Lawmakers Blame W. Va. Opioid Fiasco on Drug Distributors

ALAN FRAM / The Associated Press May 8, 2018 Legislators from both parties point the finger at distributors who missed signs of suspicious activity that resulted in millions of prescription pills being shipped to West Virginia, a state ravaged by opioid deaths. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Why Jeff Sessions’ War on Marijuana Is a Futile Pursuit

Phillip Smith / AlterNet Jan 5, 2018 The attorney general's rescinding of Obama-era "hands-off" guidance to federal prosecutors is sending shock waves through the marijuana industry, but its impact is likely to be limited. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Trump Drug Czar Nominee Pulls Name From Consideration

Darlene Superville and Matthew Daly / AP Oct 17, 2017 Rep. Tom Marino withdraws after reports that he played a key role in weakening the government’s authority to stop companies from distributing opioids. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Top 10 Things That Don’t Make Sense About NSA Surveillance, Drones and Al-Qaida

Juan Cole / Truthdig Aug 6, 2013 All the stories about the government’s quest for Total Information Awareness about the phone calls, email, Internet searches, etc. of 312 million ordinary Americans raise some questions in my mind. There are so many things about these stories that don’t make sense. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

DEA Covering Up Surveillance on Americans, Report Says

Staff / Truthdig Aug 5, 2013 According to a report published by Reuters on Monday, a secret special unit within the Drug Enforcement Administration is using data from Internet and phone records obtained by the NSA to help launch investigations in the U.S. that are largely unrelated to national security issues. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

DEA Launders Money for Mexican Drug Cartels

Staff / Truthdig Dec 4, 2011 To what length should governments enable crime in order to catch criminals? That’s the ethical issue raised by a New York Times article that reports DEA agents have laundered millions of dollars in drug proceeds to battle Mexican cartels. More than 40,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico since 2006. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )