Politics. On Point.

Speaking at the National Press Club yesterday, Dr. Ron Daniels, noted lecturer at York College City University of New York and president of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century has an immediate call to action and fervent message for President Obama: Stop ignoring the plight of African Americans . Dr. Ron Daniels at National Press Club announcing IBW's Day of Direct Action. Photo/CD Brown. When 27 elementary children at a Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Connecticut were assassinated during on a regular school day, President Obama was there - front and center - vowing for tougher gun laws . When a hurricane and winds pummeled cities and towns of New Jersey last year, President Obama was there.  To thwart women being discriminated against in the work place, President Obama took swift and immediate action. As the president continues his push for the rights of the middle class, immigration reform (mainly for those of Hispanic descent), and equal treat...

The United States Congress passed the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 (S.1789), reducing the sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine violations. “I applaud the passage in the House today of the Fair Sentencing Act, which will dramatically reduce a 100-to-1 disparity between trafficking offenses for crack and powder cocaine,” said White House Drug Control Policy Director, Gil Kerlikowske. “The Obama Administration is committed to the fair and equal application of our Nation's laws. The Fair Sentencing Act marks the first time in 40 years that Congress has reduced a mandatory minimum sentence. “As Director of National Drug Control Policy, I'm charged with ensuring the United States is doing all it can to reduce drug use and its consequences. Our efforts to do so should be grounded in science and evidence, and there is no scientific basis for the crack/powder sentencing disparity,” said Kerlikowske. The National Drug Control Strategy promotes a balanced and...

Has Own Celebratory Month (May) Citing the success of drug courts in helping people restore their lives through treatment and other social services, R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy, today paid tribute to the observance of May as National Drug Court Month. Director Kerlikowske lauded the drug court system as a model of the kind of collaborative, evidence-based and effective approaches the Nation must embrace to reduce drug use and its consequences. “Drug courts provide a critical service to our Nation’s families and communities by offering viable treatment options for individuals struggling with substance abuse, while reducing the burden on the Nation’s courts, jails, and prisons,” said Director Kerlikowske. “Drug courts are a key element of a holistic approach for reducing the drug abuse and its consequences in the Nation.” Drug courts, established in 1989, are specialized, mostly locally based courts, dedicated to diverting non-violent, low-level off...

(via Press Release) Today, Gil Kerlikowske , Director of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), presented the Obama Administration’s National Drug Control Strategy at the National Methamphetamine Pharmaceuticals Initiative (NMPI) annual conference in San Diego, California. Director Kerlikowske was joined by William Blair, President of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police/Toronto Police Chief, and experts in methamphetamine and pharmaceutical diversion, including participants from Canada, Mexico, and other countries. The Administration’s inaugural National Drug Control Strategy establishes five-year goals for reducing drug use and its consequences through a balanced policy of prevention, treatment, enforcement, and international cooperation, including efforts to reduce methamphetamine production and trafficking and prevent and treat methamphetamine and prescription drug abuse. In remarks to some 440 participants, Director Kerlikowske thanked State and local law enforcem...

National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske said today “a new direction in drug policy” is required to reduce the strain on the Nation’s economy caused by drug abuse and to improve the public health and safety of our citizens. Testifying before the Subcommittee on Domestic Policy of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Director Kerlikowske outlined national drug control priorities and the Fiscal Year 2011 National Drug Control Budget, noting that the Obama Administration approach to drug policy is “grounded in common sense, sound science, and practical experience.” With drug use accounting for tens of billions of dollars per year in healthcare costs, and drug overdoses ranking second only to motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of accidental death, the Nation “needs to discard the idea that enforcement alone can eliminate our Nation’s drug problem,” Director Kerlikowske said. “Only through a comprehensive and balanced approach – combining tough, but ...