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NORML Summer ‘26 Intern Caroline Breen outlines the parallel histories and failures of alcohol and marijuana prohibition.

The post A Tale of Two Prohibitions appeared first on NORML.

NORML Summer ‘26 Intern Ben Bailey provides an update on Georgia’s medical cannabis legislation

The post A Significant Step Forward for Georgia’s Medical Cannabis Program appeared first on NORML.

"Most participants were supportive of legal access to medical cannabis, open to using it in their own practice, and interested in receiving further training to do so."

The post Survey: Healthcare Professionals Overwhelmingly Agree That Cannabis Has “Legitimate Therapeutic Uses” appeared first on NORML.

NORML Summer ‘26 Mitchell Floch shares his perspective on the disparate impact of marijuana prohibition.

The post Cannabis Law Reform Is a Civil Rights Issue and Must Be Treated as Such appeared first on NORML.

"We find that state legalization of recreational marijuana substantially reduced the arrests and disciplinary incidents for drug law violations. … The decreases in arrests after legalization are especially steep at public institutions [and at] four-year institutions."

The post Analysis: Drug-Related Arrests, Disciplinary Incidents on College Campuses Decline Following Marijuana Legalization appeared first on NORML.

NORML Summer ‘26 Intern Dakota Helgren shares her reason for substituting cannabis for opioids to treat pain.

The post Why I Chose Cannabis Over Opioids appeared first on NORML.

Under the measure, state-licensed retailers will begin selling cannabis products to those age 21 or older on July 1, 2027.

The post Virginia: Lawmakers Approve Budget Language Regulating Adult-Use Cannabis Sales in 2027 appeared first on NORML.

Vermont is the third state this year to significantly increase adult-use marijuana possession limits.

The post Vermont: Governor Signs Bill Into Law Raising Adult-Use Marijuana Possession Limits appeared first on NORML.

"A fair administrative process should include the voices of those most directly affected by federal cannabis policy: consumers, patients, and the communities that have lived under prohibition. Excluding NORML from this hearing deprives the record of that perspective."

The post DEA Limits Participants in Upcoming Marijuana Hearing to Those Opposed to Rescheduling appeared first on NORML.

"Our Constitution protects people, not stereotypes, and it does not permit the government to convert cannabis use alone into a categorical mark of civic unworthiness."

The post Supreme Court Affirms Second Amendment Rights for Cannabis Consumers appeared first on NORML.

"These findings are consistent with those from other adult-use legal states, which show steep declines in marijuana use by young people following the adoption of regulated, age-restricted markets."

The post Colorado: Cannabis Use by Teens Continues Decade-Long Decline appeared first on NORML.

"Today's announcement is an important milestone, and we look forward to continuing the work of building a marketplace that meets consumer demand while prioritizing safety, accountability, and access."

The post Virginia: Governor Agrees to Revised Marijuana Sales Measure appeared first on NORML.

"No patient should have to choose between their medicine or their job."

The post Maine: State Enacts Law Protecting Medical Cannabis Patients From Workplace Discrimination appeared first on NORML.

Federal law enforcement officials in 2025 charged fewer than 400 people with marijuana trafficking, the lowest total ever.

The post Federal Marijuana Trafficking Prosecutions Plummet Following Adoption of State-Level Legalization Laws appeared first on NORML.

"Starting today, lawmakers, regulators, and licensed providers must begin putting patients’ needs first."

The post Alabama: Following Years of Delays, Patients Can Finally Access Authorized Medical Cannabis Products appeared first on NORML.

"This emergency regulation will help more Kentuckians reclaim their lives through safe, nonaddictive medical cannabis.” Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said.

The post Kentucky: Governor Issues Executive Order Expanding Medical Cannabis Access appeared first on NORML.

"Sealing these records from public view is a logical and overdue step and will provide Alaskans with greater access to jobs, housing, education, and other economic opportunities."

The post Alaska: Lawmakers Send Cannabis Record Sealing Bill to Governor’s Desk appeared first on NORML.

If you have HBO, I highly recommend watching the latest episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (Season 9, Episode 5). It may be available on other platforms.

In this episode, Oliver takes on the misguided drug war approaches that have led to the massive number of overdoses due to fentanyl and advocates some serious harm reduction approaches.

Update: here is it on Youtube:

A protection racket is an organized crime in which racketeers threaten and scare people to force them to pay a monetary tribute to the racketeers to avoid future harm. A racketeer can be a criminal, politician, corrupt government, or any one of their organized accomplices.

Few differences exist between protection racketeers and prohibitionists. Prohibitionists promise American taxpayers reliable public safety from illegal drugs at a bargain-basement price. Then they direct massive and expensive drug arrests by law enforcement that ruin millions of lives with fines and other criminal sanctions. Protection rackets don’t always protect.

Part of a prohibitionist’s tribute is called forfeiture, otherwise known as confiscation of the type that emerged as one of the triggers of the American Revolution against the British. Forfeiture might involve the confiscation of a person’s automobile once drugs are found or planted in the vehicle. Exclusion from voting rights, public office, and employment by the FBIare part of a wide portfolio of authoritarian sanctions. No detail is left untouched. Harm prevention is scorned. Fines are still levied in some states for possessing marijuana while not purchasing a state marijuana tax stamp to accompany it. Homes can be raided with no-knock warrants using conventional law enforcement or SWAT teams armed with military hardware, all for some trivial amount of drug cash believed stored in someone’s hallway closet. Evidence tends to come from some informant under legal duress who says it’s there. A drug cash raid for a non-recovered $8000 resulted in the police shooting death of Breonna Taylor. Police officers have been injured or killed in similar military-style confrontations.

Funding for drug war racketeers will continue as long as prohibitionists can manufacture consent by making civilians believe that fire and brimstone await those who smoke marijuana or take forbidden drugs. Decades of relentless public training in the popular detestation of illegal drugs and their consumers has been a steady windfall for various bureaucrats, politicians, and the dominionist religious groups whose members dominate the ranks of drug enforcement. Giving up a drug war is like beating an addiction. Drug war addicts may well need interventional drug treatment to educate them about their destructive habit.

Updates to WordPress weren’t working properly with the theme that I was using for DrugWarrant, and we were losing some functionality (along with images, etc.). So I have switched to another theme. It will take a bit of getting used to, and I’m sure there will be glitches that need to be addressed. Please let me know of any problems you see. Thanks for your patience.