Drug Charges

Now in his final year in office, President Obama has increased his focus on criminal justice reform. Specifically, he continues to issue pardons and commutations to large groups of non-violent drug offenders serving lengthy sentences in federal prison.Earlier this...

We have previously written that a criminal conviction can have consequences that last far beyond whatever sentence is imposed. This is especially true for teenagers and young adults. A conviction, even for minor offenses, can jeopardize job opportunities, college...

The "war on drugs" is a concept that dates back decades. It has been waged by numerous presidents with help from countless legislators. Its economic costs total billions of dollars per year, and its human costs are incalculable. Largely because of the war on drugs,...

We live in a country where the legality of marijuana is rarely clear and is frequently changing. Although the drug remains illegal under federal law, marijuana and derivative drugs are legal for medical purposes in 23 states and the District of Columbia. As most...

A couple weeks ago, we wrote about a new approach to combating drug use that focuses on harm reduction rather than arrests, convictions and incarcerations. A pilot program has so far been successful in one major city in the Northwest (based on reduced recidivism...

Is the drug problem in America a criminal justice issue or a public health crisis? The answer to that question depends on who you ask. But more importantly, the answer to that question has huge implications for how Wisconsin and the federal government should be...

The problems with state and federal drug laws and sentencing guidelines are well-documented. In the majority of states, including Wisconsin, African Americans are many times more likely to be arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned for non-violent drug crimes than whites...

While the war on drugs has always been controversial, perhaps the most highly criticized aspect has been the strict enforcement of marijuana laws. Many studies suggest that marijuana is safer in some ways than alcohol and tobacco cigarettes, both of which are legal...

Last week, we wrote about challenging the lawfulness of a traffic stop, which is one option for defending against DUI charges. An officer must have a reasonable suspicion that a crime or violation has occurred if he wants to pull over a driver. This is often based on...

No one really wants to discuss race these days, particularly here in the Midwest. America likes to think of itself as a post-racial society, but there is plenty of data to demonstrate that this isn't true. This is one reason why the events in Ferguson, Missouri, this...