Reformers are set to record some major victories in the fight to dismantle the failed war on drugs. Here's a rundown:

Congress is expected to pass an omnibus spending bill that includes

• a provision eliminating the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs, a policy that has undermined disease prevention efforts for decades and resulted in tens of thousands of people contracting HIV/AIDS or hepatitis C.
• language ending restrictions preventing Washington, DC from implementing the medical marijuana imitative voters approved way back in 1998.

The Drug Policy Alliance has been working for years to achieve these reforms, and the fact that these changes are imminent shows that Congress is finally starting to change it's thinking on drug policy issues.

Progress is also happening on the state level. New Jersey is on the verge of ending mandatory minimum sentencing for some nonviolent drug offenses and becoming the 14th state to legalize medical marijuana.

New Jersey's progress comes after Rhode Island's elimination of mandatory minimums, Maine's approval of a medical marijuana distribution system, and New York's repeal of the draconian Rockefeller drug laws.

Want more reasons to celebrate? Read "10 Signs the Failed Drug War Is Finally Ending" by DPA's Tony Newman.

Posted by Maureen Brookes @ 5:42 PM