by Pete Guither
The U.S. pharmaceutical industry is enormous. A recent analysis placed its 2025 market value at roughly $520 billion, making it the world’s largest national drug market. Government protection of the industry is achieved in part through enforcement of Schedule I Continue reading
Approximately $1 billion in annual U.S. foreign aid is provided for domestic drug enforcement operations in foreign countries. The money is allocated through multiple U.S. federal agencies. An exact number for the total funding is obtained only by adding up Continue reading
Artificial Intelligence appears at first glance to be an obvious choice for sourcing new strategies to win the war on drugs. AI might have worked in this regard if only drug wars possessed some kind of logical or realistic narrative. Continue reading
If winning the drug war means removing all access to illegal drugs then the odds of victory are close to zero. Supply‑side enforcement in the U.S. is unreliable. It fails to reduce drug availability or overall rates of addiction. Drugs Continue reading
Chemophobia is an irrational fear of chemicals and chemistry. Many examples exist. Some individuals believe certain synthetic chemicals are toxins whereas “natural” or derived substances are safe, even though the two substances are identical in every other respect. Similar reactions Continue reading
On February 25, 2025, the U.S. State Department under the direction of Marco Rubio accused several major drug cartels of being terrorist organizations. The accused include the Cártel de Sinaloa, Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Cártel del Noreste, the Gulf Continue reading
Regional political changes are a window of opportunity to fully legalize marijuana in Venezuela and other countries south of the U.S. border. Done properly it could lead to ending marijuana smuggling in the Western Hemisphere. Marijuana in Venezuela is currently Continue reading
Every time you hear anyone (including news networks) defending the bombing of boats, saying that this is about terrorist drug cartels and we need this war to prevent Americans from being killed by drugs, you are being bamboozled. If you Continue reading
In totalitarian societies, marijuana use is a crime of the mind. Its consumption is distinguished from crimes of violence and other types of offenses in that its use symbolizes a flagrant dissent that challenges the authoritarian ideologies prohibiting it. Marijuana Continue reading
CIA mind control experiments that exposed willing and more often unwilling people to mind-altering chemicals are the focus of an HBO series now in early production by David Chase. Chase is best known as the creator of the Emmy-winning mob Continue reading