Food and Drug Law Commons^™

The War On Drugs: Moral Panic And Excessive Sentences, Michael Vitiello

Cleveland State Law Review

The United States’ War on Drugs has not been pretty. Moral panic has repeatedly driven policy when states and the federal government have regulated drugs. Responding to that panic, legislators have authorized severe sentences for drug offenses.

By design, Article III gives federal judges independence, in part, to protect fundamental rights against mob rule. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has often failed to protect fundamental rights in times of moral panic. For example, it eroded Fourth Amendment protections during the War on Drugs. Similarly, it failed to protect drug offenders from excessive prison sentences during the War on Drugs. This Article …

The Search For Answers: Overcoming Chaos And Inconsistency In Addressing The Opiod Crisis, John Kip Cornwell

Mitchell Hamline Law Review

No abstract provided.

Safe Consumption Sites And The Perverse Dynamics Of Federalism In The Aftermath Of The War On Drugs, Deborah Ahrens

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

In this Article, I explore the complicated regulatory and federalism issues posed by creating safe consumption sites for drug users—an effort which would regulate drugs through use of a public health paradigm. This Article details the difficulties that localities pursuing such sites and other non-criminal-law responses have faced as a result of both federal and state interference. It contrasts those difficulties with the carte blanche local and state officials typically receive from federal regulators when creatively adopting new punitive policies to combat drugs. In so doing, this Article identifies systemic asymmetries of federalism that threaten drug policy reform. While traditional …

Pandemic, Protests, And Prison Reform? Why 2020 Is A Catalyst To Rethink Drug Policy, Keelia Lee

St. Thomas Law Review

This Article will argue for the abandonment of the current criminal justice system as it relates to drug offenses and for its replacement with a medical model to address the healthcare problem of addiction. The medical model approach calls for complete decriminalization of all controlled substances coupled with better rehabilitation and reintegration policies. This Article argues the criminalization of drugs has targeted minorities under the guise of keeping communities safe. It will look at the differences between the United States and Portugal, a country that has implemented the medical model, while also analyzing recent legislation in the United States addressing …

Reconciling American Marijuana Policy In A Federal System, Catherine Morton

Global Tides

The recent successful ballot initiatives in Colorado and Washington to legalize recreational marijuana despite restrictive federal law continue to demonstrate the disconnect between national and state marijuana policy. In order to understand how many of these national policies were enacted, an investigation will be presented of the discriminatory history of marijuana legislation, indicating the inconsistent nature of past regulation. Thus following will be an examination of relevant Supreme Court cases depicting the Supreme Court’s ultimate hesitation to prevent the states from circumventing federal marijuana law. Finally, a discussion will be held on the ramifications of inconsistent state and national policies, …

Federalism And Drug Control, Michael M. O'Hear

Vanderbilt Law Review

Federalism issues have been neglected in the scholarship on drug control policy. This Article addresses both empirical and normative questions relating to federal-state-local relations in the "war on drugs." Contrary to common views of federal domination and national uniformity, drug control policy actually varies considerably from state to state. State diversity has increased since the mid- 1990s, when drug reformers began to use the ballot initiative to change state laws. While the federal government has contested these reforms, it has not sought to use its preemption powers to enforce federal preferences.

The Article employs public choice models to explain the …

The Fordham Law Drug Policy Reform Project: America's Oldest War: The Efficacy Of United States Drug Policy, John Nicholas Iannuzzi, Graham Boyd, Asa Hutchinson

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The Fordham Law Drug Policy Reform Project planned and executed the debate, "America's Oldest War: The Efficacy of United States Drug Policy," on April 23, 2002 at the end of the organization's first year. The goal of the debate was to bring to one forum the leading voices at both ends of the drug policy spectrum. Professor John Nicholas Iannuzzi moderated, giving each speaker three minutes to answer each question from the floor. Over one hundred and twenty professionals, students, and community members attended the debate.

Engaging The Debate: Reform Vs. More Of The Same, Kevin B. Zeese

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This Essay dispels common myths put forward by drug war advocates and describes more effective alternatives available than present policy contemplates. We all want to prevent adolescent drug abuse, protect the health and safety of the community, deny drug profits to terrorists and other criminals, and develop a drug policy that works and is based on our common humanity, as well as on research and reality, rather than myth and rhetoric. The essential paradigm shift that needs to occur is to move away from a policy dominated by law enforcement . . . and toward a policy based on public …

Report Of The Task Force On The Use Of Criminal Sanctions To The King County Bar Association Board Of Trustees

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The King County formed the Task Force on the Use of Criminal Sanctions as part of the King County Bar Association's Drug Policy Project to examine current criminal sanctions related to the non-medical use of drugs both in Washington and on the federal level. The founders charged the Task Force with the goal of assessing the effectiveness of criminal sanctions in reducing both illegal drug use and drug-related crime, and assessing the public costs associated with the use of criminal sanctions. The Task Force drew specific conclusions regarding the state response to drug use and the provision of drug addiction …

An Effective Drug Policy To Protect America's Youth And Communities, Asa Hutchinson

Fordham Urban Law Journal

Drug abuse and addiction, and the government's response to these problems, are frequently and appropriately a topic for public debate. Law enforcement has made significant advances in both reducing the number of people using illegal drugs and in the fight against traffickers. Legalization of illegal drugs would not elinate the black market or eliminate drug-related violence. The facts on the issue make a strong case for a national policy geared toward effective drug abuse education and prevention, and treatment for people dependent on illegal drugs. Our nation should also continue to conduct research to determine the most effective means of …

Is Our Drug Policy Effective, Jefferson M. Fish

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The article begins by stating that the time has come for a reexamination of our drug policy. It continues by discussing the two day conference "Is Our Drug Policy Effective?" "Are There Alternatives?" organized by several committee's. Because of space constraints, the article mainly delves into two topics, certain substances both licit and illicit with regard to both their physiological effects and the policies governing them, and also the disproportionate emphasis placed by the war on drugs on combating marijuana. The article then gives summaries of the speakers at the conference. These include: Objectives of our drug policy, overviews of …