Author Archive: Phillip Smith

Phillip Smith is a writing fellow and the editor and chief correspondent of Drug Reporter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. He has been a drug policy journalist for more than two decades. He is the longtime writer and editor of the Drug War Chronicle, the online publication of the nonprofit Stop the Drug War, and was the editor of AlterNet’s coverage of drug policy from 2015 to 2018. He was awarded the Drug Policy Alliance’s Edwin M. Brecher Award for Excellence in Media in 2013.
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These 5 States Are the Most Well-Placed to Legalize Marijuana in 2021

Released for Syndication: 01/29/2021

In 2020, the number of states that ended pot prohibition reached 15 (and the District of Columbia), as voters in four states—Arizona, Montana, New...

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The Top 10 Drug Policy Stories of 2020

Released for Syndication: 01/04/2021

A pandemic, civil unrest, national elections—2020 has been a year of tumult that couldn’t be done with soon enough. But when it comes to...

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In Historic Move, House Votes to End Federal Marijuana Prohibition

Released for Syndication: 12/08/2020

Breaking almost entirely along party lines, the House on December 4 voted to approve the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2019...

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In Historic Vote, the UN No Longer Considers Cannabis One of the Most Dangerous Drugs

Released for Syndication: 12/04/2020

In a historic vote on December 2, the 53 member states of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) voted to remove cannabis from Schedule...

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Drug Reform Won a Clean Sweep in the 2020 Election

Released for Syndication: 11/09/2020

In the days between Election Day and the announcement of Joe Biden as the projected winner of the presidential race, even as national election...

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The Psychedelic Revolution Is Coming to the Ballot Box

Released for Syndication: 10/30/2020

The psychedelic renaissance that has been emerging in recent years will finally get a chance to be ratified by voters on November 3. On...

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Legal Marijuana Is on the Ballot in Big Sky Country

Released for Syndication: 10/19/2020

Come November 3, Big Sky Country could be among the latest places to free the weed. As is the case in Arizona, New Jersey,...

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Will New Jersey Be the Next State to Legalize Marijuana?

Released for Syndication: 10/06/2020

New Jersey looks set to be the next state to legalize marijuana. It’s on the ballot come Election Day on November 3, the polls...

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Oregon Is on the Cusp of a Major Precedent in National Drug Reform: Decriminalizing Everything

Released for Syndication: 09/11/2020

Come November 3, Oregon residents will have a chance to approve the most far-reaching drug reform measure ever to make a state ballot when...

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Can Marijuana Win Over Voters in a High Plains Red State?

Released for Syndication: 08/26/2020

Marijuana is on the ballot in South Dakota in November this year. This is a state that has the dubious distinction of being the...

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