war on drugs

Will wipes away sweat on a hot day while walking down Willow Street in Lynn, Mass., as he looks to distribute safety supplies to drug users on the street.

National

He Lost Nearly Everything To Addiction. Then An Arrest Changed His Life

7:04am June 19, 2021

by Martha Bebinger

For years, people who used drugs were treated like criminals, often given long sentences. Now there's growing acceptance that addiction is a treatable disease, but shame and discrimination linger.

Huntington was once ground-zero for this opioid epidemic. Several years ago, they formed a team that within days visits everyone who overdoses to try to pull them back from the brink. The county's overdose rate plummeted. They wrestled down an HIV cluster

National

Overdose Deaths Rose During The War On Drugs, But Efforts To Reduce Them Face Backlash

7:00am June 19, 2021

by Brian Mann

Researchers know how to curb the risks of overdose and disease among drug users, but policymakers are reluctant to allow public health measures that include needle exchanges and access to safer drugs.

During the War on Drugs, the Brownsville neighborhood in New York City saw some of the highest rates of incarceration in the U.S., as Black and Hispanic men were sent to prison for lengthy prison sentences, often for low-level, nonviolent drug crimes.

National

After 50 Years Of The War On Drugs, 'What Good Is It Doing For Us?'

11:37am June 17, 2021

by Brian Mann

President Nixon called for an "all-out offensive" against drugs and addiction. The U.S. is now rethinking policies that led to mass incarceration and shattered families while drug deaths kept rising.

'Patron Saints Of Nothing' Is A Book For 'The Hyphenated'

7:47am June 17, 2019

Young adult author Randy Ribay says it's tough having "a dual identity" in a world "where people want you to be one thing." His new novel explores the Philippine government's deadly war on drugs.

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Supporters of Kian delos Santos protest on Thursday outside the police station where three policemen involved in Kian's killing were assigned in Manila.

World News

3 Police Officers Found Guilty Of Murder In Philippines' War On Drugs

7:04am November 29, 2018

by Emily Sullivan

A court found all three men guilty of murder and sentenced them each to 40 years in prison for the 2017 killing of a 17-year-old who police said they suspected was a drug runner.

A farmer shows cocaine base paste, made from coca leaves in Colombia's Guaviare department in 2017.

World News

Colombia Is Growing Record Amounts Of Coca, The Key Ingredient In Cocaine

4:31pm November 05, 2018

by John Otis

The country's rising cocaine production has alarmed Washington, which has spent more than $10 billion over nearly two decades to attack the illegal drug trade in Colombia.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte looks on during the 20th ASEAN China Summit in Manila, Philippines, on Monday, Nov. 13, 2017.

World News

Philippines' Rodrigo Duterte Sustains Support For Deadly War On Drugs

4:34pm November 13, 2017

by Samantha Raphelson

Despite international criticism and thousands of people killed, 7 to 8 out of 10 Filipinos continue to support President Rodrigo Duterte's bloody war on drugs, according to the latest polls.

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As the burgeoning marijuana industry booms, who is reaping the benefits, and who is being left behind?

(Legally) Selling Weed While Black

12:16pm September 22, 2017

by Maria Paz Gutierrez

As Oakland's legal cannabis industry grows, the biggest players seem to have two things in common: They're white, and they have lots of money.

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Philippine Sen. Leila de Lima, a former human rights commissioner and one of President Rodrigo Duterte's most vocal opponents, waves to supporters after appearing at a court in suburban Manila on Feb. 24. She was arrested on drug-related charges that she

World News

Jailed Philippine Senator: 'I Won't Be Silenced Or Cowed'

8:08am June 24, 2017

by Michael Sullivan

Leila de Lima, 57, was jailed in February on President Rodrigo Duterte's orders, after she launched a Senate investigation into Duterte's bloody war on drugs. It's not the first time they've tangled.

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Kurt Britz checks a driver's license at the 3-D Denver Discrete Dispensary on January 1, 2014, the first day recreational marijuana sales were legal in Colorado. Possession remains illegal for those under 21 years old, and statistics show a widening racia

National

As Adults Legally Smoke Pot In Colorado, More Minority Kids Arrested For It

5:17am June 29, 2016

by Ben Markus

The state legalized marijuana at the start of 2014 for anyone 21 or older. An increasing rate of Latino and black youths were arrested for violating that age limit, even as the white arrest rate fell.