Mark Weiss

Mark Weiss is the co-producer of openDemocracy's Drug Policy Forum Front Line Report.

He is a Masters student within the School of Law, Birkbeck College, and holds a BA in Politics from Queen Mary, University of London. He has worked with DrugScope as a Policy Assistant, where he conducted research on UK drug law and policy.

oD Drug Policy Forum: Front Line Report - Week of July 18th 2011

This week we lead with the Committee for the Prevention of Torture's new Report on Poland - highlighting a serious lack of progress towards the 'care of inmates with drug related problems.' In other news we take a look at the trailer for new film, 'Breaking the Taboo'; explore the ongoing tragedy

By Charles Shaw and Mark Weiss

/ 18 Jul 2011

oD Drug Policy Forum: Front Line Report - Week of July 9th 2011

Portugal decriminalized all drugs 10 years ago and the results are in: decreased youth drug use, falling overdose and HIV/AIDS rates, less crime, reduced criminal justice expenditures, greater access to drug treatment, and safer and healthier communities ~ MW & CS

By Charles Shaw and Mark Weiss

/ 9 Jul 2011

oD Drug Policy Forum: Front Line Report - Week of July 4th 2011

We lead this weeks Report with news that the Bolivian government has formally notified the UN Secretary General of its withdrawal from the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. In other news, we look at the relationship between torture and drugs, and explore the Russian Government's counterpro

By Charles Shaw and Mark Weiss

/ 4 Jul 2011

oD Drug Policy Forum: Front Line Report - Week of June 26th 2011

We lead this week with the release of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime 'World Drug Report', revealing a rise in consumption of synthetic and prescription drugs. In other news we reflect on the likely withdrawal of Bolivia from the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, and travel with Al Jaz

By Charles Shaw and Mark Weiss

/ 26 Jun 2011

oD Drug Policy Forum: Front Line Report - Week of June 21st 2011

We lead this week with an excerpt from the documentary film, The Exile Nation Project - by our very own Charles Shaw. In 1991 Amy Ralston Povah was sentenced to 24 years in Federal prison. Her only crime was being divorced from an alleged "drug kingpin." In this two-part interview, Amy relays the

By Charles Shaw and Mark Weiss

/ 21 Jun 2011

oD Drug Policy Forum: Front Line Report - Week of June 12th 2011

The Wire has been described by many critics as the greatest television series ever made and it has been praised for its realistic portrayal of urban life - especially the war on drugs. We lead this week’s Drug Policy Report with an excellent HCLU interview by Peter Sarosi with Sonja Sohn, who play

By Charles Shaw and Mark Weiss

/ 12 Jun 2011

oD Drug Policy Forum: Front Line Report - Week of June 4th 2011

With much attention focused this week on the landmark Global Commission Report, the Drug Policy Report takes a look at the week's other stories, leading with the disquieting news that Iran is to hang 300 for drug trafficking -starkly illustrating the urgent need for the Commission's call for a glo

By Charles Shaw and Mark Weiss

/ 4 Jun 2011

Drug Policy Forum Special Report - The Global Commission on Drug Policy

On Thursday the Global Commission on Drug Policy released a groundbreaking report condemning the drug war as a failure and recommending major reforms of the global drug prohibition regime. In this Special Edition of the Drug Policy Forum, we take a look at the global media response and highlight t

By Charles Shaw and Mark Weiss

/ 4 Jun 2011

oD Drug Policy Forum: Front Line Report - Week of May 23rd 2011

We lead this weeks Report with news of a landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court to reduce California's severe prison overcrowding, held to have directly contributed to unconstitutional conditions which are not only unsafe but overly costly ~ MW & CS

By Charles Shaw and Mark Weiss

/ 27 May 2011

oD Drug Policy Forum: Front Line Report - Week of May 16th 2010

We lead this weeks report with a message from the Drug Policy Alliance's Executive Director, Ethan Nadelmann, on the correlation between America's 40th anniversary of the war on drugs and prohibition related violence in Mexico. Ethan also discusses President Obama and recent U.S. medical marijuana

By Charles Shaw and Mark Weiss

/ 15 May 2011

oD Drug Policy Forum: Front Line Report - Week of May 9th 2011

This week we lead with news that as tens of thousands of people in Mexico take to the streets to demand an end to the war on drugs, a coalition of nearly two dozen organizations in the United States have signed an open letter supporting the protesters’ calls for a new strategy ~ MW & CS

By Charles Shaw and Mark Weiss

/ 10 May 2011

oD Drug Policy Forum: Front Line Report - Week of May 2nd 2011

We lead this weeks report with news that at the 65th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, one of the UN's key human rights experts will call for a fundamental rethink of international drug policy in a thematic report which will be the clearest statement to date from within the UN system

By Charles Shaw and Mark Weiss

/ 30 Apr 2011