Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–October 2, 2014. As fiscal year 2015 begins, a new brief from the Center for American Progress illustrates how federal spending cuts are actually deepening budget deficits—to the tune of $20.9 billion—by increasing waste, fraud, and abuse. These cuts hinder competent program administration, which depends on adequate staff and[Read More…]
Opinion
Oregon Racial Justice Groups: End Marijuana Prohibition
Measure 91: Current system has unfair impact on communities of color Portland, Oregon—(ENEWSPF)—October 1, 2014. People of color in Oregon are100 percent more likely to face legal punishments for marijuana than white people, despite equal rates of use. The current system is failing, and the following groups today are endorsing[Read More…]
How Should Our Society Deal With People Who Use Drugs?
Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—September 30, 2014 By: Tony Newman The war on drugs is a cruel joke. The U.S. spends more than $50 billion a year on the “war on drugs” with the goal of creating a “drug-free society” — yet there has never been a “drug-free society” in the history of[Read More…]
In Era of Marijuana Legalization, Some States Still Enforcing ‘Smoke a Joint, Lose Your Driver’s License’ Law
Granville, OH–(ENEWSPF)–September 19, 2014. According to a new analysis by the Clemency Report, some states are still suspending the driver’s licenses of convicted cannabis offenders unrelated to any actual driving offense (as part of a federal law called the 1992 Solomon-Lautenberg Act). The report finds that a majority of states[Read More…]
Statement by Dian Palmer, RN on Affordable Care Act Enrollment Figures
7.3 Million Ways the Affordable Care Act is Working Washington, DC –(ENEWSPF)–September 18, 2014. SEIU Nurse Alliance Chair Dian Palmer, RN released this statement today in response to the figures shared by CMS’s Marilyn Tavenner showing that 7.3 million Americans had purchased new healthcare plans through the insurance marketplace. The[Read More…]
Interactive Map Charts Congressional District, State-Level Poverty Data
Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–September 19, 2014. Today, TalkPoverty.org—a project of the Center for American Progress’s Half in Ten Education Fund—released a new interactive resource mapping state- and congressional district-level poverty data, based on new data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. Using seven key indicators—the total poverty rate; the women in[Read More…]
How Kofi Annan, Richard Branson and 7 Former Presidents Changed the Worldwide Debate on Drugs
NEW YORK—(ENEWSPF)—September 19, 2014. I have been blown away to see how a committed group of leaders can have a global impact when it comes to the world’s longest war: the war on drugs. Last week the Global Commission on Drug Policy made worldwide news at a press conference in[Read More…]
A Crucial Election Season for Legalizing Marijuana and Ending the Drug War
Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—September 18, 2014. By: Stephen Gutwillig It may be an off-year election, but it’s a big one for drug policy reform. In seven weeks, voters across the country will have a chance to accelerate the unprecedented momentum to legalize marijuana and end the wider drug war. In fact, there[Read More…]
Environmental Working Group Blasts Government Approval of 2,4-D-Tolerant Corn, Soybeans
Washington, D.C. –(ENEWSPF)–September 18, 2014. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to approve new varieties of genetically engineered corn and soybean seeds “brings us one step closer to widespread use of a new toxic weed killer that would threaten children’s health and the environment,” EWG said in a statement. “We[Read More…]
Census Bureau’s American Community Survey Provides New State and Local Income, Poverty, Health Insurance Statistics
Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—September 18, 2014. Income levels and poverty rates were not statistically different for most states from 2012 to 2013, according to statistics released today from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the nation’s most comprehensive data source on American households. The state and local income and poverty statistics[Read More…]
