A bill toughening penalties for hard drug selling is moving in Ohio, Thailand clears the way for the medical use of opium and magic mushrooms, and more.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), a federal pot policy pioneer, wins an award for his efforts. (House.gov)
That National Conference of State Legislatures reiterates its support for banking access for pot businesses, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) files a marijuana expungement bill, and more.
Seized cocaine. Even amidst the fentanyl crisis, the US is still keeping an eye on cocaine, the drug czar says. (DHS)
A federal court in Vermont rules that the ADA does not protect medical marijuana patients, the drug czar says the cocaine trade remains a US priority, and more.
Labor Secretary Marty Walsh visits the Detroit Job Corps Center. (Creative Commons)
A Utah bill with powerful backers would punish cities who punish medical marijuana patients, a New Hampshire bill to legalize marijuana wins a House floor vote, and more.
The psilocbyin molecule. New Mexico lawmakers are considering a resolution to promote psilocybin therapeutics. (Creative Commons)
Battles over what to do with Oregon's drug decriminalization continue, an Arizona bill ostensibly aimed at homelessness would heighten penalties for some drug crimes and create a new offense, and more.
A South Dakota bill to heighten penalties for drug sales resulting in a fatal overdose is advancing. (Creative Commons)
The US and China form an official counternarcotics working group to deal with fentanyl and its analogs, a Virginia bill to clear the way for retail marijuana sales advances, and more.
Jim Gierach is a former Cook County, Illinois, prosecutor, occasional failed political candidate, and longtime fighter in the trenches taking on the war on drugs. He makes no bones about what he thinks need to happen.
Ancestral healer Don Pedro Sinuiri Barta (Xanen Weni in his native Shipibo) remains under medical attention. (imc.fund)
Ohio's Republican Senate leader is threatening to mess with a marijuana legalization initiative if it passes, the Israel-Hamas war has caused a pause in Germany's march toward marijuana legalization, and more.