Home : Drug Policy

ACLU Urges PA Legislature to Repeal Law Barring Ex-offenders from the Voting Booth (02/29/2000)
PHILADELPHIA, PA -- At a public hearing scheduled for this Thursday, March 2, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania said it will urge the state legislature to repeal a law that bars ex-offenders from registering to vote for five years.

High Court Agrees to Review Indiana Law Allowing Random Roadside Drug Searches (02/22/2000)
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court today agreed to review whether police can routinely set up traffic checkpoints with drug-sniffing dogs to stop motorists in a completely random effort to catch people who sell or use illegal drugs.

As Congress Holds Hearings, ACLU Asks White House to Release Guidelines For Drug Propaganda Scheme (02/09/2000)
WASHINGTON -- Saying that there are still many unanswered questions about how the federal government is managing its ongoing scheme to sway the content of popular television sit-coms and dramas, the American Civil Liberties Union today said that the White House should immediately release the guidelines it uses in determining whether a program receives lucrative advertising credits.

ACLU Urges State High Court to Consider Cincinnati Drug Zone Ordinance (02/07/2000)
Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott ruled -- in a challenge brought by ACLU volunteer attorneys Bernard Wong and Robert Gertzweiler -- that the law was unconstitutional, saying it violated the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. 

ACLU of Washington State Challenges Suspicionless Urine Testing for Students (12/17/1999)
SEATTLE -- In the first legal action of its kind in Washington State, two sets of parents of high school students today filed a lawsuit challenging a school district's recently adopted policy of suspicionless urine testing for students who participate in extracurricular athletic activities.

Report Calls Employee Drug Testing a Bad Investment (12/15/1999)
Drug testing has become a routine part of the hiring process in America, the Los Angeles Times reported on December 15th. Most large employers -- 70%, according to the American Management Association -- test a candidate when they are ready to make a job offer.

Judge Blocks First-Ever Mandatory Drug Testing of Michigan Welfare Recipients (11/10/1999)
DETROIT, MI -- A federal judge in Michigan today halted the state's attempt to impose mandatory drug tests on all welfare recipients, confirming American Civil Liberties Union arguments that being poor is not an indication of being criminal.

Latest Drug War Proposal Repeats Same Old Mistakes (11/09/1999)
WASHINGTON -- Saying it would lead to an explosion of prison populations and costs, the American Civil Liberties Union today urged the Senate to reject a harsh drug control amendment expected to be offered by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-UT. The ACLU particularly objected to the amendment's requirement that mandatory minimum sentences for cocaine offenses be made even harsher. 

ACLU Urges Congress to Restore Voting Fairness (10/21/1999)
WASHINGTON -- Nearly 100 years ago, states across the South adopted a series of laws aimed at keeping African Americans away from the ballot box. Since then, legislators and the courts have jettisoned most of those biased laws. One glaring exception remains: criminal disenfranchisement laws.

ACLU Urges Support for Maine Ballot Initiative on Medical Use of Marijuana (10/12/1999)
PORTLAND, ME -- The Maine Civil Liberties Union today urged voters to support "Question 2," a ballot measure that would allow the use of small amounts of marijuana for the medical treatment of people suffering from cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, neurological seizures, and severe muscle spasticity.

Michigan ACLU Seeks Halt to Nation's First Mandatory Welfare Drug Testing Program (09/30/1999)
DETROIT -- Saying that Michigan's poorest families should not be treated like criminals, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan today filed a federal class-action lawsuit to halt the nation's first statewide drug testing requirement for welfare recipients.

Congress Begins Effort to Harm Patients, Undermine Democratic Process in DC (09/29/1999)
WASHINGTON -- A House committee today began the process of trying to undo the results of a free and fair election on a lawful initiative in which an overwhelming majority of District of Columbia voters approved the medical use of marijuana.