Drug policy, politics and civil liberties

A couple of recent drug war items deserve Grits readers' attention.

• At Texas Monthly, Bill Martin bring us up to speed on the disappointing lack of progress at the Texas Legislature by bills to address low-level drug sentencing that the House leadership refused to release for a floor vote, see "The Policy and Politics of Drug Sentencing." This is the second time in recent years that legislation to reduce penalties for small-time pot possession passed out of the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee but never received a floor vote. (The last time was in 2005.)

• At the Houston Chronicle's Baker Institute blog, see a strong article by Gilbert Garcia titled, "How the war on drugs has infringed on US civil liberties."