Home : Drug Policy

ACLU Joins Louisiana Teachers in Effort to Halt Unconstitutional Drug Testing (12/22/2008)
BATON ROUGE, LA – The American Civil Liberties Union and the East Baton Rouge Federation of Teachers sought a federal court order today to suspend an unconstitutional teacher drug testing policy instituted by the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board. The policy subjects any teacher who suffers an injury while on the job to a drug test without any suspicion of drug use. The East Baton Rouge Federation of Teachers, a local affiliate of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and the national American Federation of Teachers that represents over 1,600 local members, and the ACLU are seeking an immediate halt to the policy in order to protect teachers' constitutional right to privacy.

ACLU Brings Legal Challenge to Planned Random Drug Testing of West Virginia Public School Employees (12/05/2008)
CHARLESTON, WV – The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a legal challenge that seeks to halt the proposed random, suspicionless drug testing of nearly all Kanawha County public school employees. Partnering with the West Virginia Education Association (WVEA), the ACLU brief argues that in addition to being ineffective and costly, drug testing without cause violates public servants’ constitutional right to privacy and should be blocked by the court.

Damage Of Drug War On Prominent Display At Telluride Film Festival This Weekend (08/28/2008)
TELLURIDE, CO – The devastating impact of America's "war on drugs" will be on prominent display this weekend at the Telluride Film Festival with the premiere of "American Violet," a film based on the racially charged drug war scandal that rocked the town of Hearne, Texas, several years ago. Directed by Tim Disney and written by Bill Haney, the film stars Alfre Woodard, Will Patton and Tim Blake Nelson.

Federal Court Rules U.S. Government May Not Deliberately Subvert California’s Medical Marijuana Laws (08/20/2008)
SAN JOSE, CA - In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a federal court today held that the U.S. Constitution bars deliberate subversion by the federal government of state medical marijuana laws.

ACLU Expresses its Disappointment in Congress for Failing to Eliminate Aid Penalty in HEA Reauthorization (07/31/2008)
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the American Civil Liberties Union expressed its disappointment in Congress for failing to repeal the aid elimination penalty in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). The aid elimination penalty bars students with drug convictions – often minor, first time and misdemeanor offenses – from receiving critical college aid.

Federal Court Rules Strip Search Of 13-Year-Old Student For Ibuprofen Unconstitutional (07/11/2008)
SAN FRANCISCO – The American Civil Liberties Union applauded a federal appellate court ruling today that school officials violated the constitutional rights of a 13-year-old Arizona girl when they strip searched her based on a classmate’s uncorroborated accusation that she possessed ibuprofen. Today’s 6-5 ruling from an en banc panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reverses an earlier decision by a divided three-judge panel of the same court. Eight of the eleven judges on the en banc court held that the strip search violated Savana’s constitutional rights, and a six-judge majority further held that the school official who ordered the search is not entitled to immunity as a result of his actions.

International Drug Policy Up For Debate At Landmark U.N. Forum (07/07/2008)
VIENNA, Austria – The American Civil Liberties Union today joins a diverse coalition of civil and human rights organizations participating in the United Nations’ “Beyond 2008 Forum,” a historic opportunity to assess the past decade of international drug policy and to shape its future course. The ACLU and others will speak to the inability of current, principally punitive drug policies to reduce the supply of or demand for illicit drugs, as well as the significant violence, health problems, and civil and human rights violations directly attributable to these policies.

ACLU Urges Congress to Reform Department of Justice Grant Program (06/18/2008)
WASHINGTON, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union calls on Congress to reform a Department of Justice grant program as part of today’s markup of HR 3546, reauthorizing the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant. This program funds hundreds of regional anti-drug task forces that perpetuate racial disparities, police corruption, over-incarceration and civil rights abuses in large and small towns across America.

White House Continues to Push Ineffective Student Drug Testing Agenda (05/06/2008)
WASHINGTON – The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy is conducting the latest in a series of regional summits designed to convince local educators to begin drug testing students randomly and without cause – a policy unsupported by the available science and opposed by leading experts in adolescent health, including the Academy of Pediatrics, National Education Association, the Association of Addiction Professionals and the National Association of Social Workers.

Federal Court Hears Case Today of 13-Year-Old Student Strip Searched for Ibuprofen (03/26/2008)
SAN FRANCISCO - A federal appellate court today heard oral arguments over the constitutionality of a strip search performed on a 13-year-old Arizona girl by school officials looking for ibuprofen. A divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled the search constitutional on September 21, 2007, greatly expanding the circumstances under which schools may strip search students. That decision will now be reviewed by the full Ninth Circuit. The American Civil Liberties Union is co-counsel in the case.