2017 may have been the worst year for homicide in Mexico since the government began keeping track in the 1990s. It’s a safe bet that the homicide rate isn’t coming anywhere near what it was in the years surrounding the revolution. But it may be the worst rate in several decades. Keep Reading
Trump derangement syndrome is manifesting itself in the cannabis community, as leftists are seemingly intent upon destroying the entire marijuana movement out of a temper tantrum over President Trump. Libertarian activist Eapen Thampy, who leads the Americans for Forfeiture Reform, has come under hostile attack for pointing out that left-leaning marijuana activists are using their supposedly non-partisan posts in the cannabis reform movement to launch cheap shots at their right-wing opponents. “Outreach coordinator for Students for Sensible Drug Policy wants to shut down UConn College Republicans event with Lucian Wintrich,” Thampy said in a Facebook post. “Sad that SSDP now… Keep Reading
I worked as Roy Moore’s staff attorney for over three years and know him well. Depicted as a right-wing loon, he’s actually a pensive man who authored thoughtful opinions as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Five opinions written by Moore stand out as reasons libertarians could support him in the Alabama primary to fill the U.S. Senate seat once held by Jeff Sessions. Like most of his opinions, these received little fanfare or notice. Keep Reading
When Donald Trump was campaigning for President last year, thousands of Americans chanted “LOCK HER UP!” throughout the country referring to his opponent, Hillary Clinton. Once elected, Trump supporters expected Attorney General Jeff Sessions to follow the campaign’s mandate and proceed to investigate Clinton for her e-mails, Libyan war crimes, and other atrocities she has committed over the years. Instead of fulfilling the Trump mandate, Sessions has gone rogue. He is pursuing his decades-long fetish of marijuana prohibition and working feverishly with the intent of doubling-down on possibly the most destructive policy in modern American history: the federal drug war.… Keep Reading
The partial legalization of marijuana has not been particularly ideal. Thanks to high regulatory burdens on the marijuana-production industry, limitations on production volume, and high taxes, black markets have persisted within those states that have adopted a variety of legalization measures. Perhaps most burdensome has been ongoing federal banking regulations that essentially prohibit marijuana producers from using commercial banking services. The resulting reliance on physical cash has led in many cases to more robbery and inefficiencies within the cannabis industry. Nevertheless, even partial legalization has brought at least some of the benefits that one would expect. Cannabis products are now… Keep Reading
In a previous article, I wrote about how the war on drugs and the government monopoly on the legal system has created the Tragedy of the Commons in our justice system. Because legislators and police officers have every incentive to appear “tough on crime” but the cost of the sending a criminal to a courtroom is socialized, the courts have become increasingly backlogged. What that article did not cover is the related “commons problem” in the prison system and the consequences that follow. Where legislators and police officers have in-built incentives to send as many people through the courts as… Keep Reading
Attorney General Jeff Sessions was a notorious drug warrior while serving in the Senate. Those hoping that President Donald Trump, who actually supported the full legalization of drugs in the past, would reign Sessions in have had their hopes dashed as Sessions announced today that federal civil asset forfeitures will expand during the Trump administration. “[W]e hope to issue this week a new directive on asset forfeiture—especially for drug traffickers,” Sessions said to a National District Attorneys Association conference in Minneapolis Monday. “With care and professionalism, we plan to develop policies to increase forfeitures. No criminal should be allowed to… Keep Reading
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) are up in arms after Attorney General Jeff Sessions released sentencing guidelines last week indicating his favor of mandatory minimum sentences that were being phased out by the Obama administration. The two libertarian lawmakers have been long-time advocates for criminal justice reform. They feel that the Trump Administration under Sessions is clearly headed in the wrong direction on this particular policy, which will only serve to clog the prisons further while doing little to prevent crime. “Mandatory minimum sentences have unfairly and disproportionately incarcerated too many minorities for too long,” Paul… Keep Reading
When former Sen. Jeff Sessions was announced as Trump’s pick for Attorney General, many leftists and even some libertarians cried foul. This would be the end of marijuana legalization, they claimed! Others claimed that he was the big bad racist boogeyman who loved the Klan. The histrionics were almost unbearable. Nevertheless, their whining and their crying did woefully little to stop the confirmation of Sessions. After he was confirmed, news reports have circulated indicating that the Attorney General under Trump will be focused on taking out serious drug cartels while leaving the recreational marijuana industry relatively unscathed. The U.S. News… Keep Reading
The immigration debate is one of contention, hurt feelings, and misinformation. Groups defending different approaches often use faulty knowledge and divisive rhetoric, all while ignoring important points being made by both sides. As a result, truth and basic moral principles are ignored — by everyone. Especially those who mean well. As explained by Mises Institute’s president Jeff Deist, national borders mark “the edge of a particular territory over which a political entity — a state — claims exclusive jurisdiction.” By definition, anything under the control of the state requires a border — physical or otherwise. Much like the market, where… Keep Reading
The hypocritical liberals are sounding the alarms about Jeff Sessions being President Trump’s pick for Attorney General. Suddenly and conveniently, they care about civil liberties and the rule of law again now that they have lost political power. Nevertheless, they are blowing smoke and relying on ignorance to push their tired agenda. The George Soros-funded Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is especially ham-fisted in their nauseating “analysis” of the appointment. Purportedly a nonpartisan group, their true colors were shown after they released a ridiculous screed filled with so much nonsense that looks as if it was drafted by John Podesta himself: Keep Reading
President Barack Obama might be on his way out, but the media’s relentless favoritism remains unchecked. In a recent interview for Rolling Stone, exiting Commander in Chief Obama told reporters he believes current federal marijuana laws are “untenable.” Adding that, while he has always stood by the notion that substance abuse should always be discouraged, he also believes that “treating this as a public-health issue, the same way we do with cigarettes or alcohol, is the much smarter way to deal with it.” Despite the friendly veneer and the positive response, news outlets have, for the most part, ignored the… Keep Reading
