 13, 2021

New Mexico Just Legalized Marijuana: Here Are the Details

The governor of New Mexico signed a bill on April 12 to legalize marijuana in the state, as well as…

April 13, 2021

Maine Unveils Legislation to Decriminalize Possession of All Drugs

Maine lawmakers have formally introduced a bill to broadly decriminalize possession of all currently illicit drugs—the latest state-based move to…

April 8, 2021

What It’s Like to Be a Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocate in Taiwan

Vaping captures headlines in the United States, where outcry over a perceived youth “epidemic” drives health misinformation and efforts to…

April 1, 2021