Opinion

Across the world, more and more people are asking: Why is marijuana banned? Why are people still sent to prison for using or selling it?

Campaigning for the imminent primary in New Hampshire, a state greatly affected by the opioid addiction and overdose crisis, presidential candidates have been falling over each other to express their sensitivity, empathy and proposed solutions.

On both sides of the Atlantic, a reawakening of progressive politics is underway. In countries where until recently socialism was considered a “dirty word”, Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn are inspiring a growing number of American and British citizens with a message of economic equality and social justice. And both have concrete achievements to show for it: Corbyn swept to victory with a huge margin in the Labour leadership contest, while Sanders achieved a 22-point victory over Hillary Clinton in the recent New Hampshire primary.

The New Hampshire primary is over, and the contest for the Republican nomination remains tumultuous and muddled. The Granite State may have a reputation for winnowing the election field, but it seems likely that most candidates will go on to the next contest in South Carolina on February 20.

One of life’s enduring mysteries is how intent politicians seem to be on ignoring the lessons of history. One recent example involves torture. There was once a consensus that torture was immoral; even today, any sensible person knows torture is of little use if you want accurate information. Yet the current crop of Republican presidential candidates have been trying to outbid one another with promises of barbarism: Senator Ted Cruz confirmed that he favours simulated drowning, which he classifies as an “enhanced interrogation technique” (EIT) that falls short of torture. (The Spanish Inquisition was rather more honest, and called it tortura del agua.) “The Donald” immediately trumped his rival : he would “bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding”.

New Hampshire voters sent a loud and clear anti-establishment message on Tuesday.

After a weeks-long standoff with federal and Oregon state police, 16 members of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation have been arrested, one wounded and another killed. The occupation’s leaders, Ammon and Ryan Bundy, are among those in custody.

It took a long time for Barack Obama to woo African American voters, who were decidedly in the Hillary Clinton camp in the early weeks of the 2008 race for the Democratic nomination . The tide shifted after Obama won the Iowa caucuses, proving himself to be a viable candidate. Clinton’s strong black support began to ebb after a series of flippant remarks from Clinton herself and her biggest asset and liability, former president Bill Clinton, in advance of the primary in South Carolina – a state with a large black Democratic base – in late January.

Since the terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, news stories with negative portrayals of Muslims have dominated the media. This negative coverage is made more problematic when right-wing news channels fail to explicitly distinguish between radical Islam and the interpretation of Islam that is accepted by the overwhelming majority of Muslims, who do not support terror. In fact—maybe unsurprisingly—at least one empirical study has shown that Fox News watchers are significantly more likely to have negative views of Muslims.

Fully realising a masterpiece can be a double-edged sword. In the two years since Beyoncé “changed the game with that digital drop ”, I’ve frequently wondered just how she could possibly follow it.

As the 2018 midterms heat up, Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) is once again making waves as he faces a fierce challenge from Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D) who has amassed a impressive war-chest to take on the firebrand Republican.

One of the hottest topics in the bioethics world involves the use of cognitive enhancers—also known as “smart drugs”, “brain boosters”, and “nootropics”—to achieve elevated mental and physical performance. Some of the most intense enhancers are prescription pharmaceuticals, like Adderall and Ritalin, which are stimulants that have historically been used to treat attentional disorders such as ADHD. In addition to increasing concentration, many of these compounds have also been shown to drastically enhance mood, cognition, and creativity in those who are psychologically healthy. Whether these effects persist over the long-term is still a matter of heated debate, and unwanted side effects such as nervousness, insomnia, and psychological disturbances have been commonly reported.

This article was originally published at The Washington Spectator

This past June, pulp novelist Brad Meltzer revealed that, while he was touring Secret Service headquarters for research on a White House thriller, agents shared with him what Meltzer called a “secret.” President Ronald Reagan packed heat. “It’s true,” they said. “A .38. Reagan used to hide it in his briefcase and take it on Air Force One.”