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The Top Drug War 10 Stories of 2013
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/beginning-end-drug-war-top-10-stories-2013
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#1. White House Allows Marijuana Legalization Laws to Proceed in Colorado and Washington
Last November Colorado and Washington made history when they voted to legalize marijuana. The big question was how were President Obama and the federal government going to respond. In August, Attorney General Eric Holder informed the governors of Washington and Colorado that the Department of Justice would allow the states to implement their ballot initiatives that legalized the production, distribution, and sale of marijuana for adults.
#2. Gallup Poll Finds Record 58 Percent of Americans want to Legalize Marijuana
In October a Gallup poll found a record breaking 58 percent of Americans support making marijuana legal, with only 39 percent opposed. Support for legalization has jumped an extraordinary 10 percentage points since last November when Colorado and Washington State legalized marijuana. Colorado and Washington showed the world that it is possible to legalize marijuana. More U.S states and countries are sure to follow in 2014 and 2016.
#3. Uruguay Becomes 1st Country in the World to Legalize Marijuana
Last week, Uruguay became the first nation to make recreational marijuana legal for adults and to regulate its production, distribution and sale. The marijuana legalization proposal was put forward by President José Mujica and approved by the House and Senate. By approving this measure, Uruguay represents the vanguard of growing opposition to the drug war in Latin America and throughout the world.
#4. Attorney General Eric Holder Slams U.S. Mass Incarceration and Mandatory Minimums
In September, Attorney General Eric Holder offered the Obama administration’s most forceful critique to date of U.S. mass incarceration policies, at a meeting of the hemisphere's security ministers in Medellín, Colombia. He also emphasized the Obama administration's efforts to scale back mandatory minimum sentencing policies.